University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat Monty Rice
August 29, 2019 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Monty Rice is very, very, very ready to play some football on Saturday when the No. 3-ranked Georgia Bulldogs open their season at Vanderbilt. It has been a long wait for all of the Bulldogs since their Sugar Bowl loss to Texas, but it has been even longer for Rice.
A junior linebacker from Madison, Ala., Rice had a breakout sophomore season in 2018 — he was the Bulldogs' leading tackler through 10 games with 59 — before a foot injury kept him out of action for the final four games, most notably the losses to Alabama and Texas.
During a Quick Chat after practice Wednesday, Rice talked about playing again, going fishing, Scooby-Doo and much more. Here's some of what Rice had to say:
Frierson: What was the best or most interesting thing you did this summer?
Rice: I went fishing for the first time — well, not for the first time, for the second time. I did it with my granddad when I was younger but I didn't like it because he never caught anything, so we were just sitting out there and it's hot.
I actually caught some fish this time, so it was fun.
Frierson: Are you looking forward to doing it again or was that a one-time thing?
Rice: Yeah, I look forward to doing it again, I just can't do it right now because of the season.
Frierson: I know with Jake Fromm, fishing can kind of be his escape from everything. Do you have anything like that when you need to get away from everything from time to time?
Rice: Honestly, my escape when I'm upset or not feeling well or something, I just go sit on my front porch for about an hour and I listen to music. I just sit there and think about everything, and it helps me calm down.
Frierson: Is there a specific kind of music you listen to when you're doing that?
Rice: It's just a range of music that I like and I just sit there, I'll sing the song and just chill.
Frierson: What does it feel like at this point, just a few days from playing ball again?
Rice: To be honest, it's a blessing to even be here. Last year, my last game was really the Auburn game, so I'm blessed to be out here again. You don't realize how good of an opportunity you have until you can't go out there and do it because of something physically.
Frierson: I thought about that with Andrew Luck retiring the other day, you guys get so few chances to actually play games compared to baseball and basketball.
Rice: Oh, yeah, for sure. Some days, obviously, as a football player you're like, ahh, I don't feel like practicing today, but I remember (after the foot injury knocked him out for the season) we were practicing for Georgia Tech and the second day of me not practicing I was like, what else is there to do? The day seemed long and everybody else was out there getting better, and I was just doing treatment.
Frierson: Do you have any specific pregame routines or rituals?
Rice: I've got to stretch, I'll stretch my lowers (legs) or get one of the strength coaches to help me. I would say I just listen to my music and hone in and get ready to go have fun with my boys.
Frierson: If you play a really good game will you listen to the same music the next time out?
Rice: Oh, yeah. My best game since I've been here was the game I played against Florida last year (11 tackles and a forced fumble), and I could have played better. After I played good in that game, the next week I was trying to do everything I did before the Florida game, to play well again. [Laughs.]
Obviously, that's just a mental thing. If you're going to play well, you're going to play well; if you're not, you're not.
Frierson: In track you did the 100, you did the javelin, the shot put, long jump — you were a one-man team, it seems like — so which was your best or favorite event?
Rice: To be honest, I could have been better at the shot put, but I just got up there and threw it with no technique. I didn't mind running — I didn't like losing, though. My first ever race, I lost to Josh Burks, he runs track at Auburn. He's not as fast as Matthew Boling that we got here, but he's fast. That was my first real race.
Frierson: What was the first thing you were really good at?
Rice: The first time I ever stepped on the football field, 9 years old, and Coach Ed, I remember I said, "Coach, what do I do?" He put me at linebacker and he said: "Go tackle the dude with the ball." That's what I did and I was like, dang, that was pretty easy.
I like running back, too, but I feel running backs, you've just got an arrow on you and everybody's trying to hit you and take you so, so I wasn't the biggest fan of running back. I would be in games, but not in practice. I applaud D'Andre Swift for making everybody miss the way he does.
Frierson: Is J.R. Reed the best-dressed guy on game days?
Rice: You know, all these guys think they're the best dressed. Just give me a suit and I'll put it on; give me one, preferably black, I like black everything.
Frierson: My hunch is you'd be perfectly happy showing up at the stadium in sweatpants and a t-shirt.
Rice: Oh, yeah, I would. But we can't do that.
Frierson: What was your favorite toy when you were young?
Rice: According to my uncle, I remember he said it was Pokémon, I think it was the Pikachu. My uncle always said I played with the Pokémon when I was small, like 3 years old. So I guess the Pokémon was my favorite.
Frierson: But you don't have any memory of it?
Rice: No, not really.
Frierson: What's the first one you remember liking?
Rice: I remember I used to like Scooby-Doo and I had a Scooby-Doo stuffed animal. I liked him a lot.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
