Kirby Smart, Chris Smith break down blocked field goal return

Georgia‘s 50-30 SEC Championship win over LSU was full of highlight plays for the Bulldogs, but none were more compelling than defensive back Christopher Smith‘s to start off the ballgame. Georgia blocked a field goal attempt by Tiger’s kicker Damian Ramos, which rolled to Bulldog’s four-yard line as players from both teams began to head towards their sidelines.

Smith made a heads-up play though, waiting patiently for the right time to scoop up the ball and take it 96 yards for the opening touchdown of the game. Smart and head coach Kirby Smart spoke about the play following the game, a moment created from preparation.

“I’ll let Chris answer, but Chris knows we watch those in the team meeting about once every three weeks and I’ll let him talk about it,” Smart said.

There is no shortage of rules in the game of football, and knowing as many as possible certainly pays off in unique situations like the one Smith found himself in on Saturday, as he told his side of the story of his high IQ play in the championship game.

“Yeah like coach said, that’s a scenario we go over a lot,” Smith said. “We know if the ball passes the line of scrimmage we have an opportunity to be able to pick it up and I was just waiting to get the go from the sideline. As soon as the sideline gave me the go, I just picked it up and started hitting it.”

Smith hit it all the way to the end zone, starting off the Bulldog’s dominant day with a bang and not breaking Smart’s one rule if you do decide to scoop up a blocked field goal that falls beyond the line of scrimmage.

“The rule is you’re not allowed to pick it up unless you score with it,” Smart added.

Chris Smith reveals why Georgia’s secondary calls itself ‘The Mob,’ how the unit exemplifies that mentality

Georgia‘s road to yet another undefeated regular season and trip to the SEC Championship game this Saturday was highlighted by strong defensive play throughout the entirety of the year. One cornerstone of their top-ranked defense is their secondary, nicknamed The Mob, which senior defensive back Christopher Smith explained leading up to the title game.

“Well, yeah, first of all, our nickname, we call ourselves The Mob,” Smith said. “It’s a certain mentality and a family feel that Coach brought to us when he got here. It just stands for more opportunity to build your brand. It also stands for, when we go out there, we want to be at the top of our game.”

The Bulldog’s mob mentality has worked out for them both historically and especially this season, leading the nation in fewest points allowed per game this season with 11.3. They’ve only given up eight touchdowns this year, which can be partially credited to their secondary’s ability to stay over top of the offense and limit explosive plays, as a cast of ballhawks like Smith, Keelee Ringo, Malaki Starks, and others lead one of the best secondary units in the country.

“Kelee is a very vital part to that. Malaki, David Daniel. Kamari (Lassiter), Dan (Jackson). He’s not able to be able to go out there on the field there with us, but he’s in the meeting room with us day in, day out, bringing that encouragement to us,” Smith said.

Georgia lost Jackson for the remainder of the season due to a foot injury that required surgery, but The Mob hasn’t skipped a beat without him, as a multitude of players have stepped up this season and contributed to the Bulldog’s last line of defense.

“We definitely been able to mature a lot throughout the season. We had a lot of younger guys, Javon Bullard as well, that has been able to get a lot of experience and playing time this year. Helping us out a lot. I know they going to do everything they can for us to go out there and succeed,” Smith said.