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Georgia’s Bye Week Fix May Begin Where the Punt Stops

Georgia’s special teams do not need to provide a highlight reel every time out. What they do need are punts that land opponents near their own goal line and keep them there, which is usually enough to make a coach smile.

For a team with championship goals, that is not asking for much. Kirby Smart pointed to this as unfinished business this week, a time when it would be easy to spend every minute rehashing turnovers, offensive choices, and defensive mistakes from the Auburn game.

On Tuesday, Smart made it clear that Georgia’s trouble pinning opponents inside the 10-yard line is a special teams issue that needs fixing. The Bulldogs have had chances to punt from good field position, but too often those punts have not turned into the tough starting spots the defense would prefer.

This is worth some attention before Florida, since field position changes what an offense can do. If you start near midfield, a coordinator can think about going for it on fourth down or taking a shot downfield without immediately worrying about the fallout. Start near your own goal line, and even a routine mistake can become a bigger problem.

A holding penalty gets a little more uncomfortable. A sack is not simply a setback; it can put points in play for the other team. Still, picking up a first down might still leave an offense with a long way to go before it can think about scoring.

Of course, none of this guarantees a stop. Georgia still has to tackle, cover, and do the basics. But a good punt gives the defense a little more room to survive a mistake, instead of needing a hero play right away.

Coaches have to look at whether the kick has enough hang time for the coverage to get there, whether it is placed where someone can actually make a play, and whether the coverage team can track the ball without forgetting where the goal line is.

All of these jobs are connected. A coverage player can run as fast as anyone and still end up in the wrong spot. A well-placed kick can still turn into a touchback if nobody handles the last few yards. Effort is good, but the ball does not hand out style points.

This is also a good chance to develop younger players. Coverage work asks them to recognize space, control their bodies, and finish a job while moving fast. Coaches can see who is ready to handle the details, not just who looks good running in a straight line.

The open week gives Georgia a chance to look at the whole operation: the call, the protection, the kick, and the coverage. If someone is not ready for a job, changing personnel might help. Just repeating the same instruction louder usually does not.

Georgia has bigger issues to solve than just where a punt lands, but there is no reason to leave a fixable advantage on the table as they get ready for another rivalry game.

Before Georgia asks its defense to change a game, the punt team’s job is to make sure the opponent has a longer trip ahead.

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