Four GT players were available today thanks to school being out today.
Joe Fusile who hasn't been able to talk during the season due to class conflicts was up first.
Fusile said he was very honored to be named a team captain for the 2023 season by his teammates and given how hard everyone works it made it extra special for him.
Fusile said that Haynes King has become a leader on this team and he is very fast and they are grateful to have him here. He likes the way he acts and how he takes control of the huddle and in the locker room and that makes him easy to follow as a leader.
I asked him about the UGA, Fusile said, "I can't really say anything about it, it is clean, old-fashioned hate. We all know what it is, it is Georgia Tech vs Georgia.
On the rotation of Ethan Mackenny and Corey Robinson at LT next to him, he said that they are both good at different things, but Ethan being such a young guy it has impressed him watching him learn and grow throughout the season. He has good chemistry with Corey and it is always fun playing next to him.
On UGA's defense, Fusile said they are good up front and they what they do well and we are going to do what we do and go out there and expect to win.
I asked him about the increased workload this season playing almost every snap at LG, Fusile said that he spends some extra time with the trainer and making sure he takes care of his body after practice.
Fusile said that Kirby's quote about the GT OL is accurate.
Receiver Christian Leary was next and I asked him about what this week has been like given his experiences playing both UGA and in big rivalry games at Bama like the Iron Bowl, he said that he loves it. This one is new for him but seeing everyone's attention and want-to for this game is different. He said every week the attention to detail is good, but this week feels different and they are not worrying about any outside factors or anything that can affect us in a negative way. We are having a good week and just have to have the mindset that we are ready to win.
Leary said UGA is a good team and comparing them to last year, they are still a good team, but they just need to be ready to step up to the plate and play them. It is Hate Week and he thinks it is amazing to be a part of this rivalry.
Leary said that this year has been a growth year for him after not playing as much the last two years and he is finding his groove now and getting back into that playmaker mode has been fun for him.
Leary said of Haynes King, he is a great guy and a great leader of the team and he pushes everybody to have great energy and then on top of that he has great football abilities to match it and who wouldn't want to be around and play with a guy like that. He looks at the way King carries himself as well and he is trying to win the day. He makes mistakes but he is trying to win every game and he is a great leader and great supporter.
I asked if some pressure is off after getting bowl eligible and Leary said, "Coach Key, he just told us he thinks he is missing a couple of screws and he thinks we are too. We are fired up this week and we are glad we got the bowl eligibility but now they are trying to win this week."
Leary said he has felt all year this was a great team and they just had to put everything together and they are coming closer and getting on the same page now and even last week when they had a couple of struggles, they finished the game strong. He added, "Everybody hates Georgia and everybody wants to have some success in this game."
ACC Linebacker of the Week Kyle Efford was up next, he said getting some recognition for the Cuse game performance means a lot to him, especially with all the hard work he has put in. He said quite a few people reached out to him to congratulate him.
Efford said the Cuse game was the first time the LBs all as a group played at 100% as hard as they can and that is what they've been pushing for all year and they want that to be the identity of the LB room and the Darkside Defense.
Efford said that this is the state championship game for Georgia and that is what it means to him. He didn't grow up with a rooting interest in the game however.
I asked him if the game is clicking now that he has some many reps under his belt after not really playing as a true freshman last year, he said that game has slowed down a lot for him and he thought it was slowing down in week three and four and now he is really seeing things slow down. He said starting with the UNC game he really saw the connection between film study and preparation and that slowed things down for him even more.
Efford said he likes to put the last game to bed early and work on the next game and the team has taken that approach and it is becoming part of the culture under coach Key to move on to the next opponent the next day after you wake up after the game.
Efford said that UGA has an explosive offense that likes to spread it out and they have to limit the explosives this week if they want to have a chance.
Efford said this being the final home game of the season is not any different for him, he is trying to limit his emotions each week and keep his emotions in check regarding each game and stay calm-headed. He is excited however that they got bowl-eligible because it means two more games instead of one.
Efford said UGA has some good powerful backs and they love a good challenge and that is one of the things about being a Tech Man, you are not going to shy away from any type of challenge or adversity, that is what they live for.
Efford said his older brother went to UGA and they have converted him to a GT fan, he said his family are now all GT fans.
LaMiles Brooks was up next and Chad asked him about Carson Beck and if they had a connection, Brooks said that back in Jax the big QB rivalry was Jeff Sims and Carson Beck and he knew both of them and played 7v7 with both of them. Their high schools didn't play each other but he got to know him on the 7v7 circuit and played against each other that way too.
