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ATHENS – Kirby Smart says it’s about getting back to work this week, but the Georgia head coach surely knows it will take more than that after his schedule drops from the Top 10 for the first time since 2016 .
The smart coach who says “if it ain’t broke find a way to make it better” also needs to know that when it is broken sometimes it takes more than fixing it.
It must be replaced.
That’s the case at quarterback, with a noon game at Missouri on deck for the Bulldogs ranked No.12.
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Adaptability
The 2020 season has never been like before, with disrupted training and practice schedules.
Smart said it best when he said the best fit program would prevail.
Georgia, with all of their talent and the buying level Smart opened the season with, looked set for a championship run until halftime in their Oct. 17 clash in Alabama.
The Bulldogs, their healthy and intact elite defense, George Pickens still lined up on offense, led the Tide, 24-20 in 30 minutes.
Think about it: Less than a month ago, UGA led the nation’s No.1 team on the road at halftime.
But then Alabama’s defense adjusted and ruled out Georgia’s attack the final 30 minutes.
Other defenses followed suit, bringing defenders closer to the line, challenging the UGA to beat them deep with quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Bennett has recorded six interceptions and three fumbles in the last three games, just 32 of 69 assists (46%).
Smart wanted an efficient offense and didn’t return the ball, and that’s how Bennett looked like Arkansas and most Auburn and Tennessee games.
But things changed in Alabama with three interceptions and seven batted or tilted balls.
Two more interceptions and another fumble followed in Kentucky, then the debacle in Florida, where there was another interception with the game hanging in the balance at the Gators’ 35-yard line.
The good, the bad, the ugly
Meanwhile, the defense had to contend with injuries from a busy upstream schedule that had been problematic since its publication.
More: Senior team captain Richard LeCounte was injured in a motorcycle accident on Halloween night that sidelined him. And now there are questions about the future of Pickens, the star wide receiver frustrated with his inability to get the football in a limited attack.
The good news is that offensive coordinator guru Todd Monken earned his paycheck in Florida, bringing the offense to life by stealing 14 points in the first two series.
The close-3 volley, 2-back formation and shift were taken out of his bag of tips in the opening game, and Monken followed with a well-written 6-game, 61 discs that went 14- 0.
But then Bennett took a hit to his shoulder and his arm became weaker and even less precise.
Smart did not take his own advice: Georgia did not adapt.
Instead, Smart said Bennett wanted to keep playing and Smart signed until the team fell 20 points behind in the third quarter.
It was a decision that showed the level of conviction Smart had in Bennett under circumstances that offered opportunities for change.
Personal and personal decisions
This is where one wonders: maybe wasn’t it such a good thing when Smart said he got closer to this team than any other because of the way the recruiting restrictions have given him more time with the players?
The Kirby Smart that Georgia fans had learned over the first four seasons was a careful, calculated, and at times even cold decision maker.
Smart wasn’t just about warm vagueness – he was about fire and high standards on the sidelines, and the celebrations and hugs were reserved for post-game wins.
Can Georgia get the Kirby who “wanted to eat!” Whoever said “How about those ‘expletive’ Dawgs” with national cameras watching a post-game press conference?
That’s not to say that Smart has gotten slack. It’s not in his DNA.
But it’s reasonable to suggest that perhaps the closer relationships Smart has established with the players affected staff decisions.
Stetson Bennett is an undersized kid from South Georgia that few people had heard of or heard of before coming to Athens.
Does Smart subconsciously see part of himself in Bennett?
Smart hired Monken to open up Georgia’s breach with air raid principles. This is exactly what Monken did, although the results fell short of programs running similar schemes.
The problem is, offense, like any other, needs a quarterback who can do the deep throws.
D’Wan Mathis could do the deep throws, but he’s still working on consistency in his accuracy and the tactile throws needed at intermediate levels.
Quarterback Trophy
Could USC JT Daniels transfer be ready to be the answer?
Smart and Monken had a full season of USC film to watch the former 5-star quarterback in action before offering him a scholarship and a chance to compete.
The decision played a role in the departure of Wake Forest graduate Jamie Newman. Why bring Daniels in if things are going well with Newman?
Because they weren’t, Newman didn’t fit into the plan, and it became pretty obvious to him after a melee he left.
The first time Smart called Daniels to compete, he was wearing a heavy knee brace and not at full speed during those fall scrums.
Smart said on Saturday night that Daniels had “a ton of reps” in the preseason, with Mathis.
But once Daniels was not cleared to play before the season opener, Smart said he transferred Daniels to the scout squad. Smart said at the time that it was difficult to compete once the season started.
Bennett has been Smart’s guy on shift ever since, Mathis has worked with both and Daniels has been on the scout squad except during the week.
Smart said Daniels and Mathis worked with the second team during the week off – but not the first team – as Bennett continued to get all of those reps.
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So what’s going on this week?
Does Smart stay with Bennett exclusively in the first team, or does Daniels have a chance to get back into the mix?
What does the future of Georgia football offense look like this week?
What better place to find out than in the “Show Me” state.
Smart’s quarterback’s decision will say a lot about the direction of the program, with fans and rookies watching him closely.
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