Roquan Smith discussed the Bulldogs 38-7 win over in-state rival Georgia Tech and what he thinks was a key towards Georgia’s success against defending the Yellow Jackets offense on Saturday. Plus, how it feels to be 11-1, has he made any decision regarding declaring early for the NFL Draft, and more in his post-game interview.

 

Most notably, the junior inside linebacker praised the Bulldogs’ scout team for preparing Georgia to face Tech’s triple-option offense. Their contribution often overlooked by most fans and the media, the scout team members play an integral part in the Bulldogs game planning each week and have helped lead to the success that Georgia has had on the field in 2017.

“But, man, the scout team we had this week,” Smith said. “Guys like [Jacob] Gross, [Turner] Fortin and Tim Hill, different guys giving us a look on the offensive line and then the guards and quarterback, they prepared us well for this game. I felt like they did a darn good job… seriously.”

Jacob Gross is a 6 foot 0, and 228 lbs senior walk-on full back out of Upson-Lee High School from Molena, GA who transferred to UGA from Reinhardt University in 2016. He has seen action in the Samford and Missouri games as well as being a stand out on the scout team.

Turner Fortin is a 6 foot 1, and 231 lbs redshirt sophomore out of Northview High School from Johns Creek, GA. He has been a walk-on and a scout team member at UGA since 2015. And Tim Hill is a 5 foot 11, and 172 lbs senior out of Mountain View High School from the Atlanta metro area. Hill transferred from Bethany College to Georgia in 2015 as a walk-on. In addition to the scout team, Hill has seen playing time versus North Carolina, Nicholls, Missouri and TCU last year and has played versus Appalachian State, Samford and Kentucky this season.

‘The Mailman’, 6 foot 0, and 172 lbs Stetson Bennett has often simulated the dual-threat and option quarterbacks in practice on the scout team to help prepare the defense. he is a true freshman and preferred walk-on out of Pierce County High School from Blackshear, GA. Another key scout team member is 6 foot 5, and 195 lbs freshman wide receiver Matt Landers, who was a signee in Georgia’s 2017 recruiting class out of St. Petersburg High School from Pinellas, FL.

And there are far more walk-ons and freshmen who have put in a lot of hours, blood, and sweat behind the scenes to help Georgia to an 11-1 season.

This is not the first time we have had a player or players praise the work of the scout team this year. Kirby Smart has praised the job the scout team has done in his press conferences. Now, that scout unit has the challenge of preparing the Bulldogs to face Auburn in the SEC Championship Game.

 
Here is the full audio of Roquan Smith’s interview:
 
 

 
 
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