Georgia graduate and long snapper Steven Nixon talks special teams and the Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry on Monday during player interviews.

Steven Nixon’s thoughts about playing at Georgia Tech this weekend and the rivalry:

“It’s going to be fun. It’s one of those deep southern rivalries. I think that (Georgia) Tech is going to come out prepared, but I think we’ve got a really great game plan set in place. We’re going to take this week just like we take every other week. Come in, prepare another game plan, and go out there and execute…”

“I grew up a Georgia fan, but I actually played at (Georgia) Tech back in 2016 whenever I played at Mercer. This isn’t my first time playing there, but I know this game is just different. I know we prepare differently here for Tech than we do a lot of other teams because it’s just different. It’s more of a pride thing. It’ll be really interesting to see how Georgia Tech comes out with their new offense and new coaching staff. They’ve had some ups and downs this year, but they just beat NC State. It’s going to be really cool and really fun. We’re excited.” 

How much importance does Coach Smart place on special teams?

“He’s in every special teams meeting every single day. I think that says a lot about him as a coach and a lot about the coaching staff. A lot of schools don’t put a lot of emphasis on special teams, but (Coach Smart) is in every meeting. He’s at every walkthrough, and he knows exactly what everyone’s doing, on every position on the field, on all four phases of special teams.”

“They love special teams here. We take a lot of pride in it— I know I do. All the snappers, kickers and punters take a lot of pride in it, and even offensive and defensive players that are on the special teams in the shield in the punt on kickoff return, because everyone wants to score. Everyone wants to have an effect because we know that’s a third of the game. If everyone kind of does his one part, then the 11 guys on the field are going to be alright.”