Kirby Smart on what impresses him about the Florida defense
Kirby Smart is regarded as one of the brightest defensive minds in college football.
No. 1 Georgia enters Saturday’s SEC showdown boasting the top overall defense in the country and arguably one of the most impressive units Smart has ever assembled.
Naturally, a reporter during this week’s SEC teleconference flipped the script on Smart when asking the Bulldogs front man about what impresses him most about the Florida defense he’s preparing to battle on Saturday.
Kirby Smart didn’t hesitate in his response.
“Their size,” the Georgia head coach said emphatically.
Smart continued to rave about the big, physical athletic playmakers up front for the Gators.
“They have really good players on the edge,” he said. “They’ve got an abundance of guys with good size who can also play inside. They went out and got the transfers. … They got big.
“They have always had great pass rushers, very active guys on the perimeter that can make plays on the edge. They can make it hard to get on the perimeter, they make it hard to throw the ball. They are very disruptive with what they do defensively.”
While Todd Grantham’s Florida defense has struggled at times this season, their strongest pieces are up front, exactly where Kirby Smart identified.
The duo of Zach Carter and Brenton Cox have a combined nine sacks this season and thrive in helping against the run.
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Kirby Smart on preparing for Dan Mullen-coached teams
Smart has a long history of preparing for Dan Mullen-coached teams.
The two SEC front men have had plenty of battles as both coordinators and head coaches during their long tenures in college football.
In Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Smart was asked specifically about the challenges in coming up with a defensive scheme to combat Mullen’s offensive prowess.
“It’s always challenging, it goes all the way back to the years at Mississippi State where you felt like there was so much to prepare for,” Smart said. “You feel like there is this encyclopedia of offense and you’ve got to figure out what you’re going to prepare for, because within the game, he has a lot of different packages and you don’t know which one you’re going to get.”
In this year’s rendition of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Georgia appears to be better suited than ever to stifle Florida’s offensive attack. After seven games, the Bulldogs boast the top defense in all of college football.
Kirby Smart’s defense has only given up four total offensive touchdowns from their opponents in 2021. The next best defense, Wisconsin, has given up 11 touchdowns on the year.
The Bulldogs defense only lets opposing offenses average 3.57 yards per play and just over 200 yards per game.
Still, Smart fully understands Mullen can scheme innovative ways to find success against top defenses and says the ability to make adjustments on the fly is the true key to success against the Florida head coach.
“So, a lot of it boils down to how quickly you can adjust in-game and really tailor your plan to his plan,” Smart added.
Kirby Smart fully understands that Dan Mullen isn’t showing up with some cupcake opponent on Saturday. He knows the Gators are capable and has prepared his team for a battl