SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: LSU VS GEORGIA

November 28, 2022

Warren McClendon

Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Georgia Bulldogs

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Warren McClendon. If you have a question for Warren...

Q. How much motivation is there in this game, given last year's result? Kirby talked about it's a different team, a different year. Y'all won the bigger prize in Indianapolis. How much motivation is there to win this one?

WARREN McCLENDON: Oh, yeah, there's definitely some motivation there. My freshman year we went and we lost to LSU. Last year we went and lost to Alabama.

There's definitely motivation for this game. We won the East. Like you said, we won the big one, but not the SEC championship. There's definitely some motivation for this one.

Q. You guys have had the target on your back. Kirby talks about y'all wanting to hunt like you're being hunted. How are y'all blocking out the noise this week given a lot of people say Georgia is in the Playoff either way?

WARREN McCLENDON: Just locking into everything, taking it week by week, just being where your feet are at. Our feet are here, so we're here preparing, practicing, getting ready for this weekend.

Q. What's the difference to you between chasing that title and now 'defending it', winning it for a second straight year? What differences do you see from opponents or you guys?

WARREN McCLENDON: I wouldn't say we're defending it because that was last year. You got to go out and you got to win it again this year.

But every week we get the team -- we get our team, our opponents, their best. That's how we prepare. We prepare for our opponent's best. We have that mindset where we have to bring our best.

Q. Give me an example of getting that team's best.

WARREN McCLENDON: Them coming out and playing physical, playing fast. Them playing with a bunch of heart.

We pride ourselves on playing physical. Our opponents, they're going to come in and play physical, too.

Q. You must have a lot of pride in how you ran the ball last week. Can you talk about thumb things you focused on this week about getting better?

WARREN McCLENDON: One of our big things is scoring in the red zone. Lately we haven't been the best in scoring in the red zone. We've been getting field goals and stuff like that, with you we want to score 7. Just working on that, finding out the little mistakes we're making, clean everything up.

Q. Thinking back on the SEC title games you've been in, how would you describe the atmosphere, the scene, the kind of stakes and hype? Is that any different from a regular-season game?

WARREN McCLENDON: Oh, yeah. The atmosphere is electric. The fans are there. You're pulling up to the stadium, you see all the fans outside. They're barking at the bus and stuff. You hop off the bus, everybody is screaming, Go, Dawgs.

The game is just electric. The fans are into it the whole game. It's loud. That's just been the main thing I've really picked up on it from the past two times that I've been.

Q. The sport is going to go to a larger Playoff, 12 teams. Do you think that's going to make conference title games any less important or will it have any effect?

WARREN McCLENDON: I mean, I would say it wouldn't really have much effect because we want to win every game. In conference, out of conference, you want to win every game you play.

I don't know how that will be. I know for us at least, you want to win every game.

THE MODERATOR: Warren, thank you.

WARREN McCLENDON: Thank you.