Christopher Smith named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Georgia safety Christopher Smith was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week alongside Arkansas linebacker Bumper Pool after Smith helped lead Georgia to a 49-3 win over No. 11 Oregon on Saturday. Smith, one of few starters remaining from the Bulldogs’ 2021 defense that guided the way for Georgia’s National Championship win, finished the game with six tackles including a tackle for loss and an interception.
It is his second straight season-opener with an interception after he had a pick-six last season against Clemson as well as his second straight game going back to last season with an interception, also picking off a pass in the National Championship. Anchored by Smith on the back end of the defense, Georgia held Oregon without a touchdown for the first time since 2017.
“I think it just shows how hard we work and how good a job the coaches do with us,” Smith said in his postgame interview when asked about the overall performance of the defense after losing eight players to the NFL this offseason. “It was a lot of talk about us being complacent and we were real big on not being complacent. We want to do the hunting; we’re never going to be hunted here, and that’s something Coach Smart has pounded into our minds ever since the season started, and we’re going to continue to play that way this year.”
Smith left the game with a stinger in his shoulder and delivering a big hit on an Oregon wide receiver that broke up a potential big play. He did not return but his availability for interviews was pretty telling, and Smith said that it was nothing major.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart also spoke about Smith after the game, and on Monday too. Just one play before his interception, Smith was called for a personal foul horse collar tackle. He was able to get back in the game and make a play that lives up to the mantra of the defense.
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“He embodies that. He is next-play mentality,” Smart said in his postgame press conference after the Bulldogs’ big 49-3 victory on Saturday. “That’s what we talk about is next play. We had a guy jump offsides; next play. We had a guy hold; next play. That’s the way you’ve got to play the game. If you have too many next-play mistakes, you won’t win football games, but you have to play the next play as if nothing happened. I thought we had several guys make some mistakes today that overcame those.”
“It’s important. All the pieces we have that have played are integral to make the other pieces play well. So Chris (Smith) is a piece that’s played and he brings a lot of confidence to the other players around him, especially in the eye of the storm,” Smart added on Monday. “I told the players today, we asked for composure and connection. We got a lot of connection. We don’t really know, we never really got tested. So it’s not their fault. But they didn’t get tested in the composure category. And that’s going to come. And when that time comes, are you going to be ready for that storm? And Chris is a guy that you feel pretty good about.”
Georgia is back in action on Saturday against Samford with kickoff time set for 4:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
