Georgia Bulldogs' Arian Smith reveals what has changed mentally for him this year

The Carson Beck-Arian Smith connection keeps getting better, which has been a long time coming for the fifth-year senior wide receiver and Georgia's quarterback.

While it wasn't much of a dogfight for the Bulldogs on Saturday as they stomped Tennessee Tech 48-3 at home, Smith still showed how much he and Beck's chemistry has improved.

Smith led all receivers on Saturday with four catches for 76 yards, which included a 50-yard touchdown catch that put the Dawgs up 31-0 in the third quarter.

It hasn't been an easy road to get to this point as Smith's career has been riddled with injuries that he's struggled to bounce back from.

When asked after the game what has changed mentally for him this year, Smith said his "composure."

"My composure," Smith said. "Being able to move on when things don't go my way. Like (when) it's very frustrating. Coach tells me all of the time if things don't go my way just move on. Process over outcome. So, if I do something really well and I don't really get the ball, I can't be mad. Just keep moving."

Through two games, Smith has logged five receptions for 56 yards and one touchdown, averaging 11.2 yards per catch.

Smith is still far from where he needs to be, but any improvement from last season to now isn't going to go unnoticed, especially from head coach Kirby Smart.

"Arian's been great," Smart said. "Arian works really hard. I think I've told you guys, he's probably the one player that I've seen in my nine years take the biggest transformation from coming from a small school. He went to a small school down in Polk County, and he just got better and better and better and better. He's been through significant injuries, three, four surgeries, and he's just so mature now. He knows how to work. He's much more patient if things don't go well, and just his maturation process has been great for our program."

Smith will get to show exactly how much he's grown when the Bulldogs face their first SEC opponent of the season next Saturday: the Kentucky Wildcats.

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