KIRBY: We Are Fired Up to Play in Sanford in Front of Our Fans
ATHENS - No. 5 Georgia held a two-hour workout Wednesday in preparation for its upcoming home game against Massachusetts.
Saturday’s contest will mark the second of three home games to close out the regular season for Georgia (9-1). Speaking on the SEC head coaches weekly teleconference before practice, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said the Bulldogs are looking forward to playing at home again.
“We’re excited about our second to last home game against UMass, and Coach Whipple has got a great program and a really good team that scores a lot of points,” said Smart. ”I know our players are fired up to get another opportunity to play at home in front of our home crowd in an afternoon televised game.”
Georgia enters Saturday’s game averaging 37 points a game while the Minutemen check in at 33.4 points a game. The Bulldogs scoring defense ranks ninth nationally, allowing just 15.8 points a game while UMASS surrenders 40.8 points a game. One of the featured playmakers for the Minutemen is senior wide receiver Andy Isabella. He is one of 11 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award which goes to the nation’s top wideout. He ranks second in the FBS in receptions (87) and receiving yards (1,479). Smart was asked about the challenge Georgia faces covering him.
“Andy is a great wideout, and they do a tremendous job of using his skill set so he’s never in the same place twice,” said Smart. “We do study where receivers line up each week. He’s not your normal receiver. He can be in the backfield; he can be in motion; he can be shifting. The guy has lined up at tailback, at the slot. We play defenses that don’t allow you to follow a guy with one person. They (Deandre Baker and Isabella) will get matched up at some point in the game but to travel with him is almost impossible.”
Smart was asked if the SEC is the best conference this season.
“I’m not the expert at that, I’d love to give you a great headline or great comment,” said Smart. “I have no qualms saying that our conference top to bottom is one of the toughest in the country. But to say this year, I probably don’t get to see enough football outside ours. You could poll a lot of other teams and ask them if they want come in this conference and you’d find out that way.”