Georgia head coach Kirby Smart met with the media on December 2. Here are the key points from Smart's press conference ahead of this weekend's SEC Championship Game.
Smart said Steve Sarkisian has done an "unbelievable job" at Texas in the Longhorns' first year in the SEC. Texas is built like an SEC team especially along the lines of scrimmage. Smart added that it feels like the Longhorns have already been in the league for years.
Smart noted that much of Georgia's success against Texas came from capitalizing off of Texas' turnovers.
In regards to a rematch, Smart said the challenges are the same as the first meeting. The previous game does not determine this game and that needs to be emphasized to the players.
Smart said he was very pleased with the defensive line against Georgia Tech. He thought they struck and got off blocks well, leading to many second-and-longs. More players played up front than normal.
Linebacker Smael Mondon played "one of the best games of his career" against Georgia Tech. Smart feels like he is "ascending" at this point in the year.
Cash Jones' role as a third-down running back is largely due to experience. He has gotten a ton of reps in that role in practice over his years in Athens.
Smart said he can't put his finger on a reason for the defensive inconsistency. When the Bulldogs execute well, they are a different team. But Smart feels that any one mistake on drives turns "catastrophic" and the defense can't recover from that. But he also feels the group has made stops when needed. Smart added that the defense needs to play well throughout and do a better job of giving the offense good field position.
The team is "hopeful" to get running back Branson Robinson back soon. As for Roderick Robinson, Smart felt he did a good job of playing as many snaps as he did. He just needs to get more and more comfortable running the ball and getting hit.
Receiver Dillon Bell adds toughness, quickness, and the ability to win one-on-ones to Georgia's offense. Smart felt Bell came out of the Georgia Tech game feeling pretty healthy.
Smart said the team playing better around quarterback Carson Beck comes down to everyone doing their job. That's not just receivers avoiding drops, it's better blocking and creating a more effective run game.
Sarkisian stays in "attack mode" as a playcaller. He will challenge a defense in every facet of the game and create favorable matchups.
