UGA Football Coach Kirby Smart Breaks Down Rivalry Game With Georgia Tech
Real Georgia Fans Don’t Miss the Dawg Post Newsletter - Sign up now!
ATHENS - UGA Football head football coach Kirby Smart met with the media on Tuesday evening after practice and offered the following comments.
On practice this week...
"It has been good. They responded well. We didn't do a lot yesterday. We tried to get legs back getting back from Knoxville. We went over some special teams things and worked on some situational stuff. We got after it really good today. We did have to go inside, but we did have a good practice. It was physical. I thought both teams tried to get better. We need to have a better day tomorrow. It wasn't our best Tuesday, but it was a good workday. They had good energy."
On what Ladd McConkey and Rara Thomas have done this week...
"Not much. Ladd is still recovering. We tried to get him back. He hasn't been able to do much. We will find out more probably the next day. Rara hasn't either. We have been keeping the weight and the pressure off of it. I am hoping we can get him bac kas well. We will see."
On advantages of coaching at his alma mater...
"An understanding of the academic work, navigating the campus, knowing what is going on around campus. The alumni base, which is a part of fundraising. The lettermen base, in terms of the guys you played with plus the guys that played after you and in between. There is a connection there. It's not that you can't have it if you didn't play there, but it certainly puts you a little bit ahead."
On Jordan Hall's development...
"He works really hard. He is one of those guys who goes down to the scout defensive line. He takes reps down there every day against our offensive line. That is just a grind. I've seen kids now for eight years go down there and develop. Callous, get roughed up and play hard. With Warren's (Brinson) injury, he has been getting more snaps, and I can see the benefit of going against our offensive line like he has. We are a little thin on our defensive line, thinner than we have ever been. He has been a big part of getting better and growing up on that side of the ball."
On Bloody Tuesday practicing inside due to weather...
"It is only a big deal if you make it a big deal. We would be outside today, even though we play on turf there, if we could be. We went inside because we wanted to have a good practice. We did get to practice on turf. Our turf is not exactly like their turf, but it is turf. It is probably a little more tiring on your legs to go on turf. We try to stay off of it more often than not. At the expense of not having a good, crisp practice, we go in. As far as Bloody Tuesday, it doesn't matter. Our kids practice hard. Sometimes we have bigger collisions in there and better speeds. Temperatures and things like that are under control in there."
On Tate Ratledge and Warren Brinson...
"Warren took some reps today. I thought he did a good job pushing through. Tate is much better, moving and running but didn't take reps."
On the Georgia Tech offensive concepts...
"I think we know that every game. There is nobody going out there running new plays. They are running new plays, formations, new ways to window dress it. They do a good job of that. They change it up each week the way they go about it. They look and see what gives us problems, and they will run some of those. There are similarities for sure. There are a lot of things that Buster (Faulkner) did here that he does there. There is overlap. They will have a different way to present it. It will be who can respond to that, acknowledge it, adjust to it and what they do off of it."
On Kendall Milton and working through injuries...
"He has high character. His pain tolerance is high. He works really hard. He runs tough. He seeks out contact. He is a good leader and has done a great job. The last game, the thing he did so great that no one talks about was the pass pickups. I think he had four really big pickups and pressure that allowed Carson (Beck) to stand in the pocket. That is not the running back's favorite thing to do. He did it like a stud."
On Dillon Bell and playing wide receiver...
"I think the longevity of that position projects a little better. The NFL is constantly looking for guys like Dillon. They seek that. It is a value add for them that a guy can go play back and they don't have to send money on him. He is durable. He has good bulk. That is the reason we signed him. He is over 200 pounds. He has a multi-purpose ability. Why does he want to play receiver? I think he likes receiver. That is why he wants to play it, but he is good at both."
2024 Dawg Post Recruiting Guide Included Free
Reserve Your Copy of DOUBLE DAWGS NOW!
***Don’t forget! College Basketball season is right around the corner!!***
Right now, the Arizona Wildcats have +1600 odds to win the NCAA Tournament this upcoming season according to FanDuel.
On the time the staff spends on roster management and their handle on the transfer portal…
“I don’t know anybody that’s got a good handle on it because you don’t know what the truth is. You don’t know where the truth lies. We communicate. We try to keep open lines of communication. We meet with our players periodically and we tell them there’s an open-door policy to come and talk about things. We’d rather be in the know than in the dark. Sometimes we’re in the dark and sometimes we’re in the know, but all you can do is be as transparent as you can and try to find out. You’re asking if we have a grasp of it or a handle on it, I don’t think anybody has a handle on it. I think you prepare the best you can and you try to have plan A, B, C, D, E, and you put them in motion when the time comes.
