Kirby Smart pleased with offense but says it still needs work

Georgia battled through a scoreless first quarter against Ball State, then exploded with the help of some defensive and special teams plays that gave the offense a short field. Coach Kirby Smart opened up on the offense in a sideline interview with the SEC Network.

Suffice it to say he was pleased, because by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Georgia boasted a 45-0 lead and was good to cruise the rest of the way.

“Been proud of them,” he told the SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang just prior to the fourth quarter. “We missed a couple things that we wanted to improve on, but at the end of the day they’re being efficient, doing a good job. We’ve got to continue to work on the run game and be more efficient in the run game, but we’ve got a quarterback that’s an accurate passer, we’ve got some explosive players around him and we’re still trying to figure all that out.”

Early in the fourth quarter Georgia had piled up 390 yards of offense, with 283 of that via the air and quarterback Carson Beck‘s arm. Beck turned in a great afternoon.

The new starting quarterback finished his day 23-of-30 passing for 283 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Georgia planned to turn the game over to his backup, Brock Vandagriff.

“Brock’s going to go next series,” Smart said.

Vandagriff threw for his first touchdown last weekend in the season opener against UT-Martin, totaling 77 passing yards. He’ll get a chance to get some more action with a big cushion against Ball State.

Smart’s message for him?

“Go play,” Kirby Smart said. “We’re going to let him go play, let him keep getting better. I thought he did a good job last week. We need to go play well around him.”

Georgia loses starter in the secondary

Georgia lost star safety Javon Bullard to injury in the first half of a game against Ball State and it doesn’t appear the key defender will return.

Bullard’s status was uncertain in the first half, after the SEC Network broadcast crew said his return was “to be determined.”

But according to a report from ESPN’s Brandon Zimmerman, Bullard is wearing a walking boot on the team sidelines and has changed into street clothes, all but certainly precluding a return to the game.

Bullard left the game injured in the first quarter.

“I’m being told that starting safety Javon Bullard is out of the game for now with a left ankle injury,” Lang said on the broadcast at the time. “Came out a little banged up just a few minutes ago.”