Kirby Smart on Offensive Line: “Who You’re Putting Your Hat On”

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Kirby Smart on Offensive Line: “Who You’re Putting Your Hat On”

Quarterback Jacob Eason celebrates with a teammate after throwing a TD
Quarterback Jacob Eason celebrates with a teammate after throwing a TD

 

During Coach Kirby Smarts press conference on Monday, the offensive line and troubles with blocking came up. The subject of the line has been buzzing around the Dawg Nation since the beginning of the season. After Saturday, there are a few questions that need answering.

 

One of the questions is about how the line’s built, and if they will always struggle against larger fronts. Smart went into how each game Georgia struggled in, the coaches can go back and see the mistakes. He agreed that there were some games where the mistakes were evident.

 

Kirby mentioned how there were some games where they got completely dominated. He explained how in those games the defensive front was just more physical than Georgia’s line. Smart went into how there were some games where the offense established the run and times where they didn’t.

 

“What makes that happen has a lot to do with who you’re putting your hat on. The size of the man you’re putting your hat on, the run, quickness, the strike, the second step on the run. There’s a lot of technical aspects that not only we need to improve on but, hey you have to give the other team some credit when they beat you,” Smart said to the media on Monday. “When they whip you, and there have been both cases, and that’s what we have to continue to improve on is making sure our guys can whip their guys.”

 

Another issue is about the size of the offensive line and when they lose these battles in the trenches. Is it really about the line’s stature or is it something else. Smart talked about how some of the games didn’t have to do with size but rather quickness. Especially against Florida, where No. 57, who continuously was shifting and angling. It was about how fast he was not his size. He mentioned how in other games the shifting and angling worked toward Georgia’s advantage and they dominated against it. However, it was clearly not the case on Saturday.

 

The topic of Lamont Gaillard and Dyshon Sims also came up on Monday. These two both are competing for the same spot on the offensive line. Smart praised both players and how they both are working their tails off. He also mentions how much they love playing for Georgia and that both players want to play well. However, he did make the comment that if there were someone on the team better than, they would play.

 

Another aspect brought up was the building a bigger stronger line. The media wanted to know how far the program was from obtaining that line.

 

Smart said that he isn’t putting the blame on the offensive line and that others shouldn’t as well. He mentions that it’s the responsibility of the coaches and offensive staff to teach the players. They have to coach these athletes to get the ball to the right playmakers to allow them to make plays. Smart also believes the line has played well sometimes. However Smart says the offensive line just haven’t played at the level the coaches expect of them consistently enough. He admits that it’s something that the coaching staff and himself will have to work on to get right.

 

“Yeah, I don’t deal with hypotheticals. I told you that before. I think it’s the situation where we got to improve. We got to get the guys we have here to play better.” Smart said.

 

 

 

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Savannah Leigh is a recent graduate of the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia. She is an avid SEC, Dawgs, and college football fan. She also adores her four-year-old black lab, Champ Bailey.