Georgia's bye week came at the perfect time this season. Not only did it give them a chance to recover after their loss to Auburn, but it should help them get healthy after the countless injuries that have racked up this season.
Kirby Smart however spoke on Monday about how he didn't want his team to get too much rest during the past week though. He felt that if they got too much time off then they would turn their motor off and wouldn't be ready to ramp it back up in time to play Florida this Saturday.
“We’ve got some guys that need to get well and get healthy," Smart said via x.com. "Hopefully we were able to do that some. I always worry because you spend so much time trying to get healthy. You better be ready to strike someone in this game because it’s going to be physical.”
So instead of giving his team a ton of time off he made sure to sprinkle in some intense practices during their bye week last week.
Georgia made sure to not take their foot off the gas during the bye week
The last thing Smart wanted was for his team to get lazy during the bye week. Yes they all needed time off to get healthy, even the players who weren't dealing with significant injuries, but he wanted to make sure that they stayed ready for their upcoming game against Florida.
Georgia didn't have a normal week of practice last week. Instead they went hard on Tuesday and Thursday while taking off Wednesday and the weekend from traditional practices. Smart believes this was the right thing to do because it still gives his team some rest while also keeping them in the routine of practicing and preparing for their next opponent.
The hope now is that he made sure to give his team enough time off because they have a difficult stretch of games coming up.
Georgia needed lots of rest for what lies ahead
Georgia's next three games will define their season. Even after their loss to Auburn they are one of two teams in the SEC with one loss, so as long as they win out they will make the SEC Championship game.
Accomplishing this will not be easy because their next three games are against ranked opponents. This includes Florida in Atlanta followed by a road game at Ole Miss and Missouri at home. If Georgia can survive this stretch they should be off to the races because they end their season with South Carolina and Georgia Tech.
It was wise for Smart to make sure his team stayed in rhythm by practicing a little during their bye week, but hopefully they got plenty of rest so they are healthy for the daunting stretch ahead. If everything goes according to plan though Georgia will win out and will be playing for an SEC Championship with a spot in the College Football Playoff already locked up.
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