CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: ALABAMA VS GEORGIA

January 10, 2022

Jamaree Salyer

Lucas Oil Stadium

Georgia Bulldogs

Postgame Press Conference

Georgia 33, Alabama 18

Q. You are from this state; you could have gone pro after last year but you elected to come back. What does this moment and winning a national title at Georgia mean for you?

JAMAREE SALYER: It's probably one of the most special things I've ever done in my life. Just understanding the work that it took, honestly, it's kind of one of the crazy things, just understanding how much work, manhours and how many reps. It's kind of crazy to look back on it.

I only got this opportunity once in four years, so it's even more special for me to be a senior and to be able to do it that way, too. It's just a lot of things make it really special for me, but God is good.

Q. After Stetson had the fumble and you guys fell behind, can you take me maybe through a conversation you had or a huddle that maybe got you guys focused again or reset your purpose?

JAMAREE SALYER: We just kind of understood that we needed to recenter our focus. We understood how big turnovers were in that game, and we understood that in their previous losses, they lost the turnover battle, and in our losses to them, we lost the turnover battle.

We kind of recentered ourselves, understood that turning the ball over was a no-no in this game if we wanted to be successful, and got back on the same page. As an offensive line we wanted to take over the game to make it easier on Stetson, and we wanted to do that in the second half.

Q. I was just wondering, first couple drives of the game obviously didn't go too well, and then you turned around with the deep ball to Pickens led to points. Was there anything you think changed up front after the first couple drives? And if yes, when do you think that shift might have happened?

JAMAREE SALYER: I think the offensive line is kind of a rhythm game, kind of like pitching, kind of like anything else. It's five guys working cohesively to make one thing happen, so sometimes it takes a minute to settle into the game. Sometimes your emotions are high.

We really wanted this game, and so sometimes you've just got to settle in, settle in and understand what you need to get accomplished, not let your emotions take you too far.

A lot of penalties, a lot of emotional penalties, a lot of guys getting settled into the game, getting settled into the environment because this was different. Like I said in a previous interview, this was a different environment. It took us a minute to settle into it, but second half we came out rolling.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the blocked kick and then James Cook's 67-yard run. What was the vibe on the sideline when you have two really big plays back to back like that?

JAMAREE SALYER: It's kind of likes that moment before that drive that we kind of understood we had to take this game over as an offensive line unit and as the backs we kind of had a conversation on the sideline before that drive, it's time for us to take the game over.

Even me at one point, I went over to Coach Smart and was like, Put it on us. We want to win this game. That kind of sparked it off, got it going for us.

We were really excited, obviously, that he broke that big run. I was like, Go, run. Please, run. Just make it to the end zone.

But yeah, it was exciting to see him make that big run. He's been really explosive all the playoffs. It was a great moment for him, great moment for us, and we kind of got sparked what we wanted to get accomplished as a team.

Q. As an offensive line, y'all took the field with about seven minutes left, came down and scored a touchdown. What was y'all's mindset knowing the game was on your shoulders as an offensive line? You've got to run the ball, pick up 1st downs and milk the clock there.

JAMAREE SALYER: We wanted to finish the game with no time left on the clock, honestly. We wanted to run all the time off the clock, but the score obviously made it all kind of bittersweet.

Yeah, we wanted to finish the game with the ball in our hands, and obviously running seven minutes off the clock is tough, but we've done it plenty of times before since my time here at Georgia. That's kind of our calling card. That's what we want to be known as, a team, an offensive line that can finish the game, and we did.

Yeah, that was kind of our mindset, just going in and finishing the game, running the clock out and do our job, do our best to help the team.

Q. What memory stands out from the celebration tonight? When the clock hit zero to the whole celebration on the field, what stands out to you?

JAMAREE SALYER: What stands out? So many. I haven't really had time to sit down and process all the memories yet. I mean, just watching that clock hit triple zeroes and just all the emotions. Part of me wanted to cry, part of me wanted to get excited, part of me wanted to feel a lot of different things.

So just that rush of emotion when that clock hit triple zeroes and just kind of processing, Wow, we're national champions. That's what guys kept saying. Wow, we just won a National Championship for the first time in 40-something years.

It was a special moment for me and a lot of my teammates. Me and Coach Luke shared some special moments. I can't really compare anything to that feeling. Maybe I'll feel it again at some point in the future when I have a child or something like that, but for now, that'll do.