Kirby Smart reveals what makes Max Duggan, TCU's offense so dangerous

Kirby Smart’s defense will face their final test on Monday night when Georgia faces Max Duggan and TCU in the College Football Playoff’s National Championship. Now, ahead of their matchup in SoFi Stadium, Smart has shared his thoughts on their final opponent of the 2022 season.

To start, Smart complimented Duggan has how his experience makes him so difficult to defend. He says his intelligence helps him execute at a high level and that, if the Bulldogs want to win, their execution will have to be even better.

“He’s got great players to do it with. He understands defenses. I think he’s very smart. There’s no defense he’s going to see that he hasn’t seen before. You’re not tricking an experienced quarterback, very similar with Stetson (Bennett),” said Smart. “You’ve got to do it better than they do it. You’ve got to out-execute them. There’s no tricking them. And he does a tremendous job of that. They have a system to allow him to manage that. And to get back to third downs where you’ve got a shot to convert them.”

Duggan finished as a Heisman finalist this season and has thrown for 3,546 yards and 32 touchdowns on a 63.7% completion rate through 14 appearances. He also scored eight touchdowns on the ground. His production helped TCU to their 13-1 record, appearance in the Big 12 Title Game, and appearance and initial win in the CFP.

However, the Horned Frogs have more than just Duggan. He makes the offense go, but the pieces around him have also helped them score their 41.1 points per game.

Smart says TCU’s system isn’t exactly unique from other college teams but that their size and ability to hit big plays downfield is what makes them more of a challenge than the rest.

“I think all of college football is that way. More of the game is played on the perimeter. (It’s) not just unique to TCU,” Smart said. “(TCU) throws the ball vertically down the field. They have a lot of size outside so they can cover you up on the perimeter game. They can launch shots and they had a ton of good plays throughout the year.”

Georgia’s Top-5 defense was already pushed by Ohio State in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve. If they want to close out this season undefeated and win their second straight title, their defense will have to put on one final show against Duggan and the Horned Frog offense.