ATHENS, Ga. — It’s a rare occurrence when we hear from Georgia’s coordinators. When they do speak, you know that it’s in preparation for a big game and that it’s going to be a treat.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever been a part of a team where we came off after a big win and our players in the locker room are talking about, ‘Hey! What do we have to do better?’ literally right after the game,” said defensive coordinator Dan Lanning.
The Bulldogs have always been known for their run game and plethora of talented running backs. However, under offensive coordinator Todd Monken the team has evolved. “You want to be at a place where you check all the boxes and that was the University of Georgia," Monken explained.
UGA currently sits ninth in the country in points per game and they have opened also up the passing game throughout the season.
“What’s different about him is he wants all the little details right. He wants if you’re running a route on air, he wants it to be perfect,” explained Georgia running back James Cook.
Monken is a play caller with extensive coaching experience in both the NFL and college level, but when it came to making the move to Athens, he said it was easy.
“You want to be at a place where you have no barriers to success and that starts with being able to get great football players, working with a great staff, an elite academic institution and being right down the road from Atlanta,” said Monken.
The offensive coordinator has also been a sounding board and advocate for Stetson Bennett as the signal caller. He reiterated that when he spoke to the media on Monday ahead of the National Championship game.
“We just need to understand that the first two halves of each of those games was outstanding and I’ve said that before. He has everything that we need to be successful offensively and our issues with turnovers aren’t his issue particularly. That’s everybody in this country," said Monken. "If you turn the ball over, you’re not going to win. Bottom line is, I can do better as a coordinator to put him in a better position to be successful. He understands that, our team understands that, so I expect him to play well just like I did last week."