Kirby Smart details what makes Georgia's TE attack 'different'

A staple of Georgia‘s offense all season long has been the utilization of the tight end position, as they boast one of the best tight end duos in the nation. Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington are hard to stop individually, but when they’re both on the field at the same time they’ve given defenses problems all season. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart spoke about the effectiveness and usage of his tight ends ahead of their semifinal playoff game versus Ohio State.

“I think it’s just different, so much of college football is 11 personnel, so when you play 12 it’s always different from a defensive perspective because you know what sets they can make,” Smart explained. “They can be a little more multiple but you probably lose some speed when you do that and that’s probably what makes ours different is we don’t sacrifice a lot of speed from 11 to 12 like some teams might.”

Georgia is one of the few teams in the country that can line up in 12 personnel with two tight ends and not sacrifice any speed due to the talent of their tight ends. This has been evident with the play of Bowers alone, who is the Bulldogs leading wide receiver and one of the most explosive players in the country averaging 14 yards per catch and recording two touchdowns this season of 70-plus yards.

Bowers garners the respect of all defenses he faces, but so does Washington, who’s not only physically imposing and effective in the blocking game towering at 6-foot-7, 270 pounds, but is also a proven receiving threat as well. Washington ranks fourth on the team in receiving yards and first in yards per catch averaging 16 yards per grab, and is one of the hardest people to tackle in the entire country.

12 personnel has been good to the Bulldogs all year, but Smart isn’t opposed to doubling down at the tight end position, open to and excited about adding a third tight end into the mix in certain situations heading into their game versus the Buckeyes.

“And to stretch the field vertically and horizontally you need speed, so 12’s been a good personnel for us this year, we’re excited about 13. We’ve got some guys that have been out through this bowl process that’s given us a chance to work those guys. So it’s a good opportunity to get your best football players on the field and I think you have to do that,” Smart said.