The Georgia Bulldogs have adopted a “Do More” motto heading into Friday’s start to preseason football practices.
Georgia has reeled off an impressive 24-5 record the past two seasons that includes the 2017 Southeastern Conference championship and a 12-0 mark against SEC East foes. Neither season ended in victory, however, and that’s something the Bulldogs would like to change.
What exactly does “Do More” entail entering Kirby Smart’s fourth year as Georgia’s head coach?
“It might mean ringing a bell in the middle of a workout and going and doing something completely different – like our offense just turned it over or the defense just got a turnover for our offense,” Smart said last month during SEC Media Days. “We’re doing a lot of different things like that, because it’s important to change things up. I don’t like monotony, and I want the guys to kind of grow and not know what’s expected every day.
“I want some things to kind of pop out at them.”
Smart has a news conference scheduled for Friday to discuss the preseason, with Fan Day set for Saturday inside Sanford Stadium. The most pressing need for the Bulldogs will be replenishing a receiving corps that no longer has Terry Godwin, Mecole Hardman, Jeremiah Holloman and Riley Ridley from last season.
Georgia will start the 2019 season ranked No. 3 nationally in the Amway coaches poll behind defending national champion Clemson and reigning SEC champion Alabama. Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide defeated Smart’s Bulldogs 26-23 in overtime in the national championship game of the 2017 season and 35-28 last December for the SEC championship, rallying from double-digit deficits on each occasion.
The Bulldogs followed up the SEC title loss with a lackluster showing in a 28-21 Sugar Bowl setback against Texas, helping prompt the “Do More” theme, while Alabama advanced to last season’s national championship game but got thumped 44-16 by Clemson. That marked the worst loss of Saban’s 12 years in Tuscaloosa and resulted in a rebuilding tone in the months that followed.
“The key to us and the key to our success is whether we can internally re-establish the standard of what we need to do to be the best team that we can be,” Saban said at SEC Media Days. “That’s got to be something that’s done on a consistent basis, and it has to be able to sustain the season.
“That’s a challenge for all of us.”
Alabama also is starting preseason practice Friday but will not have any media availability. Saban is scheduled to hold a news conference Saturday morning, with Fan Day set for Saturday afternoon inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Concerns for the Crimson Tide include tight end, which no longer has Irv Smith and Hale Hentges topping that spot, and outside linebacker, where Terrell Lewis is coming off an ACL injury and Eyabi Anoma recently entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.