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NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL: WISCONSIN VS. MIAMI

December 27, 2018

Mark Richt

New York, New York

Wisconsin 35, Miami 3

MARK RICHT: First of all, want to congratulate Wisconsin, Coach Chyrst and his team. They did a great job. They deserved to win obviously. First class people. That's that.

Normally I like to try to spin things in a positive light. I could start with our defense. First couple drives, really did a super job of slowing things down and getting some stops, forcing some field goals. After turnovers and things of that nature, just battled till the very end, to the last inch, at the very end of the game trying to keep them out of the end zone on that last touchdown.

I want to thank Coach Diaz and the job he did for us, moving on to Temple. Wish him the best. The rest of the staff and players, proud of the job they did.

Offensively, there's not many nuggets you can really pull from today. My guess is it wasn't a very good performance, just put it that way, obviously. Starts with me, for sure. Really that's where the buck stops. Head football coach, play-caller, the whole bit. Just a poor job by me.

Didn't do a good enough job to get the first downs and the yardage and the touchdowns that we needed to stay in this game. Just didn't happen tonight obviously.

With that, y'all can ask your questions.

Q. After the game is probably not the best time to ask this question, but there may not be any other opportunity. Tonight wasn't obviously the first time there have been struggles on offense. Have you given any thought to maybe bringing in some help?
MARK RICHT: I'll just say this. Things got to get fixed. That will be the number one priority.

Q. Why didn't Jarren Williams play tonight?
MARK RICHT: Well, he was going to play at the very end. Like I had mentioned, N'Kosi was not suspended, he was able to play. He didn't deserve to start, in my opinion. We put him in next.

We were going to play Jarren at the very end. At that point it wouldn't have been anything more than just an opportunity to get in the game. We just felt like N'Kosi was second team.

Q. Are you concerned that Jarren might leave the program or transfer?
MARK RICHT: I don't think he will. I mean, he's already said he's staying. I don't think this game has anything to do with how he felt like his chances were for the future here. I would think, if I'm him, I have a very outstanding shot at competing for the job.

Q. What was it that you saw from Malik ahead of this game that made you feel comfortable making the change? Did you look at the film from Pittsburgh where N'Kosi only had 50 yards?
MARK RICHT: Just a combination of things. I mean, part of it was I felt like N'Kosi is still navigating how to become the starting quarterback on the field, off the field. Didn't feel like he deserved the opportunity to start. Malik practiced really well. I felt like he was going to give us the best shot.

Q. Obviously the quarterback position all season, felt like you weren't really comfortable with either guy.
MARK RICHT: Right.

Q. Was it performance? Was it grasping the playbook? Off-the-field issues? One thing that stood out?
MARK RICHT: I mean, you have different quarterbacks with different issues. But probably a combination of all those things you mentioned.

Q. Neither team's quarterbacks lit it up this year. Did you think the team that would run the ball most effectively would have the chance to win?
MARK RICHT: Yeah, I think in a game like this, like you say with the quarterback situation on both sides, the running game is the quarterback's best friend. They were built for that kind of a game. They executed well. They got obviously one great back, and the other back's pretty darn good, too.

But when you're running behind that line, their tight ends, the whole deal, they were built for a day like this in a game where it was kind of, you know, not one to have to rely on your quarterback to make every play to win.

Q. Defensively how does the Wisconsin team you saw today compare to film?
MARK RICHT: Well, they did pretty much what we saw, what we thought. They didn't reinvent the wheel or anything. They just executed better than we did, period.

Q. Despite the outcome of the game, were there any positives that you can take away from the bowl experience as a whole, being here in New York this week?
MARK RICHT: I mean, the bowl experience was great for our kids, for our coaches' wives and kids. I think everybody that was a part of our support staff that got to do what you do in New York, it was fantastic. The hospitality was great. The New Era Pinstripe Bowl committee, the people that were in charge of hosting us, did a beautiful job. We appreciate it very much.

We had some life experiences for a lot of our players, a lot of our children, a lot of our wives. For a lot of our wives, it's a first-time experience, too. It was very good.

Q. You obviously have a few juniors that have big decisions to make here. Have any of them given you any word yet as far as them leaving to the NFL?
MARK RICHT: Not definitive. They may know in their mind what they're going to do. They may be something soon, I don't know. It's an emotional day. There may be some that comes out.

As of right now, no one has come to me and said, This is what I'm going to do.

Q. You had probably five, six negative yardage runs in the first half. Did they do anything different in the second half to avoid that?
MARK RICHT: Not necessarily. I just think you get negative yardage runs when your defensive linemen can penetrate, create a new line of scrimmage. They are a downhill running team. Like you say, doesn't happen often against a team like that. Every once in a while a guy like Tito, Nesta, John Ford, I couldn't see it all, you know there were some times there was some good penetration by our interior defensive linemen. Kind of where it started.

Q. You came in very self-analytical, expressed things do need to get fixed. Does this make you mad? I got to go home, get to work on this?
MARK RICHT: Why would it matter if I'm mad or not? I don't know why it's important to you.

Q. Maybe 'mad' is not the right word.
MARK RICHT: Well, I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed.

Q. One of the things we talked with you about a couple weeks ago was you knew there was still work to do with recruiting. Are you concerned with a performance like this, any impact it could have on some of the guys out there? Offensively they might worry or question.
MARK RICHT: Well, they might get worried or they might see opportunity. We'll see.

Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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