Kirby Smart Press Conference Recap

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart spoke to the media following practice on Tuesday for the first time since the team's 13-12 victory over Kentucky. The Bulldogs are on a bye week, but Smart further emphasized Georgia’s mantra of "Better Never Rests," and added that this week is all about improvement for his team.

Georgia sits at 3-0 and #2 in the latest AP Poll, dropping from #1 after its narrow victory. Still, the road ahead is treacherous. Following the bye, the Dawgs will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on #4 Alabama. Games at #1 Texas, #5 Ole Miss and #6 Tennessee await further down the road. Needless to say, this is an important week for the Dawgs. 

Here's more of what Smart said while meeting with the media on Tuesday...

Injuries:

Smart was immediately asked about injuries to quarterback Carson Beck and right guard Tate Ratledge, both of which were suffered during the Kentucky game. The good news? Carson Beck is fine and has practiced normally thus far this week. The bad news? Tate Ratledge had to undergo tightrope surgery for his ankle and will begin the recovery process. 

Smart did however provide positive updates for Georgia's front seven and the injuries that unit has dealt with.

"They're all working to come back," Smart said. "They're all doing the rehab process, Warren's really close, he's out there doing stuff now. Mykel's (Williams) running, Jordan's (Hall) running, so we're hoping to get those guys back." 

NIL Executive Order

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed an executive order into law today that allows Georgia and other schools in the state to pay players directly for use of their name, image, and likeness.

"Appreciative," Smart said. "We want to be as competitive as we can be in our field of endeavor, it's the world we live in and it's not just us apparently. It's the whole state of Georgia, USG, and very appreciative of Governor Kemp and his staff for allowing us to be competitive and putting us on a level playing field and to continue to support our student-athletes. This is going to benefit the student-athletes and I'm very appreciative of them supporting that and getting it done."

Recent Arrests

Smart was once again asked about the program and its continued struggles with driving-related arrests, the latest being Daniel Harris before Kentucky. Smart was very honest in his assessment but emphasized that he and the staff are trying to remedy the problem.

"We continue to have guys make poor decisions, it's very unfortunate and I know that our staff, myself, continue to drive home the sensitive nature of it," Smart said. "It's certainly a deadly speed when you talk about the speed that he was traveling at and you want kids to grow up, you want to treat them like your own kids, you want them to grow up and make good decisions and learn from others' mistakes and we have guys share and we obviously continue to talk to them but it hasn't stopped it so you have to find a way to do it."

Improvement Moving Forward

Smart was asked multiple questions about different facets of his team, and how Georgia can get better before the game at Alabama. Fortunately for UGA, the bye week could not have come at a better time. 

As for the offense, Smart harped on communication leading to better execution. He said that was a major issue for the team on Saturday that led to Beck being pressured more than accustomed to. 

With no game this week, all attention is turned toward September 28th when the Dawgs travel to take on Alabama.

You can watch Kirby Smart’s full press conference on the DawgsCentral YouTube channel at the link below… 

Photo Via UGAA