Kirby Smart details the challenge Spencer Rattler presents the Georgia defense

You never get a break when you play in the SEC. After a pair of wins that pushed them up to No. 1 in the nation, Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs will now hit the road in SEC play to face off against South Carolina. While the Gamecocks have struggled early, the Dawgs will have to respect them with Spencer Rattler taking snaps at quarterback. It’s a challenge Smart has comparatively seen before and wants to have his team ready for this weekend.

Smart spoke about Rattler and the South Carolina offense during media on Monday. He says Rattler’s dynamic play style is an elite combination that will test his defense.

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“(Rattler) has got an elite ability to throw the ball. He can throw the ball over 70 yards, stretch the field, and he’s an athlete,” said Smart.

You get a mixed bag when you have Spencer Rattler as your quarterback. South Carolina has witnessed that through two games. On the positive side, he has thrown for 603 yards in the two games on a 61.8% completion rate. On the negative side, though, is a 0.67 touchdown to interception ratio against Georgia State and Arkansas.

With that said, Smart compared Rattler to former SEC QB Bo Nix and said they’re game planning for South Carolina similarly to how they did for Oregon. The arm talent and scrambling ability from Rattler means the Georgia defense will need to show discipline and win the toss-ups when they come their way.

“Like when we played against Bo, Bo can throw the ball, scramble and he can run,” said Smart. “You’ve got to be disciplined. You’re probably gonna have five to six snaps where you’ve got to use scramble rules, plaster, and win 50/50 balls. That doesn’t change based on who we play. Everybody we play, especially in the SEC, is going to be challenging us down the field.”

Nix threw for just 178 yards and a pair of interceptions on 56.8% completion in his season opener against Georgia. The Bulldogs will be hoping for a similar result based on their game plan for Rattler. The Gamecock QB’s play style can be a dice roll at best. While it can lead to special plays, it could also lead to the exact thing Kirby Smart’s defense loves to capitalize on this weekend.