Mark Stoops’ Monday Press Transcript

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

1. Have these last three weeks been a reality check about how far there still is to go?

COACH STOOPS:  Anybody that didn’t understand that is sadly mistaken, including our players.  We’ve got to scratch and claw and fight and dig down for everything that we get.  To think that you’re going to go out there and hope that they happen, we’re mistaken.

I constantly talk about that.  We cannot wait for our moment.  We’ve got to train to go take it and make our moment.  Right now we’re in that mode of hoping, hoping things happen.

1. Do you feel like the guys got overconfident considering starting the year 5-1?

COACH STOOPS:  Maybe.  I don’t know.  I guess.  That’s what I just kind of alluded to.  I’d be shocked.  We constantly talk about it, harp on it, that we need to train and put ourselves in position to fight for all those things.  Maybe they don’t hear me.  I don’t know.

1. Georgia give you different looks than you’ve seen the last couple weeks, a different challenge?

COACH STOOPS:  It’s a real challenge.  They’re all a real challenge if you just look back at our last three.

1. Does Georgia bring something different though?

COACH STOOPS:  Yeah, they bring a very good football team.  I think they bring a power running team that we know has hurt us in the past as well.  They can run the heck out of the football.  They’re very talented.  They can throw it.  They’re very balanced.  They’re playing great defense.

Going back to their offense, I think they’ve been held under 20 one time in past week.  Florida played an inspired game.  Give Florida credit.  They played a great football game and held them to 20 points which is amazing because nobody all year has held them under 34, 35.  I think they’re averaging 40 points a game.  They’re extremely hard to defend.

If you just look at those numbers, we’re going to need to score some points to have a chance to win this game.

1. These seniors have been through a lot.  How do their actions this week get the rest of the team to rally around to respond against adversity?

COACH STOOPS:  I think it’s important to show some leadership and some character.  We need those guys to step up and push us over the top, push the younger guys to, again, be more disciplined, to do the little things right, to create those winning habits.

1. Are you and Neal totally on the same page on the direction of the offense?

COACH STOOPS:  Yeah, we’re on the same page.  Whether it’s offense, defense or special teams, you’re never going to be perfect.  You’re always going to look back on things and know, whether it be a scheme, whether it be calls…  We’re never going to be perfect.

But we’re doing good things.  We didn’t play our best.  It’s not so much about the X’s and O’s this past week, it’s about our attitude and our discipline.  We didn’t do some things very well.  So we need to get some things cleaned up in our execution.