Postgame Press Conferences from Saturday, December 7, 2002

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt and Georgia coach Mark Richt spoke to the media on Saturday, December 7, 2002.

  Watch Arkansas Postgame Press Conference
  Listen to Arkansas Postgame Press Conference

  Watch Georgia Postgame Press Conference
  Listen to Georgia Postgame Press Conference

Coaches Press Conferences from Friday, December 6, 2002

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt and Georgia coach Mark Richt answered questions from the media on Friday, December 6, 2002.

  Watch Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt
  Listen to Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt

  Watch Georgia Coach Mark Richt
  Listen to Georgia Coach Mark Richt

Players Press Conferences from Monday, December 2, 2002

Georgia players David Pollack, Jon Stinchcomb and David Greene spoke from 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. ET, and Arkansas players Tony Bua, Ken Hamlin and Fred Talley talked from 1:30 - 2:00 p.m. ET.

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  Listen to Arkansas Players

Coaches Press Conferences from Sunday, December 1, 2002

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt spoke from 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. ET, and Georgia coach Mark Richt talked from 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. ET.

  Listen to Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt

  Listen to Georgia Coach Mark Richt

Quotes from Friday's press conference

Arkansas Head Coach Houston Nutt

"We are real excited to be here. It is our 11th straight week of football, so we have some bumps and bruises. Preparation wise, this is an ordinary week. We have been focused and had a good week of practice. Kenny Hamlin did not practice this week because of a deep bruised thigh."

"Our team early on had problems and adversities, but I am glad the team is here today. We had that never give up attitude. Early on, it was hard to tell when we would show up. The turning point was when we played Ole Miss. We became a family and went to another level. We won some close and ugly games, but I think that is our personality. Georgia is a great football team with great quickness. The reason we have gotten is by running the football. We can't stop doing what got you here."

"When Auburn got beat by Georgia, we knew we controlled our destiny. This game is very important. I can't wait for our players to get here. It is a bowl type atmosphere. This is huge. I have awesome respect for the Southeastern Conference. You have to buckle up and be ready for whoever you play. Anybody can beat anybody on a given day. I think that it is good to have different teams in this game. I feel great about the strength of this conference."

On being the underdog
"We have always been the underdog. Nobody gave us a chance at Auburn, South Carolina or LSU. We have accepted that part and have realized that is just going to happen."

On bowl possibilities
"When you win nine games, I hope that we will go to a Jan. 1 bowl. I told our players last Sunday to forget about what bowl we will go to. We are only worried about the task at hand. We can't control the other things."

Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt

On the week of practice:
"We had a good week of practice today. Damien Gary had a good week of practice. He has been okayed to play. I don't know how much at this time, we will just have to wait and see how he feels tomorrow."

On the Virginia Tech/Miami game:
"We will not have a meeting to watch the game. We will go about our normal gametime routine. Obviously, we are intrested in the outcome of that game. The players will have some downtime during that game. During that time, I am sure they will be watching on TV. If Miami wins, it will be dissappointing for us. If Vigrinia Tech wins, we will probably come out a little more excited knowing that we have a chance to go to the national championship game."

On being in the SEC Championship Game:
"It is exciting for all of us that we are here. I am very happy for our seniors. They cam to Georgia to win championships and they finally are getting their shot. I didn't realize that it had been 20 years since UGA has won the conference. I noticed the championship pictures at the complex at the begining of the season and I say that 1982 was the last SEC Championship. That makes it a little more special for us since it has been so long. Our players are very excited. We have gone through this season and haven't really beaten anybody very badly. We could easily be a three or four loss team. That is the reason that I feel that we are not coming in overconfident."

On Arkansas:
"Their speed is outstanding. The first thing that I watch is the defense. They have excellent team speed. They have great cover corners and even their safeties. They get one-on-one matchups with the safeties and they still get the job done. Matt Jones is an outstanding quarterback. He is very unique. It looks like defenders are taking the proper angle on him, but they just slide right off. He is known as a runner, but he can hurt you as a passer too. When he gets out of the pocket, you have to be careful, because you never know what he is going to do."

On the crowd:
"I am sure that there will be a lot of Georgia fans at the Dome. I don't think that it will make much of a difference though. The Arkansas fans will be there and will be loud. The so-called home crown will not make much of a difference."