The annual showdown between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is a highly anticipated game every year. It is not only the game where Georgia has to defend against a triple option offense but it is the last regular season game for the senior class.
This senior class has never experienced a win over Georgia Tech in Sanford Stadium and that is where this season’s game happens to be taking place. Players from all classes realize this and are using it as motivation.
“I want this, and I know everybody on the team wants this. 2012 is the last time we won at home and we have taken a lot of disrespect from Georgia Tech,” said senior Jonathan Ledbetter. “I know some people would much rather see us beat Georgia Tech than win a national championship, and we are not going disappoint. We are going to come out and play a physical football game, giving it everything we have.”
Terry Godwin said that he is not just playing for himself in this upcoming rivalry game, but also his fellow seniors and the rest of his “brothers”. He added that winning would mean the world to him. Another senior D’Andre Walker said that his priority is to make sure that he cherishes the experience and lives in the moment during this big game.
Head coach Kirby Smart made a point of talking about his “defend your turf” mantra and how they want to perform as a team for the seniors in a press conference on Monday.
“That’s been a message all year. It’s not been about Tech obviously. It’s been about the teams that have been championship teams have defended their home turf,” said Kirby. “We have a bulletin board about it. When you win your games at home, it gives you a much better chance to win the East. When you win games at home, it gives you a much better chance of winning the SEC. And we’ve talked about that all along. And we want to continue to do that, and I think that’s a big part of it. Not because it’s Tech but because it’s our home stadium. And we want our fans to come out, support these guys, even over Thanksgiving break, it’s critical that we have the momentum and the fan base behind us to make it an advantage for us. But we want to play well for these seniors and these seniors want to go out on top.”