Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian met with the media on Monday, October 14. Here's what Sarkisian had to say about Georgia in advance of this weekend's showdown in Austin.
"We've got a heck of a challenge this weekend against Georgia. Very good football team. I have a ton of respect for Coach Smart and the job that he's done at Georgia. They've kind of somewhat been the standard of college football here now for the last, oh, six, seven years. They've been to seven SEC championship games, they won three in a row, back-to-back national champs, competed for a third. They've recruited really well, they've got great schemes, they're really well-coached. I know the moment won't be too big for them coming into DKR."
On what makes Georgia so successful on defense and where he found success against them as Alabma's offensive coordinator in 2020: "I think one, they've got a really good scheme. You've got Kirby Smart, Will Muschamp, Glenn Schumann all on the same defensive staff, those are probably three of the top defensive minds in college football. They're sound in what they do. They recruit really good players. They're big and physical up front, they've got great length in the secondary. They always have very smart, heady safeties to communicate what they're trying to do. Third down, they give you a ton of exotic pressures and different fronts. With all of that, they end up playing a lot of almost two-man coverage. So now you're not only having to beat one guy to get open, you have to beat two. But that's the schemey part and they do a heck of a job with that. I think it's a combination of they've got a great scheme and a great staff to go along with really talented players that play hard. They're long and physical. Those two things combined can make it difficult. I think on the flip side for us, like I touched on earlier, you're always trying to find somewhere where you can maybe exploit something that's maybe not a strength. But I don't know that they have too many weaknesses that way. We just try to do our best to find some plays that can get us another first down and maybe get the ball in the end zone."
On Georgia quarterback Carson Beck: "Carson Beck I know really well. He was committed to us at Alabama and ultimately decommitted and went to Georgia. He's a great young man, military background, his father. Big strong kid, can make all the throws. He's got a real presence in the pocket, can make all the throws. I think they have a scheme that fits him. They believe in the play-action pass, they believe in the double moves. They're going to take plenty of shots down the field. They utilize the tight end, they utilize the running backs. There's nothing from a throw game that he really can't do. He's played enough football now to, it's kind of hard to confuse guys when they've played that much football. That's going to be our challenge. How do we disrupt him in the pocket? How can we create a little bit of hesitation in him from a coverage standpoint? Then we're going to have to play really well in tight coverage because he's going to make these throws. They have elite speed on the perimeter. They're built very similar like us, whether it's Arian Smith or Lovett. Those guys can all go. Now you have to guard them and they have an NFL quarterback throwing it to them."
On his relationship with Kirby Smart and if he sees similarities between them: "I have a ton of respect for Kirby, first of all. We do have a very good relationship. We actually have a lot of fun together and we share a lot of funny stories about our mentor that only he and I can talk about. You guys don't get to know those. But again, a ton of respect. I think the premise of our programs is probably very similar. Obviously ours has got a little bit of an offensive perspective because of me and his a defensive perspective. But I think the way we've built our teams, the style in which we try to play the game and our belief in physicality and running the ball, those things matter. Our belief in special teams. A lot of the things that we do and how aggressive we are in recruiting are very similar that way. I respect that. I respect the way he's built that program at Georgia. I respect the way that his teams play. I respect the aggressive nature in the way his coordinators call the games. I think that's why the challenge is fun that way. I always love competing against buddies because it's like growing up as a kid, competing with your brothers. There's nobody you wanted to beat more than your brother or your buddy. I love the challenge, I'm sure Kirby feels the same way, that this is a heck of a challenge for both of us. It should be a great night for college football."
On the characteristics of Nick Saban's mentees: "I'd say the first characteristic is everybody recruits really good players. When you're at Alabama with Coach Saban, I think you come to learn and value that you get to coach great players. When you've got great players, we all become better coaches. I'm smarter, I call better plays because those guys make me look better, right? I think all of us that have been with Coach Saban recruit really good players, whether that's Lane at Ole Miss, Kirby, myself. We're always trying to find really good players. I think too, I think all of us believe in the value of a complete team, whether that's offense, defense, and special teams. When you play games like this at a really high level against really good people, and the goal is to try and win that last game, it's hard to win that last game, it's hard to be a national champion if you're not a complete team, if you're not a versatile team. You've got to have depth of quality players and two, you better be good in all three areas because it's tough to get to that game and it's tough to win that game if you're just a one-dimensional team."
