Kirby Smart details preparation for high-powered Tennessee offense

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is focused on stopping the high-powered, quick-tempo Tennessee offense which has caught several teams by surprise already this season. After taking over a mess, first-year Volunteers coach Josh Heupel built a unique offense which affects all aspects of the game.

Despite leading college football in several key defensive metrics, allowing no more than 13 points to any opponent, Kirby Smart recognizes the challenge Tennessee’s offense presents.

“When you look at it and you talk to people – because everybody talks across the country and league – trying to defend it’s just so fast,” Smart told reporters during his Monday press conference. “You can’t really simulate that in your practice, so you’re always trying to find a creative way to practice for it. It’s so different than the triple option – I’m not trying to compare the triple option – but it’s so different that it’s hard to prepare for. You can’t simulate it with your team unless you do it. And we don’t do that as well as they do it. It makes it tough to prepare for.”

He continued to issue high praise, calling for his entire team to buy into stopping the Tennessee offense.

“Your players really have to buy in,” said Smart. “They have to say, ‘this is really important we know that it’s important to play this way and play against tempo.’ You’ve got to work really hard at it. So it’s hard to simulate, and the challenge will be there this week for both offense and defense and special teams because what they do doesn’t just affect the defense. It affects your offense, it affects your special teams.”

Kirby Smart on Tennessee game

Heading into Tennessee, Kirby Smart has shifted his attention to playing in a tough Knoxville environment. He gave a brief preview of the matchup after Saturday’s win, reiterating that Georgia has to prepare for an improved Volunteers team.

“[Tennessee] is a really tough environment, one of the toughest places to play in the country. Their fan base is bought in, all in on Coach Heupel and his staff,” Smart said. “It will be a tremendous atmosphere and opportunity. So many other conferences don’t have teams that maybe aren’t in the hunt for an SEC Championship that [still] have that much passion. They’re going to sell it out and be really loud. It will be a great atmosphere, and our players will need to prepare for it. We will need to prepare our players for it. It will be a really tough and physical game. They’ve got a really good football team.”