An offseason tie was fine by Georgia football coach Kirby Smart.
The Bulldogs held their second scrimmage Saturday afternoon inside Sanford Stadium, which also served as their 12th of 15 allotted spring practices. The offense got the better of the defense in last Saturday's inaugural scrimmage, but Smart wasn't declaring either side the winner this time around.
"It was the first scrimmage since I've been here where I thought both sides of the ball did some things well," Smart said in a news conference. "There were some momentum changes in the scrimmage, where one part of the scrimmage the defense did a little better and then one part of the scrimmage the offense did a little better.
"It was a good practice for us. Neither side really dominated. I can honestly say that."
Saturday's scrimmage was closed to the media, and no statistics were provided.
Smart was hoping to have a more competitive environment by having the starters vie with the starters and the backups against the backups, which will be the case again this Saturday when the Bulldogs wrap up spring with their annual G-Day game. Though the defense has shown improvement the past couple of practices, Smart did not want to go overboard with Saturday's stalemate.
"I can't say that we dominated defensively out there," he said. "They certainly made some good plays. There were a lot of good hits and spirit and running to the ball. When you've got good backs, there will be some missed tackles. When you've got a quarterback who can make some throws, there are going to be some one-on-one battles outside that you just don't win, but I was very encouraged by how hard they played.''
Junior outside linebacker D'Andre Walker was a defender Smart singled out for his performance, but he added that Walker benefited from right tackle Ben Cleveland's absence when the second-team units were vying. Smart said Cleveland was injured but did not provide specifics.
Smart did say that senior tight end Jeb Blazevich sprained his knee and that sophomore tight end Isaac Nauta injured his shoulder during the scrimmage. He did not know if either would be available for Tuesday and Thursday practices that will precede G-Day.
Freshman defensive back Deangelo Gibbs, who injured his shoulder in Thursday's practice, was held out of the scrimmage.
Georgia did not run the ball nearly as well in the second scrimmage due to a lack of movement up front. Smart said that led to some "flashbacks" from last season.
"We've got to be able to do that," he said. "We've got to be creative and get the ball to our playmakers in space and allow them to do things. We've got some plays to do that with. I think (quarterback) Jacob (Eason) specifically has taken good strides, but he has to continue to make good decisions and get the ball in the right spot.''
Smart said having senior running back Nick Chubb at full strength this spring has been a positive and the focus with Chubb has been improving his ability as a receiver out of the backfield.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.