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ATHENS – Georgia coach Kirby Smart isn’t one to jump to conclusions, especially when it comes to taking too much advantage of a passing performance.
USC transfer quarterback JT Daniels made his Bulldogs debut with 401 yards and four touchdowns on 28 of 38 passes against Mississippi Sate last Saturday.
Smart said it was too early to classify the performance as a pivotal moment for the offense, which hasn’t had a 400-yard passing performance since all-time SEC leader Aaron Murray in 2013.
“I think the verdict is sabout it, ”Smart said during his Zoom call Tuesday night with reporters. “The sample size we have is small.”
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Smart said the coaches had seen Daniels work with the starters over the past two and a half weeks, and they were seeing improvement.
“I saw him make good plays, I saw him make good decisions, (and) he had some really good plays today,” said Smart, whose team plays in South Carolina at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. “The biggest improvement he’s made is in pocket awareness, and that’s where his best decisions have to come.
“As far as the (offensive) transformation or something like that, I don’t know. We have to find ways to throw the ball, and that’s probably the most important thing for me so that we can be explosive both ways.
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Smart explained that Stetson Bennett and D’Wan Mathis could have just as easily tapped into big plays as Daniels did against Mississippi State, when he completed four 40-yard or more passes after the he team had three completed passes over 40 yards in the first. six games combined.
“Like I told you, I had seen it in so many practices,” Smart said. “You asked if we were confident in throwing it out, and yes. I saw these same pieces. I had seen Stetson [Bennett] and D’wan [Mathis] making some of those games against us in practice so I knew it was there.
Smart declared the return of George Pickens, the style of defense of the State of Mississippi and the growth of Jermaine Burton were other factors that led to the air blast.
“The first, (Mississippi State) is risk-reward defense, and their strength is in their front and in their linebackers, but really in their high school, ”said Smart.
“JT [Daniels] we made some really good throws, we won 50/50 balls, we got PIs (pass interference penalties), and we got free play, “said Smart.” I mean, a lot. of those things that you have seen, you have seen them all year round.
The difference, Smart said, is that the Bulldogs haven’t tapped into these games before.
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The unspoken words of the head coach are that it took JT Daniels to take advantage of these situations and make the plays.
“So I think of a combination of who we played, how we played, George being in the game,” Smart said. “Jermaine’s progression…. . there are just all of these things, and JT [Daniels] has enjoyed some of that growth, so he got the right ending where Jermaine is at his best, and his best is always ahead.
Smart explained that the Bulldogs will continue to focus on the running game as it ultimately comes down to protecting the quarterback.
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“I felt a little dumb the other night – not me, since I wasn’t leading the rooms – until I tried to run into some of the stares,” said Smart, whose attack was carried out by the 21. Zamir White yards on 11 carries. “We are determined to throw the ball, because if you don’t try to do that you will have a really hard time protecting the passer.
“So the threat of the run keeps the guys from getting their ears stuck and just rushing the passer, but the goal would be to take advantage of what the opposing team gives us,” said Smart.
“And if they want to charge and stop the race then we have to be able to have an intermediate and explosive passing game. If they want to defend that, you have to be able to block people and pass the ball in, in the middle and out of the running game.
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