In Short: Stoops & Wildcat Players Discuss Dogs

Following Georgia’s 42-13 victory over Kentucky in Athens, Wildcat head coach Mark Stoops, his offensive coordinator, and some visiting players were made available to discuss their loss to the Bulldogs.

Stoops mentioned the ‘Cats had opportunities early on in the game and they hung in there, but the turning point was the roughing-the-punter penalty called on them, keeping a Georgia drive alive. “They (the Bulldogs) scored from there,” Stoops said, “and it was an uphill climb from that point.”

Kentucky offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said that he thought the Wildcats’ offensive line had some success—“physical upfront”—against Georgia’s defensive front. He indicated the good effort put forward by running back Benny Snell, especially in gaining yards after contact. However, Gran thought the offense would have to convert at least half of its third downs to win, which it did not (4 of 13), including a third down that was not converted in which the offensive coordinator admitted he “screwed up.”

Stoops wanted to keep Georgia’s defense off balance; however, once Kentucky began to pass when it was essentially forced to—“predictable pass”—according to the head coach, “we knew it would be tough.”

Stephen Johnson mentioned Mississippi State and Florida being similar when asked if Georgia was the toughest defense he had faced this season, but gave the Bulldogs credit for their physicality and, according to the Wildcat quarterback, “they came to play.”

On Georgia’s Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, Stoops said, “They’re exceptional backs—they really are,” also mentioning their quickness and physicality, and both are “really strong.” Linebacker Josh Allen added, “You have to hit them hard. Arm tackles aren’t going to work on them and we did a lot of arm tackling today.”

Notably, Stoops mentioned that Georgia responded today after its difficult loss at Auburn last week, “like we knew they would,” the head coach said, “and they played like a No. 1 team in the country tonight.”