I asked who drew the short straw with Brock Bowers this week and he said that Bowers is an exception player and they have a game plan for him and a certain player will be matched up with him and hopefully, they can go out and execute that game plan that Coach Sherrer has in place and everything will fall into place.
Brooks said the secondary has made tremendous strides since the Louisville game when he got hurt early and they had all those missed tackles, they've gotten better at that and they've done a pretty good job of covering and they are just working each day to get better and stack days.
I asked him how he kept his cool in the Cuse game when it was getting so chippy out there and he said it was just a lot of competitiveness from both teams and he had a lot of respect for how hard Cuse players were fighting to win that game and emotions run high and tempers flare and that happens, but GT came up with the win and that is all that matters.
Brooks said of Rodney Shelley he is playing a bigger role and he played for the first time last year against UGA ironically. He has improved each week and he is a smaller guy but his coverage skills are through the roof and he can make big time plays when his number is called. He is excited to see what he will be capable of in the future.
Brooks said UGA has a good QB in Beck and Brock Bowers is a great player and they have some pretty nice RBs and WRs plus the OL is pretty good so it is another high-powered offense they are facing another SEC offense as well so it is not something they haven't seen before this season, it will just be a little extra physical play and a little bit faster so they have to be on point.
I asked if he has taken any pleasure in being part of square one of the rebuild and now getting to a bowl game and he said it feels great. He came in and they went through a lot of trials and tribulations and to see it start to pay off now and see where the program is at gives him a lot of hope for the future of the program and what it is capable of in the future and he is glad to be a part of that kind of rebuild to get the program going again.
Brooks said he expects UGA to run the ball until they stop it and that is the kind of game UGA likes to make it and he feels like they have a good game plan and they have to stop them now.
I asked about how the transition has been with Coach Sherrer and he said that was definitely a change and transition period with him taking over playcalling and there were changes in calls, but also changes in who was on the field and they had to get comfortable with those changes and now everyone is doing their job and understands their job and are not doing things that are outside of what is expected of them and that is paying dividends.
I asked if their prior success hanging with teams either now in the top 25 or top 25 teams they beat this year helps going into this game and he said they expect to win every game they play regardless of anything else. That is the confidence they have and that has been growing all season and there is a natural boost of confidence that comes from winning those games and guys believing in themselves and the whole team has to believe.
Joe Fusile who hasn't been able to talk during the season due to class conflicts was up first.
Fusile said he was very honored to be named a team captain for the 2023 season by his teammates and given how hard everyone works it made it extra special for him.
Fusile said that Haynes King has become a leader on this team and he is very fast and they are grateful to have him here. He likes the way he acts and how he takes control of the huddle and in the locker room and that makes him easy to follow as a leader.
I asked him about the UGA, Fusile said, "I can't really say anything about it, it is clean, old-fashioned hate. We all know what it is, it is Georgia Tech vs Georgia.
On the rotation of Ethan Mackenny and Corey Robinson at LT next to him, he said that they are both good at different things, but Ethan being such a young guy it has impressed him watching him learn and grow throughout the season. He has good chemistry with Corey and it is always fun playing next to him.
On UGA's defense, Fusile said they are good up front and they what they do well and we are going to do what we do and go out there and expect to win.
I asked him about the increased workload this season playing almost every snap at LG, Fusile said that he spends some extra time with the trainer and making sure he takes care of his body after practice.
Fusile said that Kirby's quote about the GT OL is accurate.
Receiver Christian Leary was next and I asked him about what this week has been like given his experiences playing both UGA and in big rivalry games at Bama like the Iron Bowl, he said that he loves it. This one is new for him but seeing everyone's attention and want-to for this game is different. He said every week the attention to detail is good, but this week feels different and they are not worrying about any outside factors or anything that can affect us in a negative way. We are having a good week and just have to have the mindset that we are ready to win.
Leary said UGA is a good team and comparing them to last year, they are still a good team, but they just need to be ready to step up to the plate and play them. It is Hate Week and he thinks it is amazing to be a part of this rivalry.
Leary said that this year has been a growth year for him after not playing as much the last two years and he is finding his groove now and getting back into that playmaker mode has been fun for him.
Leary said of Haynes King, he is a great guy and a great leader of the team and he pushes everybody to have great energy and then on top of that he has great football abilities to match it and who wouldn't want to be around and play with a guy like that. He looks at the way King carries himself as well and he is trying to win the day. He makes mistakes but he is trying to win every game and he is a great leader and great supporter.
