Kirby Smart ready to see Georgia’s first impression, mum on plan at QB
ATHENS — Georgia football coach Kirby Smart held his opening-week press conference Monday and made it clear he’s ready to see what this season’s team is all about.
“The focus is on first impressions, and the first impression of this team is how we play in this game,” Smart said at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. “If you can play winning football and we think you’re a really good player, we’re going to try to play guys in this game regardless of where they sit on the depth chart.”
The No. 5-ranked Bulldogs open the season Saturday at Sanford Stadium against Marshall (3:30 p.m., ESPN) as a 39.5-point favorite.
Smart has yet to officially announce a starting quarterback, and no depth chart has been released to the public, but fourth-year junior Gunner Stockton has been taking the first-team reps and is expected to make his second career start.
Stockton is coming off a career-high 234 yards passing in Georgia’s season-ending 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
UGA redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Puglisi has impressed in preseason camp, getting some work with the starters and taking the second-team reps. Puglisi could see the first game action of his career, but Smart was not willing to commit to playing more than one quarterback against the Thundering Herd.
“That would be very presumptuous to say that,” Smart said, asked if there was a plan to play more than one quarterback in the opening game. “I don’t do the assumption or the forecasting. I get into what do we have to do each play to be successful.”
Georgia brings the longest active home win streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision into the game, having won 31 in a row dating to a 20-17 overtime loss to South Carolina in 2019.
Smart, 9-0 in season openers, brings a 105-19 career record into the contest.
Smart said no decision has been made on the status of preseason All-American punter Brett Thorson, who suffered a torn ACL in the SEC championship game.
“He has continued to kick, and I don’t know that he’s going to be kicking in this game,” Smart said. “That hasn’t been decided yet. ... It will be one of those things we decide by the end of the week.”
Georgia punter Drew Miller would assume the duties if Thorson is unable to play in the game. Miller punted four times in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame, averaging 39.8 yards on those kicks.
Saturday’s game marks the second meeting between Georgia and Marshall. The Bulldogs scored a 13-3 victory in 2004 under then-coach Mark Richt.
The Bulldogs are 39-3 in nonconference games under Smart, including a 22-1 home mark, the only blemish coming in Smart’s first season as head coach when Georgia Tech scored a 28-27 victory.
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
