Kirby Smart reacts: On analytics, UGA’s tight ends and team’s response after layoff
Just in time for Christmas, Georgia gifted its fans the team’s best game of the year.
The No. 9 Bulldogs rolled to a 49-14 win over No. 25 Missouri on Saturday in a game where they tripled the Tigers’ total yardage and out rushed the home team 316-22.
Here’s what Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had to say after the game:
Analytics help Bulldogs prevail
With 1:24 remaining in the first half, Smart called a timeout.
It’s a decision he prepared this week to make. Over the course of each game week, Smart reads through a 20-page report on good and bad analytical decisions from around college football. Smart referred to himself as a “geek” when it comes to that kind of stuff.
So when Missouri faced a third-and-goal late in the first half, Smart knew he needed to stop the clock and get his offense an extra possession.
“We’re probably conceding that score, right? We may stop them, we may not,” Smart said. “I’m calling that timeout not for the defense. I’m calling that timeout to make sure (Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz) doesn’t milk it for 40 seconds. We were able to get the ball back and we were able to have time on the clock to go down and score.”
Indeed, after the Tigers tied the game on the play after the stoppage, the Bulldogs got the ball back and drove down the field to score with 37 seconds left in the half. They also took possession on the first drive of the second half, scoring again to open a 14-point lead with the help of some math.
Those kinds of decisions are happening throughout a game. Smart noted a play at the end of the third quarter where his offense tried to draw Missouri offsides and took a deep shot to sophomore receiver George Pickens.
It’s all in the name of getting an edge, however geeky one has to be to get there.
Darnell Washington, young offensive Bulldogs growing up
Observers of the Georgia offense want to attribute the improvements over the past three weeks solely to the emergence of USC transfer J.T. Daniels at quarterback. While that has certainly benefited the Bulldogs, that’s far from the only factor at play.
Mainly, Smart said the young players are growing up. Both in general college experience and in their understanding of Todd Monken’s offensive system, those Bulldogs are starting to get it.
“They’re hearing plays and concepts for the 50th time instead of the fifth time,” Smart said.
Smart mentioned several players by name, including freshman receiver Jermaine Burton and redshirt freshman right tackle Warren McClendon. Against Missouri, however, the player with the most visible growth just happened to be one of the biggest on the field.
Gargantuan freshman tight end Darnell Washington entered the game with just four catches for 120 yards on the year. But against the Tigers, he had a pair of catches on four targets, showing that he has the potential to be a focal point of the passing game heading into next season.
“Darnell’s been a weapon all year,” Smart said. “It’s been us trying to find ways to use him. He has a unique combination of size and he’s a tough matchup. Coach Monken really likes using multiple tight end sets. It’s done a lot in the NFL. If you can mismatch people and have the ability to run the ball, but then also flex them out and throw the ball, it’s really frustrating.”
All of this, the maturity and the new quarterback, have the Georgia offense playing as well as it has all year. It’s too late to matter much in the big picture in 2020, but the unit is proving it can be one of the conference’s best in 2021.
Great practices translate to game
Smart didn’t know what to expect at practice on Monday.
The players found out the Friday before that their Dec. 5 game had been postponed, and they had the weekend to stew on it in a season where their big-picture goals are largely off the table. Smart had no idea what kind of energy his team would have when they retook the field for practice on Monday.
He received a pleasant surprise.
“It was cold and windy Monday and we went outside,” Smart said. “I couldn’t believe how well the guys just embraced it and joked around and kidded around.”
More of the same followed on Tuesday. Smart called those days the best practices of the entire season.
Smart isn’t sure why his team responded that way. Perhaps the time off helped, or maybe they embraced the challenge that comes with facing a top-25 team on the road. Their head coach even worried if they were leaving their best play on the practice field in Athens.
Those fears proved to be unfounded, as the Bulldogs rolled to the huge win Saturday.
“I was worried that it wouldn’t equate because I couldn’t simulate the weather,” Smart said. “I’m just so proud because I didn’t know how they would react Monday.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Kirby Smart reacts: On analytics, UGA’s tight ends and team’s response after layoff."