Georgia faces perhaps their toughest challenge of the year this week against their new SEC rival, the Texas Longhorns. Texas comes into this week ranked first overall in the nation with one of the most balanced rosters in all of college football. Kirby Smart didn't hold back when talking about how much of a challenge Texas was going to be, and specifically how difficult it is preparing to defend against the Longhorns offense.
When asked about a few impact players specifically, like the dynamic quarterback duo that Texas has, Kirby Smart talked up both passers and how they've found success:
"It doesn't change how we prepare. [Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning] are different style quarterbacks, but they're not really different style quarterbacks. They're both really good. I'll say this. You watch the games that Arch played, he played really well. He did some really good things. I mean, look at his numbers. He comes out, first couple plays against Mississippi State, ripping it and firing in his first SEC play, and played really good. But Quinn's a great player. They've got a great quarterback. And they've got a great situation because they've got two guys that are both capable of winning and playing well."
Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers are collectively averaging a touchdown pass on nearly one out of every ten throws, ten yards per pass attempt, and have both posted incredible pass efficiency numbers all year long. Although Ewers is clearly the team's starter, as Steve Sarkisian has reiterated throughout this season, Smart fully understands Manning will be just as tough to stop if and when he is forced into action.
Smart was especially effusive in his praise for Ewers when it came to his versatile set of skills and awareness beyond what many seem to believe:
"[Quinn Ewers]' awareness. There's nothing that he sees that he hasn't seen. You know, quarterback, you get confidence by playing the position...He's played a lot of football. He's a really great athlete. He's been in [Steve Sarkisian]'s system. I think the comparisons between he and Carson are so similar in terms of the kind of quarterbacks they are. They're both better athletes than people think. They both have awareness of coverage and they're really good in the pocket. This guy's taking off and hurting people running when he needs to, but he can also stand in the pocket and make all the throws and change the protection. So I've really been impressed with [Ewers]."
Related: Georgia's Malaki Starks sends message to secondary teammates ahead of Texas showdown
Regardless of which quarterback plays for Texas on Saturday, Georgia is going to have a hard time slowing them down. The Longhorns rank Top 10 in yards per play, total yards per game, and explosive plays of 20+ yards.
When asked about what makes Texas so tough to defend, Kirby Smart had to say this:
"Texas presents a completely different [challenge] because they'll have you sitting at the line of scrimmage because you think it's a run and they ran right by you. They'll have you looking at a motion and you don't see the guy running down the field past you. They've got great speed on the perimeter. They've got great size. They present a challenge."
And beyond the obvious depth at wide receiver, Smart shared his thoughts on one of the most important emerging targets for both Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, tight end Gunner Helms:
"First of all [Gunner Helm] is a tremendous blocker...but he's a great pass catcher...The quarterbacks are really comfortable with him. So when you get zone [coverage] elements and holes in zones, they trust him to be at that spot and catch the ball. I wasn't aware of him going into the week because I had not really heard of him. And now watching tape, this guy's a really good player. And you're right, he had a big game last week."
It's not just the speed wide receivers outside for Texas. Gunner Helms has emerged as one of the most trusted weapons for both Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, snagging over 20 receptions for 300+ yards on the season already. Georgia's going to have their hands full, regardless of which playmaker gets targeted most this weekend.
Smart addressed the fact that this year's Georgia team is giving up far too many explosive plays as it is already. They typically measure everything in terms of yards per play, and this season's results have been far too inconsistent so far. The Bulldogs will need to clean that up if they want to have any shot at slowing down Quinn Ewers (and Arch Manning if Ewers goes down with an injury, which he has struggled with in the past).
Related: Georgia HC Kirby Smart clears the air on shoving Michael Van Buren during win over Mississippi State
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