On the fullback position…
“I think we’re developing that position. It’s not come along fast enough necessarily, but I don’t know that we can make it come along any faster. I don’t know that we’ve given it enough snaps in games to develop it, and it’s not something that we can enforce. It has to come naturally, and I think those guys are doing a good job. Frankly, we’re opting for other personnel groups at times over our normal two-back set.”

On if he’s concerned with the number of snaps his defense has to play…
“They found the energy in the goal line stand. No, there is some concern that we’re not on the field for longer on offense. We’d like to have the time of possession be an advantage for us as well. I can tell you that when Patrick Peterson scores, when a punt return scores and you have the miscues in the kicking game that you do, it limits possessions. We’re fortunate to be ahead in the turnover margin, but we want to be able to keep the ball more, and we’d like to get that defense off the field so it can rest.”


On the bad snaps on special teams…
“I think that we’ll evaluate staying with the changes as we go through the week, but I can tell you that the short snaps handcuffed our holder, and we feel like we can be better there. Water may have certainly played a part in one, but I think we can just be better there. I think our short-snap guys are plenty capable of giving us that. I don’t think there will be any issues there. Frankly, there is competition at the long snap, and we will have to see how it plays out this week, but we are very confident that we’ll have a guy that will snap it back there.”

On the starters on the offensive line being the best players at that position…
“They are the best players, and I can tell you that I’m critical. There are certainly ways that we can improve on the offensive line, but I think their play has probably been with the exception of pass protection in several instances pretty good. When we throw it, we have to throw it efficiently. We have to catch it and move the chains. We have to make big plays, so those teams that choose to load the box and allow us to throw it will have to pay a terrible price. I think Brandon LaFell is in that position. I think Terrance Toliver is in that position just for those days, and we have to continue there. I think that our line is performing. Are they performing at the level they want? No. Are they performing at the level I want? No, but I think that they are giving us an opportunity to win and should continue to develop along those lines.”

On how much time is necessary to devote to the Wildcat formation in practice…
“For instance, if you use it as much as 30 plays, that’s going to be over half a game. If you use it in 15 plays, considering the amount of plays that you’re getting in the game, that’s a very significant chunk of time. In my opinion, to make it and make the timing good so that it’s a real advantage for you, you’ll take a good segment of your practice time away from other things you do. If this guy gets nicked, are you out of it, or do you continue with it? Do you have not only the substitution but the position of the play-action pass that you want? There’s a bunch of things that go into it, and I promise you that we are giving thought to it on a regular basis.”

On if it’s the personality of this team that they need to pass to setup the run…
“I think what happens is that a team that lines up against you that says that they don’t want Charles Scott and Keiland Williams to carry the ball, they should have to pay a terrible price. The ability to throw deep balls and the ability to move the chains has to be in our ready list. I think you’re right. I think in certain sets, that’s always the case, and depending on the game plan and the people that you’re playing, if they want Jo Jo LaFell and Terrance Toliver and our wide receiver corps to get them, then that’s what we need to do.”

On what he thought of LB Ryan Baker’s play on the fourth-down play…
“Jacob Cutrera was nicked, and Baker came in. On his first two plays, you could tell that he just did not exactly feel comfortable with where he was at. On the fourth-down play, he makes an instinctive hit down low, and Chad Jones follows it up. I can only tell you that it was a big play. It was one that he’ll remember for a long time.”

On if the tight end open in the end zone on the third down play was Ryan Baker’s man to cover…
“We understood exactly the call, and Patrick Peterson may well have been able to provide a coverage on that play. I can also tell you that our defensive staff said during the week, ‘Now, listen. If we make a call where we are taking the dive and we’re taking the pitch, and the other play that we don’t have covered, Chad needs to get down low and get ready to get up there and hit it.”

On using Russell Shepard in other looks…
“It’s really a piece that we’ve got to get to. Offensively, we feel like there are places where he can come in and make differences. First and foremost, we’d like to get Charles Scott and Keiland Williams going, and we’d like to see if we couldn’t get a package that’s developing and underway with Russell Shepard. It’s a work in progress right now. It’s not something we’ve gotten accomplished. He’s comfortable with the things we ask him to do. We wouldn’t put him out there otherwise. We’re trying to get him to the field as fast as we can.”


