Georgia football is preparing for its second game of the season, with Austin Peay set to visit Athens for a Saturday afternoon matchup. Ahead of the contest, head coach Kirby Smart met with the media on Tuesday, where the first question he faced was about his team’s offensive line performance in last weekend’s 45-7 win over Marshall.
Smart didn’t hold back, using the opportunity to point out that his offensive line wasn’t in the kind of shape he expects.
“I didn’t think we had great stamina in terms of being able to play long drives and stay fresh,” Smart said via 247Sports. “It was a little bit warm out there, but it’s predicted to be even warmer this week. So, we’ve got to do a really good job of being the best-conditioned team, and that’s important.”
Smart challenges Georgia’s offensive line
The message was clear: Georgia’s linemen struggled to sustain their energy, often wearing down in the middle of drives despite frequent substitutions. With SEC play just around the corner, Smart emphasized that conditioning will have to improve quickly.
Still, not all of his feedback was critical. Smart also highlighted some encouraging signs from the group.
“I thought we did some good things in the run game,” he continued. “We had some play-action pass mishaps between them, the backs, and coordinating some calls. But pleased to have guys that stepped up and played. We were able to play a lot of players in the offensive line, both out of necessity, but also out of getting a lead. So it was really good to get a lot of experience for guys to go in and play the game.”
Building toward SEC play
While Smart expressed confidence in the overall talent and depth of the offensive line, he made it equally clear that they’re not yet where they need to be. This weekend’s matchup against Austin Peay provides another chance to sharpen execution and, most importantly, improve conditioning before Georgia heads into conference play — beginning with a road trip to Tennessee in two weeks.
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