NEW ORLEANS – After last year’s disappointing showing against Texas, Kirby Smart stepped off the plane in New Orleans seemingly determined to make one thing perfectly clear: that his Georgia football team truly is excited about the opportunity that awaits it in Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl against Baylor.

That certainly did not appear to be the case last year.

After missing out on the College Football Playoff, the Bulldogs were widely criticized by many in the media and even some of their own fans for what many perceived as a lackluster effort against Texas, resulting in a 28-21 loss to the Longhorns, a game that probably wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.

“We’ve talked about three things: this trip, this team, and this game. That’s it,” Smart said. “It’s a one-game season for us. It’s a new season. This trip, this team, and this game—those are the three things we’re focusing on.”

Time will tell if his players bought in.

Rumors about absentees other than Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson continue to be a bit of a mystery, one Smart declined to shed much light on during a 10-minute press conference upon arriving in New Orleans on Friday.

“We had to make the practices different, and the kids have been really competitive, and we’ve made sure we’ve held everybody to a standard,” Smart said. “That standard is, I’m going to compete and go play. If you’re not going to play to that standard, then you weren’t going to be here. It was really important for our guys to understand that.”

Georgia’s practice sessions back in Athens were different than what the Bulldogs have done in previous years.

“Our team has had 11 practices back home, and they’ve had 11 really good practices,” Smart said. “I’ve enjoyed seeing these guys compete. We’ve had a lot of guys battling for opportunities to play and they’ve done a tremendous job.”

That’s not all.

“The 11 sessions have all been at an hour and a half. We used to practice for two hours, but because of some depth and some different issues, we’ve had to practice smart as well as get after it,” Smart said. “We’ve had to do a lot of good on good, so our players have really enjoyed that with the competition for all the open spots, it’s been really good to have those.”

Linebacker Monty Rice appeared to agree.

Like Smart, Rice claims the Bulldogs are anxious to avenge last year’s showing against Texas.

“I can’t speak for those guys last year; I wasn’t playing much with my foot injury, but these guys are ready to go,” Rice said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys who haven’t got to play yet; this will be a big moment for them, but us as well.”

Tight end Charlie Woerner sang a similar tune.

“We didn’t come here wanting to lose two years in a row,” Woerner said. “But we’ve also got lot of guys who didn’t play last year that are going to get a lot of snaps to make the case why they should have been playing.”

The offensive line is one of the positions where fans can look for some significant changes.

Along with the Thomas and Wilson, the Bulldogs are also expected to be without Ben Cleveland due to academic reasons, leaving three vacancies on the starting offensive line.

“We've got nine or ten guys rotating there, and those guys are all rotating. Cade [Mays] and Jamaree [Salyer] are both working. They have been both working as a tackle the whole time since Andrew [Thomas] and Isaiah [Wilson] made their decisions and we've been rolling guys. Xavier Truss is working at tackle,” Smart said. “Warren [Ericson] has been working at tackle. So, we've had kind of a plethora of guys rotating and rolling through there.” Smart said he’s also been pleased with the early impact made by new offensive line coach Matt Luke.

“Good news is they have got a new coach that has got new energy, and he's been able to work with those guys. I'm really excited to see those guys play,” Smart said. “The unique thing is both those guys have played tackle in games. They've not played tackle together. They've played tackle in games and played against good competition. That's what's great about this game for us.”

NOTES: Prior to his press conference, Smart offered his condolences to the family of ESPN sports writer Edward Aschoff, who passed away on Wednesday. “I'd like to offer condolences to Ed Aschoff's family. The time you spend in this business, you get to know people, you get to be around them. And it was a major punch in my gut when I heard the news on Ed,” Smart said. “It was just tragic and tough time to hear it. But I love what he did for our profession, and he truly was one of the best at what he did.” … When asked if he was considering leaving Georgia a year early for the NFL, Rice said he has not thought about the possibility. “No,” was Rice’s one-word answer. … On Sunday, reporters will get to interview offensive James Coley, followed on Monday by session with defensive coordinator Dan Lanning.