On why he thinks he has never beaten Georgia…
“I have no idea. The only thing I can tell you is that they are a very talented team. They’re well coached. They’re a team that has been very successful in this conference. I can tell you that our guys look very forward to competing with them. They are one of those teams that you get fired up to play.”

On his current players that are from Georgia…
“I think Perry Riley is really rounding into playing and being a very strong leader and great linebacker for us. He and his counterpart, Kelvin Sheppard. Sheppard made a great special teams play on a sky kick late in the game. He came in after that return and fielded a sky kick and made a big field position move for us on special teams, but he’s playing better and better each week. Both guys are becoming leaders on our team. Both guys will be remembered as really very good linebackers here. T-Bob Hebert was living in Georgia, but he was a Louisiana guy. I know that they are going to be playing wide-eyed and looking forward to playing. They’ll know a lot of the guys on both teams certainly, and there will be some conversation I’m sure between the two groups this week.”

On his defense playing on third downs…
“Depending on the down and distance, third and long is where your defense has to get off the field, and you have to have an advantage when you’re in third and long. If you’re third and five or greater, you’d like 35 to 45 percent to be their offense’s success. On third down and short, you’d like it to be 50/50.”

On his decision to run the ball to the short side of the field the majority of the time Saturday…
“One of the things that their defense did was that they overloaded, in my opinion, and played some of their best personnel to the field, so the opportunity to go and take advantage of some guys that we felt we had some mismatches against were to the boundary. Some of our calls were put just that way.”


On Jordan Jefferson’s learning curve with hot reads…
“He’s really coming on there. The mistakes that were made by him there were more procedure. We are going to make sure that on the third down we get the ball off. I think he was hurrying to get that done. He has to recognize that clock issue and secure the conversation at the line of scrimmage and the call and the line calls and get that ball snapped. He knows where the protection is. He knows where the hots are. He understands those things, in my opinion, better than a lot of young quarterbacks.”

On his first appearance at Georgia as the LSU head coach…
“I’ve never been to Athens, and I’ve never played between the hedges. I talked to (Defensive coordinator) John Chavis about it, and he said it’s a great environment. It’s very much like any of the great SEC venues. It’s loud and fun, and you’ll really enjoy it. I really can’t wait.”

On running the ball being all about attitude…
“I think our football team has an aggressive attitude. I think our guys want more opportunity to come off the football. I think there is attitude there. We really, in my opinion, have to get the rhythm so that we’re ready to roll. Hopefully, that rhythm will come this Saturday.”

On if Ryan Baker will take Jacob Cutrera’s place if he’s unable to go Saturday…
“Baker would work in. We don’t anticipate Cutrera will have an issue with going. We think that he’ll be fine. There are a number of guys there like Ace Foyil that will work in there.”


On any concerns that Georgia may be a little more battle-tested than LSU…
“No. I know that they are a very good football team. I don’t think there is any question regardless of the schedules that have been played. I think our concern is making sure that we are playing and executing at a very high level.”

On kicking off as opposed to punting after a safety…
“We felt like we have a greater hang time and distance. We looked at the distances and the hang times and just kind of felt like that was the way to go.”

On Pep Levingston playing on Saturday…
“Pep Levingston played significant ball in that game and played well. We think that he’s rehabbed, and it’s really about strengthening and continuing the course. We figure that he will play and play significant football as we go forward.”

On if the game dictated Pep Levingston playing…
“He was in a ready to go list, but we probably could have kept him on the side if we didn’t need him and felt like with the heat of the day and how the game was going that we needed to play him.”

On if he’s surprised Georgia is scoring so much against quality opponents…
“They are a very talented team. Their quarterback has stepped in. He has a strong arm. He makes great decisions with the ball. Of course, A.J. Green is making big plays for them on the perimeters, and the tailbacks can all run the football, so I don’t know if I’m surprised. They are certainly a very capable offense.”

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