Georgia Football: Kirby Smart not pleased and other notes from scrimmage one
By Max Tolbert
Georgia football held its first scrimmage of fall practice on Saturday. Coach Smart took to the podium after practice to give his insights on how well practice went.
I would say given the mood from Kirby, he was not so happy with the performance the team gave. He opened it with how hot the scrimmage was. Furthermore, Smart said the first few games the Dawgs play will be in the heat. Which is a good thing because he gets to see who wants to compete and who doesn’t.
Smart talked about the starting Offensive line, he believed that they did not do as well to start but finished decently. Smart said he is confident in the starters and about 3 more guys. But they need more to feel comfortable in the SEC. While Earnest Greene has been taking the majority of 1st team reps, Austin Blaske has been sick and unable to go for a couple of days. Smart said that Blaske is a tough kid and a fighter. Do not be surprised if Blaske rotates in and out during games.
Running backs were also mentioned. I wrote about this last week; Georgia is extremely thin with running back depth, which is unusual for the Georgia program. The health of those backs has been key since spring practice and continues to be a theme in fall camp. While some of the backs are unable to go, Smart feels comfortable with the backs they have to pound the rock. The biggest takeaway for me was that he mentioned that they have the backs that they have and they will have to use skill position players more in the run. Get ready to see Brock Bowers, run the ball.
The Quarterback battle still rages on and the media is still trying to get answers that Kirby refuses to answer. However, Smart said all three execute the offense well, they just can’t make Superman plays. Meaning stop forcing the ball down the field or looking for the knockout punch. Furthermore Smart alluded to the fact the QBs needed to learn how to play complimentary football. Something Stetson Bennett and last year’s offense did extremely well.
The defensive line was also talked about and Smart said that the D-line is good but they do not have the dominant or destructive guy. IE Jalen Carter. Which has been a worry of mine and many other Georgia fans. Smart said that the defensive line has four quality SEC starters but they need to be able to disrupt opposing offenses.
A lot has been made about Georgia’s schedule and for that matter the start of it. Smart said that the team does not focus on who the opponent is in week one because they have to play 11 more after that. Furthermore, Smart said that the team doesn’t concern itself with who they play at the start of the season because they have to play Georgia first and not many teams are as good as Georgia. Which is probably right. That’s why practices at Georgia are so demanding and why the culture at Georgia is what it is.
Georgia in Smart’s estimates has a long way to go before they can play games. Smart challenged the team at the end of practice to understand that they have not done anything to deserve what they have gotten. Meaning that they can’t take credit for the accomplishments that last year’s team earned. Smart was not in a great mood and said that he is not impressed with anybody’s readiness to play.
On the injury front, everything remained the same except for Raylen Wilson, who hyperextended his knee. Wilson was able to walk off on his own and with no ligament damage. However, the medical staff still does not know the extent of the injury.
While Kirby was not pleased or seemed like he wasn’t with the team’s first scrimmage. Many that were there thought that the team played pretty well. The true test of this year’s team will be scrimmage two. If Kirby is not pleased then, I would be a little worried. Or maybe Kirby is playing the long game and trying to make the team feel like they suck, so they play harder. I have no idea, let’s just hope they are as good as they have been.