Kirby Smart on dominating defense: ‘I knew we’d be pretty good’
By Keith Farner
Published:
Georgia coach Kirby Smart saw his defense turn in an impressive performance on a big stage, and handle Clemson to pull out a 10-3 victory on Saturday in Charlotte.
Georgia held Clemson to 2 rushing yards, and just 5-for-17 on third down and fourth down, and the Bulldogs got a Pick 6 to fuel the victory.
Here’s a sampling of what Smart told reporters after the game:
Kirby Smart: 💬 “We talked about exposure and attention to detail. I’ve never seen two words come together than when the punt hit us.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) September 5, 2021
Kirby Smart after his Georgia defense held Clemson to 3 points, 180 yards, and 2 rushing yards:
“You are either elite or you’re not.”
— Kipp Adams (@KippLAdams) September 5, 2021
Kirby Smart: 💬 “Do we have an elite pass rush? I don’t know that yet. Can we disrupt quarterbacks? absolutely.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) September 5, 2021
Smart: “The one thing I know about this defense is they love each other and will fight for each other.”
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) September 5, 2021
Smart: “I think we frustrated them and confused them” on defense
— Jed May (@JedMay_) September 5, 2021
Kirby Smart said Kearis Jackson returned punts because the coaches trusted his experience in that role in this kind of atmosphere. But on offense, while he was cleared to go, he didn’t play any snaps.
“He’s just not himself,” Smart said. “He would argue he’s 85, 90 percent.”
— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) September 5, 2021
Kirby Smart: 💬 “I knew we’d be pretty good and we are pretty deep. There’s a lot of speed on the field. Dan (Lanning) did a great job calling the game tonight. I think we confused them.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) September 5, 2021
Kirby Smart: 💬 “We have a long way to go to get explosive and get where we want to be offensively.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) September 5, 2021
Kirby Smart: 💬 “I said all along and I stand by what I said. Win or lose we control our own destiny. And we still control our own destiny.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) September 5, 2021
Kirby Smart: 💬 “I told Dabo before the game that the atmosphere was incredible. It felt like a Playoff.”
— 960 The Ref (@960theref) September 5, 2021
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
