Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida edge rusher [autotag]Jack Pyburn[/autotag] always dreamed of playing in the rivalry game against Georgia, and now he’s set to take the field as a key member of the Gators’ defense.
Pyburn is playing some of the best football of his career, and he’s emerged as a major threat coming off the edge for Florida. He’s also found some success lining up at fullback this year for the Gators, a role he’s embraced as it means more contact on the field.
A vocal leader on the team, Pyburn is setting the tone in practice leading up to the neutral-site showdown. He’s also excited to line up opposite of former teammate Trevor Etienne this weekend.
Here’s everything Pyburn said to the media ahead of Saturday’s rivalry game.
On the importance of Georgia rivalry game
“I can tell you, for me, it means everything. Since I’ve been growing up, there’s not a Florida-Georgia game that I can remember not going to. I’ve been to every single game since I have a memory of what Florida-Georgia is.
“Growing up in that environment and really, truly knowing what this game is like, it makes or breaks some people’s year for them. It’s a year of trash talk on both sides of the ball. I mean, it’s just like the Florida State rivalry to a certain extent. There’s a lot of Georgia fans in North Florida, a lot of Florida fans. So, it’s a heated rivalry that’s really, truly special.”
On his injury last year and recovery
“I thank God, first of all. It wouldn’t be possible without him. It wouldn’t be possible without my family. It wouldn’t be possible without this great university and the people that have stayed with me this entire time and pushed me to be the best version of myself and come back at a high level.
“I’m so thankful just for the opportunity to be back in a position where I can play the game that I love and do what I love most in the world.”
On Georgia QB Carson Beck in high school
“I don’t remember what year exactly I was, but he played for Mandarin. I remember watching his state championship team. I knew a lot of people (who) played against him. And you know, he was obviously a great player then, he’s still a great player now, so I respect his game and look forward to playing against him.”
On gameplan versus Beck
“Any great quarterback, you have to get them off their spot and cause them to be under duress and get hits on quarterbacks. So, it’s going to be a big part of our game plan to make him move out of the pocket, make him move around and have to make tougher throws. And I’ll be able to sit back there and have all day to make reads and be comfortable.”
On facing former teammate Trevor Etienne
“At the end of the day, that guy’s my brother. Blood, sweat and tears here together for two years. I came in with him. He’s a great friend to me. He always has been. So, I have respect for him and I’m just really looking forward to competing against him in the game.
“There’s no friends on the field, but you know before and after the game, always buddies, always friends. So, just looking forward to competing against him. He’s a great player.”
On getting playing time at fullback
“They came to me about it. They used me in a variety of ways. They used me on special teams, my defensive role and now offense. It’s been a package that we’ve had in for a good while. We’ve practiced it, we’ve repped it up. It’s how to get the right situation to run it and call it, and I was definitely excited when they called it because I knew it was going to be a touchdown. For sure. I was I was pretty juiced up about it.”
Have you played in the backfield before?
“I played running back when I was in Pop Warner. I mean, every kid plays running back when they’re in Pop Warner. I mean, who doesn’t? But, you know, I played running back when I was younger and tight end and all that kind of stuff. In high school, I was our fullback and would lead block for my buddy who plays at Air Force now, so that was super fun.
“And it was kind of reliving a little bit of those experiences, too, because at the end of the day, it’s put me on the goal line, let me put my head down and it’s one-on-one with someone, and I like me over anybody.”
What’s enjoyable about playing fullback?
“I just feel like when they put you in a fullback, you know your assignment, you know your job. It’s coming down to, ‘Hey, Jack, we need you to blow up the edge.’ Okay. I do that pretty well on defense, so I can do that pretty well on offense, too. So I look forward to putting my face into someone and running through someone if I’m being honest. I love contact.”
On defensive highlight plays circulating
“That’s what I do, man. You know, I love contact. You watch the best edges in the NFL, you watch the best edges in college football, the best edges are the ones that set edges with violence.
“I always like to say it’s better to be the hammer than the nail because if you’re the nail, you’re going to be the one that’s getting hurt, but if you’re the hammer, you ain’t going to feel nothing.
“So, when I come through there, it’s mentality that I’m going to run through your face and you’re going to have to stop me. It hurts them a lot more than it hurts me. It’s fun.”
On discipline needed to not hit ball carriers, depending on assignment
“A lot. It’s hard, especially in a situation like that, when you see the running back. At the end of the day, can I make that play? Am I good enough? I think so, but if I don’t, I just sold out 10 other guys on defense, and I think that’s something that gets lost in today’s age.
“At the end of the day, you have to be a football player, play disciplined football and not just be an athlete. Sometimes when you try to make those wild, crazy plays, you end up hurting the other 10 guys that have worked their tails off all week and all year to do their assignment, and you could potentially cost them the game because you decide to be selfish in the moment.
“So when I have plays like that, I read my keys, I know what I have and I do my job. Most of the time if I do my job well enough, it allows me to make the play on top of it also.
“If you’re the edge, you set the edge. You do it to the best of your ability. If you’re the inside piece you take on the inside, you cut off the blocks and force it to your linebackers and spill. That’s just called playing team defense, and elite defense is playing team defense.
“So, if you want to be an elite defense, you have to play team defense.”
On playing with a high motor from a young age
“It was actually a funny situation. I do remember it. My mom and my dad, they tell me about it all the time. It was right after my first football practice ever. I was the kid in soccer and all the parents would come off the sideline screaming because all the kids would be kicking a ball in the pile, and I’d come through there and plow everybody over and they’d all be mad.
