Georgia head coach Kirby Smart met with the media to kick off Clemson week on Monday. Here are the highlights from what Smart had to say.
Smart said the Bulldogs worked on Clemson Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before taking Sunday off. Smart has a lot of respect for the job Dabo Swinney has done building the Clemson program and maintaining continuity on his coaching staff.
Smart feels like Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik has been a Tiger forever. He's played a lot of football, has the ability to make plays with his feet and has a lot of weapons around him. Smart said you can see on tape that Klubnik got more and more comfortable as the year went on.
Smart also praised the Clemson offensive line, which has several players with over 25 career starts. The Tigers have more career starts even than Georgia's experienced offensive line, which Smart thought was one of the most experienced in the country.
Clemson's run game brings the word "physicality" to Smart's mind. He praised running back Phil Mafah for being a downhill back who does better as the game goes on. Smart noted that Clemson used him more and more as the season went on and he responded to the challenge.
As for Clemson's defensive line, Smart praised Tomarrion Parker and Peter Woods as being tremendous athletes. They technically aren't returning starters, but they were very productive as freshmen last year. Smart said the Clemson defensive line doesn't miss things in terms of keys and recognition.
Receiver Colbie Young has been running and doing some things. He's been practicing full-go since the team started on Clemson and should be ready to play.
Roderick Robinson's toe is still an issue for him. He had surgery on it. Smart isn't sure how long it will be before he comes back. It will likely be week to week.
Running back Branson Robinson was originally "down in the dumps" after his injury last fall camp. Smart said he was having a great fall camp, but he missed the whole season and much of spring. But Smart said he has gained confidence this fall through special teams while also building on the volume of work he had previously accumulated in his Georgia career.
Smart is excited about the running back rotation. They have worked hard and continued to get better. But Smart added that you don't really know what you have until you play, which places a bigger importance on the spring game and the scrimmages.
Smart declined to comment on a potential suspension for running back Trevor Etienne.
Defensive lineman Warren Brinson has practiced every day the team has prepped for Clemson. He missed most of fall camp, but he's also had four fall camps so far in his career. Smart isn't worried about him being ready to go.
Smart said he felt comfortable with Carson Beck even dating back to last year. Now it's more about him elevating the people around him and improving their games, which he's been working on. Beck is very comfortable in the offense, and the coaches now feel they can put a little bit more on his plate. But Smart added that you can't put too much on the people around the quarterback either.
Smart said there is a little too much being made of Mykel Williams playing a new position. He's doing a lot of the same things now that he's done in the past. It's more about giving him the opportunity to use his "most rewarding" qualities in rushing the passer.
