What Georgia coach Kirby Smart said about facing Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer seem to meet early in Southeastern Conference play each season, whether it be the first SEC game or shortly thereafter.
This year, Beamer and the Gamecocks (1-1) are traveling to Athens in hopes of earning their first win against the Bulldogs since 2019 and first with Beamer as head coach.
Smart shared his initial thoughts on South Carolina on Monday, and what he’s expecting No. 1 Georgia (2-0) to do Saturday afternoon.
“They do a tremendous job with their players,” Smart said of USC. “They play hard. Got a lot of respect for those guys.”
Spencer Rattler’s arm is a threat
Smart spoke about South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler’s performance through USC’s first two games, and the final games of the 2022 season, and complimented the QB’s versatility with the ball. Describing Rattler as “dangerous,” Smart said Georgia’s secondary will need to focus on keeping receivers like Xavier Legette and Eddie Lewis away from deep passes.
Rattler received the SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors Monday for his performance in Week 2, going 25 of 27 with 345 yards, three passing touchdowns and a running score. The offensive line gave on one sack after allowing nine in Week 1, and the starting quarterback didn’t turn over the ball.
“He’s got elite arm talent, I can tell you that,” Smart said. “The throws he makes, deep, vertical, back-shoulder throws. He’s thrown a couple field outs. ... So he’s very elusive, very accurate with the ball.”
The Bulldogs head coach touched on Rattler’s ability to improvise in and out of the pocket, and that many people miss assignments trying to tackle the Gamecocks’ QB.
Preparing for Beamer Ball
Smart mentioned how successful Beamer and special teams coordinator Pete Lembo have become with the special teams unit, and their ability to catch opponents off guard. Saying he was impressed watching Beamer’s father, Frank Beamer, do it as a college head coach, Smart said South Carolina’s special teams unit is one of the top in the conference that he studies for.
“They were tops in the conference last year in the composite thing we do in terms of looking at all of them and ranking all of the special teams unit,” Smart explained. “They were one in the SEC and it’s something they do a really, really good job of.”
Smart said Georgia’s defense has to be mindful of “momentum plays” with the special teams unit on Saturday, and will have to prepare for reacting to those potentially impactful moments during the game.
Studying Dowell Loggains’ style
South Carolina’s new offensive coordinator, Dowell Loggains, is also brand new to Smart. So the head coach said he’s spent time throughout the offseason trying to understand Loggains’ calling style. Smart said he’s looked at Loggains’ play calls and sought out trends from the coordinators’ previous experience.
“You see the impact of what they’re doing this year is probably the biggest priority,” Smart said. “But you also watch where he’s been and what they’ve done last year. They were really successful last year and he wasn’t part of that, so I think it’s a mesh of all those guys.”
Georgia and South Carolina meet for the 76th time in program history. The Bulldogs lead the series, 54-19-2, and have the home advantage, having gone 30-9 when the two clash in Athens. Beamer said following the Week 2 win against Furman he expects everything to “ramp up” this week, and Smart said he’s expecting a bigger test for Georgia.
“As always, a really important game when it comes to playing a school that’s this close geographically to you,” Smart said. “I know both teams will be up for the game.”
2023 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 2 – North Carolina 31, South Carolina 17
Sept. 9 – South Carolina 47, Furman 21
Sept. 16 – at Georgia – 3:30 pm, CBS
Sept. 23 – vs Mississippi State – 7:30 pm, SEC Network
Sept. 30 – at Tennessee – TBA
Oct. 14 – vs Florida – TBA
Oct. 21 – at Missouri – TBA
Oct. 28 – at Texas A&M – TBA
Nov. 4 – Jacksonville State – TBA
Nov. 11 – vs Vanderbilt – TBA
Nov. 18 – vs Kentucky – TBA
Nov. 25 – vs Clemson – TBA
This story was originally published September 11, 2023 at 2:42 PM with the headline "What Georgia coach Kirby Smart said about facing Spencer Rattler, South Carolina."
