Georgia Postgame Quotes Georgia vs. Sanford Stadium Nov. 24, 2018

Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart

On the win to go to 11-1: "It's a rivalry game. They have a good program and a good team, and our guys take a lot of pride in doing things the right way and competing. I thought we played really hard today. ... This is a credit to our seniors, to our entire team, for buying in. We're getting better each week." On defending Tech's offense: "The kids played hard and practiced hard. Our defensive coaching staff put a lot of effort in and it paid off. The look from the scouts all week was tremendous. They gave us a good picture and a lot of credit goes to those kids. ... It's an eyes football game. You've got to look at your keys the whole time and we did that." On Georgia's offense: "Our offense is functioning at a high level. We're efficient and we're getting positive plays. The offense is getting better." On playing in the SEC Championship Game: "It's where this program should be. It feels like a game we should be going to every year. Our guys will lay it on the line and they're excited about the opportunity. It will be a great atmosphere, one of the best in . It will be another game week for us. We'll prepare for our opponent and treat it like every other week."

Sophomore DL #10 Malik Herring

On the defensive performance... “I want to give credit to our scout team because they really helped us prepare for this game and practice was actually harder than the game.” On the challenge of facing Georgia Tech’s offense: “It was a challenge. We had to change our minds and get prepared for the game because their offense is so different. We just had to prep really hard and stay focused throughout the week, even though we’re getting cut (blocked) in practice and stuff like that, we just had to change our minds.”

Sophomore TB #7 D’Andre Swift

On what the “We Run This State” mantra means to the running backs group... “It means a lot. The last time they [Georgia Tech] came here, the senior class lost so it’s real big for us just to send our seniors out with this win today.” On outgaining Georgia Tech, the No. 1 rushing offense in the nation coming into the game, 285-128 on the ground… “Hats off to our scout team. Our scout team did a great job of giving our defense a look because they run a real complicated offense to stop. Our defense did a great job of stopping them today … On offense, we’re clicking right now. I think we’re starting to peak at the right time.”

Senior OLB #15 D’Andre Walker

On snapping Georgia Tech’s two-game winning streak in Sanford Stadium… “I feel like after this year, there will be no more years where Georgia Tech will come into the University of Georgia and beat us in our own stadium.” On the defensive performance… “I feel like our scout team gave us a better look than they [Georgia Tech] could, and we just went out there and executed.”

Georgia Tech Postgame Quotes Georgia vs. Georgia Tech Sanford Stadium Nov. 24, 2018

Georgia Tech Head Coach Paul Johnson

Opening Statement: “We played against a really good football team and we played really poorly. We got ourselves dug in a hole and we never could put together anything consistently on offense. The first drive, we make a couple first downs then got 4th- and-1 then jump offsides. I think the first half, we got the ball a few times and didn’t do much with it. In the second half, we got the block below-the-waist call which I talked to them about. … The game was over by then. We just could never get anything going offensively at all. The offense needs to possess the ball for us to have a chance to score. We didn’t do that today. Credit to Georgia, they did what they had to do to win.” On the struggles of the defense in the first half: “It gets masked sometimes in a game with limited possession as long as you can hold the ball and score, but we struggled mightily on the backend. We missed a ton of tackles.” On the offensive struggles in the first half: “We had a hard time blocking. We never could get anything going. We’d get a first down or two. We missed reads. In a game like that, when you miss the read and you miss your target, you keep getting buried and there’s not much margin for error. You can’t go four possessions without scoring and expect to be in the game.”

Freshman Punt Returner Juanyeh Thomas On catching the ball on the goal line... "I was just thinking if I can return it I can go. I thought to myself if I can I can run it out and I did, That was it. I followed the Georgia kick off team crashing and I just read the kick off team, hit it, and scored." On the kicks going over his head... "Every game if they game goes into the end zone I'll get mad because I want to return the ball. That's just me honestly. On the rivalry... "Honestly the hype about it was everything that I thought it was but we didn't get the results we wanted so now we have to focus on the bowl. We're throwing this behind us and wanting to finish strong."

