ATHENS — This season hasn’t gone as planned for wide receiver Arian Smith. After a game-changing performance in Georgia’s win over Ohio State, many thought he would a key piece of the Georgia offense this season.
Yet in the previous game against Vanderbilt, Smith played only a single snap. He was targeted on the play, only for Smith to drop the Carson Beck pass. Drops have become an issue for Smith this season, which may further explain his decline in playing time.
Smith has been working late after practice to try and get past his bout of drops. Head coach Kirby Smart has taken notice of Smith, praising the junior wide receiver even in the midst of a trying season.
“For whatever reason, he hasn’t had as many opportunities lately and he’s had some opportunities that he didn’t capitalize on He’d be the first to you that,” Smart said. “But I’m really proud of him and the role he’s played on our team in terms of leadership. He’s taken on ownership on some special teams units. He’s been elite at gunner and you know he’s part of the reason we haven’t given up many return yards. He’s been a major factor in that. He works really hard after practice at developing as a wide out.”
Georgia has gotten healthier at the wide receiver position, along with Rara Thomas and Dominic Lovett becoming bigger pieces of the offense. Through seven games, Smith has only 4 receptions for 67 yards. His last reception was a touchdown, but that came against UAB on Sept. 23.
The Bulldogs were also reliant on tight end Brock Bowers but he’ll miss Saturday’s game following ankle surgery. Smart has made it clear it’s going to take a collective effort with the absence of Georgia’s star tight end.
Smith and his speed can help in that regard. His ability to stretch the field is something teams have to pay attention to, as the Ohio State game showed last season.
And Smith has continued to put in the work to help this Georgia team. Be it on special teams or working through some of his recent struggles.
“He’s been going up to the coaches, asking what can he do better on and off the field. I just told him — well, the whole receiving corps kind of told him that nobody’s perfect,” Lovett said. “Everybody’s going to drop balls. Sometimes you drop the easy ones. You’ve just got to have the next-play mentality and just not let it have a snowball effect. So in practice he’s been getting JUGS, he’s been catching the ball, making sure he catches it with his eyes and not just his hands. I feel like he’s getting back to himself, and I feel like he’s going to be alright.”
The off-week was well timed for Georgia in this regard, as it allows players to focus on themselves instead of prepping for a specific opponent. The hope for Smith and the Georgia offense is that he’s been able to get back on track so that he can make big plays as he did in last year’s College Football Playoff win.