I asked if some pressure is off after getting bowl eligible and Leary said, "Coach Key, he just told us he thinks he is missing a couple of screws and he thinks we are too. We are fired up this week and we are glad we got the bowl eligibility but now they are trying to win this week."
Leary said he has felt all year this was a great team and they just had to put everything together and they are coming closer and getting on the same page now and even last week when they had a couple of struggles, they finished the game strong. He added, "Everybody hates Georgia and everybody wants to have some success in this game."
ACC Linebacker of the Week Kyle Efford was up next, he said getting some recognition for the Cuse game performance means a lot to him, especially with all the hard work he has put in. He said quite a few people reached out to him to congratulate him.
Efford said the Cuse game was the first time the LBs all as a group played at 100% as hard as they can and that is what they've been pushing for all year and they want that to be the identity of the LB room and the Darkside Defense.
Efford said that this is the state championship game for Georgia and that is what it means to him. He didn't grow up with a rooting interest in the game however.
I asked him if the game is clicking now that he has some many reps under his belt after not really playing as a true freshman last year, he said that game has slowed down a lot for him and he thought it was slowing down in week three and four and now he is really seeing things slow down. He said starting with the UNC game he really saw the connection between film study and preparation and that slowed things down for him even more.
Efford said he likes to put the last game to bed early and work on the next game and the team has taken that approach and it is becoming part of the culture under coach Key to move on to the next opponent the next day after you wake up after the game.
Efford said that UGA has an explosive offense that likes to spread it out and they have to limit the explosives this week if they want to have a chance.
Efford said this being the final home game of the season is not any different for him, he is trying to limit his emotions each week and keep his emotions in check regarding each game and stay calm-headed. He is excited however that they got bowl-eligible because it means two more games instead of one.
Efford said UGA has some good powerful backs and they love a good challenge and that is one of the things about being a Tech Man, you are not going to shy away from any type of challenge or adversity, that is what they live for.
Efford said his older brother went to UGA and they have converted him to a GT fan, he said his family are now all GT fans.
LaMiles Brooks was up next and Chad asked him about Carson Beck and if they had a connection, Brooks said that back in Jax the big QB rivalry was Jeff Sims and Carson Beck and he knew both of them and played 7v7 with both of them. Their high schools didn't play each other but he got to know him on the 7v7 circuit and played against each other that way too.
I asked who drew the short straw with Brock Bowers this week and he said that Bowers is an exception player and they have a game plan for him and a certain player will be matched up with him and hopefully, they can go out and execute that game plan that Coach Sherrer has in place and everything will fall into place.
Brooks said the secondary has made tremendous strides since the Louisville game when he got hurt early and they had all those missed tackles, they've gotten better at that and they've done a pretty good job of covering and they are just working each day to get better and stack days.
I asked him how he kept his cool in the Cuse game when it was getting so chippy out there and he said it was just a lot of competitiveness from both teams and he had a lot of respect for how hard Cuse players were fighting to win that game and emotions run high and tempers flare and that happens, but GT came up with the win and that is all that matters.
Brooks said of Rodney Shelley he is playing a bigger role and he played for the first time last year against UGA ironically. He has improved each week and he is a smaller guy but his coverage skills are through the roof and he can make big time plays when his number is called. He is excited to see what he will be capable of in the future.
Brooks said UGA has a good QB in Beck and Brock Bowers is a great player and they have some pretty nice RBs and WRs plus the OL is pretty good so it is another high-powered offense they are facing another SEC offense as well so it is not something they haven't seen before this season, it will just be a little extra physical play and a little bit faster so they have to be on point.
I asked if he has taken any pleasure in being part of square one of the rebuild and now getting to a bowl game and he said it feels great. He came in and they went through a lot of trials and tribulations and to see it start to pay off now and see where the program is at gives him a lot of hope for the future of the program and what it is capable of in the future and he is glad to be a part of that kind of rebuild to get the program going again.
Brooks said he expects UGA to run the ball until they stop it and that is the kind of game UGA likes to make it and he feels like they have a good game plan and they have to stop them now.
I asked about how the transition has been with Coach Sherrer and he said that was definitely a change and transition period with him taking over playcalling and there were changes in calls, but also changes in who was on the field and they had to get comfortable with those changes and now everyone is doing their job and understands their job and are not doing things that are outside of what is expected of them and that is paying dividends.
I asked if their prior success hanging with teams either now in the top 25 or top 25 teams they beat this year helps going into this game and he said they expect to win every game they play regardless of anything else. That is the confidence they have and that has been growing all season and there is a natural boost of confidence that comes from winning those games and guys believing in themselves and the whole team has to believe.