SMAEL MONDON
0:00 – Talk about the rivalry against Georgia Tech
0:36 – Are you looking forward to seeing EJ Lightsey now that he plays for Georgia Tech?
1:02 – When did you find out that you will be playing in the SEC Championship?
1:49 – How aware are you from comments that Brent Key and opposing coaches make?
2:33 – More on rivalry on Georgia Tech
2:52 – What do you think about the two quarterbacks that Georgia Tech has?
3:17 – What does the defense need to do to prepare for the run?
3:43 – Tell us about your journey this season dealing with injuries
4:28 – Was there a moment that clicked that you felt that you were back?
5:26 – What have you seen from Chris Cole this season?
5:55 – How does this game being played on a Friday change anything on how you prepare for it?
On the Georgia Tech rivalry…
“Personally for me, it’s knowing a lot of guys on the other side. Playing against a lot of familiar faces, guys I played in high school. What I tell the guys is, it is not what the games been like the past couple of years with how much better Georgia Tech has gotten. We really need to not sleep on them and just take this week serious.”
On playing against EJ Lightsey…
“I am excited to see him. Me and EJ were close, still are close. We are just excited to see what he is going to do Friday and what he is going to do going forward. Real happy to get a chance to see him play.”
On potentially sweeping Florida, Tennessee, and Tech…
“It’s real. With Georgia Tech being an in-state rival. So to be able to do it, it will be big.”
============================
DYLAN FAIRCHILD
0:00 – How did you find out that Georgia was playing in the SEC Championship game?
0:47 – What has Brent Key brought to this rivalry with his hatred towards Georgia?
1:27 – What makes this rivalry so special?
1:51 – What have you seen from this Georgia Tech compared to other seasons?
2:30 – What did you know about the Georgia vs Georgia Tech rivalry growing up?
3:31 – How does the team keep powering up from all the injuries they have had?
5:17 – What would be the significance of the senior class sweeping Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech?
5:54 – How well did you know Buster Faulkner while he was here?
7:00 – Any thoughts on what a Friday night game at Sanford Stadium would be like?
7:24 – Talk about how Nate Frazier has been doing
8:49 – Thoughts on West Forsyth football program?
9:23 – What do you respect most about Jalon Walker?
On the history of the rivalry…
“There’s a lot of history behind this game. There’s a lot of people that are invested in this game every single year, and I think that means a lot to us, and it means a lot to our fans.”
On Georgia Tech’s improvement as a program…
“They're super physical. I know last year it was a gritty game. I think it was pretty cold last year. I don’t remember exactly how cold it was, but it was cold. When it’s late in November, in those cold months, it gets gritty, especially if it's a night game, and it's going to be a night game this year. I think, overall, their team is very well coached, and they're just a good team.”
On memories of the rivalry growing up…
“I grew up a Georgia fan. My dad was a Georgia fan, and his brother’s a Tech fan, so we always had our own family traditions and rivalry. It was fun growing up being a Georgia fan and knowing how important this game was. I grew up watching it too. I remember turning on games and watching Georgia versus Georgia Tech.”
On how the team keeps going with a tough schedule and injuries…
“I think it's a combination of two things. You’ve got to take the action every day and to go into the training room and take care of yourself and also knowing we have very limited opportunities. You're only really guaranteed 12 games a year, so taking advantage knowing, mentally, any one of them could be the last one for us. It's football, and we don't know when our last snap's going to be, so just combining that knowledge with the action of taking care of yourself really can prepare you for a game. And you know during the game, this could be it. You don't know. So knowing that and taking the action to actually go take care of yourself as best you can, just combining those two things is probably the best way to do it.”
0:00 – Talk about the rivalry against Georgia Tech
0:36 – Are you looking forward to seeing EJ Lightsey now that he plays for Georgia Tech?
1:02 – When did you find out that you will be playing in the SEC Championship?
1:49 – How aware are you from comments that Brent Key and opposing coaches make?
2:33 – More on rivalry on Georgia Tech
2:52 – What do you think about the two quarterbacks that Georgia Tech has?
3:17 – What does the defense need to do to prepare for the run?
3:43 – Tell us about your journey this season dealing with injuries
4:28 – Was there a moment that clicked that you felt that you were back?
5:26 – What have you seen from Chris Cole this season?
5:55 – How does this game being played on a Friday change anything on how you prepare for it?
On the Georgia Tech rivalry…
“Personally for me, it’s knowing a lot of guys on the other side. Playing against a lot of familiar faces, guys I played in high school. What I tell the guys is, it is not what the games been like the past couple of years with how much better Georgia Tech has gotten. We really need to not sleep on them and just take this week serious.”
On playing against EJ Lightsey…
“I am excited to see him. Me and EJ were close, still are close. We are just excited to see what he is going to do Friday and what he is going to do going forward. Real happy to get a chance to see him play.”
On potentially sweeping Florida, Tennessee, and Tech…
“It’s real. With Georgia Tech being an in-state rival. So to be able to do it, it will be big.”
============================
DYLAN FAIRCHILD
0:00 – How did you find out that Georgia was playing in the SEC Championship game?
0:47 – What has Brent Key brought to this rivalry with his hatred towards Georgia?
1:27 – What makes this rivalry so special?
1:51 – What have you seen from this Georgia Tech compared to other seasons?
2:30 – What did you know about the Georgia vs Georgia Tech rivalry growing up?
3:31 – How does the team keep powering up from all the injuries they have had?
5:17 – What would be the significance of the senior class sweeping Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech?
5:54 – How well did you know Buster Faulkner while he was here?
7:00 – Any thoughts on what a Friday night game at Sanford Stadium would be like?
7:24 – Talk about how Nate Frazier has been doing
8:49 – Thoughts on West Forsyth football program?
9:23 – What do you respect most about Jalon Walker?
On the history of the rivalry…
“There’s a lot of history behind this game. There’s a lot of people that are invested in this game every single year, and I think that means a lot to us, and it means a lot to our fans.”
On Georgia Tech’s improvement as a program…
“They're super physical. I know last year it was a gritty game. I think it was pretty cold last year. I don’t remember exactly how cold it was, but it was cold. When it’s late in November, in those cold months, it gets gritty, especially if it's a night game, and it's going to be a night game this year. I think, overall, their team is very well coached, and they're just a good team.”
On memories of the rivalry growing up…
“I grew up a Georgia fan. My dad was a Georgia fan, and his brother’s a Tech fan, so we always had our own family traditions and rivalry. It was fun growing up being a Georgia fan and knowing how important this game was. I grew up watching it too. I remember turning on games and watching Georgia versus Georgia Tech.”
On how the team keeps going with a tough schedule and injuries…
“I think it's a combination of two things. You’ve got to take the action every day and to go into the training room and take care of yourself and also knowing we have very limited opportunities. You're only really guaranteed 12 games a year, so taking advantage knowing, mentally, any one of them could be the last one for us. It's football, and we don't know when our last snap's going to be, so just combining that knowledge with the action of taking care of yourself really can prepare you for a game. And you know during the game, this could be it. You don't know. So knowing that and taking the action to actually go take care of yourself as best you can, just combining those two things is probably the best way to do it.”
