Brian Kelly, Kirby Smart praise Todd Monken's offensive acumen

Georgia comes into the SEC Championship Game with high expectations. A lot of the time, the Bulldogs are a team defined by their defense. However, Georgia also has found incredible on the offensive side of the ball, in large part due to the success of offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly has known Todd Monken for several years, going back to his time at Grand Valley State. He knows that Monken is a great offensive mind and will present a huge challenge on Saturday.

“Wherever he’s been he’s been successful,” Brian Kelly said. “He’s got a great offensive mind. He comes from a family that’s been involved in football, the entire family.”

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“He just knows the game, whether he’s been in college as a head coach in Southern Mississippi, working in the NFL. He knows the game. He relates well to his players. Outstanding play-caller.”

Todd Monken was a graduate assistant at Grand Valley State when Brian Kelly was the defensive coordinator there. That was the two seasons before Kelly became the head coach there. So, as Kelly joked, he probably got that offensive acumen from somewhere else.

“I don’t know of anything at the time I was with him at Grand Valley wore off on him. I think despite the time we were together, he’s overcome all that,” Brian Kelly joked. “Just great experience and does a great job.”

Kirby Smart praised Todd Monken

Brian Kelly wasn’t alone in praising the job that Todd Monken has done. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart also talked about what makes his offensive coordinator so successful.

“Well, he utilizes the talents of the players he has. He does a really good job of tying run game and pass game together, using different tempos. He does a good job calling the game aggressively and keeping things mixed up,” Kirby Smart said.

“I think if you talk with the defensive coordinators that go against him, he ties the run and pass game together really well, the play-action part of that.”

Kirby Smart on avenging SEC title game loss

Last season, Georgia won the national championship but it didn’t win the SEC. This season, Kirby Smart wants to avenge that loss.

“It’s the next game. For us, it’s been about the next one all year,” Kirby Smart said.

“The great teams worry about the next one more than the last one. That’s what we’re trying to be. A team that worries more about the next one than the last one.”