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Olivia Sayer
Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart in action during the second half of the Georgia vs. Texas game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. Georgia won 30-15.(Photo/Laney Martin;@LaneyMartinPhotography)
Fresh off his win against No. 7 Tennessee, Kirby Smart is not worried about Georgia’s lack of a path to the SEC Championship. Instead, the Bulldogs’ head coach is laser focused on UMass.
“I don’t think that’s a hypothetical that — the focus is on UMass,” Smart said during his Monday press conference. “So why would I put energy or time into trying to figure out what the best pathway is, including the SEC Championship, when I’m worried about UMass? I just don’t think it’s a quality conversation.”
The Minutemen will be under new leadership for Saturday’s 12:45 p.m. kickoff after head coach Don Brown was fired on Monday afternoon. Smart called the news “unfortunate” but said he knows interim head coach Shane Montgomery from recruiting on the road together.
“He’s a tremendous coach, and we look forward to preparing for this game,” Smart said.
The Bulldogs are licking their wounds with two weeks left in the regular season. Dillon Bell suffered an ankle sprain in the second quarter, but Smart shared it will not require surgery. He also said that the team is “hopeful” to get Trevor Etienne back.
Georgia played without offensive linemen Earnest Greene III and Micah Morris against the Volunteers, who are recovering from shoulder and lower-body injuries. Smart said that Greene was a “game-time decision,” while Morris was “close to being able to go.”
“[Greene] is still struggling with that arm,” Smart said. “He was out there giving everything he had against Ole Miss and didn’t have complete strength in his left arm, which is hard to use at left tackle. And we’re hoping that he continues to gain strength. [Morris] was close to being able to go and might have been in an emergency Saturday, but he’s not completely healthy.”
Despite missing two key contributors, the group did not allow a single sack to Tennessee. Sophomore Monroe Freeling stepped in for Greene at left tackle, while guard Tate Ratledge returned to form after playing through a “dinged ankle” in Georgia’s Week 11 loss to Ole Miss.
“[The Tennessee] game means a lot to me,” Ratledge said on Monday. “Grew up a huge Tennessee fan, everybody knows, family is Tennessee fans — half of them still don’t talk to me — but that game meant a lot to me. Being in front of our fans and being able to do that and our fans coming out and showing out like they did was huge.”
Georgia’s entire offense bounced back against the Volunteers, with the tight end room having its best performance of the season. Oscar Delp, Ben Yurosek and Lawson Luckie combined for 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 10 receptions.
Smart disputed the idea that Georgia’s three tight end sets were tailored towards Tennessee due to the versatility of the position group.
“The casual observer would think that 13 [personnel] meant something, but we have 13 in every game plan,” Smart said. “When you lose receivers, it does make the 13 more valuable because Lawson Luckie might be doing what Dom Lovett does. Dom Lovett might be doing what Dillon Bell does. You’re just moving people and trying to put your most valuable players on the field.”
Georgia’s victory over Tennessee did not come without controversy, as after the game, Volunteer head coach Josh Heupel appeared displeased with the officiating. After a media relations staff member asked if there were any additional questions for Heupel in his postgame press conference, the head coach said, “Do you want to ask about the 12-men-on-the-field penalty?”
The penalty occurred midway through the third quarter when defensive lineman Jaxson Moi failed to leave the field prior to Georgia snapping the ball. Smart said the rule’s enforcement varies across conferences, but the SEC will generally give a delay of game if a team tries to substitute players with 10 seconds left.
“The coaches know how it’s supposed to work, or at least they’re supposed to know how it works in terms of what you’re given,” Smart said. “And the issue is every conference officiates it differently. I’ve watched teams really late at night, so you can imagine where they’re playing, what part of the country they’re in, where that’s completely accepted in terms of take as long as you want. They don’t actually let you do that in our league, and that’s really to benefit the teams that play with pace.”
Georgia’s defense shut out Tennessee in the second half after surrendering 17 points in the first two quarters. The unit consisted of four true freshmen — Chris Cole, Quintavius Johnson and Justin Williams and KJ Bolden — with the latter’s intelligence standing out to Smart.
“Last week he had to play strong and free [safety] because of the tempo,” Smart said of Bolden. “He didn’t get to play just one position, and he played a lot of snaps for a freshman, and he continues to grow and get better. And I like his humility in the fact that he’s a sponge. He’s in meetings, he takes notes. He’s not a know-it-all.”