Georgia Bulldog fans and sports media analysts have honed their focus in on Jake Fromm since the freshman came into last week’s game and lead the Dawgs to a decisive win over Appalachian State, but Kirby Smart seems to have a different focus on Georgia’s upcoming matchup: Notre Dame’s offense.
During press conferences this week, Smart has stressed the importance of stopping Notre Dame’s powerful rushing attack, which posted more than 400 yards rushing against Temple.
“Notre Dame has always been a very hard-nosed football team,” said Smart. “They are a big, physical team.”
Smart noted that his Dawgs have been working to defend the Fighting Irish offense, but have little game film to go from as Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator Chip Long just joined the team this year.
Smart said the Notre Dame offensive line will be a monumental test for Georgia.
“Their line is as good a line as we’ll see this year,” said Smart. “They have four returning starters that are big, physical guys. Once you take the line and include the tight ends, it’s a very impressive group.”
According to Smart, what’s equally impressive is the athletic ability of junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush.
“Their quarterback is an explosive athlete,” said Smart., “He looks like the fastest kid on their team. The backs they have are big and physical—much bigger than our backs, and they run downhill at you. This quarterback will be much faster and more athletic than what we saw last week.”
Georgia is preparing for the Irish to be quick with their offensive tempo. Smart said the Dawgs are readying their players for high-intensity crowd noise as well. Stopping the run game, and a shifty quarterback will be crucial to a big-time Georgia road win.
“Their offense is very hard to defend,” said Smart. “With every run, they’ve got plays they can throw off of it. All of their wideouts are big and fast. It’s going to be a great challenge, and we’re going to find out a lot more about our defense. They are bigger and faster in every position.”
Smart commented on Jacob Eason’s injury and possible return.
“After our medical staff did x-rays, we determined it was a sprained left knee ligament, which is a non-surgical injury,” said Smart. “He will be back this season, but we don’t know when. We’re not sure on length of time he will be out. It will be week to week for now.”
Smart spoke on Jake Fromm’s performance, noting that the freshman is eager to take over the starting role.
“Jake is a gamer,” Smart said. “He’s a kid that grew up around the game. I look at him and compare him to a coach’s son—a football junkie. He likes the game. He loves being around it.”
He also commented on Brice Ramsey’s poor performance, adding that the senior signal caller should take advantage of more practice time this week.
“Brice didn’t get a lot of reps last week,” said Smart. “He will get a lot more this week and hopefully he will use those the right way.”
Smart also said redshirt freshman guard Soloman Kindley will be back in action this week against Notre Dame. Kindley suffered an ankle injury shortly before last week’s game, but looks to be good to go against the Fighting Irish.
Senior defensive back Aaron Davis’ return should also boost the Georgia defense. Davis got more reps during Wednesday’s practice, and could be ready to go for Saturday’s game. Malkom Parrish is still listed as “week-to-week.”
This will be the first time ever for Georgia playing in South Bend, which Smart says is very exciting for his Dawgs.
“These kind of games in college football are really cool,” said Smart. “You get to play somebody you don’t normally play in a big game. It’s very exciting for us.”
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