What Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said about playing Georgia

The Kentucky Wildcats’ longtime head coach Mark Stoops was interviewed leading up to their game against the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Georgia Bulldogs play their SEC opener and first road game of the season at the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Georgia-Kentucky game is televised on ABC.

Here’s what he said about facing Georgia according to an article from Matt DeBary of DawgPost.

Stoops had high praise for Carson Beck:

“Carson Beck is a remarkable player. Just hitting on all cylinders right now. Just a very good, tough player,” said Stoops. “He throws it in rhythm, he’s precise, and he’s awfully tough as well. He’ll pull it down and scramble. He’ll buy time and run with his feet. He’ll lower the shoulder. You name it, he does it. He’s a clear leader on a veteran team.” Beck has clearly improved his ability to extend plays this season.

Stoops also had some praise for Georgia’s wideouts and running back Trevor Etienne:

“They’re wideouts can really go. They have some wideouts who have great top-end speed,” said Stoops. Georgia’s fastest receiver, Arian Smith, is also the Bulldogs’ leading receiver right now with nine receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown.

“They always have great backs. This year with Etienne and the freshman, they’re very impressive. With Etienne, you see a very good football player. He and Frazier, they’re dynamic. That’s Georgia. They always have guys. But Etienne is another added weapon for a very good football team that has an offensive line that is very cohesive. They play very well together and they’re well-coached with Stacey Searels. It’s an explosive group.”

Here’s what Stoops had to say about Georgia’s defense:

“Defensively you always know what you’re getting there. You’re always going to get a great defense. They’ve got a lot of guys with a lot of length and a lot of strength. They’re coached well. They play well.”

The matchup between Kentucky and Georgia’s defense will be something to monitor. According to statistics, they’re both top ten in yards allowed per game, although the Bulldogs played a ranked team and are superior in terms of points allowed per game.

Speaking of defense, Stoops had this to say about Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff playing his former team.

“I expect Brock to play fine. We have to play good around him. He has to have some time. We have to have a good plan around him. He’s playing against a great defense. Brock is a tough, resilient guy. We have to play well around him and put him in spots to be successful. I have confidence he’ll come back and play well. We didn’t even give him a chance half the time.”

Kentucky is coming off the heels of a rough 31-6 loss to South Carolina, while No. 1 Georgia blew out Tennessee Tech 48-3. Brock Vandagriff and the Kentucky offense really struggled against South Carolina, but the Wildcats will look to get things turned around in Week 3.