Georgia chooses to go back home for practice
ATLANTA With its campus a mere 75 miles away, Georgia officials made the unique decision to travel from its team hotel in downtown Atlanta back to campus in order to practice in familiar surroundings Saturday. The Bulldogs are making their second trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium this season, the first being the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 2.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said the decision was made primarily because of proximity.
“It’s going to take us an hour and 10 to get over there. If we would have gone out to Flowery Branch it would have been the same. The weather is cold. We’re going to play inside. You know, it gives Alabama an opportunity to use the Georgia Tech place, facilities, so we don’t have to share that one with them,” he added. “It just works better for us. We think it gives us what we need, which is our facility, our rehab facilities, our meeting facilities, being familiar.”
Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith believes the move will pay off with the players.
“I think it’s great being able to practice on your home field, home turf, and whatnot and being there with your teammates, own meeting room. I definitely think it’s pretty good and we’re excited to go back home and get some work in,” Smith added. would be an honor, whoever was in that position if they chose to come to see the College Football National Championship Game,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said during Saturday’s media event.
Georgia’s Kirby Smart wasn’t worried either way.
“You know, that’s a political event, and to be honest with you, we’re focused on Alabama and the championship game, and that’s not really of my concern,” Smart said.
Georgia’s All-American linebacker Roquan Smith agreed with his coach’s sentiment.
“That’s great and all have the president come to to the game. But I’m not focused on like politics or anything like that,” he added.
According to the report, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump will attend the game as guests of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Nick Ayers, a Georgia native who is Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff. Jones over Dec. 12.
“Absolutely not,” Saban said when asked of a future in politics. “I don’t know how I got the votes. I wasn’t really aware that I was getting votes. [I] don’t really care that I got any votes. But I do respect the process that we have in terms of electing officials, and hopefully, that process worked effectively in our state.”
Saban wasn’t the only sports figure to get write-in votes. NBA great Charles Barkley and current Auburn coach Gus Malzahn also made the list. Roy Moore
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