“So I remember that after my first practice, they came and I was like, ‘so I can hit people and not get in trouble for it?’ And they were like, ‘yeah.’ And I was like, ‘wow, this is great.’ So ever since then, you know, I’ve just loved I just love being physical. I love contact, and I don’t know why, just because something might be wrong with me.”
On the current state of Florida-Georgia rivalry
“First off, all credit to Georgia. I think they’re a fantastic team. I think what their coach has done there since he’s been there has been great. They’ve built a culture of winning. They’ve established a strong presence amongst the college football world.
“But at the end of the day, you have to come with the mentality that you’re going to win every game, and if you don’t, you’re not going to win the games. So I think that’s something that I’ve been trying — not only me, but all the leaders on our team, all the coaches — that listen, we have the talent to play with and beat any team in the country, but you have to show up on Saturday with that mentality to do it.”
On the advantage of playing with a chip on your shoulder
“I feel like having your chip on your shoulder is a big reason of why you feel like you can compete with anyone in the nation. I feel like when people lose sight of that, they have something to prove and that they’ve arrived, that’s when they’re lost.
“So if you always feel like you’ve never arrived and that you always have more to gain, which is how every football player should play should feel. At the end of the day, there’s always more that you can bring out of yourself. In the game of football, there’s always more you can learn. There’s always techniques you can learn.
“So if you approach everything with a chip on your shoulder, I think it brings the best out of people’s character.”
On motivating teammates
“Yeah, I remind everybody how important this game is, whether it’s someone an EQ, whether it’s someone in the training room, whether it’s a player, whether it’s a transfer. Everyone needs to understand the importance of this game and any rivalry at Florida because this place is a special place and the rivalry and the rivalries that have been built over the years have been built because of the great players that have come through there.
“So, you know, we have to maintain that standard that those players have set and play for them and respect those that have come before us by playing our hardest we can every Saturday.”
On the importance of starting fast against Georgia
“It’s everything. From the first drive, you have to look to impose your will on another team no matter what game it is. And I think that’s something that, especially our defense, has done much better in the past four weeks. We’ve been starting fast. We’ve been getting three-and-outs on the first drives. We’ve been coming out, getting our offense the ball early as well as our offense going down, gaining touchdowns early in the game, setting the tone.
“So I think at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to we have to go come out there with the right mindset and set the tone early.”
On the experience of playing Georgia
“It’s been crazy the past two years. I know where my family sits and knowing that there’s hundreds of people there at that game to watch me play, and it’s going to be even crazier this year. It’s honestly kind of surreal. When you grow up sitting in the stands your whole life and seeing the orange and blue and red divided, it’s crazy.
“But when you’re on the field and it’s split down the middle. To me, it’s almost more of a home game than even here, to an extent, because I’ve been to that game my entire life. It’s where I’m from. It’s my home, and that game, it meant everything. I was one of the people that was riding around on little mini scooters on Thursday or Wednesday at the game. It’s incredible, and I’m just really looking forward to getting back there and playing in it again.”
Would you ever want it moved from Jacksonville?
“No. You just can’t replace that game. For the fans, for us, the atmosphere — I mean they call it the largest outdoor cocktail party for a reason. You think the game’s packed. There are hundreds of more thousands of fans outside of the game everywhere.
“When you go to RV City on a Thursday night and there’s 40 Georgia busses all lined up, wrapped with Georgia wraps, and every single one’s a Georgia fan. Then you go to the next street and it’s all Gator fans the exact same. It’s just special.
“And being in a middle ground, North Florida, where a lot of Gator fans can come to and a lot of Georgia fans can migrate to, I just feel like it’s a great venue and it’s a great spot to play one of the greatest rivalries in the country.”
On recruiting implications of having the game in Jacksonville
“I do remember that their coach had brought up that point in the past that they wanted for more recruiting. You know, I can see it. I can see that to an extent. But at the end of the day, when you become a player and get to play in it, you know, you kind of forget about things like that.
“I wouldn’t mind if they made it better to be able to have recruits on both sides. Kind of made it like a home and home for recruiting for both teams. I think that would be (good). I don’t know if they do that now. I’m not really sure how it all works because I was I was obviously just at the game as a fan all those years. But, I just think the uniqueness and the experience of it is irreplaceable.”
Did the rivalry help you decide on Florida?
“Oh, it always has been, to play in these rivalry games. Growing up playing, watching Florida play against these teams. And you know, I was one of those people where this game would make or break my year. This is why you come to the SEC, is to play in these kinds of games, these unique experiences that you don’t get in some other conferences and playing against the best teams in the country.”
Is it different preparing for Georgia than other weeks?
“Yes, 100%. Especially, you know, how good of a team they are. I view everything as an opportunity. Not only a rivalry game, but if we want to be where we want to be as a team and put Florida back where I believe that this university deserves to be, we have to win games like this. We have to be competitive in games like this, and we have to show up in moments like this.
“And that’s something and a big message that I’ve been harping to the team all week. I think all the guys have sowed in their head, is that this is a game that we need to come and play our best ball at.”
More on Trevor Etienne
“I think a big key for this game is going to be ID’ing where he is on the field. You have to pay attention to what they do, watch a lot of film and be detail-oriented. It’s like any week.
“Georgia’s a team that’s going to do what they do because they execut it at a high level. They’re going to have some tricks and some trades here and there, but they’re going to line up and they’re going to play physical. They’re going to come at you and they’re not going to shy away for four quarters.
“You need to understand what your assignment is and understand what kind of game is going to be. You know, ID’ing where he is on the field and trying to contain him and get after him all game is going to be a big part of success on Saturday.”
How to watch Florida-Georgia
Florida and Georgia face off for a Week 10 rivalry battle in Jacksonville on Saturday, Nov. 2 with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. ET. The pregame festivities will be featured on SEC Nation and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
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