Richt: ‘I’d say we were not soft’ (plus other postgame quotes)

WHAT THEY SAID AFTER GEORGIA’S VICTORY OVER FLORIDA

“I’d say we were not soft. The defense rose to the occasion, and everyone fought their tails off. There was a lot of emotion and two really good football teams getting after it.”

– Georgia coach Mark Richt

“I’ve said all season long — we’re not a team that has a lot of margin of error. Obviously, six (Florida) turnovers led to 10 (Georgia) points, critical plays in the game. … You’ve got to give (Georgia) credit. You’ve got to rise up to those opportunities you have, and you have to make those plays. They did and we didn’t, but six turnovers — wow. That’s tough to overcome.”

– Florida coach Will Muschamp

“What can this guy not do? He gets sacks, forces interceptions, forces fumbles.”

– Georgia safety Bacarri Rambo on linebacker Jarvis Jones’ huge game

“Jarvis is a great player. To come back from an ankle sprain the way he did … and come out here and do what he did, I’d pick him No. 1 in the draft.”

– Georgia wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell

“I had a great game, but it’s about what we did as a defense. All of us did what we came here to do. We beat the No. 2 team in the nation, and it’s a great feeling.”

– Jones

“We knew we had the guys to make plays; we just hadn’t been making them. And I think the challenge from the media and the challenge from (safety) Shawn Williams, I think that opened some guys up. Everybody went out and played hard.”

– Cornerback Damian Swann on how the UGA defense responded to Williams’ early-week comments that the unit had been playing soft

“We prepared hard this whole week. I’ve never seen these guys practice like this before. … Everybody thought we were soft. They had more people carted off the field than we did.”

– Rambo

“The fans were really propelling us that whole game. They were loud, getting us pumped up.”

– Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray

“Oh, man, were there really that many?”

– Murray, when told there were nine turnovers in the game (three by Georgia and six by Florida)

“It was a rough game. That was an SEC defensive matchup right there. Offensively, we had our shots at points, but we were just making mistakes when it comes to turnovers, penalties, stuff that we need to correct.”

– Murray

“We hadn’t had a lot of turnovers this year (four before Saturday), so it’s just kind of a shock to everybody.”

– Florida defensive back Jaylen Watkins

“He ran it 27 times and didn’t fumble it, which is huge.”

– Richt on freshman tailback Todd Gurley, who had 118 yards rushing

“We’re right where we want to be.”

– Gurley on the Bulldogs being in position to win the SEC East if they defeat Ole Miss and Auburn

“It was awesome. Everyone was going crazy. I feel like we were out there for 20 or 30 minutes. There isn’t a better feeling.”

– Richt on the postgame celebration on the field