Georgia head coach Kirby Smart met with the media on November 5. Here are the key points from Smart's final press conference before the Ole Miss game.
Running back Trevor Etienne has been "great" in practice. He's been wearing a non-contact jersey but is "toughing it out." Smart said they're still figuring out what he can and can't do on the field.
Smart said offensive linemen Tate Ratledge and Micah Morris played with great toughness against Florida, but came out of the game feeling very sore and banged up.
Smart said he won't be paying any attention to Tuesday night's College Football Playoff rankings. He did note that you look farther down in the rankings to find the lowest-ranked teams that have a shot to make the playoff now that it is 12 teams.
Ole Miss' defense has "big humans," which makes it hard to run the ball against them.
Smart feels Mykel Wiliams is having a great season. He said Williams had the best fall camp he's ever had and every rep in practice creates value for him. Williams hasn't gotten too high or too low as he's battled injuries this season. Smart feels he's "much closer" to 100 percent.
Freshman running back Dwight Phillips is getting better and better. He didn't get to go through spring practice, but Smart feels he's catching up and is getting ready to take on a bigger role. If you tell him something once, he remembers it.
Smart believes Malaki Starks will keep getting better and gaining more confidence as he returns more and more punts. Smart noted he's done it before in his life. Smart also said the Bulldogs wanted to play things safe instead of setting up returns.
Smart said corners Daniel Harris and Julian Humphrey both need to tackle better.
When asked specifically about depth at receiver, Smart said he's said "100,000 times" that Georgia doesn't have enough depth at any position.
Smart said Ole Miss receiver Tre Harris is a dangerous player with his combination of size and speed. He feels Harris can turn any play into a touchdown with his skillset. Smart also gave Ole Miss credit for what they've done on offense with Harris banged up.
Backup quarterbacks Jaden Rashada, Gunner Stockton, and Ryan Puglisi have all gotten reps throughout practice. Smart said he likes to pride himself on developing quarterbacks more than other programs in the country.
