If Georgia is going to beat LSU in Atlanta, they’re going to have to do more

Kirby Smart seemed to be almost aware — or at least certainly unimpressed — that his Georgia Bulldogs had just clinched their third SEC East championship with their 21-14 victory Saturday over Auburn. He admitted that he skipped right over that detail in his postgame speech to the players.

“I gave credit to Auburn and told our guys to handle it with (the media) the right way and told ‘em, ‘How ‘bout them f------ Dawgs. That’s what I told them. Pardon my language,” Smart said in his postgame press conference.

Smart smiled sheepishly, fully aware that perhaps he shouldn’t have been quite so candid. He quickly gathered himself and explained that while locking up a return to the SEC Championship Game was “a helluva accomplishment,” it was not and never has been what drives this team.

“That wasn’t the goal coming in here, know what I mean? The goal for us was to continue to get better, grow, play in a tough environment. But it really wasn’t about the SEC East,” he said.

Remember, this is a season that began with the mantra “Do more.”

Even if it’s too early to talk about College Football Playoff aspirations, it’s clear that this team is driven by nothing less. It’s also clear the offense must sort some things out if the Bulldogs are going to have a chance to beat LSU in three weeks.

Once again, the defense stood out and D’Andre Swift reminded everyone that he just might be the best running back in college football. But the passing game remains a source of frustration, not only for fans but even for Smart.

“Hey, listen. I give all the credit in the world to Auburn’s defense,” Smart said. “Coach (Kevin) Steele, Coach (Rodney) Garner, their staff, their players. Everybody talks about their front. They’ve got really good corners as well. One of the biggest things is, we’ve got to get better offensively. That’s a good defense, but we’ve got to get better offensively because we’ve got to be able to sustain drives to be able to get the plays equaled out.”

More and more, teams are crowding the line of scrimmage to stop the run and short passing game and force Georgia’s receivers to make big plays. Freshman Dominick Blaylock did just that on Georgia’s second possession, getting behind two Auburn defensive backs and then making a terrific adjustment on a slightly off throw by Jake Fromm for a 51-yard touchdown.

Take away that play, and Fromm’s passing numbers were even more anemic: 12 completions on 27 attempts for 59 yards.

Auburn did something else that few teams have done. They spread the field defensively to take away the outside running game. Even so, Swift finished with 106 yards on 17 carries.

“We rushed for 141. That’s tough to do against those guys, I’m gonna be honest with you,” Smart said. “You ask anybody else in the SEC if you rush 36 times and get 141 on Auburn, it’s not easy doing that. The difference is some of those teams don’t have to rush it. Just throw it every down.”

The offense did just enough to build a 21-0 lead. It looked like the Bulldogs would tuck this game away, especially when Eric Stokes had a chance to intercept Bo Nix in the end zone. But the ball bounced off Stokes’ hands. A pass interference call on Stokes on fourth down gave the Tigers a reprieve. They scored on the next play, Nix hitting Eli Stove on a short pass.

“We had said, ‘If we can just score one touchdown, we can get the momentum back,’” said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn.

Sure enough, that’s what happened. Not even a penalty for an illegal block that nullified recovering an onsides kick could blunt the Tigers’ momentum. They got a three-and-out stop, and then scored again in 68 seconds.

Then another stop and another drive, this time to the Georgia 34. But on fourth-and-2, Nix missed a wide open Harold Joiner. While Auburn again stuffed Georgia’s offense, the Tigers were left with too little time to cover 73 yards.

Smart praised his team’s resiliency, but also expressed concern over the Bulldogs’ habit of letting good teams get back into the game. It happened against Notre Dame and against Florida.

“I’d rather answer the call than not answer it,” Smart said. “But I’m just looking for consistency. Know what I mean? I feel like we have some good players and they play better when their backs are against the wall. But that’s not what it should be, right? It should be, you play your best all the time, not when you get your backs against the wall. We’re just looking to get more consistent. Why do we have to be in that situation during the game?”

If they’re going to beat LSU in Atlanta, they’re going to have to do more.