Georgia head football coach Mark Richt talked about the upcoming game against Missouri, Sheldon Richardson's comments and containing James Franklin on the weekly SEC Teleconference this week.

A partial transcript is below. Click the player above to hear Richt's comments in their entirety.

Mark Richt on the opening week and upcoming game against Mizzou:
“Like everyone else who is playing their first SEC game, we are very excited about it. We know the importance of it. Having to go on the road will be a challenge as always. The first ever SEC game at Missouri will bring a lot of excitement I am sure to their fanbase and their players and coaches. It is pretty obvious that’s what is going on and been going since the game got announced. It will be a big game. They are all big, we know that, but there a few extra things happening that are a little bit different. The bottom line is that we have to line up and execute and play a team that has got a very outstanding defense in my opinion. (They are) also a team that has an offense that was one of the best in the country last year that is led by a quarterback that is a dual threat guy, a very impressive guy, in Franklin.”

On Sheldon Richardson’s comments:
“I didn’t think a whole lot of it really. I was kidding yesterday in the press conference thinking I’m over 50 and I am starting to think that I am getting to become and old man. I thought it was a compliment actually. I don’t know how our guys feel about it actually. The bottom line is that guys are going to say things and you can’t worry too much about it. You just have to worry about hooking it up and playing and see who does the best.”

On his thoughts about the Mizzou program after previously interviewing for the head coaching job:
“I first of all wanted to know what kind of place it was, what kind of a town it was. I am married and have young kids. If you are going to go somewhere escpecially from Tallahassee, which was my wife’s hometown growing up and a place we had been a long time and really loved. We wanted to make sure it was going to be a good place and community to raise our family. I heard nothing but good things about Columbia. I was born in Nebraska and lived in Colorado. I was around Big 8 football back in that time and I knew about Missouri way back growing up. I knew it was a really fine program and it had a lot of potential. Those are some of the things that I saw in it.”

On dealing with James Franklin:
“You hope that you stop the running game period. I think every quarterback’s friend is a great running game and they do a great job of running the football. He is a part of that running game, but your traditional run, your tailback run, we have to do a good job of stopping that…We have to be more disciplined in our rush lanes and do a good job of separating from offensive linemen and making a play. There is going to be a lot of things we have to do, but stop the traditional run hopefully, or at least slow it down. When we get them in passing situations be able to put pressure on them, but be able to do it in such a way that you can contain him (Franklin), which is tough to do. You take an inside move he goes outside. You keep a wide enough rush to keep him contained and he goes up the middle of the pocket. We just have to make sure we are real disciplined in our rush lanes.”