Young Bulldogs defensive linemen impressing Kirby Smart

Although there weren’t a lot of bright spots in No. 8 Georgia’s loss to LSU on Saturday, there were several less-seasoned Bulldogs who saw increased playing time in the game and made a favorable impression on coach Kirby Smart, who emphasized that the only way to get better – and move up the depth chart -- is through hard, smart work.

“I thought in the game, (sophomore defensive lineman) Malik Herring, (redshirt freshman linebacker) Robert Beal and (freshman defensive lineman) Jordan Davis, all three played more snaps than they’ve been playing, but Jordan and Beal, especially, did a lot more than they’ve been playing,” said Smart, whose team is off Saturday before its annual trek to Jacksonville to face No. 11 Florida on Oct. 27.

“They’ve been on scout team a ton, so we’ve used them as examples to say, ‘This your opportunity to leapfrog a guy.’ … That’s how you improve your team, how you improve your program, you get tons of reps and get to work.”

Against LSU, Herring recorded one tackle, Beal had four tackles and a quarterback sack and Davis posted seven tackles.

When asked about Beal’s progress, Smart said, “He’s still on scout team and getting those reps. We really believe in those reps. It’s the guys who are down there are sometimes better than the guys who go against the scout team.

“Robert has had an opportunity to continue to grow on the scout team. Robert works really hard. Robert got a little bit of confidence because for the first time in a game, he had two pass-rush situations where he beat his guy pretty quick, and I feel like he knows what to do a lot faster now and it shows up on the field. That helps him.”