Georgia Bulldog DB Chris Smith: "We Pride Ourselves On Great Defense"
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ATHENS - It’s game week for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs who open the 2022 season against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday. Of course, everyone is eager to see what Georgia’s defense looks like after losing so many key starters from last year’s national championship team.
However, one key veteran is back and it’s 5th-year safety, Chris Smith.
A BIG Dawg Post guy, Smith may have been one of the lower-ranked signees in Georgia’s top-ranked 2018 recruiting class, but he made multiple five-star plays last season at safety.
His pick-6 against Clemson was Georgia’s only touchdown in their season-opening win and one of the biggest plays of the entire season. The Atlanta native out of Hapeville Charter also had a key INT in Georgia’s national championship win over Alabama.
He’s become a leader and spoke with the media this week about the newly-faced defense, Bo Nix, and preparing for the Oregon offense...
"I had the opportunity to watch Oregon’s spring game and it looks like they still probably have an explosive offense with a great quarterback”, Smith said. “They have a good game plan. The offensive coordinator does a good job of getting guys open, so even though they lost some players, they are still very explosive. They are a threat to be reckoned with, so we have to lock in, focus on that, and execute the game plan that the coaches give us."
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Smith obviously plays like a veteran, and he talks like one too. He knows this defense is talented and knows they have a chance to get better and better as the season moves along.
Georgia’s first test is against Bo Nix, someone the Bulldogs have defeated three times so far. Smith knows what Nix brings to the table and understands that defensively, they need to prepare as well as they can heading into Saturday.
"He is very athletic, and he can improvise a lot”, Smith said. “He makes big plays for his offense. I think when he was at Auburn, they were averaging upwards of 30 points a game when he was playing. He is definitely a gamer, and he is very familiar opponent. We have good rapport with him, so we are definitely going to use the past to get ready for him this game. But like I said, it's a new offense, a new offensive coordinator, a new head coach, and things like that, so things are going to be different that we have to be ready for."
Most “experts” believe Georgia will “take a step back defensively” this year, but Smith isn’t so certain. The senior knows there’s an expectation, and he feels that this current group has the potential to live up to expectations this year.
"To me, personally, I don't our defense will look different”, Smith said. “Here at the University of Georgia, we pride ourselves on great defense, and Coach Smart, Coach Muschamp, Coach Schumann, Coach Scott, and Coach Uzo-Diribe all do a great job at getting everybody on the defense prepared. I'm pretty sure we are going to put the same product out there on the field, that's how it's always going to go at the end of the day. Our coaches are going to put together a good game plan throughout the year, and all we have to do is carry it out."
If the Bulldogs carry out the plan, they could be on their way to another special season this fall.