More on the quarterbacks
As expected, head coach Kirby Smart did not have an update regarding the Bulldogs’ quarterback situation.
Stetson Bennett, D’Wan Mathis, Carson Beck, and yes, JT Daniels continue to compete for the job. Smart was not about to drop any hints as to which way he might be leaning.
However, Smart gave his thoughts on Daniels, who will be cleared for Saturday’s game.
“He’s an extremely bright kid. He's delightful to be around, very intellectual. He asks a lot of questions. He digs deep into the game; the game is really important to him. He gets the ball out really quick,” Smart said. “He’s got a quick release and great arm-talent. He's doing a good job—he's out there working. For us, it's not really different than it was before. He was practicing before. He’s just practicing more now.”
Smart also answered the question many have been asking: Why did Daniels travel to Arkansas to begin with?
His answer was simple.
“In hopes that he would be cleared,” Smart said.
Georgia’s coach also reiterated that redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis is by no means out of the picture, despite his poor start against Arkansas.
“Again, that’s why I wasn't tremendously upset after the game, because I've seen the body of work. So when you're sitting there with 25 practices under your belt, you've seen some practices that probably look something like what we did out there (against Arkansas), and I've seen some that didn't,” Smart said. “They go against a pretty good defense every day, whether it's our ones or twos. So we've had days that were like that. Where we were one play away, one penalty, one thing. So I don't get overly emotional about it. I try to say, 'Look, we've got to get better at what we've got to do,' but I look at the scrimmages as games, and we had three of those and we've had one game. That's the body of work you try to go by, and the practices you go by, and try to make the best decisions for your team and your organization off it."
Freshmen defensive linemen make a contribution
Pro Football Focus weekly grades of the nation’s top defensive lines found Georgia sitting No. 2 in the nation after Week 4 with a grade of 79.0.
Freshmen Jalen Carter and Warren Brinson played a big role.
Not a single Bulldog defensive lineman was forced to play in more than 33 of the team’s 72 snaps, a stat thanks partly to the production of the two newcomers, who repped 20 and 17 plays, respectively.
“They’ve both done a good job. They’re a work in progress, like most freshmen,” Smart said. “They had some freshmen mistakes when they were able to get in to play.”
Another name to watch for is fellow freshman Nazir Stackhouse.
Stackhouse did not travel to Arkansas, but Smart mentioned his name as someone to watch.
“The kid (Stackhouse) that didn’t get to make the trip just based on sheer numbers, but has played really well. The one thing I’ve learned is how much better kids get in the season by going to the scout team,” Smart said. “Warren goes down there, Tymon [Mitchell] goes down there, Jalen goes down there, Naz goes down there—Naz is the guy I'm referencing who gets so much better by going against Trey Hill and Justin (Shaffer) every day. They each just get so much good work. It makes you realize how much faster you can get better. Those guys have helped bolster the rotation for sure.”
Smart pokes a little fun
During his press conference early in the afternoon, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn opened up his press conference by saying Georgia has "the most talent in the SEC.”
While the Bulldogs, thanks to three straight No. 1 classes, certainly do have a lot of talent, Smart could not help but give Malzahn a friendly jab of his own.
“I think if you ask somebody the week of the game, they have the most talent in the league. The next week, that team will have the most talent. The next week, that team will have the most talent, and the next week, that team will have the most talent,” Smart said. “That’s called Coach-speak. So, thanks, Gus. He has the most talent in the SEC.”
Injury Update
Smart said tight end Tre’ McKitty has practiced with the team the past two days and has a chance to make his Bulldog debut Saturday night against the Tigers.
McKitty missed last week’s opener recovering from arthroscopic surgery following an injury during the Bulldogs’ second scrimmage of fall camp.
"Yeah, Tre' was able to practice some—what is today? Tuesday, so he practiced a little bit Monday, did some light work, didn't get to do a lot of stuff. Then today he increased that a little bit more. He's coming on nicely,” Smart said. “He's got a chance to play. It's one of those deals where you'd like to get some really good live action before you go out there in the game. I don't know if we're going to get a chance to do that, but he's certainly improved and getting in better shape.”
…Smart said redshirt freshman offensive lineman Clay Webb is dealing with an ankle injury, which was the reason he didn't travel to Arkansas as UGASports previously reported.
Offensive line battles continue
Smart said he and offensive line coach Matt Luke will continue to evaluate the Bulldogs’ offensive line.
“Those battles are going to continue all year, to be honest with you. If we didn't think they were the best players, they probably wouldn't have been there in the first place, right?” he said. “So, there are 25 plays, 25 practices, that’s a body of work. And I think a lot of times people think you're going to magically fix it with a change. You've got to get your players to play better. And where you have an opportunity to make a change or you have a competitive battle, you’ve certainly got to use it that way.”
According to Smart, Warren McClendon and Owen Condon will continue to compete at right tackle.
“It was really the first real game action—when I say real, Warren got to play some in the past,” Smart said. “But Owen and Warren getting their first road game action—they’re both going to grow and get better.”
Trey Hill, meanwhile, will continue to rotate at guard.
“And Trey has always rotated at guard for us, he’s done that every year he’s been here. And Warren (Ericson), you have to have two to three centers every game, because that's a situation where you could get into trouble. Ericson and Trey Hill both rotate at guard,” Smart said. “We feel good about those rotations we’ve got. I thought those guys pass (-protected) really well. We didn't get the holes we wanted in the run game. But some of that has to do with a lot of other things.”
Quotables
“Nolan (Smith) is fun to coach. He's full of spirit. He's never had a bad day—he's fired up out there on the practice field. He's one of those guys you just like to coach. He texted me the other night and said, ‘Can I go to the scout team? I am not getting enough reps. I'm having to rotate among three guys. I want more reps. Can I go get more reps on scout team?’ That's just the kind of kid he is.” – Smart on Nolan Smith.
“I really don’t look at those, but you could say it’s motivation to just keep going hard and motivate myself to keep proving everybody wrong.” – Azeez Ojulari from being excluded from pre-season awards lists.
“I love it here. I love the guys here. The coaches are awesome. I believe they are the best coaches in the conference and in the nation. Who better to learn from? I also look past football because I know football doesn’t last forever and the connections here that I would get, the networking that I would get would set me up for a great job afterwards and the education here is really good. So that’s the biggest reason I’ve stayed besides being who I’m with.” – Senior linebacker Nate McBride on staying at Georgia.