Kirby Smart comments on JT Daniels' development, why he didn't start until now
Georgia had a tremendous passing game in the 31-24 win over Mississippi State.
In his Georgia debut, JT Daniels passed for 401 yards and four touchdowns as the Bulldogs held off Mississippi State for a 31-24 win in Athens. But the Georgia running game produced just eight rushing yards on 23 attempts.
Daniels’ production was the most for a Georgia quarterback since Aaron Murray in 2013. After Georgia has started three quarterbacks this season, coach Kirby Smart explained why Daniels didn’t start until know, and how his injured knee factored into the decision.
Here’s a sampling of what he told the media after the game:
KIRBY: The toughest thing was making a decision when JT wasn’t healthy. He got the best look (during practice) the off week before Kentucky.
— DawgPost (@Dawg_Post) November 22, 2020
KIRBY: I noticed that JT’s knee got better over time. He had that big knee brace on a lot. When he has a clean pocket he was at his best.
— DawgPost (@Dawg_Post) November 22, 2020
Kirby Smart 💬 “Hats off to Mississippi State, Coach Leach and his team, having guys down and coming over here and playing the way they did.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) November 22, 2020
Kirby Smart 💬 “Second half defensively we were finally able to rise up and get some stops.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) November 22, 2020
Kirby Smart 💬 “Offensively we were so much more explosive tonight. I’ve seen those kinds of plays in practice. That was the difference in the game.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) November 22, 2020
Kirby Smart 💬 “The sample size we had on JT early was small. His mobility wasn’t great in fall camp. We thought a mobile quarterback would help and that changed in the Arkansas game.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) November 22, 2020
Kirby Smart just mentioned praising JT Daniels for handling things “in a world where people don’t handle things well when they don’t get what they want.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) November 22, 2020
KIRBY: “I thought we’d be able to run the ball better so I didn’t think we’d throw it that much. We couldn’t run it anywhere.”
— Matt DeBary (@MattDeBary) November 22, 2020
KIRBY: “Tonight we were explosive, but we couldn’t run the ball well. But we can be explosive.”
— Matt DeBary (@MattDeBary) November 22, 2020
KIRBY: Let’s make it about how well JT handled it in a world where guys don’t handle things well. He showed us: Hey I can do this thing.
— DawgPost (@Dawg_Post) November 22, 2020
KIRBY: I knew we would bend some on defense, but I didn’t think we would give up those TDs.
— DawgPost (@Dawg_Post) November 22, 2020
KIRBY: JT’s mobility and decision making wasn’t great in the three scrimmages of the season. We thought Stetson did a good job from the Arkansas game until the halftime of the Alabama game. He played pretty good against Florida even without George.
— DawgPost (@Dawg_Post) November 22, 2020
