Georgia's Kirby Smart says Clemson has one of "best defenses I've ever seen"

Kirby Smart says Clemson has a talented front four (Brett Davis/USA TODAY).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Aug 31 08:00:06 GMT-04:00 2021

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart knows his Bulldogs will have their hands full when they face Clemson in Saturday’s season opener.

Clemson and Georgia start the season Saturday in Charlotte, with the broadcast start slated for 7:30 pm (ABC). Smart met with the media Monday and talked about what he sees with the Tigers.

“We moved onto Clemson last week, Wednesday or Thursday we started working on these guys. We got a chance to watch them in the summer and we got a chance to watch them in the spring,” Smart said. “They are really talented, probably one of the best defenses I have ever seen returning in terms of number of starts and number of games played, the volume of experience is unmatched anywhere and anytime and I have been in college football a long time, just in terms of how much football those guys have played.

"Then you know their quarterback got some experience last year when Trevor (Lawrence) was down, he has one of the biggest arms I have ever seen, he is very talented, very hard to defend. It’s like every play it’s tough to defend when you play these guys, it’s like there is no time to rest. Special teams-wise they have always had good specialists and they continue to, that is a rich history tradition in that both teams have always had great specialists. I think special teams will play a big outcome in this game.”

Smart then said that Clemson’s defensive front is extremely talented and all were recruited hard by Georgia.

“I can talk about their front four because a couple of them are from our state-- we recruited each and every one of them. They’re really talented,” Smart said. “Every kid across that front we had on our campus at some time. We lost probably on all of them in terms of trying to get them. They’re talented, they’re quick. But what makes them so good is the defensive package and the way they use them. It’s not just their talent level, they fit the scheme. You have plugging linebackers, extremely smart linebackers, very good tacklers, great blitzing linebackers that are very aggressive in terms of what they do. It fits. They fit their scheme. Those kids really fit the way they play.”

Smart was asked if the two programs are similar.

“I don’t think we’re real similar. I don’t think our two quarterbacks are exactly the same, maybe in terms of experience, but very different type quarterbacks. I think secondary, they have more starts in their secondary returning than any secondary I’ve probably ever played,” he said. “I’ve been watching the same guys play in their secondary it seems like forever. They’ve had them back there every single game. We have common opponents that we’ve both played and they’ve had those guys back there forever. Their front is different than our front. We both do have experience in our front seven. Theirs is different than ours. Ours is a lot bigger, built to stop the run, and theirs is pushy, more athletic and built to rush the passer. They’ve done that, statistically, really well.

“They’ve affected every quarterback they play in terms of sacks and those numbers. We’ve been better in those categories, but not as good as what they’ve done. Offensively, there are some similarities there. We have a lot of our backs back. Obviously their best back got drafted but they have very capable backs, kids they beat us on recruiting. And they have good wideouts. There are similarities there but outside of that I don’t think there are a lot of similarities between the two.”

The Bulldogs feature former Clemson defensive back Derion Kendrick, and Smart said Kendrick will have to keep his emotions in check.

"We've spoken to him about it and we continue to. The good news is he has played in a lot of big games having been at Clemson,” Smart said. “The hurdle is more of the emotional side in playing your former teammates and old family. It can be a knee-jerker and tough on you at times. I talk to him everyday, we're watching clips of Clemson, so it can be awkward at times. I've been through that, when we played Georgia and I was at Alabama or playing someone the year after you were there. It makes it different, there's a personal touch to it. He's got to be able to separate himself from that, lock it out and go perform. He works hard, he loves football, it's important to him and he's bought into it. I'm excited to see him go play."