For those hoping for some sort of concrete answer from head coach Kirby Smart regarding the team’s use of the black jerseys for Saturday’s game against Louisiana-Lafayette, you’re going to have to wait.
During Monday’s press weekly conference, Smart was asked point blank if he could confirm whether the Bulldogs would be breaking out the popular black tops.
“We haven’t confirmed that yet, you’re right,” responded Smart, bringing some laughter from the room.
Although Smart declined to say for sure, it’s been speculated for some time that the Bulldogs would break out the black for the first time since the 2008 loss to Alabama.
For those keeping score, the Bulldogs have worn an alternate uniform twice since that game, including the 2009 loss to Florida when Georgia wore a black helmet and black pants, and the 2011 Chick-fil-A Kickoff contest against Boise State when the red-and-silver Nike Pro Combat uniform was used.
UPDATE: Smart told his football team on Monday night that they would wear black jerseys this Saturday.
Playing time paying off for young defensive linemen
When asked to explain the reason for the improvement shown by Georgia’s young defensive line, Smart said that’s due primarily to one thing:
“(They’ve improved at) knowing what to do. When you get enough reps of our defense, we don’t change defenses every week,” Smart said. “The carryover effect, the cumulative effect of the season has allowed them to improve.”
Experience, he added, is definitely the best teacher and for a defensive line that features just one junior – John Atkins – that’s certainly been crucial for the development of youngsters like Julian Rochester, David Marshall, Tyler Clark and Michail Carter, along with key sophomores like Trenton Thompson, Justin Young and DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle (when healthy).
“They’re really more confident in knowing when I hear that call or I see that signal, I know what to do. They’re not thinking ‘do I go left, do I go right.’ They’re thinking, I go north and knock somebody back,” Smart said. “That’s really helped them improve. They’ve had to play. The No. 1 way to get better a lot of times is to play. They certainly have had to play a lot.”
Kudos to Ramsey
When Brice Ramsey came to Georgia, being the team’s punter probably wasn’t what he had in mind. But Monday, Smart praised the redshirt junior for what he’s brought to the program.
“Brice is a great kid. He’s a competitor. He wants to go out and win. He fought really hard for (the quarterback) position. He’ll continue to do so,” Smart said. “He enjoys the punting. He finds his relevance right now in that, and that’s important to Brice. Brice is a Bulldog. There’s a lot of people that have come here and played. Some have played more than others. A lot of them were my friends. Some played a lot, some didn’t. They’re all Bulldogs, and Brice Ramsey is a Bulldog. I appreciate him for that.”
Ramsey took over the punting duties last week following the knee injury to Marshall Long.
This and that
Kickoff for next week’s regular season finale against Georgia Tech has been set for noon on the SEC Network … Louisiana-Lafayette's starting quarterback is Anthony Jennings, formerly of LSU. … Saturday’s game against the Ragin’ Cajuns will be televised on the SEC Network Alternate channel.
