Comments from Georgia Tech players Zamari Walton, Jeff Sims, Juanyeh Thomas and Jalen Camp following the team’s 31-13 loss to No. 4 Notre Dame Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Cornerback Zamari Walton
On his 93-yard fumble return for a touchdown:
“Just a whole lot of guys swarming to the ball. Juanyeh got the strip. I saw the ball on the ground. Country ball – nobody’s around – except for an o-lineman and myself. And I just kind of took off. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the quarterback kind of had a good angle. So I just had to speed it up a little bit, and it was just a lot of daylight for me to score.”
On third-down defense:
"I think third down was a big one for us – to be able to get the offense to punt the ball a lot. We weren’t able to have them punt the ball more. I think we did a pretty good job getting some stops on third downs, but not enough. I think you’ve got to attack a little bit more and try to get those third-down stops.
On Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book’s mobility:
“I guess it was kind of hard being that, being in coverage, having good coverage, he was able to outrun the defensive line, but I thought they did a pretty good job. But for the most part, he had some good plays where he slipped up and got out. But those things can be stopped.”
Quarterback Jeff Sims
On the turnover:
“It definitely kind of slowed the momentum down for the offense. Because we drove the ball down the field that drive, we were in good position to score and then that happened. So we just came to the sideline, regrouped, refocused and came back out on the field and just put the ball down and did what we have to do.”
On what else the offense could have done:
“There were a couple passes that I missed that could have changed the momentum of the game, just going out there and executing the offense better. But the defense is pretty good, but I feel like if we would have executed our offense better, it would have been a different outcome.”
On connection with running back Jahmyr Gibbs:
“Me and Jahmyr, we have a great connection. I know if nothing’s open downfield or I’m getting pressured, I know he’ll be down low to check the ball down to. So just staying in the game and staying calm in the pocket and just finding my checkdown, that’s crucial for me. And Jahmyr is a great playmaker in the open field. So any time we can get him the ball in the open field, that’s what we do.”
On missing Ahmarean Brown after his injury:
“Ahmarean’s definitely a big impact in our offense. But things happen. We’ve just got to adjust and we had Nate (McCollum) in, and Nate did a good job coming out there and just staying ready.”
Safety Juanyeh Thomas
On the loss:
“It’s hurting me now. but I still have high spirits for this team. So, nothing’s going to change. My attitude’s going to stay the same. Yes, Notre Dame was a great team. We’ve just got to focus forward and get the little things corrected and then we’ll be alright.”
On the pregame tackle drills having an effect:
“Yes, it did. I feel like we were missing the tone that we usually set with the tackling circuit. And as you see today, we had less missed tackles on the field. So that was a big emphasis coming in to this week, and then coach (Geoff) Collins just felt the need to bring that back to add more juice to our situation.”
Wide receiver Jalen Camp
On the offense stalling around the 35-yard line:
“I think from my perspective, it was just, we’d get the ball rolling, and then, once we get to that 35 (yard) range like you just said, I think we’d stub our toe. A guy would miss a block, we would miss a read, I think it was a collective effort why we weren’t finishing our drives.”
On his third-quarter catch and the ensuing turnover:
“Starting with the catch, it was just a little seam route down the seam, and Jeff put it in the right spot, and I just tried to make a catch for him. But, after that, talking about the turnover you just talked about, once we get a roll on, we make a big catch, we get a first down and stuff like that, and once you have a turnover like that, it can demoralize you as an offense, or as a team as a whole. But I think we did a good job of just trying to play the next play. Coach Collins preaches play the next play. Don’t worry about the score and I think we did that.”
On going into the bye, and the last four games:
“I think with the last run of the season that we have left, I think we’re going to tomorrow, of course, watch the film, go into the bye week with things that we need to work on collectively, offense, defense, special teams. I think just staying positive with the season, because this season is not something that we hoped it’d be, sitting with our record right now. But with the four games that we have enough in the season. I do believe that if we stay positive, we can make a run.”
