Postgame News and Notes

The final 43 to 6 score indicated another SEC rout, but head coach Kirby Smart said the conversation in the locker room after the game had nothing to do with how “well” the Bulldogs played.

It was quite the contrary.

For this team, whose goals reach well beyond an SEC East title, Saturday’s showing against visiting Missouri did not sit all that well.

“It says the players on our team certainly felt that way, because it was addressed in the locker room after the game,” Smart said. “Some of those guys stood up and didn’t feel like it was our best effort. It was a little lackadaisical at times. Some of that was more defensive than it was offensive, in my opinion. We didn’t run the ball the way we wanted to, but we were explosive.”

The statistics told an interesting tale.

On one hand, the Bulldogs did not run the ball as well as expected. Missouri came in giving up a league-worst 280-plus yards rushing per game. However, against the Bulldogs, the Tigers stacked the line of scrimmage and held Georgia to 168 yards, daring quarterback Stetson Bennett to throw.

That’s just what he did.

Between Bennett and JT Daniels, the two quarterbacks combined to complete 20 of 30 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns (two by Bennett, one by Daniels).

“Missouri came into this game and their plan was to not let us run the ball,” Bennett said. “They were popping backers and running safeties, and when they do that, we’ve got to be explosive.”

It took longer than the Bulldogs would have liked.

Missouri actually held a 3-0 lead, and it was not until the 42-second mark in the first quarter when Georgia scored its first touchdown, on a 35-yard pass to Arian Smith.

“I thought we started out sloppy today. There was a little bit of a lack of focus, especially on defense. Offensively we did a lot of nice things, and I was proud of the guys,” Smart said. “We’ve got some things we need to clean up.”

That includes on the defensive side.

Missouri countered with 273 yards of offense, and Georgia did not force a single turnover, much to Smart’s chagrin.

“We had two times when we didn’t get in our gaps, and you have to be disciplined. Everybody on the field has to do their job or you have a hole. We had a couple of holes there early when they gashed us, because we had guys running up the field,” Smart said. “You can’t be selfish. You have to buy into your job and do your job. I think when we go back and watch the tape, we’ll find guys that didn’t do their job.”

Whenever Arian Smith makes a catch, he tends to make something happen.

Saturday, his 35-yard touchdown catch was just the fifth reception of his career. Three have gone for touchdowns.

Smith missed five straight games with a knee contusion before returning to action last week at Florida.

According to Smart, it’s good to have his receiving corps starting to get healthy.

“I thought this game was the closest. With Arian we had a full week. We met on Monday and said you're getting the full quota, you gotta go. Get your reps to be able to play. We said to Jermaine (Burton), hey you're getting your full reps. Coming off Florida, I feel like they were both healthy, but they weren't healthy for the full week of practice. I feel like they were both healthy for this week of practice, which helped us from a depth standpoint.”

The fact the Bulldogs are now able to take some of the stress off of Ladd McConkey and Adonai Mitchell is also a good thing.

“Ladd got to share reps, so he didn't have to take the burden,” Smart said. “When we are fully healthy at receiver, excluding George (Pickens) and Dom (Blaylock), we have a good unit. With George and Dom, that's what we had going into the season, it would be special. We're working to get those guys back.”

Another sign for Smart that his receiving corps is rounding into shape came during Burton’s 12-yard touchdown pass from Bennett. On the play, Burton picked up a huge block from Jackson, and another from Mitchell that allowed him to stroll into the end zone untouched.

“That touchdown by Jermaine Burton, nobody talks about it, Kearis goes out and throws a great block,” Smart said. “So did AD to get Jermaine untouched into the endzone. That, to me, is the ultimate sign of selflessness at wide receiver.”

The Bulldogs appeared to avoid any significant injuries Saturday.

As expected, left tackle Jamaree Salyer missed the game with a foot injury. He was seen on the sideline on crutches.

Smart used his opening statement to remind reporters that he would be unable to offer any specifics as it pertains to linebacker Adam Anderson, who is being investigated for an alleged rape.

“With it being an ongoing legal situation matter, I can’t talk about it, and I can’t comment on it,” Smart said. “I will tell you we're cooperating fully with all the law enforcement and campus organizations. That’s all I can say about it. If you want to ask, I’m going to have to stick to that statement.”

Smart did reveal what he and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning will try do in his absence, and what players can expect to see their playing time increase.

“I would say Robert Beal, he played more snaps. It's allowed some of our inside guys to go outside and rep,” Smart said. “Warren (Brinson) has bumped and played outside some. MJ (Sherman) has played more, Chaz (Chambliss) has played more. It's not a burden on the inside backers, no, but it probably is on the outside guys.”

