Kirby Smart explains challenges Ole Miss defense presented in 1st half, how Georgia can respond

Through one half of Saturday’s game against Ole Miss, Georgia found itself facing another deficit. The Rebels took a 16-7 lead over the Bulldogs into the locker room, and Kirby Smart shared his assessment of the first half.

Smart pointed out what the Ole Miss defense was doing to stymy the UGA offense, holding the Bulldogs to just 69 total yards through the first two quarters at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. He said Georgia needs to run the ball better to slow down the Rebels’ pass rush enough to make something happen.

“They’re getting off the rock really good,” Smart told ABC’s Molly McGrath. “They’re jumping our snap count pretty good. They’ve got really good defensive players. At the end of the day, you’ve got to be able to run the ball enough to keep them honest so they can’t pass-rush like that [and] pin their ears back.”

Ole Miss only found the end zone once – Ulysses Bentley IV punched in a touchdown on the Rebels’ second drive – but then settled for three straight field goals. While Smart said Georgia did a good job of standing strong in the red zone, he wants to see the defense come up with the ball instead of a bend-don’t-break approach.

“We need to get some turnovers,” Kirby Smart said. “We’re holding them to field goals. We’re not giving up the plays in the red area. We’ve got to do a good job getting the ball off of them. We’ve got to affect the quarterback a little better. They’re doing a good job of getting the ball out.”

Georgia entered Saturday’s game tied for first in the SEC with Texas A&M, and a win would keep the Bulldogs squarely in the mix for a trip to Atlanta and a first-round bye in the expanded College Football Playoff. Although a loss wouldn’t entirely dash UGA’s hopes of a CFP bid, a win would go a long way toward staying in the SEC race to be one of the four highest-ranked conference champions.