A relieved Georgia coach Kirby Smart was happy to see his offense come alive and look better than it’s been in weeks during a 24-17 win over Florida.

“I know y’all think it is boring and it doesn’t work and this and that but in this league you gotta be able to run the ball to win,” Smart said, according to 960 The Ref. “It’s hard to run the ball.”

Conversely, the Georgia defense bottled up the Florida offense to just 21 rushing yards.

“Our plan was to suffocate the run and make them one dimensional,” Smart said.

The game-clinching play came on third down with less than three minutes to go when QB Jake Fromm found TE Eli Wolf to convert a first down and run out the clock.

“Eli wanted it,” he said. “That was our chance to go and win the game. If we didn’t complete it, y’all would be saying, why did you do that?”

Wolf and Lawrence Cager are two veterans on an otherwise inexperienced receiving corps.

“I mean if it wasn’t for Cager and Wolf, we gotta bunch of young guys,” Smart said. “We lost our top 6-7 pass catchers and you guys think it’s just, add some more guys and, poof, problem solved. We’re young.”

Smart added comments about the location of the game after the contract was extended recently. Smart has said he likes the game in Jacksonville, but also pointed out that it hurts recruiting because Georgia loses a home game.

“I know a lot has been said about this game and where it’s played and my opinions, but this venue is awesome. The city of Jacksonville is a great host,” Smart said.