Head Coach Smart Updates the Media

As the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators prepare to meet-up, Head Coach Kirby Smart updates the media on the team during Bye week.

Looking at the Injured Players

Coach Smart talked on how he’s hoping to see some players be ready for the Florida-Georgia game. Including Christopher Smith, Arian Smith, and Ameer Speed.

Christopher Smith was cleared for the last game as the team was planning to use him for a dime situation but that didn’t happen so he didn’t play. He has been practicing all week and is cleared to go. Coach Smart said he feels good about Chris.

Arian Smith was borderline questionable for the last game and they ended up not using him, it’s a pain tolerance issue. Coach Smart hopes that he’ll be back after being out for a couple of weeks.

Ameer Speed is also close to being ready and they are hoping he’ll be ready for the Florida game. He has been running on his ankle but is not one-hundred percent yet.

Other players that are making great progress but aren’t there yet are George Pickens, Kenny McIntosh, and JT Daniels.

George Pickens has been working hard and progressing each week. He has done some workouts and pre-game workouts but he’s just not cleared yet. “He’s done a tremendous job of working and recovery” his parents, coach Smart, Dr. Andrews, and Ron Courson have all been involved in this conversation and they hope he is able to get back to 100% as that is their major concern.

Kenny McIntosh has been out with a hamstring issue and they hope to get him back but he is still not cleared.

JT Daniels who has been dealing with a lat muscle injury has been getting better. His pitch count has increased pain-free. He got 65-70 throws on Monday and he is increasing distance.

Receiving Great Coverage

More than 27 million people have watched Georgia play football this season. Coach Smart want’s his players to represent the brand the right way. “These kids have a opportunity to come here and play in front of a lot of people and create a brand for themselves on how they play.” Coach Smart talks on how the team has been tough and resilient and all those traits they have shown are critical to the teams success.

Scott Cochran’s Return

Scott Cochran is officially back with the team. His role will be with assisting the special team’s staff and helping contribute to those guys in an off-field role for the rest of the season. Coach Smart is happy to have him back, with his energy and enthusiasm.

Looking at the Team

The team has improved since last year including their defensive. “We’re playing some difference defenses. We’re playing a little less of some things we’ve played traditionally.” They have simplified some things and are more experienced in the front seven. “The biggest difference is probably the experience of the front seven this year versus last year.”

As the team heads into bye week they look to continue practicing and not lose momentum. “I don’t know that we are playing at our best, so we’re trying to play better” Coach Smart stated. This week they are focusing on sharpening their edge and getting better instead of focusing on losing their edge.

They are also looking into developing players during bye week. They’re trying to develop the roster all of the time. “The defensive player on the scout team we’re trying to develop.” Coach Smart talked on how Jordan Davis made his mark freshman year and is highlighting no matter where you are now, this is an opportunity to change that.

Georgia is currently Ranked No. 1 and Coach Smart talked on how it doesn’t get mentioned as much and there’s not a lot of time to talk on it but the kids are still aware and hear about it on social media. The team focuses on “what has made us successful” and “what are our threats” they focus on that in order to not let those things affect them. “We are very open about it, we have conversation about it, but outside of that the ranking does not come up much.”

This Weeks Schedule

The team will be practicing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and will “get after it”. The team will be working on some future opponents, they are going to introduce Florida on Thursday. There will be some guys recruiting on Thursday and some on Thursday and Friday and some will just be Friday. They are off on Saturday and then back at it on Sunday.

Looking Ahead

Georgia is set to play the Florida Gators on Sat, Oct 30 at 3:30 p.m. The Bulldogs are currently 53-44 with two ties against the Gators. In their previous matchup the Bulldogs fell short to the Gators 44-28.