Georgia football will face its first true test of the season this Saturday, heading into Neyland Stadium to take on No. 15 Tennessee. Head coach Kirby Smart, senior wide receiver Colbie Young and junior kicker Peyton Woodring spoke with the media Monday to preview the matchup.

 Kirby Smart on Tennessee’s physicality 

Smart opened his press conference by highlighting the challenge of going to Knoxville.

“[I’m] really excited about this matchup,” Smart said. “One of the toughest places to play in all of college football. It’ll be as loud as ever, in one of the loudest [stadiums] in the SEC for sure.”

He emphasized that Tennessee’s offense is often misunderstood, pointing out its strength at the line of scrimmage.

“They’re built around toughness, running the ball and stopping the run, which they’re very good at both,” Smart said. “You look at last year’s game between both teams, both lines of scrimmage were extremely physical. It’s been that way every time we’ve played each other.”

Smart singled out quarterback Joey Aguilar and the Volunteers’ corps of running backs as key pieces of Tennessee’s attack.

“He’s playing really efficiently — He’s got great arm talent, and he’s a really good athlete,” Smart said of Aguilar. “They’ve always played a lot of backs, so they’ll have multiple backs that come in the game. They’re very physical, very patient runners and well-coached.”

 Young’s leadership and advice to teammates

For Young, the trip to Knoxville is about composure as much as execution.

“Calm down, give them their time,” Young said when asked about advice for younger teammates experiencing their first SEC road game. “This is what we came to Georgia for, we still have to stay composed, we still have to follow our game plan and stay true to ourselves and just play Georgia football.”

Young has emerged as one of the Bulldogs’ most reliable targets, posting seven catches for 76 receiving yards in Georgia’s Week 2 win. He credited his connection with quarterback Gunner Stockton as crucial to the passing game’s progress.

“Just making plays for Gunner, keeping his confidence up, catching every pass that comes our way [is the focus],” Young said. “He just wants to be perfect, and his wanting to be great just instills in us that we’ve got to be better, we’ve got to play up to his level and keep him as confident as possible.”

Heading into his final season, Young said he’s motivated by the chance to finish his career strong.

“Oh yeah, this is my last year,” Young said. “I’m just taking it as a positive blessing that I’ve seen what it can be like. I’m just excited to be here and play football again.”

 Woodring embraces pressure on the road

While Tennessee’s crowd is a concern for many, Woodring said he thrives in those environments.

“Funny enough, I actually like playing away more because I feel like the crowd’s more involved and they’re actually yelling,” Woodring said. “It gets my adrenaline up. It’s probably the funnest part of the game for me — those big field goals.”

Woodring, who connected on all 11 of his kicks in the first two games — 10 extra points and one field goal — said he focuses heavily on the mental side of kicking.

“I feel like it’s a big part because you can do it off the field, like on the practice field, but doing it during a game is [different],” Woodring said. “I worked a lot with a sports psychologist, especially my freshman year. That really helped me get in the right space mentally.”

Woodring also revealed that coach Smart will find ways to simulate pressure for Woodring in practice to best prepare him for hostile kicking environments and big situations.

“Sometimes he’ll put someone running on the line,” Woodring said. “He’s pretty good at figuring out different ways to put pressure on me during practice, he’ll turn up the crowd noise. Just working on that through different techniques basically.”

 SEC road test awaits

With Georgia’s first conference game of the season set in one of college football’s loudest venues, Smart said preparation and execution will be critical.

“When you open up on the road in the SEC, it’s always challenging,” Smart said. “It’ll be important that our players understand that the environment is something that you don’t have to worry about. You’ve got to worry about how you play.”

Kickoff between Georgia and Tennessee is scheduled for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. as the Bulldogs look to win their ninth straight over the Volunteers.

 

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