The Buckeyes and Bulldogs are on the eve of an opportunity to earn a berth in the national championship game.
Before Ohio State and Georgia kick off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 8 p.m. Saturday, the head coaches of both programs held one final Peach Bowl press conference at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in downtown Atlanta Friday. Ryan Day and Kirby Smart issued updates on their programs, addressed what they expect from the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup and discussed their final thoughts on the contest.
Eleven Warriors took notes on everything both Peach Bowl coaches said below:
Ryan Day
- Day says "it's been a great week for our guys. ... I think everything here has been very convenient for our players." Day says the Buckeyes were "able to get in and out of places very fast."
- Day says physicality is "to be expected in a game like this." Day says "it's gonna be that kind of atmosphere" in a game like this and that "our guys have been practicing that way."
- On Paris Johnson Jr.'s letter in the Players' Tribune, Day says he thought it was "well-written" and says he's proud of Johnson.
- "This is the exact situation we saw ourselves in" at the beginning of the season.
- Day says "Georgia's defense is complete. ... You see the statistics, you see the way they've played all year." Day says the Buckeyes must execute at a high level.
- On expectations, Day says they're at "the highest level" at Ohio State and Georgia. Day says he identifies those who want to achieve that during recruiting. "That's been going on for a long time here at Ohio State."
- On Miyan Williams: "Back to practice yesterday, so he'll be ready to go."
- Day says it's "very important" for the Big Ten to have two teams in the CFP and that the "level of play in the Big Ten has improved in my time."
- Day says Smart and his staff do "a great job of working at" the recruiting trail. "When you're recruiting against Georgia, you gotta bring in."
- Day says the time between games has been great because it's allowed the Buckeyes to fill their depth like spring practice.
- Asked about players getting a bonus for playing in the CFP, Day believes they should, but declines to put a number on what that value would be.
- Day says "the best recruiting is winning," and that one of the best things about being in the CFP is that it gets the program national exposure. Day says when changes like NIL or the transfer portal are made, "you don't see the ripple effects until a couple years down the road." Day says college football must be careful with the changes it makes moving forward.
- Day says there's a point where you can "overdo it" in terms of studying your opponent when you have this much time off before a game.
- On how much the scare after the Michigan game could help Ohio State, Day says it "we'll see tomorrow night" and that he's pleased with how the Buckeyes have looked in practice. "It has been a great month."
- "We're just gonna play as hard as we possibly can, you can't worry about (the pressure) in a game like this."
- Day says "recruiting never ends," but that "this game is about these players" on the current team.
Kirby Smart
- "It's a tremendous honor to be in this bowl game." Smart calls the Peach Bowl a "first class" operation. "The efficiency of things has been tremendous."
- "I think physicality is a part of this game, and it's a major part of every bowl game." Smart says teams that run the ball well tend to win CFP games. Smart says he has a lot of respect for the Big Ten conference after watching Ohio State's whole season.
- "The brands of both programs speak for themselves." Smart says a game like this is what players choose to come to Ohio State and Georgia for.
- On the pressure at Georgia, Smart says "there's just as much pressure from year one to year seven. The expectations don't change." Smart says the players and leadership at Georgia have helped create those standards.
- Smart says Georgia has done yoga "every Thursday for the entire season," so Thursday's open practice was nothing new for the program.
- Smart would've called his team "inexperienced" going into its season opener against Oregon, but thinks the season to this point has given his group plenty of experience.
- "When you're recruiting against someone, you don't take much from them." Smart says he has respect for those he recruits against. Smart says he enjoyed getting to know C.J. Stroud during his recruitment.
- On advice for high school recruits looking to get to the biggest stage, Smart says "play hard, be seen." Smart says "nobody thought Stetson Bennett would be where he's at today coming out of high school."
- Smart says both Stroud and Bennett "make it more about their teammates than themselves."
- Asked about the potential for players to earn some kind of "bonus" for playing in the CFP, Smart says he'd be "remiss to try to answer that right now."
- Smart says Georgia treats the night before the bowl game like a regular road game and the program keeps the same routine.
- Smart says the talent "oozes off the tape" when it comes to the Ohio State offense. "They've got talented players across the board." Smart says he has a lot of respect for Buckeye tight end Cade Stover.
- "When you're playing Ohio State, you gotta be disruptive." Smart says the Bulldogs must impact Stroud because if not, "he's very accurate."
- Smart thinks the transfer portal model is sustainable because "nobody is gonna cry and weep for the teams playing in the playoff." Smart says the model "is what it is" and "I don't have the answer or solution that says what's better."
- On what he's most proud of with Bennett, Smart says the fact that he stayed the course even through tough times. "He created his own story by doing that." Smart says Bennett has been "very consistent in his practices" through bowl preparation.
- Smart says it's important Georgia wins this game for the players on the team, not the recruits of the future.
- Smart says Ohio State's wide receivers have size, ball skills, vertical skills and "all the skills" someone would want in a wide receiver.
- Smart says Georgia had a "hungrier young team" in 2022 because so much of the 2021 team left after winning the national championship.
