Last Monday, running back D’Andre Swift raised a few eyebrows when he said Georgia’s offense wasn’t being as creative as perhaps it needed to be.

Although Saturday’s scoreless first half might have indicated otherwise, Swift said after the Bulldogs’ 21-0 win over Kentucky that Georgia's offensive coordinator did indeed tweak some of the runs than fans have seen in previous weeks. More outside plays were called.

“We did good,” Swift said. “Like I also said, it doesn’t matter what we call, we just have to execute on offense, execute on third down. That’s what happened in the second half today.”

Still, there were some subtle and not-so-subtle tweaks in what the Bulldogs attempted to do with their running game. The most notable one was to get Swift out on the edge more than we’ve seen in recent weeks.

The results, despite the slow start, spoke for themselves.

Swift finished the game with 21 carries for a season-best 179 yards and two touchdowns, with three runs over 20 yards, including a 39-yarder for Georgia’s first score of the game.

“It worked,” Swift said of the designed outside runs. “We got a lot more offense”—despite, he said, some really gnarly field conditions as a result of the remnants of Tropical Storm Nestor.

“It was really hard to get a feel for the game,” said Swift, who added that it's been years since he played in conditions quite that difficult.

“Yeah, maybe when I was younger, playing the streets; that’s about it,” Swift said. “That was a hard game.”

…Cornerback Tyson Campbell dressed out after suffering turf toe, but still did not see any action.

…Wide receiver Lawrence Cager (shoulder and ribs) did not play.

…Defensive end Travon Walker (wrist) did not play.

Georgia appeared to escape the game without any noticeable injuries.

Once again, a fourth-and-short play came up sour for the Bulldogs.

In the second quarter and facing a fourth down and less than a yard to go at midfield, Smart kept the offense on the field, with three players in the backfield along with quarterback Jake Fromm, who tried to sneak for the first down.

The attempt failed.

“Tough. Tough. They’ve got massive people too, if you didn’t notice,” Smart said. “They’ve got a 380 guy; I don’t know what he weighs. They get low, they get under you, and they make it hard. They did a good job.”

This wasn’t the first time the Bulldogs have struggled in short yardage, something Ben Cleveland admits was frustrating.

“I feel we did everything we could. They got a couple of jumpers over the middle,” Cleveland said. “You really don’t have anything to defend that.”

Smart on the booing during the game:

"No effect for me. I’ve got headphones on. We’re trying to make the best decisions that give us the best chance. That's what fans pay their money for: to give their opinions. And they're entitled to that. I respect that. But at the end of the day, our job is to put our kids in the most successful situations and allow them to be successful. You know what I mean? I don’t think you make decisions based on that (crowd reaction). You never look back. You’ve got to make decisions based on patience, the weather, the field position, and all those decisions we were involved in that were calculated." – Smart

On Florida in two weeks:

“Another Top Ten matchup with Florida, and what lies ahead with an open date? I’m really focused right now on getting our guys healthy. We’re going to go out on Monday and do some walk-through stuff, prepare, and get healthy. We’re going to take some opponents down the road on Tuesday and continue to work on Florida and other teams who do things differently. Then we’ll get tied down on them on Wednesday or Thursday." – Smart

On what he learned about his team and the conditions:

"They’re resilient and physically tough. It was a ground-and-pound game, and we knew it would be that way. Look, their offensive staff did a great job, to take a kid who’s not really a quarterback and try to make him into a quarterback. At the end of the day, you have to defend him differently, so it created a lot of issues for us. [There were] one-on-one situations all day outside, and you’re one play away. In weather like that, it’s a one-possession game most of the game. It puts a lot of pressure on your defense, to be able to play in those conditions against a guy like that. They did a good job of managing their quarterback, because it’s tough on our guys and tough on theirs. Our guys continued to rise up in the red area, which has been big. We have to tackle better, though.” – Smart

On the open week:

“I love the fact that they compete. They block the outside noise. They go work really hard. We’ve had good, physical practices. There’s no way to simulate what we were going to play in tonight, but the guys have embraced the challenge. They’ve not shied away from any work we’ve given them. They come to work every day. We’ve got good leaders on this team. Those guys buy in and do a great job. I think when you start with a core leadership, guys like D’Andre (Swift) and Jake (Fromm) and J.R. (Reed), Andrew (Thomas), those guys—they believe in each other. That’s all you need. Players who believe in each other. Where we are right now is not where we need to be. We’re not a finished product. We’ve got to get better. It’s what we’re gonna do this week.” – Smart

On Brian Herrien playing “blue-collar” football:

“Everybody who played in that game has got some tough blue-collar in them. That was one of those parks and recs games. You know, Saturdays, down in the mud, when you go out there, and you play for the love of the game. That’s what we told them. ‘Guys, this goes back to when you were a little kid, and you go out there and you either embrace it or the conditions affect you.’ Whichever team handled that better was going to win the game.” - Smart

…Freshman wide receiver George Pickens started his first game.

…Senior tailback Brian Herrien returned to action after missing last week with a back strain.

…Fromm started his 35th straight to lead the offense, while graduate safety J.R. Reed now leads the defense with 36 in a row.

…Freshman defensive back Divaad Wilson made his second start of the year.

…The scoreless first half marked the first involving Georgia since 1991 against Alabama.

...Georgia came into the game leading the SEC and sitting sixth nationally in scoring defense at 12.3 points/game. Saturday marked the Bulldogs’ second shutout of the year after topping Arkansas State 55-0. The Bulldogs' defense held Kentucky to 177 yards of total offense (160‐rushing, 17 passing). The Wildcats had just two first downs on 21 plays in the first two quarters.

...Senior Tae Crowder, junior Richard LeCounte, sophomore Quay Walker, and freshman Nakobe Dean tied for the team lead with six tackles apiece. Sophomore Jake Camarda punted the ball six times for an average of 52.8, including a long of 64.

...Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship kicked three extra points. He has connected on a school record 184 consecutive PATs. The Bulldogs lead the nation with a streak of 275 consecutive PATs dating back to 2014. Blankenship is now tied with Blair Walsh (2008‐11) for second place in all‐time career PATs made by a Bulldog.