Kirby Smart Talks Senior Class; What to Expect Saturday
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was featured on Bulldogs Sports Network's Bulldogs Live Thursday night to take questions from fans and talk about his upcoming matchup with Vanderbilt. Topics covered include the Bulldogs' performance last week at South Carolina, senior night vs. Vanderbilt and the progression of starting quarterback JT Daniels.
The Bulldogs were impressive in many aspects of the game at South Carolina. Obviously, the ground game bounced back in an impressive way, as four different Bulldogs running backs rushed for over 70 yards. However, what impressed Smart the most from Saturday was the team's young defensive linemen.
"Yeah [I was impressed] by the strike and play and the holding up at the point by some of the young defensive linemen. I think (line coach) Tray [Scott] has done a good job growing those guys and progressing those guys. I mean, Jalen Carter had his best overall game. He was very disruptive. They have gotten better and better every week. I was very pleased with their effort," said Smart.
Saturday's matchup vs. Vanderbilt will be the final home game for a senior class that has accomplished incredible things. Kirby's biggest goal for Saturday: He wants to "progress" the offense and see just how good they could be.
He said, "The biggest thing is to continue to progress our offense and get better. You know, defensively, I think the biggest thing is to play consistently, which means to have good eyes. When we have poor eye control, we give up big plays. I want to play aggressive and consistent on defense, not give up explosive plays. And offensively, continue to grow, gain confidence and get JT better."
After a historic performance in his debut for the Bulldogs, Daniels slowed down last week, passing for only 139 yards and two touchdowns. Here's what Smart expects from his starter moving forward:
"[JT] has progressed really well. From the time he got here to now. His knowledge of the offense has picked up, but he was already a very smart football player. His arm talent was really good when he got here, but he's improved his accuracy and decision-making within our offense by getting reps. The biggest thing has been the mobility and the confidence that he has improved on," Smart said.
Regarding Vanderbilt this Saturday, Smart stated he expects the Commodores to "try to scheme you up by formation, and try to tempo you. They go fast before you can get lined up. They even had Florida a little bit screwed up in the first half."
