ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Bulldogs held a 2 1/2-hour scrimmage on Saturday afternoon. The following are excerpts from Georgia head coach Kirby Smart’s post-practice press briefing:
On the Paul Oliver Network:
“We had a tremendous Georgia Way event this morning in the indoor facility in honor of Paul Oliver. It was great for the players and the former players who came back to network. We had over 100 companies here and it was tremendous for the players.”
On the scrimmage:
“Due to the weather, we went inside with the scrimmage. The outside fields were too slick. We still had an upbeat scrimmage. I regret not getting the elements – hot, cold, humidity – for the scrimmage, so that made it a little easier. It was upbeat with good competition. We have a long way to go to be the football team we need to be, but the kids are buying in and competing. Both offenses moved the ball well and the defense played hard. Guys are buying in and playing hard.”
On tackling:
“We don’t tackle day to day, but we tackle in the scrimmages. The whistle doesn’t blow early in the scrimmage, so it’s good to see plays like that. That’s the goal, to have good competition.”
On Justin Young:
“Justin Young has a mild knee sprain, but we think he’ll be back before spring is over. He should be fine.”
On quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Justin Fields:
“Both guys handled the offense well and did a good job of communicating. They handled situations well. I thought they competed hard and did some good things.”
On Mark Webb:
“Mark Webb is one of the toughest kids I’ve coached. He won’t take himself out. He continues to grow and develop. He’s physical and tough, and I like that about him.”
On the secondary:
“We’ve got a long way to go in the secondary. We had a unique unit of DBs that played a long time. With them gone, we’re trying to get some guys in here to fill that void. We’re not where we need to be, we don’t have the depth we need and we’re not playing at the level we need to play at. They’re going against some good quarterbacks and receivers at practice every day.”
On the special teams part of the scrimmage:
“It was well organized and the best scrimmage we’ve ever had. We were efficient with the GA’s getting players on and off the field. The only difference was with punting. I threw the ball instead of us punting it and we didn’t waste any reps. It was very efficient.”
On the secondary:
‘With the defensive front and the secondary, we don’t have the depth we need. We’ve got good frontline players, but if a guy goes down, what’s the answer? That’s coaching. We’re looking at personnel and packages.”