Kirby Smart isn't shying away from Georgia's issues on the ground last season.

In fact, he has both sides of the ball focused on the run game this spring.

"We put a big emphasis on running and stopping the run because we feel like we lacked in both those areas last year," Smart said Tuesday. "So the spring practice has been shifted or adjusted a little bit towards stopping the run and being able to run the ball. I don't know if we've improved on it, but we've harped on it.”

The bigger problems came on the offensive side of the ball.

Georgia ranked 102nd in the country in 2024 with 124.4 rushing yards per game. The per-carry average of 4.06 yards placed the Bulldogs in a tie for 84th.

The per-game average was the worst of the Smart era, averaging 50 fewer yards than the previous low set in 2020.

Georgia now looks to improve on that number while also replacing four starters on the offensive line.

"People have to step up," center Drew Bobo said. "But it's just an everyday grind to learn how to run the ball better. It's not going to happen overnight. We've got to put in the work just to get better over time. As spring ball comes, summer, watching film, and then fall camp, we've just got to put in the work to get better at running the ball."

Nate Frazier will lead the backfield in 2025 after a standout freshman season. Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson will also attempt to work their way back from serious leg injuries. Cash Jones returns as a third-down threat.

Smart also called out Chauncey Bowens and Dwight Phillips for some positive flashes this spring. Dillon Bell, a receiver by trade, has also been working some at running back this spring.

The defense, meanwhile, hasn't been left out of Smart's ground game crosshairs.

The Bulldogs allowed just shy of 130 rushing yards per game in 2024, the worst mark since the 2018 defense gave up 134 yards on the ground per game.

Georgia will replace a large number of defensive linemen from last year. Younger linebackers such as Justin Williams will also step into bigger roles following the departures of Smael Mondon and Jalon Walker.

"I can definitely improve on keying the line, knowing what to do in certain calls," Williams said. "I feel like that can help us when it comes to stopping the run. And just knowing what other guys are doing, like the D-linemen, what they're doing in certain fronts and certain things like that, and what the safeties are doing. Just knowing everybody's job, I feel like I can improve on that for sure, help us out.”

Georgia has seven more practices plus G-Day to continue focusing on the run game this spring.