NEW ORLEANS – Georgia offensive coordinator James Coley faced reporters for the first time since August for a Sunday press conference to preview Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl.

Kirby Smart’s policy is to only allow his offensive and defensive coordinator to speak to the media one day during the preseason.

There was plenty to discuss. Topping the list were Coley’s thoughts on a Georgia offense that struggled for much of the year, scoring fewer than 27 points in eight of its last 10 games.

Coley appeared ready for the question.

“Everybody's talked about the play on the outside and the questions on Jake [Fromm],” Coley said. “But you know what? I've got to do a better job, first and foremost. It starts with me, right? So, I'm looking at myself hard, and criticizing myself, and busting my tail to get that end better.”

So, what’s next?

Coley said it comes down to players and making sure he's doing whatever he can to ensure the right pieces are in place to give the Bulldogs their best opportunity for success.

“We do have to put some pieces in place for a quarterback in the pass game. We've got to put some pieces in place up front for the running backs. So it goes down to players. That's the bottom line, right?” Coley said. “How do you get your players better so they can reach their full potential? That's what we've been fighting all season long to get better at, working really hard at.

“But bottom line, we’ve got to score points. How do you score points with conditions, or what you have or the injuries you're working with. It's been tough, and ultimately it falls on me. It's our job to get it better.”

Coley did make one denial.

A belief many have shared is that Georgia’s offense, its style and everything the Bulldogs do are dictated by head coach Kirby Smart.

According to Coley, that’s not quite true.

‘I don't really see it as the system that Kirby wants to run, or we're forced to run this certain system,” he said. “As a staff, we sat down and we said, what gives us the best chance to beat certain teams with the players we have?”

Personnel, not scheme, has dictated the offense the Bulldogs elected to run.

“We're still a pro-style offense, and that just gives us the flexibility to do a bunch of things. And, again, it's who you have out there and who you're trying to feature,” Coley said. “So, what gives you the best chance: Giving the ball to the tailback who's a really good player, or throwing the ball to a young guy who may not be ready for that moment yet? You know what I mean? I don't think what I want to do has been held back. What I want to do, I've done. It's been none of that.”

Coley believes injuries at wide receiver certainly played a role in much of Georgia’s offensive issues, although it was losing the likes of Terry Godwin, Riley Ridley, and Mecole Hardman that affected this year’s offense the most.

“I think we were very different from last year to this year, because of the departure of the receivers we had that are now playing in the NFL,” Coley said. “I think we're different from, I would say, the first quarter of the South Carolina game till now, because of the injuries to a player like Lawrence Cager.”

But ultimately, Coley knows the responsibility is his to correct.

Injuries are part of the game. They happen. It’s Coley’s job to find different answers.

“It's tough. It's our job, though. It's my job. It is,” he said. “It's a difficult thing to scheme around. But it's what we do, and it's what we get paid to do. And we've got to do the best we can.”