ATHENS, Ga. — University of Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson and kicker Jack Podlesny met with media after practice Wednesday evening and offered the following comments regarding the preparation for Tennessee.
#10 Kearis Jackson | Senior | WR
On how this game stacks up against other big games he’s played in…
“I feel like the tea pretty much knows what we’re about to get into. We’ve all been hearing about the hype, what we’re about to see. Coach Smart has been emphasizing how serious this game is. Every SEC game is always serious because the SEC is just different… We are playing a top matchup versus Tennessee. I know they have a great team, I can’t deny that by any means, but we get an opportunity to go out and play against another great opponent. That’s always exciting.”
On keeping the right mindset on offense in a big game…
“Just being calm. It’s just like any other game. If you come to Georgia, you are expected to play in big time games. That’s no surprise to us. As a team we are excited to play in another big game. Most of these guys haven’t played in a big game like this, but I feel like all of our SEC games are big. Like I said, the SEC just means more. Just the fact that we get an another home game to play in our crowd is always exciting. I know last week we we’re just on the road playing a phenomenal team like Florida. This week we get to play Tennessee. I know College Gameday is going to be here, but all of that is just a distraction. We have to go in with our mind set on who we have to play and what we have to accomplish. And, that’s to go out there and win.”
On what it’s like when he gets ready for a big game…
“I get jacked up for every game because you only get 12 opportunities in a season. We work 365 days out of the year for those 12 opportunities that we do get. There is no point not to get jacked up because we go out there to showcase what we have been putting in throughout the week and throughout the year. So, for me personally, I’m jacked up for every game. I feel like the level of my focus is to be locked in because I don’t want to go in (to the game) and be overly hyped, then boom I bust an assignment. From that standpoint I would say that I’m more focused, but I’m also jacked up about being able to go out there and play with my teammates.”
#96 Jack Podlesny | Senior | PK
On the special teams battle versus Tennessee...
"I think it's just going to come down to who performs best on Saturday. It really is a one day at a time thing. You can't really look at past performances or else you're living in the past. It's a present mindset."
On his field-goal kicking...
"I've felt good. I mean, there's balls where they go through the goal post, and you still wish you had hit them better. I think that I'm improving, and that's all I can ask for - the steady improvement. I don't want to stay the same ever. There's always room for improvements.
On how his pregame ritual is affected by big games...
"I try to treat it like any other gameday. I've got a ritual where I try to visualize kicks the night before when I'm laying in bed, hopefully in a dark room, closing my eyes and hopefully don't fall asleep. Picture myself, whether it's at an away stadium or at Sanford, where I step up, 38-yarder, 55-yarder, PAT, no-different. I'd say that's the ritual of mine. Going out there, feeling the wind, stepping onto the field with no shoulder pads, get a lay of the ground. That's about it."