A broken nose, a tampon, and Nolan Smith's 'welcome to Georgia' moment
If you’ve watched or heard a Kirby Smart locker room speech, you’ve likely experienced the Georgia head coach say something to the effect of “they don’t do it like we do it.” Smart loves to say it and based the team’s 29-1 record and two National Championships the past two seasons, it’s tough to argue with the man.
Nolan Smith, speaking on Wednesday at the NFL Combine, reinforced that statement. The Savannah, Ga. native and IMG Academy product went all the way back to the 2019 season and his first preseason camp practice for an illustration.
“My first year when I got there, I was like, this is crazy. I went against Andrew Thomas, Solomon Kindley,” Smith said. “I will never forget my first fall camp practice, Solomon Kindley broke my nose. It was just leaking. I was like, no, I’m not going out sad. I put a tampon in it, cut it, and we went to work. I would never forget. That was my setting moment. I was like, oh yeah, this box at Georgia is real. Solomon Kindley’s a big boy, I ain’t going to lie. It’s just closing on counter every day, seeing Azeez do it. Azeez will close on counter from the apex. I saw him bend somebody’s facemask once. Those are just some of the stories, and that’s at practice. We practice hard at Georgia. That’s just one thing.”
It brings a new meaning to the “Bloody Tuesday” practices Smart and Georgia players often mention. While Smith highlighted the physicality of his teammates, his coaches were taking notice of what he was doing as a true freshman.
Dan Lanning, in a meeting with reporters a couple of days after the start of 2019 preseason camp, labeled Smith a “hammerhead” because of the way he played the run. Just one year removed from high school Smith was striking guys two and three years older and up to 100 pounds heavier.
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UGA’s aim week in and week out is to take the fight to the opponent on both sides of the ball. The offensive line, tight ends, and receivers are asked to wear down the opposing defense with physicality. That’s something that most teams attempt. But the same goes for the other side of the ball where Smart wants his defense to make the offense “quit.”
That type of physicality and confidence allows the Bulldog defense to play a unique brand of football. They give the offense favorable numbers against the run because they know they can win both sides of a block and commit more players to coverage.
“We do more with less at Georgia,” Smith said. “We play with a light box, that’s what Coach Smart says. We play with six in the box. It’s just amazing that the guys, you can count on that man next to you.”
