Georgia head coach Kirby Smart acknowledged the obvious during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference: having better offensive diversity will be key to whatever success the Bulldogs enjoy the rest of the year.
It’s an area he sounded determined to see improve.
“You’ve got to mix it up. You can’t be one-dimensional in anything you do, especially when you play a Top 10 team, and I’ve got incredible respect for Notre Dame, or really, any SEC team,” Smart said. “They’re going to find ways to stop the run during the week, and most teams, that’s the first thing they try to do when it comes to the run versus us. So, we’ve got to do some things to lighten the box and allow our playmakers outside to make some plays.”
Smart’s comments echoed those he told beat writers after practice Tuesday afternoon.
Although Georgia won the game, Smart felt the offense didn’t do as good a job as it could have when it came to getting the ball to its playmakers. The coach cited running back James Cook and wide receiver George Pickens as two players who did not touch the football nearly as much as perhaps they should have.
Cook only carried the ball one time, while Pickens was barely targeted at all and did not catch a single pass, despite the fact the Irish consistently brought both safeties up to load the box, basically daring quarterback Jake Fromm to throw the ball.
“We're trying to get better in a lot of areas. Offensively, we're looking at what can we do to get the ball to our playmakers in space, how can we do it better, how can we find plays to get the ball on the perimeter to loosen some teams up; throw the ball downfield; find ways to get George (Pickens) the ball,” Smart said Tuesday. “It’s limitless what we’re trying to do, but the central focus is protecting Jake and letting him throw the ball vertical, spread the ball out some, and loosen people up. We know our strength is running the ball. Sometimes teams try to take that away and you’ve got to have answers.”
Smart said the offense has to be ready to make adjustments when the run game isn’t working as well as it should.
“I would say that every body blow you give a team has an effect. We’ve certainly felt the last three years, the total effect of being able to give body blows does have an effect on teams,” Smart said. “I think when you talk to teams after playing us, they definitely feel that’s the case. But never would I say, if you can’t run the ball, you have to continue running the ball.”
