Kirby Smart Aware of Challenge Presented By The Ole Miss Run Game
Under Lane Kiffin, the Ole Miss offense has featured the most consistently effective rushing attack in the Southeastern Conference. Since Kiffin assumed the reins of the Ole Miss program prior to the 2020 season, the Rebels have finished first or second in the SEC in rushing each year and currently rank as the league's fourth-best rushing attack despite star tailback Quinshon Judkins - who led the SEC in rushing a year ago - not being fully healthy during the early portion of their schedule. With his team set to face Ole Miss and their daunting rushing attack in a colossal top-10 matchup on Saturday, Kirby Smart met with the media and Monday and articulated awareness of the challenge that the Ole Miss ground game will pose for the Georgia defense.
After leading the SEC in rushing a year ago as a freshman, Judkins remains the undisputed focal point of the Ole Miss offense and, after an injury-plagued slow start to the season, will bring a streak of three-consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts into Sanford Stadium on Saturday. When speaking with the media, Smart expressed high regard for Judkins and detailed what makes the Ole Miss running back such an effective ball carrier.
"He has really thick lowers," Smart said. "He runs through tackles. Extremely patient runner. He has an innate ability to navigate what’s there and turn it into explosives and positive runs. He just sets up blockers really well. Really tough, physical runner, does a great job."
Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart met with the media on Monday and detailed the challenge that the Ole Miss rushing attack will present the Georgia defense when the two teams square off inside Sanford Stadium on Saturday night.
Judkins may bear "more of the load" in the Ole Miss ground game, but Smart was quick to point out that the star sophomore back is far from the only threat in the Rebel backfield, as fifth-year senior tailback Ulysses Bentley IV gives Ole Miss another weapon in the run game.
"[Ulysses] Bentley kid’s incredible too. They’ve got two really good backs...They have two really capable, talented backs.”
Yet, while both Judkins and Bentley may steal most of the headlines when it comes to the dynamic Rebel rushing attack, Smart also expressed awareness of and appreciation for the role that quarterback Jaxson Dart plays in Ole Miss's ground game.
"Well, I think Lane's quarterbacks take on a personality from him" Smart said. "They have a lot of moxie. They have a lot of talent. They play really hard. They play with reckless abandon for their body. He runs like a running back. He's taken some hits this year and shown his toughness, so he's not going to shy away from contact and toughness and the extra element of run that gives them a competitive advantage over a lot of teams you play. They have great backs, but he runs the ball like a back. He throws the ball really well, too, which that's what makes them really hard to defend when you've got a guy that can make all the throws but can also take off and run. He's proven the ability to do that."
Under Smart, Georgia has annually featured one of the stoutest rushing defenses in the country. This year, however, without the dominant interior presence that they have enjoyed in recent years, the Bulldogs are not quite as dominant against the run as they have been during their ascent to the top of the college football landscape. To preserve their undefeated record and clinch a third-straight SEC Eastern Division crown with a win over Ole Miss on Saturday, the Bulldog defense will have to dig deep and come up with a vintage performance against the most dynamic and explosive rushing attack it has faced this season.
