CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: ALABAMA VS GEORGIA

January 5, 2022

Nolan Smith

Lucas Oil Stadium

Georgia Bulldogs

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Nolan Smith.

Q. The last time you played Alabama you guys got zero sacks. It appeared from my review of the game, it's not from a lack of trying. You guys were doing some stuff, trying to get to the quarterback. What has to happen different to generate pressure on the quarterback? And how important is generating pressure on the quarterback against Alabama in particular?

NOLAN SMITH: We say all the time here the best rush is the best coverage, and we've got to get to the quarterback. There's nothing else about it. Last game, we did not do that. And I know a lot of people felt hurt after that one.

I hold myself and my room accountable and also the D line. It's our job as pass rushers to get after the quarterback and we didn't do that. The difference between this game and that game is we just have to do it. We have to find a way. I believe in our coaches. I trust in the plan that we now are talking over still to be able to do that.

Q. You're a guy that grew up in the state of Georgia. What would it mean for you guys to get it done, end the 41-year drought?

NOLAN SMITH: I think it would mean everything. There's a lot of kids born and raised in the state of Georgia and this is one you'll never forget. I always talk about leaving a legacy to my kids, but this is the ultimate.

Kind of like a lot of people go to the program just because of their father and everything. I want that to be my son's choice. But ultimately this is my goal and my dream, to point at my son, son, this is what we done here. We're born and raised here, so why wouldn't we want to do that?

Q. Heading into the SEC Championship, there are obviously many people who lauded your defense as historically good and then questioned that evaluation of it after the SEC Championship game. What do you say to those critics who kind of doubted how good you guys were because of how Alabama played? And what needs to happen the next time around to cement this defense's place in history?

NOLAN SMITH: Obviously one of a couple of things is getting pressure on the Q and just being that relentless front that we always are.

Every year, inside the box, the front seven at Georgia has always been relentless, and we always do things right and we always play the run and it's a privilege to rush the passer. That's one of the things we say here.

We've just got to go do it this game. There's nothing else need to be said and nothing need to be done other than trust the plan and go do it.

Q. With this being Dan Lanning's last game here, what has he meant to your development and how has he helped the University of Georgia?

NOLAN SMITH: As far as helping the University of Georgia, man, it's crazy the things he do and the scheme and the philosophy he brought to SEC and Georgia as far as us slanting, us moving gaps and just being relentless up front and doing a lot little with a lot more. We call it playing a couple of gaps, two-gapping and stuff like that.

We still do all those same things that the old Bama used to do. If you know anything about football they created the first generational defense. But we're just doing it a little different, I'd say. And we move gaps and we try to have gap responsibility. And our backers know where everyone is supposed to fit. And it's a little orthodox, but I mean it obviously is working and I love it.

Q. Getting back to that first game, I know Coach Martin [phonetic] mentioned how that game humbled everyone. That was his word. And perhaps let everybody know that maybe the team, defense, whatever, maybe not quite as good as everybody thought they would. What was practice like knowing that, leading up to Michigan, now moving forward to Alabama next Monday night?

NOLAN SMITH: You can only judge a man by what he does next and how hard he gets hit and gets back up. I think we got hit pretty hard. And I thought we got up pretty well because guys didn't sweat it from day one. Guys said we know we need to work, we know we have an opportunity of life. And now that we're here in the national championship, I think we bounced back pretty well. Now it's time to go finish the job. That's all it is that needs to be said and be done, go finish the job and finish what we started.

Q. Seven quarterback hurries against Michigan. Really since the Florida game you've been on fire. How much, did something click or are you just seeing the game? Has it all slowed down because the second half of the season you really turned it up a notch, it appears.

NOLAN SMITH: I'd say the game slowed down but also the plan. The plan that our coaches implement is just -- it's one thing that we can understand it but it's another thing to execute the plan at a high level.

A lot of guys go in day in, day out and to understand the plan but can you execute the plan at a high level? That's one thing we talk about being here, just being able to play fast and trust the plan and know what you're doing, it helps a lot. It helps a lot.

Q. Could you take me back to freshman year, ECV, you, Nakobe and Travon, what was the room like that you guys shared? And did you dream about moments coming up? And what makes you guys so tight?

NOLAN SMITH: We all didn't graduate early. And I know one thing, that was Travon. So it was me, him, Trezmen, and I mean we're so close we almost did everything together as far as all our classes were the same.

That's when things went COVID freak out, you couldn't have so many people on the buses. We used to get on the bus, We were packed like sardines riding to class. We did almost everything together. It built a connection just alone by itself.

When we came in our junior year, Coach started doing the skull sessions and we started even talking to each other more, hanging out more and doing things more and it just built the connection even more.

I still remember all three of my roommates. We drove to see one of Travon's basketball games in high school in Thomson. I know that's one thing we did our freshman year because on the weekends we was, like, wow, we don't have mom and dad to tell us what to do. Most of the weekends we just laid in bed because we were so tired from workouts. After that we started doing things together and it became really fun.

Q. You said a second ago about Alabama kind of laying the blueprint kind of for your success, but in a little bit different way. How do you think that this group right now that's on the field is laying the blueprint for some of these freshmen and sophomores and the recruits coming in kind of moving forward?

