8/30/24: Coach Kirby Smart Post Game vs. Clemson Part III

I saw you guys play seven offensive linemen today mik and EM Andro getting in the mix what does that say about the depthy program and what kind of a benefit I guess does that provide to you well we we want to play a lot of linman all the time I mean Carson works with those guys all the time we we like play eight and nine I think it's to get through the year you're going to have to do that worth pen than you've ever been you know we've played seven eight guys we've always played three tackles and we'll continue to do that they playing winning football coming out of half time um you guys score on the opening drive clinson comes back down they threatening two score your defense holds them to a field goal um what did you like from that series from your defense and how big was that in the moment uh I thought we responded I'm trying to remember that one I think they got to a short guard situation we were able to stop them knock him back gave him a negative play I thought uh the defense executed well in the red area which is something we work on situationally a lot um coach Schuman called some really good calls and and and Jaylen and those guys on defense executed them Curry obviously you guys have new faces every year but I know you guys have some traits characteristics that you like to instill in your team did you see that when at six nothing and you guys take control in the second half like that I didn't understand what you asked in terms of some of the you know the resiliency about looking at the scoreboard being able to you know do what you guys practice to do I was proud the way team played both halves I mean I really was I mean I think the narrative is out there you're going to roll the ball out Georgia's just going to win they're going to win because they have a g and they're just going to roll over these teams and football's not that way that's a really good football team we just played and the the the fact that we play and push through that is indictive of the things you're talking about we build into our program we said we had to out physical them I thought we did have out hustled them I think we did we watch the tape and you got to out discipline them um and and those are three areas that we thought we had to win to beat CL and our guys prove true in that got another question for Coach Martin raise your hand we'll bring Mike around to youon coach Mark I know you said postgame that the interception from Malachi reminded you of Champ Bailey just what was it about it that reminded you of that and just Malachi's performance today yeah when champ was a freshman we in 42 people don't remember he would he would play Middlefield safety and he had range that was unheard of he could go from sideline to sideline he made some diving plays and extended his body and U and Malachi's very similar to that in terms of his ability to play manto man his ability to play safety he go out in BL Corner if he had to he's just a tremendous athlete but with all that accolades he's one of the most humble great kids I've ever been around but I saw champ before the game and told him that that M has a lot of the same traits question in the back Kirby the past couple off Seasons there there were some incidents and from the outside there were questions about the culture of Georgia football on the inside how would you describe the health of the culture of Georgia football right now awesome I wish you could talk to our players I wish you could live in there and see our guys day to day and see Thomas settles and Bryan Gant and all the people that that stand up in front of our team and and talk about connection and share their experiences and I mean there's two of them sitting right there you can ask them they'll tell you what you know in the inside is a lot more than than what people can paint pictures to be outside and people use it in negative recruiting and they throw it out there it comes back to bite them too coach right here you guys want 40 consecutive games in a regular season that means you got to be a very focused program what what do you think the secret is for you keeping these players focused no matter you know players come and go but that focus seems to be pretty consistent I think it's a a process like we believe in what we do like the the the the leaders on our team that I meet with they believe in it they sell it they push it to the younger players I think somebody said the other day we had 38 or 42 um my my advisor brought to we had 42 or 38 I can't remember where it was I had to sign something saying they were all eligible and they're all new we had 38 or 42 new people new and when you turn over that much you better have a nucleus around them that can keep them grounded and that's what we've been able to like sustain in Georgia is we're not going to change what we do based on who we play we're going to do what we do we're going to try to out execute you and and and just do it the right way and I think a lot of people that's hard to do I think it's hard to do it the hard way all the time because everybody wants to find an easier way and it's just no easy way to to to to win these games they're all hard coach over here on that um fade route to Kobe young um it looked like Beck and young had been playing together for years how how did how have they been able to build that connection so quickly yeah it's been tough because Kobe hasn't actually practiced a full practice week he was very selective we had him you know U where he was not taking a full load of reps they had a really good connection early in Camp and then when his hamstring occurred they lost some of that Rhythm um and I think you know we we we've got to get uh more out of kby K's a really good player and and we need him to step up for run go where we need to go I'm sorry if you were asked this already but what can you say just about your freshman and Nate Frasier and the impact that he's had in this game especially you know it's not all the time that a freshman does make an impact like this awesome we we we the players can tell you that I get on them all the time because he's out of control he is just foot to fire moving going at the speed of light doesn't know he might run into a brick wall cutting back and uh he cut back a couple times in practice and I told him I said when you get a real game you cut back like that they're going to light you up you know I might actually said some things I can't say and here but he uh he cut back and went all way across the field for about I think was okay now he can do that but he's a great kid he got an opportunity he sees the moment a lot of people locked in front of him and and like I told you Char Bowens is a good back he's going to have an opportunity to grow and play so I'm looking forward to that room I think we got some juice in that room as they get more experience look guys Nate's a long way from a complete package he wasn't here in the spring so he missed 15 practices of intense work that he's trying to play catchup on have time for one more question yeah J I think banged up going to this football game you talk a lot about Malachi and you said he's your best corner could be your best corner what did it think a play Corner could play Corner uh what did it mean for you to be able to slide him into the nickel today for you guys yeah that was huge that that was probably the thing I and you bringing it up I forgot about that was one of the biggest things that got us in the week when jonell had a pull and it happened on Saturday and and we didn't know he didn't go Monday he didn't go Tuesday he walked through Wednesday and we're all messed up because now we're having to not move one person in his fight we having to move Malachi then Dan then KJ it's like it was really scary because we we didn't have the volume of reps with that that that makeup so then we tried to go with jakori song but every time jakori was in Malachi had to play over here and Dan had to play over here and when Malachi went in Dan jumped over here and KJ went over here it was they did a tremendous job of knowing what to do from different positions and we really need to get jell healthy and I thought jaor stepped up and took advantage of his opportunity thank you coach well have jayen Walker and Carson