Derion Kendrick: No One Had to Take a Chance on Me, but Kirby and Georgia Did
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs are getting ready to take the field for the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Here is everything quarterback Derion Kendrick said about the matchup Monday.
Q. You mentioned during your MVP acceptance speech, after the Orange Bowl, Georgia taking a chance on you or giving you a chance, I guess I should say. Can you elaborate just more on that and what that means to you and how quickly you were able to fit in in this program?
DERION KENDRICK: Everybody, if you follow football, everybody knows what happened in my situation. Being thrown into the portal, nobody had to take a chance on me at all but they did.
And when I got here, I mean, I just fit in, just doing what I do, just came in, put my head down and put in the work. They accepted me for who I was and not what happened in the past.
Q. Stetson just talked about the offensive line and how great they played against Michigan, and how maybe the offensive line took the Joe Moore Award going to Michigan as a slight, as a challenge. Seemed like Alabama did the same thing against y'all, because y'all have one of the best defenses in college football history. Do you think that served as motivation for Alabama in the first meeting with y'all? And do you all figure to match that intensity on Monday night?
DERION KENDRICK: We should be motivated every time we step on the field regardless of what awards or whatever is going on. And they just had -- they're a great team. They came out on top last game.
Q. You guys didn't have much success against Jameson Williams the first time around. What have you got to do differently?
DERION KENDRICK: Just gotta lock in, do what we normally do, don't try to do too much. And just everybody make plays, just top collegiate level. So everybody is going to make plays. It's about what you do next play.
Q. Wondering from your experience at Clemson if there was anything you learned or had your eyes opened to that has impacted how you've been or what you've been able to do at Georgia?
DERION KENDRICK: I had great coaches there, and they taught me ways to be a better person, become a better football player as well. And I just took those things and just put them into myself and my game so I could just elevate on and off the field.
Q. I wanted to ask you, Coach Saban was talking about Brock Bowers, called him one of the premier players in college football. You've had a different look at him. You've had a long look at him. What do you think of Brock and what he's done for your guys' offense this year? And when did you know that he was capable of doing something like he's done this year?
DERION KENDRICK: I see it almost every day, giving like flashes and stuff. He's a great player, always working. He works hard. When you work hard, usually good things happen in return.
So I just knew early in the season he had a game where he had three touchdowns. I believe it was UAB or something, I knew right there that he was going to be great.
Q. Kirby was talking about Bryce's ability to always keep his eyes up, and that was one of the main factors for his success the last time you met. What kind of problems does that present a corner? And your thoughts on the challenge going against him one more time?
DERION KENDRICK: I mean, we've just got to be disciplined. Can't try to do too much. Gotta do our job, which our job is to cover the receivers and let everybody else do their job. Can't let nobody run free.
Q. Outside of the SEC, it's apparent to a lot of people that the growth of college football is dependent on the sport breaking out of the SEC. And some people are saying we've already seen this matchup before and it's all SEC. Why do you think that a Georgia/Bama matchup, even though it's an SEC matchup, is still good for the growth of college football?
DERION KENDRICK: I believe it's just like -- it's a great matchup. Every time we play it's always back and forth. So I feel like everybody is going to enjoy this game, great teams, great coaches, and always have great players. So everybody is just tuning into this game. And it's also SEC. Everybody believes that SEC is the best conference in college football.
Q. You've played in national championship games, you're a guy on the Georgia team that's beaten Bama before. Is that anything you've shared with your teammates, your experiences?
DERION KENDRICK: Everybody knows that my freshman year we won or whatever. And that year I was on a different side of the ball. I wasn't really tuned into their offense. I was more likely tuned into their defense.
Just like giving them keys to where we just gotta stay focused, do what we've got to do, just watch extra film, take care of (indiscernible) and stuff like that.
Q. I wanted to ask you because you have that perspective being both at Georgia and being at a different school. But does it feel like there's almost a mental block that Georgia might have towards Alabama, in that Alabama is someone that, this program always is in these absolute dogfights of games with, and often Georgia is the one to walk away with a loss in heartbreaking fashion?
DERION KENDRICK: I mean, I haven't been here long enough to answer that question. So I'm not sure.
Q. We haven't had a chance to talk to you all year. So I feel like I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about playing against Clemson. I know that was the opener and a long time ago. I guess if you could just tell me what that was like going against a former team. We'll see more and more of that with guys in the portal. Secondly, does it seem like a lifetime ago for you, too, or is that game still fresh on your mind?
DERION KENDRICK: I feel like it was really God just putting me in the opportunity to play in that big game at that moment. Somebody that I've been with for three years, a great coaching staff. Also people who I came in with my recruiting class, just being able to play against them and just being on a different side, it was a blessing.
Q. You're obviously here as kind of the spokesman for the defense. So just overall, obviously the last game was one that we hadn't seen the defense play like that all year and hasn't since. So just, can you just speaking for the entire defense, what does it feel like getting another shot at this? And is it a totally different approach? Just got to be the same approach and do better this time?
DERION KENDRICK: Same approach, but different attitude. You've got to go out there, do what we do because we didn't play a good game at all on the defensive side of the ball. We've got to help the offense out as well. So that's how I feel about it.
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