Whether or not tight end Eli Wolf ever makes a bigger play than his key first down catch to help beat Florida last Saturday, the grad transfer from Tennessee certainly won’t be forgetting that one any time soon.

Facing a third-and-7 and needing a first down to run out the clock, quarterback Jake Fromm hit Wolf with a 22-yard throw to the sideline, a play that saw the Ohio native make a marvelous grab before being pushed out of bounds.

Although Wolf might have been the most unlikely candidate to get the ball, neither the play nor the call came by accident.

“We practice scenarios like that, you need a first down, four-minute drill. We run through basically every scenario possible on Friday just to make sure we’re ready for the game so I knew that call was in the arsenal,” Wolf said. “I didn’t know if we were going to exactly call it, but when I heard the call, I was like OK, let’s get it done.”

That’s just what the Bulldogs did, and Wolf made the grab that reporters were still asking him about Wednesday.

“They were playing man so I knew if I got leverage on him, broke out, all Jake had to do was place it there,” Wolf said. “Jake got some pressure in his face but he put right about where it needed to be. I made a little bit of an adjustment and went right over the defender. It was a good play by everybody on the offense.”

Following Saturday’s win over Florida, head coach Kirby Smart revealed that he and Fromm twice met for lunch.

According to Smart, he just wanted to make sure his quarterback’s confidence remained unshaken following his four-turnover game against South Carolina game and a Kentucky contest where he only threw the football 12 times.

Wednesday, Wolf was asked if he ever noticed a difference.

“Even if he did lose confidence, he definitely portrays what you want in a quarterback. You want a quarterback with confidence and leadership. If he did, he did a good job of hiding it, but he doesn’t need to lose his confidence,” Wolf said. “We all believe in him. The whole team is backing him. We don’t want anyone else playing quarterback for us. No, I think he did a great job of leading the team to a victory.”

Indeed.

Fromm responded from those previous contests by completing 20 of 30 passes for 279 yards and two scores against Florida.

It’s a question fans have asked for basically the entire year – what’s up with James Cook?

One of the fastest players on the team, Cook hasn’t touched the football perhaps quite as much as some predicted, rushing 12 times for 115 yards to go along with 13 catches for 87.

Earlier this week, Smart was asked about the sophomore and the touches he’s received thus far in an effort to get the Florida native more opportunities in space.

“Yeah, I wish I could get everybody more opportunities in space. He's a good player,” Smart said. “We've got to keep trying to find roles for him. He's been an impact player for us on special teams and we've got to keep doing that with him."

Part of the “problem” for Cook, Georgia’s depth at the running back position? There’s only so many footballs to go around.

D’Andre Swift has been the bell cow, rushing 135 times for 838 yards and seven touchdowns, followed by Brian Herrien with 60 carries for 324 yards and four scores. Redshirt freshman Zamir White has had his moments, with 40 carries for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

The idea that Georgia’s daily practices are consumed with getting the Bulldogs prepared for their upcoming game certainly isn’t wrong.

However, as Smart explains, it’s not the only purpose that practice serves.

For youngsters like Clay Webb, Ryland Goede, or any number of young Bulldogs getting their first taste of college ball, the work they’re putting in now will serve them and the program well in the years to come.

"Well everybody practices, so what happens is you go out to practice and if you're not with the ones or twos, then you're over here repping,” Smart said. “So, Ryland Goede or Kenny McIntosh or Tyrique Stevenson, I mean, you name anybody you want to name, Xavier Truss, Clay Webb, they're all working.”

Smart said watching his younger players mature into their future roles is one of his greater joys.

“The beauty is that I get to see them on both sides. I get to see them (on the scout team) go against good people,” he said. “We've got a really good history here of developing players to prepare them to play the next season or maybe even play this season should something happen.”

McIntosh, who has played six of Georgia’s eight games, rushing for 128 yards on just 13 carries, is a classic example.

Although McIntosh’s backfield touches have been limited, his willingness to play special teams has earned him even more platitudes from his head coach.

“I love watching a guy like Kenny McIntosh, who did not have a clue how to play special teams. I'm not saying he wasn't bought in on it. He just didn't know to now, he loves it. He's fast, he embraces it, and he's taken ownership in his role,” Smart said. “I thought (Bill) Belichick said it best when he said you want to find out if someone cares most about the team, put them on kickoff coverage and put them on kickoff return. That's when you find out how much they care about the team. We've got a lot of guys on there that have done a good job. Trezmen (Marshall) has done a great job of that."

Over 8,000 fans watched Georgia’s basketball team beat Western Carolina in Tuesday’s season-opener.

Bulldog wide receiver Kearis Jackson was one, and said he came away impressed with what he saw.

“I went to the game, watched the first half before going to study hall, but I think we’ve got a pretty good basketball team,” Jackson said. “I’m excited about the guys we have on the court.”

The basketball and football teams are friends and fans off of their respective playing surfaces as well.

“Oh yeah, we see each other every day,” Jackson said. “We speak, we hang, they’re part of our family, too. They’re like us, they came to Georgia to win.”

Earlier Wednesday, Smart took place in the weekly SEC teleconference.

Here’s what he had to say:

On senior Tae Crowder being a semifinalist for the Butkus Award

“(Tae) is story of perseverance. He was a very lightly recruited kid as far as I know, I was not here. They took him the last couple of days, took him as a big, athletic running back. He just transformed himself, he kept working hard. We got here, and he wanted to play. He came and talked to me and said he wanted to play special teams and one thing led to another, and he’s turned himself into a good inside linebacker. He’s smart and instinctive for a kid who didn’t play much defense his whole life. He plays well in space. He’s a good athlete. Tae’s been a really positive success story and a great kid I thought he played well against Florida, and he continues to grow and get better. We’re proud of the leadership he’s provided. He’s got a really good understanding of our defense.”

On the biggest challenges facing Missouri Saturday

“Barry (Odom) does a tremendous job. They’ve got a great program. They’re really good on special teams. They have no weaknesses when you look across the board on special teams. They’ll be one of the best teams we’ve played in regards to that. Defensively, they’re big and physical and always presented a problem. They’re hard to run the ball on, a top 15 team in almost every defensive category. Kelly (Bryant) is an experienced player who has played in everything. He’s played in all kinds of big games. The atmosphere is not too big for him. The weapons they have on offense with the things they do, they can create a lot of matchup problems for us.”