Kirby Smart said Mother Nature did not cooperate with Georgia’s first scrimmage of the spring last Saturday, but not in the way you might imagine.

“I think that cooler temperatures prevailed, which made for less adversity in terms of ‘Can I push through?’” Smart said after practice on Tuesday. “It was more game-like to me. The cooler it is, the fresher their legs are, and they can play more snaps. I think they give us a faster game.”

However, considering this might be the youngest team he’s had in nine previous years as the Bulldogs’ head coach, Smart would not have minded seeing his team stressed more than it was.

“I sometimes like it when it's one of those how hot can it be, who's going to push, and it becomes a toughness battle, the mental part of can I push through this, can I make it through this, can I play this game in these conditions,” Smart said. “It was not like that.”

However, there are advantages too.

“It's more important that we can execute a play on offense and defense. We have got more new people in new positions than in the ten years I've been here,” Smart said. “Every year, that has probably ratcheted up a little bit, but it is to the point where you almost have to start like no one knows anything, make no assumptions, don't assume anything, and start all over and go ground up because we had a lot of mistakes.

"This used to be the first fall camp scrimmage, but when you get 25 mid-years and six transfers ... that is the first fall scrimmage. But overall, we were not where we needed to be.”

Still, there were some highlights, including in the running game which has a point of emphasis after finishing next-to-last in the SEC.

“We’ve had a couple of explosive runs. We had a lot of two- to three-yard runs that, you know, one guy misses an assignment, one guy makes a play,” Smart said. “I think the energy level and the passion on the defensive side was ahead of what the offensive was in the run game. But still, the offense dominated the red area. The third down was like 50-50. It was a toss-up in a lot of the other periods.

"However, it's not where it needs to be on either side of the ball, to be honest with you. We don't run the ball well enough or stop the run. I think a lot of that comes from a physical mentality.”

Although most of his playing time has been at left tackle, Smart said Earnest Greene III is practicing primarily at right tackle this spring.

He’s also practicing through another injury.

“He's dealing with a – I don't know which finger it is. He's got a dislocated finger that he's had in a club,” Smart said. “It’s frustrating for him because he can't use his hand. I told him it's going to be a chance to get a lot better because when he comes back with the use of his hand, he's going to be a lot better. He's practicing hard.”

Greene was able to take part in last Saturday’s scrimmage.

“I like he really tried to play hard Saturday in the scrimmage,” Smart said. “He and Micah (Morris) tried to lead, push people. It was tough because he's got a club on his hand. But he's out there competing and getting better each day."

…Dillon Bell: “I feel we’ve got the best receiving corps in the country."

…Star Joenel Aguero said he had to play through a broken hand last year.

…Smart said freshman quarterback Ryan Montgomery isn’t doing a lot right now after coming off ACL surgery. “We're not asking him to do that. He's done everything we've asked him to do. He gets to throw some ball drills to receivers. But I can't judge that. I mean, that's not real play.”

However, fellow freshman Hezekiah Millender is receiving a crash course.

“You know, there's a lot of information coming at him and culture and even Ryan, for that matter, at meetings. But I like (Hezekiah’s) attitude. He doesn't get down on himself. He has a positive attitude,” Smart said. “It's easy for a freshman quarterback to live in a moment of, like, what am I doing here? Am I out of place? The analogy of drinking water through a fire hose comes to mind when you think of a freshman quarterback. Where just trying to taper down that water pressure.”

…Kyron Jones said he’s practicing at both star and safety.

...Smart said center Drew Bobo is dealing with a hyperextended knee but should be back shortly.

…Smart said freshman defensive end Isaiah Gibson would “be back soon” after suffering an “undisclosed” injury.