ATHENS – Kirby Smart is not happy with where his Georgia Bulldogs are at this point in the preseason and wants to see more enthusiasm and playmaking skills.
Smart, who is entering his ninth season as head coach of the Bulldogs, shared some insight into the team’s first practice game and how Georgia is preparing for the 2024 season.
Homerun threats
Florida native Trevor Etienne and freshman Nate Frazier have displayed a running style that makes Smart confident Georgia can put together some dynamic runs.
“I think we have the backs to be an explosive running team, we have the perimeter blockers to be an explosive running team, and we have the offensive line to be an explosive running team. I hope we’re more capable of longer explosive attacks, meaning when we get through to 10 or 12, we can turn those into 40-50 yard plays rather than 20-30 yard plays.”
Attack vs. Defense
Smart stated that there doesn’t seem to be a clear edge when his offense meets his defense.
“I’ve seen both sides: one day it’s one way, the next day it’s another,” Smart said. “There was no dominant side of the ball, if that’s what you mean. There was explosiveness, and then there was no explosiveness. A little bit of it comes down to eye control, execution, depth, who’s coaching and who’s not.
“But ultimately both units had clear moments of success and moments of failure… it’s a balance.”
Tight schedule
Smart said classes at UGA begin on Wednesday, which likely won’t provide the Georgia football team with the optimal preseason practice schedule.
“Unfortunately, our academic calendar doesn’t quite fit with what we’re planning to do, so school starts for the players tomorrow (Wednesday),” Smart said.
“They get their books, they’re student-athletes again, and that’s hard in camp at the beginning. So we’ve got them a lot longer until tomorrow, and that makes our schedule a little tighter.”
