It’s worth noticing that over the past couple weeks that when Kirby Smart says something is going to happen, something is going to happen.

In the days preceding unexpectedly challenging matchups in Kent State and Missori, Coach Smart wasn’t shy to open up and admit that those teams may wind up being more competitive than expected. And that’s precisely what happened. 

It was known going in that Kent State would have a unique and explosive offense, and they scored a lot more than most fans were comfortable with. Missouri’s defensive front was given praise by Smart in the days leading up to that exhibition. It turned out to be the Dawgs’ most competitive game of the season, and the final score was less than a touchdown difference. 

So, after hearing what Coach Smart had to say about Clark Lea and the Vanderbilt Commodores yesterday afternoon, I have made the executive decision to not take anything lightly. 

Smart said that Vandy’s head coach Clark Lea did “a tremendous job at Notre Dame” and even told us that there were things Lea did in his time as a linebackers coach at Wake Forest and as a defensive coordinator at Notre Dame that he “copied” during his time at Georgia. 

Although the Commodores have allowed more than 50 points on defense against the two conference opponents Alabama and Ole Miss, I still wouldn’t put them out of the count. The Dawgs have started games pretty slow lately, leaving teams with opportunities to strike while they’re down. The Auburn game wasn’t even secured until the second half.

Regardless, Coach Smart doesn’t see it the way the fans see it. He’s reduced the reasoning behind the lack of early offensive production to “missed opportunities” and that he thinks “everybody defines ‘slow’ differently.”

While the likelihood of anything like that happening at all is quite slim given the disparity of talent between Georgia and Vanderbilt, anything can happen any given Saturday. All I’m trying to get is that fans shouldn’t take Smart’s words lightly.