Atlanta Braves mascot Blooper and outfielder Joc Peterson—pearls and all—took in Saturday’s game.

Blooper interacted with Bulldog fans throughout the game, while Peterson was honored on the field during a first-quarter break.

He received a standing ovation.

"It's really cool. I was hoping to get to see those guys. I saw, I guess, Joc during the timeout, when they recognized him and all our water boys had the beads or the pearls on,” Smart said. “They were all representing, including my son, who's a big Joc fan. But I didn't get a chance to speak to him. So proud of what the Braves have done for the state and for Atlanta, and it's pretty cool, it's pretty neat to see them do so well, especially to close the way they did."

… On Nolan Smith’s blocked punt: “When we call a block, he’s being sent. We called a block on the first punt of the game, I think it was. I thought he got really close. But the other one was just a really good job by our special teams staff, having a check for when they checked. Dan Jackson is our check guy. It was not a called block; it triggered a block by what they did. He did an excellent job. He’s very conscientious. He takes pride in the units he’s on, and it was a big play.”

… On playing at Tennessee this Saturday: “We're focusing on Tennessee. We're gonna be playing in a really tough environment, one of the toughest places in the country. Their fan base is bought-in, all-in on Coach (Josh) Heupel and his staff. It will be a tremendous atmosphere and opportunity, which so many other conferences don't have. Teams that maybe aren't in the hunt for an SEC Championship but have that much passion that they're going to sell it out and be really loud. It will be a great atmosphere, and our players will need to prepare for it. We need to prepare the players for it, because it's going to be a really tough, physical game. They have a really good football team. I've been able to watch them play several weeks when we've either been off or had this early game. They've actually played a lot better than some of their scores indicate. I've got a lot of respect for their team and how hard they play. Our guys got a little bit of a wake-up call today. This was probably a sub-par outing for us, in terms of execution and play style.”

… On the play of Broderick Jones at left tackle in place of Jamaree Salyer: "It's hard to say without seeing it. I know we had a couple of comments on the headset from Matt (Luke) about Broderick having a couple of missed assignments or lack-of-focus plays where he could've gotten up the field and helped a guy in the run game. But I'm going to reserve judgment until I see it."

… Top-ranked Georgia, the national leader in scoring defense (6.6 points per game), held Missouri to just two field goals in a 43-6 win. Also, there was a goal-line stand that ended with three seconds left in the game, when the Tigers turned it over on downs. Missouri came in averaging 34.8 points a game. Georgia now has held eight of its nine opponents to their lowest scoring tally of the year (South Carolina is the exception). The 59 points allowed through nine games is the lowest in a season at this point since 1971 (53 points). Georgia trailed for only the second time this year (at Auburn 3-0 in 1st quarter for a total of 5:29) when Missouri made a 35-yard FG with 5:50 left in the opening quarter. It was a seven-play, 33-yard drive. On Saturday, Georgia trailed for 5:08 before responding on its next drive for a 7-3 lead with 42 seconds left in the 1st quarter. Tiger running back Tyler Badie came in averaging a league-leading 123.6 yards per game, and he finished with just 41 yards

… Nine different Bulldogs caught a pass today, with four covering more than 20 yards. The longest of the first half came by Burton for 47 yards. Junior running back Kenny McIntosh had one for 31 yards. The leading receivers were Burton (three-for-76 yards) and Mitchell (three-for-38). Burton added his third score of the year and sixth for his career to make it 33-3.

… Georgia tallied 168 rushing yards on 32 attempts and two touchdowns. Senior James Cook had 41 yards on nine carries, including his fourth rushing TD, this one a direct snap out of the “Wild Dawg” formation. Cook now has 11 career rushing touchdowns. Senior Zamir White had seven rushes for 14 yards and one touchdown. White now has a team-leading nine touchdowns this year and 23 overall. Jackson had a career-long 37-yard run in the 2nd half.

…Senior Julian Rochester earned his first rep of the year early in the second quarter. It was Rochester’s first action since tearing his ACL last year.

…Georgia blocked its second punt of the year, and this one resulted in a safety as the football went through the end zone. Nolan Smith blocked it. This was the team’s second safety this year as the first one came by the defense versus South Carolina when Smith and Jordan Davis combined on a sack.

… Before the game, Pickens was in shorts running with Blaylock (hamstring) and Justin Robinson (undisclosed injury). The biggest note on Pickens: he was not seen wearing a brace or wrap on his rehabbing knee. Last week, Smart said Pickens was due to have another visit with surgeon Dr. James Andrews to hopefully receive an update on what further he will be cleared to do. There is still no official timetable for Pickens’ return.