Freshman Tre Swilling On Georgia's receivers... "Like you just said they're really good receivers, very talented across the board. For every play they were out there they were very physical and they're good at what they do." On being confident with the score... "Me personally I think you just have to have conference throughout the whole game and in every game the momentum is going to go the other way at some point. That's when you have to dig deep, remember where you started, and not really scratch what you're doing but focus on that and continue going. Being able to go out there and get a stop." On Jake Fromm... "He's a really good passer I think there's no secret about that. He's a great quarterback, very smart. He knows where the routes are going to be and most of the time you see that the receivers haven't left their cuts yet but the ball has left his hand. He has great placement and great timing. He's a really good quarterback." #5 Georgia Postgame Notes vs. Georgia Tech, Nov. 24, 2018

*42nd Win For Seniors And 11th This Year: With today’s 45-21 victory, the Bulldog senior class improves to 42-11 and that tally ranks tied for third in school history with the 2004 class that went 42-10. Georgia went a perfect 7-0 at home this year. For the fourth time in school history since a 12th-game was added to the season in 2002, Georgia has won at least 11 games in the regular season. Georgia has gone 11-1 during the regular season in 2002, 2012, 2017 and now 2018. In the series history with Tech, Georgia improves to 67-39-5 all-time and retains the Governor’s Cup Trophy. It was presented to Georgia coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs at midfield after the game by Governor Nathan Deal.

*Bulldogs Strike First - & Often: Georgia scored touchdowns on its first five possessions and six out of its nine times with the ball and added a field goal during its 11th win of the year. This comes after the Bulldogs scored touchdowns on all seven possessions in the first half last week versus Massachusetts and then scored on four of five drives during the second half against the Minutemen. Georgia’s first punt came in the 4th quarter, a span of seven quarters dating back to the Auburn game after not punting last week against UMass.

*Fromm Directing The Rout: Junior QB Jake Fromm started the game 7-for-7 (12-for-12 counting the UMass game) and hit seven different receivers and went 13-for-16 for 175 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in a little more than a half. He hit junior WR Riley Ridley for a 5-yard touchdown to cap the opening nine-play, 75-yard drive that took 4:37. Fromm then directed an 88-yard drive (second longest drive this season) that lasted 6:07 and was 11 plays. Junior TB D’Andre Swift scored on a 1-yard plunge on the second drive and had 20 yards on the ground. Fellow TB Elijah Holyfield jumpstarted the drive with a 39-yard rush. On Georgia’s third and fourth possessions, Fromm sent scoring strikes to sophomore Jeremiah Holloman for 12 yards and to junior Mecole Hardman for 44 yards. Holyfield returned to the Sanford Stadium end zone for the second time in as many weeks for Georgia’s fifth touchdown on an 8-yard scamper. Junior PK Rodrigo Blankenship completed the scoring with a 25-yard field goal as time ran out in the second quarter. In the second half, Ridley snagged his career high second touchdown grab of the game with a 4-yard catch.

*Another Productive Day: Georgia featured a balanced attack with 448 yards of total offense including 286 yards rushing and 162 yards through the air. The Bulldogs had four receiving touchdowns and two scoring runs. Junior TE Isaac Nauta led the receivers with four catches for 36 yards while Swift led the charge on the ground with 105 yards on 14 carries (7.5 avg.) and a touchdown. This marks his fourth 100-yard rushing game in the last five contests after he played a minimal number of snaps during the 66-27 victory over UMass.

*Getting Defensive: Matched up versus the nation’s top rushing offense, the Bulldogs held Georgia Tech to 66 total yards (all rushing) and only seven points in the first half off a kickoff return. Tech finished with 219 total yards (128 rushing) and 21 points in the game. Tech was averaging 353.7 yards per game on the ground and 437.5 total yards. The Yellow Jackets completed the game with 12 first downs to Georgia’s 25. Tech went 3-for-6 on fourth downs. Senior DL Jonathan Ledbetter led the Bulldogs with a nine stops and Georgia had three sacks. Senior ILB D’Andre Walker (7 tackles) and Jordan Davis (3 tackles) each had a sack. Tae Crowder and Malik Herring split a sack in the first half. Walker’s previous high was six tackles against GT last year.

*Giving Up A 100-Yarder: After the Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-0 lead, the Yellow Jackets’ Juanyeh Thomas returned Rodrigo Blankenship’s kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. This was the first KOR for a TD since North Carolina’s T.J. Logan went 95 yards to the end zone in 2016. Tennessee’s Leonard Scott was the last player to go 100 yards for a touchdown on a KOR against the Bulldogs in 1999. Also on special teams, freshman P Jake Camarda had his first punt since the third quarter of the Auburn game on Nov. 10. He had a 45 yarder at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and it was the only one of the contest.

