Wednesday News and Notes

Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Matt Landers will be the first to tell you he’s grown up a lot since signing with Georgia in February of 2017.

Landers told reporters after practice Wednesday that, when he first arrived in Athens, there was a lot about playing football on the collegiate level that he knew absolutely nothing about.

That includes listening to what the head coach had to say.

A native of Pinellas, Fla., Landers admitted that as a freshman, he used to go around and around with Kirby Smart, whose hard-nosed coaching style was something that took some serious getting used to.

“Yeah, there was a little altercation between me and him my freshman year,” Landers said. “I just didn’t know how to take hard coaching.”

It wasn’t a one-time incident. Landers said similar exchanges between the two lasted until fall camp of his sophomore year.

“He’s a pretty intense coach,” Landers said. “But I adjusted well.”

Smart doesn’t disagree. While he acknowledges the hard times between the two, Smart credits Landers for finally “getting it,” including his acknowledgement that playing special teams isn’t necessarily a bad deal.

“He has come a long way. Matt and I have had our differences on the practice field plenty of times, and Matt has come a long way,” Smart said. “I think that Matt has finally figured out that ‘if I play special teams and I play well, then I have an opportunity to contribute on offense, and maybe even get some balls.’ You earn the right to do that by how you compete, what you do, and he’s come a long way. I’m really proud of Matt and how he’s grown up. He still has a ways to go, but Matt has come a long way from a freshman that probably never played special teams.”

Something obviously clicked.

Landers made his first career start last Saturday at Vanderbilt, and thanks to a willingness to do more than perhaps he was doing before, he’s earned more trust, thus more opportunities.

“It was all about just putting in more work,” said Landers. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

Don’t get Smart wrong.

Playing multiple FCS programs in one season isn't something he ever wants to do. But one every now and then? He's OK with that.

While Power Five schools such as Georgia continue to flourish, bringing in millions upon millions each year—thanks in part to lavish TV deals put together by the SEC—smaller schools like Murray State obviously have to scratch for whatever they can get.

That’s why playing big programs like Georgia can be so important to their financial stability, and that’s an area where Smart doesn’t mind lending a helping hand.

“Well, I mean, I think it’s the lifeblood of a program. If you went and polled them, they'd tell you without some of the bigger schools, they wouldn’t have a program. It’s their opportunity to fund their program,” Smart said. “I've been a huge salesman in the game and sport of football. I hope one day my son who plays football will have an opportunity to go play somewhere, and the more opportunities they have, I think it gives kids a wonderful chance to get a free education.”

According to an earlier open records request by UGASports, Georgia is paying Murray State $500,000 to come to Athens for Saturday’s game.

“If we don’t play FCS teams, there’s probably going to be some of them flip and go under, especially the way television is today, and attendance has dwindled,” Smart said. “That’s the lifeblood of their program. I certainly want to try and help support them, not at the cost of our fan base not getting what they want. There’s a medium in there.”

…Still no sign of freshman offensive lineman Clay Webb (illness, according to Smart) and freshman defensive lineman Tramel Walthour (“dinged up,” according to Smart).

…Freshman linebacker Rian Davis appeared to be limited in practice and wearing a brace over his shoulder.

On the play of Georgia’s defensive line in the season opener:

“The group we got is getting better; they've grown up. They've got themselves in better playing shape earlier in the year, playing with quickness. We still had some breakdowns in contain, and a couple of breakdowns in line movements, where we got hit with some runs. We’ve got a lot of area for improvement, but overall, they played really hard. That’s the one thing we talk about in that game is letting the mistakes be on us. You own your own effort, and I thought they played with good effort.”

On the tackling versus Vanderbilt last Saturday:

“It could improve. We had some space tackling with guys reaching out, and not trying to tackle with their feet closed and wrap up. We had a couple of plays where the back pushed the pile and continued to churn out yards after contact. We pride ourselves on not giving up yards after contact, and their back did a nice job of doing that. We got a lot of area to improve on, tackling-wise.”

On the play of the offensive line including 325 rushing yards versus Vanderbilt:

“We got to protect the quarterback better. We took some shots on our quarterback that were unnecessary. We had some ill-advised communication and busts that are not indicative of an offensive line that’s played so many games and starts as these guys. I think the guys played hard and physical, but we got to play smarter and protect better.”

On running back Zamir White’s debut:

“He really enjoyed the game. He was energized to get the opportunity to go out there and play. He’s waited so long, and there’s been such a buildup, and so much coverage of it, he was excited to break the glass and get started.”