Georgia head coach Kirby Smart knows almost better than anyone that the Jimmys and Joes matter a whole lot more than the X’s and O’s.
The top-ranked Bulldogs were absolutely dominant in a 34-7 victory over the Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon. Georgia’s defense, in particular, flexed its muscle all-game long as it has all-season long.
The Bulldogs stormed to a 24-0 halftime lead thanks to an insane flurry of tremendous defensive plays late in the second quarter. Georgia’s defense forced and recovered a fumble that led to an 11-yard touchdown run by James Cook with just over two minutes left in the first half. Moments later, Nolan Smith picked off Florida’s Anthony Richardson. On the very next play, Stetson Bennett hit Kearis Jackson on a 36-yard touchdown strike. Nakobe Dean then pick-sixed Anthony Richardson’s throw with seconds remaining in the second quarter to take a 24-0 lead.
You can’t teach talent. Smart admitted as much during his postgame interview on Saturday.
“There’s no coach out there that you can out-coach recruiting,” Smart admitted. “No coaching is going to out-coach players. Anybody will tell you our defense is good because we have good players.”
Kirby Smart: “There’s no coach out there that you can out-coach recruiting. No coaching is going to out-coach players. Anybody will tell you our defense is good because we have good players.”
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 30, 2021
This is a simple, yet often overlooked aspect of college football. Kirby Smart gets it, though.
Recruiting is the lifeblood of the sport. The more talented teams will almost always beat the lesser-talented teams. There’s a few exceptions, of course, like USC. The Trojans are one of the more talented teams in the country, but coaching almost always gets in the way.
Smart isn’t going to get in the way of his top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. He’s going to let his top-tier recruits go out and do what they do best: play good football and win games.
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