Kirby Smart reveals key to limiting trick play effectiveness

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart detailed the difficulty in preparing for trick plays as a defense, and what the key to stopping them is for the Bulldogs. Florida attempted a couple of trick plays against Georgia on Saturday, including a halfback pass and a double pass, that were shut down by Georgia’s defense.

Kirby Smart on trick plays

During Smart’s press conference on Monday, Smart was asked what kind of preparation goes into stopping trick plays on game day or what discipline he teaches his team.

“Just that — discipline,” Smart answered quickly. “I mean, you can’t predict trick plays, you practice trick plays, but you never practice the right one. So, just doesn’t work that way. There are infinite numbers of ways to run trick plays — ‘Are your eyes in the right place? Are you looking at what you’re supposed to look at?’

“Most mistakes on defense are done because my eyes aren’t where they’re supposed to be, they’re not where they’re trained to be. And if you can get everybody to put their eyes in the right place, then you’re going to be more successful. We’re not doing that at any kind of high rate, because we have guys who have their eyes in the wrong place, and you can only get away with it more when you’ve got really good people upfront.”

Georgia secures SEC East title

The Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the country and won their fourth SEC East title in six years under Kirby Smart last week.

It seems like it’s been nothing but success for Smart, who took over as Georgia head coach in 2015. Now that he’s getting ready to play in yet another SEC championship game, he reflected on what’s gone into the program’s run.

“A lot of hard work, a lot of great support from our fan base and our administration and a lot of recruiting,” Smart told reporters on Monday after Georgia beat Florida. “The expectation is to win the East and go play for an SEC championship. I think it’s the greatest conference in the country in terms of competitive nature, and the recruiting battles are really tough. Really proud of our guys and the work they’ve done.

But obviously, that’s not our goal and it’s not where we want to be. We’re not where we need to be. We’re focused on getting better for Missouri and how can we get better at these areas we need to improve in because everyone knows that humility’s a week away. … The biggest thing is how we get better. But I’m certainly proud of what we’ve been able to do and accomplish.”

Georgia is 8-0 overall this season, including 6-0 in SEC play. The Bulldogs have the best scoring defense in the country, holding teams to just 6.6 points per game, and rank second in the nation with 226.6 yards per game allowed. It’s a big reason why Georgia is one of the favorites to win the national championship this year.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.