Kirby Smart says Georgia doesn’t have to win every game, but the Bulldogs might do it anyway

After No. 1 Georgia’s 34-3 over No. 14 Clemson in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Kirby Smart was candid about the new era of college football that his
Bulldogs just entered and intend to dominate. 

“No longer do you have to win every game,” Smart opened his postgame press conference, “but you do have to find out when you're going to be playing your best, and you want to be playing your best towards the end of the year, and one of the best barometers is to get quality wins.”

Smart has loved testing his loaded Georgia roster in early-season showcase games since taking over in 2016. This matchup against a longtime non-conference rival was just another one and Smart’s group passed with flying colors. 

Georgia held Clemson to just 188 total yards while the Dawgs gained 447 behind 278 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Carson Beck. Beck’s counterpart, Cade Klubnik finished 18/29 for 142 yards and an interception. 

Georgia’s coaching staff understands that with their loaded SEC schedule, they can still get into the expanded 12-team CFP with a loss or two, or even three, but on Saturday, it didn’t appear that Smart gave his players that message. 

Smart and Glenn Schumann’s defense looked elite from kickoff, but Beck and OC Mike Bobo got off to a shaky start without Trevor Etienne or Roderick Robinson II in the backfield. However, Smart was understandably encouraged by the second-half onslaught that made the Bulldogs look unbeatable. 

“I think Mike and his staff did a good job at halftime looking at pictures, seeing what was there, capitalizing on some explosive plays,” Smart said, comparing this matchup to Georgia’s 10-3 victory over Clemson in Week 1 of 2021. 

“We blocked well on the perimeter, and that drive in the second half kind of opened things up. I think it loosened them up. It allowed us to be more explosive, and we used some tempo to help us, and we think we're a really well-conditioned team, and I thought that juice between Nate's quickness brought some energy and Arien and Dillon making some plays on the perimeter.”

“Nate” is true freshman running back Nate Frazier, who carried Georgia in the second half and will be tough to keep on the sidelines even after Etienne returns from his one-game suspension next week. 

Smart was a bit surprised by how long it took for his team to get things going on the ground. 

“We thought that we could run it a little bit better inside than we did. They have some big defensive linemen. They're big on their edges. They're big up the middle. They are going to give people problems defensively. I have a lot of respect for them.”

Clemson will give its ACC opponents problems, but Dabo Swinney’s squad didn’t give Georgia any trouble. The Bulldogs lived up to their No. 1 ranking in Week No. 1.