Kirby Smart following Georgia’s 45-0 win over Austin Peay: ‘It won’t be as easy next week’
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Kirby Smart couldn’t have asked for much of a better start to the season than his Bulldogs gave him on Saturday in Georgia’s 45-0 win over Austin Peay.
The Bulldogs outgained Austin Peay 508 to 128 on the day, with 288 of those yards coming on the ground for UGA. Following the game, Smart praised his defense for this effort, noting that shutouts are hard to come by these days.
Here’s what Smart had to say following the 45-0 win over Austin Peay in the opener:
On the win over Austin Peay:
“We’re happy to get the win. It was a good way to start. The kids played hard. But there are a lot of things we can improve on. We knew we couldn’t get better until we played a game. We’ll learn from this one, learn from our mistakes. We’ll get some things ironed out.”
On what it’s like to play a game vs. practicing:
“It’s simple to me. If you’re a doctor, you don’t base the operation on who you’re operating on. You want to do the best every opportunity you get. The same with a financial advisor. You do the best you can every time. We want to be physical and dominating and not worry about the scoreboard. It’s about how you play. We did it in spurts, just not consistently.”
On Justin Fields:
“He had some butterflies. I think he was a little nervous early and wasn’t sure what the defense was doing so he took off. He’s a great athlete and is able to do that. As he grows, he’ll see different defenses and he’ll need to try to take advantage of their weaknesses.”
On traveling to South Carolina:
“We played hard, but there’s a lot to improve on. It won’t be as easy next week. South Carolina has really good players and their coaches have done a great job. They have a quarterback like (Jake) Fromm, who knows the game. In the SEC, it’s that way every week. There are tough environments to play in. … It will be loud, but it’s still a football field and all that matters is doing the best job you can do with discipline and execution.”
On playing a lot of players:
“A lot of kids got to play, and it’s a great opportunity to play in the first game.”
On the fans:
“Our fan base showed up and packed the stands. It was awesome for them to support us that way.”
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
