ATHENS — Kirby Smart has plenty of pressing questions about his football team with the Georgia-Oregon game two weeks away.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to line up at Sanford Stadium between the hedges for Scrimmage Two and find some answers.
Many Georgia fans are understandably riding high off the program’s 33-18 CFP Championship Game win over Alabama seven months ago.
But what Smart knows is that equity does not exist in college football, and when you’re the highest paid coach in the game, it’s not about “what have you done for me lately.”
It’s, “What are you going to do for me next?”
Smart and his staff plan on another championship, the goal has not changed despite the unprecedented turnover with 15 players taken in the NFL draft and 13 exiting via the transfer portal.
Kirby’s question is, with who is he going to do it with?
Here are three questions that could be answered in Scrimmage Two:
Who is the number two quarterback?
Smart said Carson Beck was the No. 2 quarterback entering the UAB game week last season, but a bad Monday practice changed all that and opened the door for Bennett.
Beck has arm talent and athleticism, but so does Brock Vandagriff, and it’s believed the competition is on for the No. 2 job entering the season.
Smart has said he feels good about all of his quarterbacks, but that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be a change in the pecking order at some point.
Will Kendall Milton be ready for Oregon?
Kenny McIntosh was recently rated the No. 3 NFL draft-eligible running back and appears to have more all-around skills than any Georgia back since D’Andre Swift, but he can’t do it alone.
Milton is another gifted runner, but Smart said he had a pulled hamstring and those can be tough for players at dynamic skill positions to come back from quickly.
Dressing a player out for drill work is one thing, but turning him loose in a scrimmage or game conditions is another.
If Milton can’t go, Daijun Edwards will see premium carries and work, and those freshmen backs had better be ready to go in the event of any injuries.
Can this defense tackle effectively?
Smart made it clear he was pretty disappointed with Scrimmage One, in terms of the energy and leadership from his defense, as well as the tackling.
Smart pointed out last Saturday was the first scrimmage, so he didn’t want to read too much into it.
Scrimmage Two will be much more telling and help Smart find some answers.