Georgia coaches laughed off Thursday’s hot rumor at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. There was a loose accusation from an Ohio State sportswriter that the Bulldogs used a hidden camera to spy on the Buckeyes’ practices at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“I hope that’s true,” UGA offensive coordinator Todd Monken said, laughing aloud when asked about it during Media Day on Thursday. “I hope we’ve been in their hotel. I hope we’ve been in their practices. I hope we’re logged into their computers.”
Monken quickly added – “That’s a joke.”
Asked directly about it Thursday, Georgia coach Kirby Smart scoffed.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, incredulously. “I mean, that’s ludicrous.”
The truth is, there was a camera found in the stadium before the Buckeyes’ first practice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this week during a routine security sweep, according to people familiar with the situation. The camera belonged to the stadium as a permanent fixture and was not being operated at the time. Ohio State was informed about it, the camera promptly was removed and everybody moved on.
Of course, spying at bowl games – particularly ones with national championship implications – long has been a concern of the participants. That’s why the majority of practices held these days are closed.
It’s one thing when the teams are at home on their own campuses during the regular season. There, they have control of the environment, employ security and know where any threats might come from. This week, the No. 4 Buckeyes and No. 1-ranked Bulldogs take turns practicing daily at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That’s where they will meet at 8 p.m. Saturday in their College Football Playoff semifinal.
That’s somewhat different than most bowl games. Standard operating procedure generally is to provide teams access to separate facilities off-site, where security also is provided. Last year in Miami at the Orange Bowl, for instance, Georgia practiced at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. Security guards were posted at every access point.
At the Peach Bowl, teams are given the option of practicing at the facility in which the game is going to be played or somewhere off-site, such as nearby at Georgia Tech or Georgia State or up the road in Flowery Branch at the Falcons’ practice facility.
Georgia and Ohio State chose to work out daily in the Benz, as most Peach Bowl participants do. It’s convenient, and the participants want to get used to the unusual surroundings.
But security around the building is tight. Even stadium employees who have work to do ahead of the game are not permitted in the field area while teams are practicing.
“It is what it is,” Monken said. “We’re the same way. We’re paranoid at our hotel; they’re paranoid at their hotel. At the end of the day, they see on film what we run, and whether they have what we call or not, we have to execute.”
Thursday’s accusations originated from journalist Jeff Snook and were posted on his Facebook page. Snook’s LinkedIn profile describes him as a sportswriter, author of 14 books and a 1982 graduate of Ohio State. A screenshot was taken by another Ohio State sportswriter and circulated on Twitter and other social-media streams.
By the time the Bulldogs showed up at the College Football Hall of Fame for Media Day, the rumor had gone viral. Georgia defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, a 25-year coaching veteran, also was asked about it.
“Somebody give (the videos) to me. I ain’t seen them,” he said.
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