Head coach Kirby Smart met with the media following Saturday’s first of three preseason scrimmages at Sanford Stadium.

“I didn’t think it was the best of our nine practices,” Smart said. “I thought we practiced hard, but I was a little disappointed in the enthusiasm and leadership of the defense. I didn’t think there was a lot of support there, because when things went bad, there wasn’t someone to grab the bull by the horns and get them back headed in the right direction.”

The Bulldogs will take Sunday off before getting back to work Monday. A second scrimmage is set for next Saturday.

“We have a long way to go to get to where we need to be,” Smart said. “That’s nothing to do with Oregon, that’s nothing to do with anybody we play; that’s got everything to do with the Georgia Bulldogs. We’ve got to look in our eyes as coaches and figure out what, guys, we have to do the best and go execute that. We’ve got good football players on this team; we just didn’t necessarily play with the right energy and enthusiasm across the board as whole today.”

Below is what else he had to say:

• Smart had some positive words to say about freshmen running backs Branson Robinson and Andrew Paul.

“These two young guys are different, they’re heavier and they run behind their pads. They probably don’t show up until days like today because they’re a little hard to tackle,” Smart said. “I thought both those guys had a good scrimmage. They’re not great, they’re not where they need to be, they’re not where they need to be in pass pro, but they’re hard to tackle. I’m very pleased with where they are.”

• Smart did not offer many specifics on his quarterbacks, but said starter Stetson Bennett “statistically, had a good day.”

Smart did say he’s very pleased with where Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff, and Gunner Stockton are in terms of making plays. Smart said Stockton had a chance to go work with the threes and that the former Rabun County start “did a good job.”

• Smart said he’s still going to need to rotate six players for the three interior spots on the defensive line.

“That’s going to depend on who does the best job but we’re a long way from knowing that,” Smart said. “The young guys are flashing and showing plays, but they don’t have the physical and mental toughness to sustain and do it over and over,” Smart said. “Tray (Scott) is trying to get some consistency out of that room so we can play those guys, but we’re not where we need to be right now, that’s for sure.”

• At inside linebacker, Smart said Trezman Marshall made some good plays,” but Jamon Dumas-Johnson continues to be “the most consistent guy."

Smart said Xavian Sorey also flashed but needs to be more consistent. Smart also cited Smael Mondon for being impressive.

“That group’s got to step up, but our defensive line’s got to step up to in order to help them play better by keeping blockers off them,” Smart said.

• At wide receiver, Smart said Dillon Bell and Jackson Meeks both made plays. He also mentioned tight end Oscar Delp.

“Those guys did a good job, but we just don’t have the depth at receiver,” Smart said. “I thought (Marcus) Rosemy-Jacksaint made some good plays, but we’re going to have to be really good on the perimeter to be explosive.

• Outside linebacker Robert Beal Jr. has had a “quietly good camp,” Smart said.

• Smart said freshman defensive back Malaki Starks “has done a good job,” but he’s not the only one.

“I think our freshman DBs are going to be good football players,” Smart said. “That doesn’t mean they’re going to go out and start, but those freshman DBs are going to help us. All of them have shown signs of ‘Man, he’s going to be OK; he’s going to be able to help us,” Smart said.

• Smart said sophomore cornerback Kamari Lassiter “is one of the best tacklers on the team.”

• As far as kickoff returns, Smart said Kenny McIntosh, Ladd McConkey, Kearis Jackson, and Dominick Blaylock have been working at that position. Jackson, Blaylock, and McConkey are returning punts.

Noah Jones and Brett Thorson continue to battle for the starting job at punter, and Smart said that decision has yet to be made.

• Smart said it was hard to give an accurate account on the offensive line and withheld judgement until he is able to go back and watch the scrimmage on film.

“You see so much on the perimeter from where I’m looking. The quarterback decision, the secondary. We had a couple of really good runs. We had a couple of tackles for loss. When somebody does good, somebody does bad, right?” Smart said. “So, I have to watch it and really see, because we have probably the most battle on our team at the offensive line, especially the interior positions.”

Smart no doubt had a lot towatch there.

With Tate Ratledge held out nursing a turf toe injury, Xavier Truss and Jared Wilson were seen rotating with the first group during pre-scrimmage viewing.

“We have musical chairs going, and it’s hard for me to say which one was in when good things were happening and which one was in when bad things were happening. That’s what we study the tape for. I don’t have that fresh off in my memory,” Smart said. “The battle is there at guard. Those guys are competing for it. I do think we are bigger than we’ve been at guard, which is usually a good indicator that we can be physical. We’ve got Truss and Tate, who wasn’t there today. When you start putting those body types out there, they are just massive.”

• Smart only offered a shrug when asked about being able to buy tickets for recruits wanting to attend the game in Jacksonville against Florida.

“We’ve always been able to do that. You make an independent decision that each university can decide how they want to do their tickets. For the first time, we are able to a lot of tickets, which we do on every neutral site game. We do it with Clemson. We do it with Oregon,” Smart said. “We do it all the time. Per NCAA rules, we are not allowed to see them or talk to them. We can’t do anything with them, so it’s really a moot point. They get to go, but what good does that do in terms of recruiting that you don’t get to spend time with them and host them. It doesn’t change the official visit they are on.”

• Junior defensive tackle Jalen Carter is apparently stepping up.
“He’s been the most mature he has been. He was overshadowed maturity-wise by the other two (Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt), he wasn’t overshadowed tackle-wise by any means. He is massive. He is as talented or more talented athletically than those two,” Smart said. “His practice habits have actually improved this year. He is practicing with more consistency, and he has to continue to do that. He is very mature. He can admit to you and be honest with you when he doesn’t give great effort. He’s like, ‘You’re right, Coach, I didn’t do my best on that play.’ But that happens much less often now. I think he knows that people’s eyes are on him, in terms of our other players, and he knows he has to be a leader for our defense.”