NOLAN SMITH: I'd say 100 percent thing that we're doing now and that's as the leadership group is showing them how to work. We say hard work works at Georgia, but some kids just get here and think it's all hard and they won't -- they're just doing this for no reason. And there's a reason. It's a reason that we run the gasses after practices, and there's reasons we do 20s, certain things that we do. And it's a reason to do that.

And I think guys are starting to buy into that. And you see the effect when guys, when a lot of guys buy into the strength team program and we all say one plus one equals three, when you have that mindset as guys that most unselfish guys and the best defense ever and we're still unselfish, I think that's just the best thing ever. And that lays the blueprint by itself and just things on how it needs to be done.

Q. Could you take me back to kind of the end of that SEC Championship game. And I know you guys have talked about it being a wakeup call and being humbled, but what was the emotion after that game? What were you feeling once the clock hit four 0s and that one was in the books?

NOLAN SMITH: Want the honest to God truth? I cried. I'm 20 now. I've been playing football since I was 4 -- 16 years, haven't won anything. Haven't won a championship. I won a couple of bowl games but anything big, any championship I never won yet.

And that's one thing that keeps me going. That's just something in the back of my head that I know that keeps me driving and I just want to win. I could care less how it gets done, how pretty it looks; I just want to win and play ball.

Q. Obviously you weren't around on that 2017-2018 team that last played Alabama in the championship. But seems like they've been a thorn in Georgia's side, maybe not one of the team's typical rivals, but one of circumstance in the last few years you always end up playing Alabama in these big consequential games. Do you think there's a mental block or do you think there's just this, I don't know, different way of viewing Alabama compared to different opponents based on their history against you?

NOLAN SMITH: I'll say this, I said it when I was a freshman: Every man wakes up puts his pants on one leg at a time. There's no such thing as a mental block. The key word is in your head. That's mental. You've got to go out and do it, get it out of your head.

I don't think it's a mental block, I think the first time we played them we gave up a couple big plays. You change three plays in the game the game could be different. One of those plays were on myself. I should be more aware to jump on the ball instead of pick it up and run. You can't have small mistakes in those big games because it's a game of inches.

As we watched the film over and over again with our coach's comments we learned it's a game of just small inches.

Q. For someone your age, 1980 may seem like the middle ages. But I don't know, how much do kids at that program hear about that team and that season, what it did, and is that any motivation at all to drive you to build that kind of legacy?

NOLAN SMITH: 100 percent. To be the first since the drought, I tell people, you'll be a Georgia legend no matter if you're from inside the state of Georgia or outside of Georgia, you're going to be Georgia legend. We came in to be legendary, be special, leave your mark.

Like I say, I want to bring my kid back and tell him this is what I did. I want to leave my mark. I don't just want to be another University of Georgia player.

Q. As a follow-up to that, I'm wondering if you watched the national championship game between these two teams a few years ago as a Georgia kid and top prospect. And if you did, where you were and what you remember about watching it?

NOLAN SMITH: Oh, man, I remember the first time I watched the Rose Bowl, I was just sitting on my couch, just me and my mom. We had it on TV. I was just watching it.

If we block this kick, this could be crazy. And I actually played football, so I know about blocking kicks at the end of the game. That stuff can really happen. When Lorenzo did it, the outside linebacker, wolf pack, I was absolutely jumping and screaming and I was so excited.

And when Sony ran it in, I said, oh, that's a rout. We'll see you in Atlanta. For the Atlanta game I stayed up there -- I didn't go because it was too much for me. I don't like all those people and all that stuff. But I watched it. And I was tuned in from the first quarter all the way to fourth quarter.

And just the thing I remember about that game is just the people, the atmosphere, through the TV you can feel it. And especially during this game, you can feel it, too.

Q. Wanted to ask you about coming to -- you're a Georgia guy, so I'm sure you had some ties to want to come to Georgia. You come to Georgia as a huge recruit. You don't play a massive amount early on. I'm wondering how much benefit did you feel you would get from just being surrounded by so many good players? I think so many players look for that early playing time but that clearly wasn't you. How much benefit do you get from practicing with those guys and just being surrounded by so many good players, even though it might limit your playing time?

NOLAN SMITH: For number one to start is Azeez. Azeez, I feel like he took me under his wing even though he wasn't always like a big guy when he came in. Azeez, Adam, they took me under their wing. They showed me how to work and they showed me you just trust the process, this and that. And I never thought about leaving because I knew this is where my mom wanted me to be. This is where I wanted to be. I came in just made the best of every day and tried to work and get better.

I mean, I'm a Georgia boy, I love the state of Georgia. As far as going anywhere else other than being here, I don't know, I wouldn't think. But seeing those guys work and how they did things day in, day out and being Georgia kids, it just helped me a lot and it kept me centered to say guys still want to be here and guys still want to do this, why should I think about leaving and be selfish. I just think that's selfish.

I understand guys leaving programs to go do bigger and better things and more playing time, but crazy now that guys are considering leaving programs just because the NIL deals. And that's just not about football. Football is a team sport. And I say it all the time it's the ultimate team sport, you've just got to sacrifice a lot.

I get that a lot playing defense, I'm not an offensive player. I don't want the ball in my hand a lot of times, I just want to do my job for my team.