This article was originally published with Dawgs247 on November 7, 2015 and can be found here. 

ATHENS — The last week for the Georgia Bulldogs has been an uncomfortable one.

With several rumors swirling around the team, the Bulldogs’ game against Kentucky couldn’t come soon enough. As the players prepared to take on the Wildcats, Georgia head coach Mark Richt had some advice for his players.

It didn’t pertain to strategy or making plays. Richt was more concerned about the players basking in the moment.

“We get to go play football,” Richt said. “Not many people get to play football like they do. A lot of people dream of an opportunity like that. Let’s enjoy it. Let’s go enjoy the game for the reasons you started to play it to begin with.”

Senior offensive lineman Kolton Houston took the mindset prior to Richt’s advice. A sixth-year senior, Houston and fellow senior John Theus wanted to ignore any stressful aspects of the game. The two wanted to make the most of the game and the chance to play in Sanford Stadium for the next-to-last time.

“Whatever happened, we were just going to have fun,” Houston said. “We were just trying to get back to what we do. I felt like we came out today and were able to run the ball. There’s a lot better feeling this Saturday.”

Houston explained the team came out with a fire that had been missing in the last month. He said he thought there had been a complacency on the team, which left the players in a trance and merely going through the motions.

Whether the fun-inspired stance was the reason, the results showed that something was working well for the Bulldogs.

“That’s what makes football fun,” Houston said. “That creates energy. The team feeds off that. I think it showed.”