Richt: ‘It’s hard to win nine in a row — period.’

What players and coaches on both sides were saying after Georgia’s 19-10 victory over Kentucky (transcript provided by UGA):

Georgia coach Mark Richt:

“I left the South Carolina game [when Georgia was 0-2] encouraged. I wasn’t encouraged that we lost, but I was encouraged that as we moved forward that we could win. I knew we had good leaders, good players and good coaches. We had to protect the ball and get after it. It’s hard to win nine in a row, especially when you need every single one to get back to the Dome. I’m just so proud of them right now.”

“Today was definitely a team victory. Everybody had to do their part. I thought the special teams played extremely well. The offense made enough plays and the defense did their thing.”

“Brandon Harton had to come through for us. Even though the ball came out a few times, he had over 100 yards. And Ken (Malcome) did a few things. Overall, the tailbacks protected pretty good. As the game went on, they made some plays.”

“Our defense stoned them again. Twenty-three yards net [rushing], that’s pretty fantastic. They didn’t throw that well either. Our defense played lights out I thought.”

“I am so proud of the guys for winning the SEC East. Guys could have quit, pointed fingers and found a way to fall apart. But they didn’t do that. Last season was pretty horrible by record, but the players never gave up on the coaches and the coaches never gave up on the players. We maintained our unity. That’s what carried us through the offseason and carried us through the early part of this year.”

“Kentucky played hard. We missed some opportunities, but we kept fighting. I’m glad there was not a lot of drama at the end.”

“You take it one game at a time, one play at a time, one practice at a time. It’s hard to win nine in a row — period. I’m just thankful that we did.”

Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray:

“It’s a victory. We didn’t play great, but it’s great to get back to Atlanta. We’re excited. We have our game at Georgia Tech first, but we’re definitely blessed [to be back in the SEC Championship game] this year. It’s a great feeling.”

“We just weren’t connecting [today], and you’re going to have those games. We just fought through it. The defense played great and we’re just happy to get out of it with a win.”

Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones:

“We knew they would come in with some confidence and that they were going to give it their all. Last time they were here they beat us, so we knew they were coming to play. We just came to battle and stepped up. “

“After the beginning of the season we were a little down, but you just have to keep fighting, and that’s what we did. Now we’re headed back to Atlanta, and it’s a really good feeling.”

Georgia safety Bacarri Rambo:

“It’s feels so good. The last time Georgia made it to the SEC championship I was in ninth grade, so it’s a great feeling. We put in a ton of work in the off-season and pre-season and it’s all paying off.”

Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin:

“I’m feeling great. This is what I came back to do. It’s like a fantasy. As a senior, to win on senior day and to win the SEC East is a great feeling.”

Kentucky coach Joker Phillips:

“I am proud of this team and how they fought. A lot of people knew how much this week meant for Georgia, and no one talked about what we were playing for. We’re playing for pride, our university and an extra win. The game that this team played proved they played for each other as well. I am proud of them.”

“I said at half time that our defense had a lot of wins today. They forced some field goals instead of touchdowns that kept us in the game. It was good to see some young guys come up and make some plays. We had some guys who haven’t practiced lately and really came through with some good plays for us today. It was probably the best game this defense has played this year. We didn’t get pushed around, and we have seen Georgia push some really good teams around. I don’t think that they pushed us around.”

“We made some plays in the first half. We proved that we could move the ball on any defense that we face. We couldn’t get the run game started in the second half because of some of the schemes Georgia ran, but I am proud of the way these guys fought for each other out there today. No one can say we didn’t fight.”

“It’s hard to play against a defense that is as good as Georgia. This is one of the best defenses in the conference. We’ve seen Georgia hold some good teams to just a few points. It’s a tough to play against a team with great personnel, great schemes and athletic players.”

Kentucky wide receiver Brian Adams:

“There’s a lot of excitement coming back here to play. Athens is only 45 minutes from my house [in Gainesville], and it was really awesome for me to play here. I wish we had a different result, but I’ll remember this for a long time.”

“I think we are a lot better than we’ve been showing this year. It’s been frustrating. We have one game left, and we are going to come out and continue to play hard.”

Kentucky offensive guard Stuart Hines:

“It’s tough to deal with. It’s really tough to go out like this without going to a bowl game my senior year.”

Kentucky tailback Raymond Sanders:

“We never quit. We wear the wrist bands that say ‘never, never,’ and we finish ‘never, never’ with ‘never give up.’ I’m proud of my teammates. We played well today and never gave up. I want to congrautale Georgia and those guys over there on winning the East. Their ‘D’ is good and made plays when they needed to, and we didn’t execute well enough.”

Kentucky cornerback Randall Burden:

“After seeing what they did last week to Auburn, everyone thought they would run it down our throats all game. We focused on the game plan and played really hard today. We have seven more days together as a team. We are going to come out and play for pride.”