Georgia Football News and Notes for Tuesday

ATLANTA – A wry smile crossed the face of co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp as he sat at the podium for Tuesday’s interview session to preview Georgia’s College Football Playoff semifinal game against Ohio State.

The question: what was “Bloody Tuesday?”

“It’s today,” Muschamp quipped, bringing laughter from the room.

Where some programs eschew heavy, good-on-good practice sessions, Georgia and head coach Kirby Smart relish them.

The practice—deemed “Bloody Tuesday” because of its tough, hard-hitting nature—is one of the reasons players insist that Georgia’s practice sessions are more difficult than the games themselves.

So on Tuesday, during a closed session at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, that’s just what the Bulldogs will do. No reason to change it up now.

"It’s a lot of fun. We got to team run, and that’s our favorite day of the week. It’s understanding what we’ve got to do to be successful,” Muschamp said. “That starts with Coach Smart, what you emphasize, and what’s important. That’s a huge emphasis from the top down.”

Linebacker Smael Mondon told a funny story about his first experience with Bloody Tuesday.

As a recruit, former Bulldog and current LSU safety Major Burns told him about it. At first, Mondon said he was scared.

“I was thinking it was like the movie 300, where everybody was killing each other,” Mondon said. “I was nervous for a couple of weeks, but it’s football at the end of the day. There was nothing to be nervous about.”

Muschamp said “Bloody Tuesday” is now an expected and accepted part of the Bulldog culture and a big reason why Georgia is considered one of the top programs in all of college football.

“Our guys understand that. They understand for us to be successful and be our best, that’s what you have to do. That comes from winning. When you’re winning on Saturday, it’s easier to buy into a very physical mentality and understand that’s what it's going to take,” Muschamp said. “You can ask our players—it’s not player talk, it’s not coach talk, that is what our players believe."

The last and only time Georgia has ever played Ohio State was back in 1993 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

No. 8 Georgia defeated the No. 15 Buckeyes, 21-14.

Muschamp was a safety on the team coached by Ray Goff. The quarterback for Ohio State: current ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

“It was a good win for the Dawgs. I guess [there was] a luncheon, and Herbstreit got up and threw a pass across the room,” Muschamp said. “I knew we had a shot to win. Make sure he knows I said that.”

Muschamp’s sense of humor did not stop there.

When asked (jokingly) about the difference between that Ohio State and the one Georgia will see Saturday night (8 p.m.) in Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Muschamp said the difference is night and day.

“Yeah, Robert Smith—two-back. They were only allowed to throw the ball on third down,” Muschamp said. “It was I-formation, they’d get tricky and got in twins. It was TOTALLY different.”

If Muschamp imagined being a defensive coordinator again after originally being brought in to UGA as a defensive analyst: “No. Whether you're the head coach or the coordinator or position coach or an analyst, do the best job in the job you have in your role in the organization, and Coach Smart does a great job of identifying what your job is, and this is your job description—and do it at a high level, and let the chips fall where they may,” Muschamp said. “And for some unfortunate circumstances, I ended up being on the field last year, and do the best job you can with the job you have.”

On Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud: “I think he's an elite passer. That's the first thing that jumps out. He can make all the throws. He puts the balls in catchable areas where a lot of them just don't have that talent to do that, a lot of people don't have that talent to do that. And he certainly can,” Muschamp said. “I think it was Michigan State two years ago he took a zone read 70 yards for a touchdown against Northwestern. This past year, with 5:30 left to go in the game, the designed quarterback runs out the backside. So, he has legs and athleticism to evade the rush and create off-rhythm plays which are obviously very difficult to defend. But the number one thing that jumps off the film is his ability to throw the football.”

What Nolan Smith has continued to do despite being out with torn pec: “He has energy every day. It's hard to do when your role is diminished because of the inability to be on the field. We go out to flex, he's yelling, he's energy, and he's trying to lead despite not being able to be on the field with them actively. I'm pleased with what they've done.”