Highlights From Kirby Smart's Final Presser Before Matchup with Ohio State
All focus is pointed toward Saturday evening. Head coach Kirby Smart ensures his team elevates to the challenge and remains detail-oriented, which can't be built overnight.
A recurring word used with Georgia is "standard." Smart lets everyone in the building know what he expects, especially in situations like this. Teams tend to get amped up in bowl settings, but Georgia remained even-keel over the week.
Kirby Smart's opening statement:
"I'm excited for our kids and our opportunity. The two brands of both programs speak for themselves. I think everybody in the country knows the kind of football they've played and we've played here recently. It's really about them. It's not about us as coaches. It's about the opportunity for the players to go out and play in what's going to be an incredible environment, and that's what you choose to go to Ohio State or Georgia for is to play in games like this. So I'm excited and happy for them."
Smart on the physicality required to win a game like this:
"I think physicality is part of this game. It's a major part of every football game. When you look across the board and you do studies on these semifinals and final playoff games since the playoff started, physicality at the line of scrimmage has been really critical. You look across the board, teams that run the ball well tend to win these games. Also, red area, third down, and explosive plays are indicators, but the line of scrimmage play and physicality, but physicality can be a lot of different ways. It can be on the perimeter. It can be on special teams. It can be a lot of different ways of looking at it."
Smart spoke with the media on Friday morning and explained how they uphold that standard. While the names, numbers, and faces may change, the one constant factor is their standard.
"The expectations don't change. We embrace that. The standards that are created are created through the players that play there, and we've had a really good leadership kind of over the last six, seven years, and they've created a standard for the younger players to emulate, and that's going on now" - Kirby Smart on the standard.
The energy around Smart and this football team were evident when watching practices. While they only went through warm-up exercises during media availability, players were locked in and focused.
Smart and Day battling on the recruiting front and what Kirby Smart has learned about his opponent on the trail.
"That's a tough question. When you're recruiting against someone, you don't take much from them in terms of style of play or anything else. Respect would be the number one thing that I have for people that we recruit against and play against."
Smart acknowledged that they are facing a talented football team in Ohio State but that they are focused on what they can control. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day echoed that sentiment, confirming the Buckeyes are focused internally.
"I'm most proud of the fact that he was persistent and he stayed the course and didn't jump ship when he was two or when he was three. He stayed the course and stayed with us. I'm very grateful for that persistence and resiliency he showed and his belief in himself that he showed." - Kirby Smart on the improvements Stetson has made.
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