On how prepared he is for being called up as the starting center on Saturday…
“It’s kind of how my mentality has been every single week since the season has started. Whatever I can do to just be ready for this game and play, that’s what I want to do. I am going to be ready no matter what. If my name is called or it is not, I am going to be there and just be ready to go into the game.”
On if he feels any similarity to this week as the week preparing for the Sugar Bowl last year…
“Football is just football like it always has been. You want take each week and prepare and take each day and try to get better—that’s the main objective, is to get better and be feel ready to be on the field when your number is called.”
On how he is preparing for a cold-weather game this weekend…
“Oh yeah, 100 percent. We are full-on ready to embrace that and have accepted that challenge with what the weather is going to be. Georgia is a little different than Missouri as far as the temp[erature] goes. But, yeah just like you’re talking about the O-Line in sleeves and no gloves. We are prepared for whatever we are going to face.”
On if he is able to review and adjust his snaps and see visual evidence…
“I would say as far as the visual evidence part goes, I would say on film is where you will see it. If you are having a particular bad day at snapping, coach will be like, ‘Hey you have been high this day or wide this whole entire day.’ That way you can figure out how you are going to adjust it or it can be just one particular day where the quarterback will be like, ‘Hey I had to reach a little back.’ Then you have to remind yourself of that before the next ball and see if you can do anything to adjust it.”
On being a Ray Guy Award semifinalist…
“Yeah! Would it be cool to bring another piece of hardware to Athens? Absolutely. When it comes to my goals, really my goal is this year to come in and be as consistent as I possibly could, and just help our team win football games. At the end of the day, if I can do that and help our team win more games that’s really the most important thing to me.”
On his impressions of Scott Cochran being the special teams coordinator, and what he knows about him now that he didn’t know at the beginning of the year…
“Coach Cochran, he is great to play for. He is someone who came in, and you kind of had no idea what you’re expecting and what you are going to get out of it, especially him coming from being a strength guy. You really just kind of—alright I guess we are going to see how this goes. It’s turned out to be really great. I think he’s done just a really good job. He does a really good job handling our room. I think he is a really great coach. I have really enjoyed getting to be a player under him. It’s been a good time and a lot of fun so far.”
On if Coach Cochran’s strength coach background manifests in any way as a coordinator now…
“You know, his strength coach background, I personally think it’s interesting because I can and a lot of specialists now can pick apart his brain a little bit to see different things that he thinks about and that he does. It’s really cool to see the different knowledge he has so we can try and apply that to our game and try to use that to further our skills.”
On what his mindset is when Georgia’s offense is on third down…
“I never hope that our offense doesn’t convert third downs. Obviously, if our offense is converting third downs than we are playing good football, and we have a really good shot of winning games. On third down, the position I am in I have to be ready and prepared really for anything and any situation. I just have to make sure I am really prepared, and in the right mindset—have the mindset that you are going to go in and punt, but at the same time are you rooting to go out there? Not necessarily, because that means the rest of the guys on the field wouldn’t have come through. You really want the guys on the field to come through for you because those are my teammates and I want them to do great.”