*Protecting The Pigskin: With one fumble today, Georgia is now +3 in turnover margin. The Bulldogs have forced 15 turnovers that have led to 51 points. Their opponents have forced 12 turnovers that have resulted in 30 points. Freshman TB James Cook fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter and Tech converted it into a touchdown.

*For Starters: Georgia had a pair of first-time starters on defense. Sophomore defensive lineman Malik Herring and junior defensive lineman Michael Barnett got the nod for the Bulldogs. Senior C Lamont Gaillard started his team- leading 40th consecutive game while on defense, junior J.R. Reed started his unit-leading 27th straight time.

*Up Next: The No. 5 Bulldogs (11-1, 7-1 SEC) make the trip to Atlanta to face No. 1 Alabama (11-0, 7-0) in the SEC Championship Game next Saturday. CBS will televise the matchup at 4 p.m. The Iron Bowl kicks off today at 3:30 p.m. to close out the regular season for the Crimson Tide versus Auburn. # #

NO. 5 GEORGIA (11-1) 45, GEORGIA TECH (7-5) 21 Nov. 24, 2018 • Athens, Ga. (Sanford Stadium) • Attendance: 92,746 Postgame Notes Team • Georgia Tech closed the regular season with a 7-5 overall record, marking the seventh time in Paul Johnson’s 11 seasons as head coach that the Yellow Jackets have at least seven regular-season wins (63.6 percent). In the 41 seasons prior to Johnson’s arrival on The Flats (since Bobby Dodd’s retirement following the 1966 campaign), Georgia Tech won seven or more regular-season games 15 times (36.6 percent). • Saturday’s loss was Georgia Tech’s first at Georgia since 2012, snapping the Yellow Jackets’ two-game winning streak at Sanford Stadium and evening Johnson’s record in Athens at 3-3. • Georgia Tech fell to 41-67-5 all-time versus Georgia and 15-31-1 against the Bulldogs in Athens. • Georgia Tech fell to 0-11 all-time versus Georgia when the Bulldogs are ranked in the top five nationally. • For the first time in school history, Georgia Tech returned kickoffs for touchdowns in consecutive games. Fr. Juanyeh Thomas, who returned a kickoff 77 yards for a score last Saturday vs. Virginia, returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score in the first quarter of Saturday’s game. • Georgia Tech extended its streak of consecutive games with at least one takeaway to 12. The Yellow Jackets entered the weekend as one of 10 NCAA FBS teams with a forced turnover in every game this season. • Georgia Tech’s 128 rushing yards were a season low (prev.: 146 vs. Clemson, Sept. 22) and its fewest since it rushed for 95 yards vs. Clemson on Sept. 22, 2016. • Georgia Tech’s 219 yards of total offense were its second-lowest total of the season (prev. 203 vs. Clemson, Sept. 22). • Georgia’s 447 yards of total offense were the third-most that Georgia Tech has allowed this season (prev.: 483 at Louisville, Oct. 5 and 480 vs. Clemson, Sept. 22).

Individual • Georgia Tech Fr. Juanyeh Thomas set or matched five school records with his 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter: o The 100-yard return is tied for the longest in school history. Thomas became the fourth Yellow Jacket to achieve the feat, joining Drew Hill (vs. Georgia, 1978) Dez White (vs. Maryland, 1998) and Jamal Golden (vs. North Carolina, 2012); o Thomas became the third player in school history with two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a single season, joining Hill (1978) and Golden (2012); o Thomas became the first Georgia Tech freshman with two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a single game; o Thomas became the fifth player in school history with two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a career, joining Hill (1975-78), Gary Lee (1983-86), White (1997-99) and Golden (2011-15); o Thomas became the first player in school history to return kickoffs for touchdowns in consecutive games (he returned a free kick – statistically considered a kickoff – 77 yards for a score last Saturday vs. Virginia). • For the fourth-straight game, Georgia Tech Sr. OLB Jalen Johnson matched a career-high nine tackles. • Georgia Tech Fr. QB James Graham had the first pass completion of his career when he completed a 22-yard pass to Sr. QB TaQuon Marshall in the fourth quarter. The reception was Marshall’s first since he caught three passes as a freshman A-back in 2015.