On if he thinks Georgia versus Georgia Tech will continue to be an annual rivalry…
“I don’t have any clue. I mean, that’s so probably above my scope. I’m just walking off the field from a Tuesday practice to prepare for Tech. I can’t even fathom a world where we wouldn’t play them. I guess it could happen, but that’s just probably out of my scope. Do I want it to happen? Absolutely not. It’s a great rivalry game. It’s great for our state. It’s great for both universities. I mean, it’s a long-standing tradition, so no, I don’t want it to happen, but I don’t know what the foreseeable future has.”
On the play of the outside linebacker room…
“I’ve been pleased with those guys. They’re really hard workers. It’s been tough because early in the season we didn’t get a lot of opportunities for those guys. They’ve done a good job being really physical at the point of attack. We ask them to do a lot of different things. The game against Tennessee, we were in three down front a lot, and they were dropping in space. Then they’re rushing some, and you have to be a jack of all trades to do that. We stacked them back and made them play inside backer some, so they’ve done a lot of different things. I’ve been really pleased with those guys.”
On what he remembers about the Georgia- Georgia Tech rivalry as a player…
“I was here five years. I was 4-1, not 3-1, but I was redshirted, so I guess you don’t count that one, but still part of the team. I don’t remember much, honestly. I just know that they were tight. They were really close, last possession of the game type games. At least the last two I was in came down to the last possession, and it seems like this rivalry was that way for a lot of the years I was around. That’s all I really remember about it.”
On Lawson Luckie’s snap counts and how he has come along this season…
“I mean, Oscar [Delp] and Brock [Bowers] are ahead of him, and those guys are playing pretty well if you ask me. We don’t have a 13 personnel with him. We’ve got pretty good wideouts. Do you want Dillon [Bell] on the sideline, or do you want Ladd [McConkey] or Marcus [Rosemy-Jacksaint], or who do you want to take out? But it’s about finding our best personnel. I’m very pleased with what Lawson has done. When Brock’s out, for us to go 12, Lawson’s got to go play, and he’s getting better. But when they’re both available, Lawson’s got to beat one of them out or he’s got to be better than the third wideout. We’re trying to use the strengths of our team, and he’s only a freshman. I don’t know how many of those freshman wideouts out there are playing, so the fact that he’s out there playing tells you he’s a pretty good football player.”
On what he learned about Amarius Mims as he worked to return from injury…
“That he knows how to work, he knows how to rehab. I mean, he was here early, stayed late for all his rehab sessions. He’s committed to that part. I think he cares about his body. He’s one of the lowest body fat guys we have on our team. For that size, it’s crazy what his body fat is, so you can tell he takes care of his body. He knows that’s important, and that was the same way with the rehab process. I knew he was committed to it.”
On how well he knew Brent Key before he became the head coach at Georgia Tech…
“The circles – the coaching circles. We would see each other I think, maybe, at conventions, always on the road recruiting. I was not at Bama with him, I don’t think. I think he was at Bama right after me, but we always were connected through that. We had mutual friends. A lot of the guys who came to us from UCF had been on [George] O’Leary’s staff, and so he had been with O’Leary at UCF. We had a lot of common friendships, so I’ve known
On the time the staff spends on roster management and their handle on the transfer portal…
“I don’t know anybody that’s got a good handle on it because you don’t know what the truth is. You don’t know where the truth lies. We communicate. We try to keep open lines of communication. We meet with our players periodically and we tell them there’s an open-door policy to come and talk about things. We’d rather be in the know than in the dark. Sometimes we’re in the dark and sometimes we’re in the know, but all you can do is be as transparent as you can and try to find out. You’re asking if we have a grasp of it or a handle on it, I don’t think anybody has a handle on it. I think you prepare the best you can and you try to have plan A, B, C, D, E, and you put them in motion when the time comes.
On if he thinks Georgia versus Georgia Tech will continue to be an annual rivalry…
“I don’t have any clue. I mean, that’s so probably above my scope. I’m just walking off the field from a Tuesday practice to prepare for Tech. I can’t even fathom a world where we wouldn’t play them. I guess it could happen, but that’s just probably out of my scope. Do I want it to happen? Absolutely not. It’s a great rivalry game. It’s great for our state. It’s great for both universities. I mean, it’s a long-standing tradition, so no, I don’t want it to happen, but I don’t know what the foreseeable future has.”
