Tuesday News and Notes

Kirby Smart seemed to rein in some of his comments when asked if tight end Darnell Washington (foot) and Tykee Smith (foot) would in fact be ready to go Saturday against Arkansas (Noon, ESPN).

Both players have returned to practice with their respective position groups. But after watching them Monday and Tuesday, Smart’s not quite as sure as he originally seemed to be yesterday.

“Both of them, they’ve got a ways to go. I don’t know if they’ll be able to play in the game or not, but they’re working toward it, I can promise you that,” Smart said during Tuesday’s post-practice Zoom session. “It’s not just being cleared, it’s everything else involved—being behind, stamina, execution, getting them reps; it’s tough, I’ll be honest with you. But we’re hopeful that both can help us.”

Both players have apparently been up and down.

According to Smart, Smith looked better on Monday than he did Tuesday. Washington struggled Monday, but Tuesday had a much better day, per the Bulldog head coach.

“We’ve got them both on a pitch count, as they’re only able to take a limited number of reps before their foot gets sore as the volume goes up,” Smart said. “Darnell struggled a little yesterday, but looked good today. He did a good job.”

… Also on the injury front, Smart said wide receiver Kearis Jackson was feeling a little sore, but still expects him to be a go Saturday against Arkansas.

"No, he's not 100 percent. In fact, he's been struggling this week some. I felt like he got back; I don't know what he was last week—90, 95 in the Vanderbilt game. He was out there playing, made a couple plays, and it has bothered him some this week,” Smart said. “He's been hindered some. He's practicing, and we think he's going to be good to go, but he's a little banged up. But Kearis is tough, he loves the game, he wants to get out there, and if anything with Kearis, you have to hold him back, because he'll go out there injured."

…Smart on the emphasis at practice this week: “Physical contact, toughness, execution; it’s the same focus of emphasis in football every week, right? You’ve got to block, out-tackle and out compete. It really hasn’t been a unique circumstance, because we have a normal protocol. Monday, we practice, Tuesday is a get-after it day; it was a good practice, and the kids had good energy.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for Arkansas. It’s the same areas, we want to get explosives, not give up explosives and create turnovers. There’s not a lot of different ways to say that.”

… On if he knows what to expect from Razorback defensive coordinator Barry Odom: “They’ve had some different kinds of opponents this year. They’ve had Rice, they’ve had Georgia Southern, which is a little more option, and then they’ve had Texas and Texas A&M. They have multiple packages they can do; some have the same options."

… Smart loves the progress being made by defensive tackle Jalen Carter: “He's more confident in the system, more confident in his ability. Obviously, he's taken more reps, so he understands the system better. He's playing quicker to me. There was a time where he got a little heavy toward the end of last year. He's really quick now, athletic. He can move and disengage blockers. Really powerful. This guy was a really good basketball player who could dunk and do things. He plays with power when he strikes people. We're excited about the way he's playing. He's gotten better and grown. He's got two great role models in Jordan (Davis) and Devonte (Wyatt).”

… Arkansas coach Sam Pittman says he learned a lot from Smart. Tuesday, Smart said the same for Pittman: “It's probably morale and positivity. Sam's a really, really optimistic and positive guy, especially with his players and his relationships with them. He was always good for me to be around leading up to games, or when you're worried about something. Sam always had a great spin and a great vibe on it. He was great for our staff, staff morale. He's just a phenomenal person. I had always heard so many good things about him as a coach at Alabama. We tried to hire him a couple of times and could never get him. When I got the job, he was the No. 1 guy that I targeted, and I'm so thankful that he came with us."

… On comparing dual-threat quarterback KJ Jefferson of Arkansas to DJ Uiagalelei of Clemson: “Probably helps in terms of wrapping and finishing. You don't ever get to practice tackling someone that big. He's a little different,” Smart said. “DJ wasn't trying to run the ball, and they didn't really try to run him that much. KJ does do that. KJ is more of a physical, downhill runner. And he throws the ball really well, too. He's got an extremely strong arm. He's a true running back runner that can do those things. I don't think that's what DJ was. In the pocket, it probably helps to tackle a guy that big.”

… Smart was asked how he tries to make other teams play “left-handed”: “Well, we try to, defensively. I don’t know that we’re as good at it as Barry and those guys. Because Barry (Odom) and them come at you very different schematically. We’re probably, I would say closer to the norm in terms of our league. And Barry and them are not,” Smart said. “They are extremely tough prep, because of the way they play. It’s just different. I can’t explain it to you, you’d have to watch the tape. Their kids play extremely hard, are extremely physical, the strain is enormous, and if you don’t match their strain, you’re going to have a frustrating day.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for the way they play. But we try to force people, our big thing is stopping the run, and that’s always been an M.O. of ours, we’ve just been able to affect the passer a little better this year. These guys run the ball really well. And Coach Pittman is very involved in that, and Coach (Kendal) Briles does a good job of that. So offensively, we obviously try to dictate with some tempo, and we try to dictate with our playmakers’ ability, try to get the ball to our playmakers. But I can’t say we make anybody play left-handed as much as they do.”