Georgia Sports Communications/For Immediate Release
ATHENS—–With the home game versus Louisiana approaching, the Georgia Bulldogs conducted a two-hour practice Wednesday at the Club Sports Complex on Milledge Avenue.
Georgia’s Kirby Smart participated in the SEC Coaches weekly media teleconference earlier in the day and said the Bulldogs are preparing for a talented Louisiana squad.
“They have really good skill players, a big offensive front, I have a lot of respect for Coach (Mark) Hudspeth and his staff,” said Smart. “We are looking forward to our second home game in a row in Sanford Stadium. We’re focused on the team we’re playing, and what we do well. Louisiana has good players, you put the tape in, and our guys can see that. They do a good job and have a quarterback who has proved himself in the SEC. The tape speaks for itself in terms of playing these guys.”
The Ragin’ Cajuns (4-5) opened up their offense this past Saturday in a 33-26 road win over Georgia Southern. Louisiana outgained the Eagles 482-306 and held GSU to just 99 yards of total offense in the second half. The Ragin’ Cajun quarterback, Anthony Jennings, is a native of Marietta, Ga. He played three seasons at LSU, appearing in 24 games with 13 starts including four fourth quarter comebacks. This year, he has thrown for 1,652 yards and nine touchdowns while running for 215 yards and an additional four scores.
Georgia is also coming off an impressive win as it defeated No. 8 Auburn 13-7. Smart was asked about the Bulldogs improvement in the ground game.
“The biggest difference (compared to previous weeks) was the commitment to run, who we played and the formations we gave them to run,” said Smart. “Last week, Auburn’s front was impressive, and we didn’t run downhill on them inside. We had to be creative and get the ball to our playmakers. Our commitment and style of how we ran it was different.”
Georgia outgained the Tigers 343-164 including 135-127 in rushing. Auburn had been averaging 494.1 total yards per game and 43 points per game over its last five contests. Georgia’s defense and ball-control offense limited the Tigers to just 54 total plays. Also of note, Auburn did not register a first down in the second half.
This will be just the second meeting with Louisiana, and the Bulldogs lead 1-0. In 2010, the Bulldogs cruised to a 55-7 victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Bulldogs (6-4) and Louisiana square off Saturday with kickoff slated for 12:01 p.m. on the SEC Network alternate channel.