On the play of the outside linebacker room…
“I’ve been pleased with those guys. They’re really hard workers. It’s been tough because early in the season we didn’t get a lot of opportunities for those guys. They’ve done a good job being really physical at the point of attack. We ask them to do a lot of different things. The game against Tennessee, we were in three down front a lot, and they were dropping in space. Then they’re rushing some, and you have to be a jack of all trades to do that. We stacked them back and made them play inside backer some, so they’ve done a lot of different things. I’ve been really pleased with those guys.”
On what he remembers about the Georgia- Georgia Tech rivalry as a player…
“I was here five years. I was 4-1, not 3-1, but I was redshirted, so I guess you don’t count that one, but still part of the team. I don’t remember much, honestly. I just know that they were tight. They were really close, last possession of the game type games. At least the last two I was in came down to the last possession, and it seems like this rivalry was that way for a lot of the years I was around. That’s all I really remember about it.”
On Lawson Luckie’s snap counts and how he has come along this season…
“I mean, Oscar [Delp] and Brock [Bowers] are ahead of him, and those guys are playing pretty well if you ask me. We don’t have a 13 personnel with him. We’ve got pretty good wideouts. Do you want Dillon [Bell] on the sideline, or do you want Ladd [McConkey] or Marcus [Rosemy-Jacksaint], or who do you want to take out? But it’s about finding our best personnel. I’m very pleased with what Lawson has done. When Brock’s out, for us to go 12, Lawson’s got to go play, and he’s getting better. But when they’re both available, Lawson’s got to beat one of them out or he’s got to be better than the third wideout. We’re trying to use the strengths of our team, and he’s only a freshman. I don’t know how many of those freshman wideouts out there are playing, so the fact that he’s out there playing tells you he’s a pretty good football player.”
On what he learned about Amarius Mims as he worked to return from injury…
“That he knows how to work, he knows how to rehab. I mean, he was here early, stayed late for all his rehab sessions. He’s committed to that part. I think he cares about his body. He’s one of the lowest body fat guys we have on our team. For that size, it’s crazy what his body fat is, so you can tell he takes care of his body. He knows that’s important, and that was the same way with the rehab process. I knew he was committed to it.”
On how well he knew Brent Key before he became the head coach at Georgia Tech…
“The circles – the coaching circles. We would see each other I think, maybe, at conventions, always on the road recruiting. I was not at Bama with him, I don’t think. I think he was at Bama right after me, but we always were connected through that. We had mutual friends. A lot of the guys who came to us from UCF had been on [George] O’Leary’s staff, and so he had been with O’Leary at UCF. We had a lot of common friendships, so I’ve known.
Eko Poly - Perfect for the backyard, beach or lake
Use the code: “DAWG15” to get 15% off & FREE Shipping!
20-Year Warranty | Made in Georgia
About The Yellow Jackets
The Yellow Jackets (6-5, 5-3 ACC), coached by Brent Key, defeated Syracuse 31-22 in its ACC finale Saturday night to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2018. They have won three of their last four games. Up next, it is the top-ranked Bulldogs at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (ABC). The last primetime kickoff for this matchup was 2010 in Athens (42-34 Bulldog win), and this will be the first one in Atlanta since 2009 (30-24 Georgia victory). Tech is averaging 31.9 points per game while allowing 30.5 ppg. They rank third in the ACC in rushing at 196.4 ypg and fourth in total offense at 435.1 ypg with redshirt sophomore QB Haynes King at the controls. King has thrown 26 TD passes and 15 INTs with a 62.3 completion percentage. He has rushed for seven TDs too. Jamal Haynes leads the team in rushing with 850 yards on 141 attempts with seven TDs. Tech has wins over No. 17 North Carolina in Atlanta and No. 17 Miami on the road this year while it fell to No. 17 Ole Miss in Oxford back in September.
Balance Signals Success
The Bulldogs are one of only two teams in the country who are ranked in the top 10 in both Scoring Offense and Scoring Defense. The Bulldogs rank fifth in Scoring Defense at 15.1 ppg and in Scoring Offense at 40.4 ppg. The other two team is Oregon, who ranks ninth in Scoring Defense (16.7) and second in Scoring Offense (46.5).
One of the keys to Georgia’s success is its third down defense. The Bulldogs are ranked fourth nationally with opponents converting just 27 percent of the time. In SEC action, Georgia opponents are a combined 28-for-95 on third downs (29 percent). The Bulldogs lead the country in converting third downs (57 percent). Georgia has converted 56 of 99 third downs (57 percent) against league opponents.