Kirby Smart held his final press conference before Georgia's opener against Clemson on Tuesday. Here's what Georgia's head coach had to say.

Smart said matchups like the Clemson game to open the season allow coaches to find out more about their team and allow the team to be better prepared heading into conference play.

The key to attacking a defense like Clemson is not getting into third-down situations. Smart said the Tigers remind him a lot of Georgia's defense in that they can do a lot of things and aren't predictable. Running the ball and controlling the line of scrimmage is paramount.

Freshman safety KJ Bolden missed a few days during camp. He's been back for eight or nine practices now. He's sharp, very intelligent, and very coachable, but he has never played major college football. Smart feels like he'll respond well if and when his number is called.

Smart said there are seven or eight players on defense who will have the helmet communication system, although only one can be on the field at a time.

Smart said he wants to see the secondary tackle well on Saturday. He also wants to see them resilient while knowing they're not going to win every single battle on the field.

The kickoff battle is still up for grabs between Peyton Woodring and transfer Charlie Ham. Multiple guys are still battling for return duties. Anthony Evans has made good decisions with punts and has caught a lot of balls, along with others.

Smart said the first moments he remembers of Cash Jones were him making a lot of plays during his second spring in Athens. He noted that Jones runs Georgia's runs exactly the way he should in terms of identifying keys and reads. Smart added that he has done a "dominant" job on special teams. Smart is excited to see him play with the buildup he's had through camp.