What They're Saying: Georgia State week

"They run the same type of offense that we go against everyday in camp. That’s one of the benefits going into the game and having a good game plan. They have a lot of athletes. They’re a very athletic team. Looking at the receivers, they're pretty skillful. They have a guy, who a couple years ago before he got hurt, was a freshman All-American: Penny Hart. He’s an explosive player. They’re going to get him the ball this year. They have guys who went against last year Wisconsin. A couple years ago they had Oregon, so they’re used to big games. We’re expecting to see their best and especially him, Penny Hart, to see his touches so he can get into space." -- senior CB Grant Haley

"We have to stay out of third-down situations. When we get them in obviously it’s something we continue to focus on. We had a few last week where we could’ve easily picked up (first downs.) It's just ball placement here, or a better route there. It has nothing to do with schematically or what defenses are doing against us. It is just us having to execute, because Coach Moorhead is putting us in a great situation and a great play call. Then it's just up to us to execute. Obviously you see us our offense. It can be explosive. We can put points on the board. I think one of the next and really one of the final steps for our group to be elite across the country is that third-down percentage. We focus on it every single day in practice.” -- senior TE Mike Gesicki

"You have to have a mindset that you want to finish every play to the echo of the whistle. That’s pretty much it. That’s how you develop it. ... When you step on the field you have to have a different mentality. I want to have a finisher’s mentality. Off the field you just try to be a nice guy, be respectful to people, and then on the field you just have to play nasty, play with a finisher’s mentality. That’s pretty much what it is." -- sophomore OG Steven Gonzalez

"It’s unbelievable how much I appreciate what they do, and I try to let them know that as much as possible. You could see it in the Pitt game. Everyone was flying around the field, and I personally didn’t think I helped them out enough with my hang time and distance and that kind of stuff, but they were flying around. They were making plays, which made me look really good, when in fact they needed most of the credit." -- sophomore P Blake Gillikin

“Last year during training camp I started doing it. It honestly just happened. Me and Saeed (Blacknall), we've always caught (practice passes) on the side, and one night we were catching JUGS and there was a deep ball and I said to him, You now what? If we're going to practice catching the balls, we're gonna practice the full thing. If this is going to be a touchdown, I'm going practice my celebration along with it.

"And every time I caught the ball, I did it, I did it and I did it. It kind of stuck with me and I started doing it in practice. Then in the game the first week against Kent State I scored a touchdown, I did it. I’m sure a lot of people were like, hm, what was that? I did it again against Temple. People were like, what is that? Now it’s become my thing. People kind of understand it now. The story behind it is a lot of people were writing myself off going into that year. They were writing Penn State off. So everybody was hopping off the Penn State train, they were hopping off the Mike Gesicki train, and now when I do that, I'm telling everybody that the train has left. It's gone, and it's too late to hop on now. If you weren't on it when Penn State wasn't what we are now or I wasn't what I am now, then it's too late. So when I'm doing that, I'm talking to people that hopped off the train.” -- Gesicki

"I think Chris Godwin was the best receiver I went against everyday at practice, but outside of Penn State (was) Michael Thomas when he was at Ohio State, plays with the Saints now. He was just an all-around good receiver. You have to give it to him. Physicality, just going against him, I went against him once or twice my freshman year but more my sophomore year. He’s athletic as well. He was a good test coming at a younger day, but I think in the long run he helped me go against bigger receivers." -- Haley

"Coach Pry is the guy who contacted me, I think my junior year of high school. We had been in contact even before they moved to Penn State and he was the main guy who contacted me pretty much every week. When they went to Penn State he actually drove and met me. I was coming back from another visit, forgot where I was, but I was coming back from another visit and he drove down and met me. So he came all the way down here to Alabama and talked to me about Penn State and how he was making a move and trying to get me there. He was so convicting. I loved Coach Pry and I still love Coach Pry. I feel as though he’s the main reason why I’m here." -- junior DE Torrence Brown