What Georgia coach Kirby Smart said about Shane Beamer, facing Spencer Rattler

Kirby Smart has had success against South Carolina as a player and coach.

Smart went 3-1 as a player with the Bulldogs from 1995-98, and he’s 5-1 as a head coach against the Gamecocks.

Smart brings his Georgia squad (2-0) to Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday for a noon kickoff (ESPN). The Bulldogs are the defending national champions and moved up to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll on Sunday.

“I’m a lot more interested in how we execute a combo block than where we are ranked,” Smart said Monday at his weekly press conference. “Hopefully, the kids are the same way.”

UGA is a 24.5-point favorite in this year’s game.

A look at what else Smart had to say Monday about facing the Gamecocks (1-1).:

Facing Shane Beamer

This will be the second time Smart has faced the Gamecocks with Shane Beamer as head coach.

Smart hired Beamer to be on his staff when he got the Georgia head coaching job in 2016. Beamer coached special teams and tight ends in his two seasons with the Bulldogs.

“When we hired Shane, I had known him for a long time. He was interested in coming and thought it would be a great opportunity to jump in the SEC and be part of our program,” Smart said. “And he did. He has created a lot of energy through his program through enthusiasm. They’ve got an excellent staff and they are creating an environment of competition for their program to compete at a high level.”

Going against Spencer Rattler

This week will be the second time this season Georgia has faced a high-profile transfer quarterback. The Bulldogs played against Oregon’s Bo Nix (via Auburn) in the season opener and defeated the Ducks 49-3.

Spencer Rattler is in his first season as USC starting quarterback after three seasons at Oklahoma. The Arizona native was 24-of-39 passing for 377 yards and a touchdown in the loss against Arkansas.

“They’ve got a really good receiving corps, fast wideouts and guys we struggled with last year. Their quarterback has an elite ability to throw the deep ball. He can throw the ball over 70 yards, stretch the field and he is an athlete,” Smart said. “... Spencer is a little different than Bo. He is a really good athlete, great arm strength, and a lot of playing experience. Each guy is different because their offense is different.”

On Williams-Brice Stadium environment

Saturday will be UGA’s Southeastern Conference opener. It also will be the first time Georgia has played at USC since 2020. That year, Williams-Brice Stadium wasn’t full capacity because of COVID restrictions. The Gamecocks sold out their opener against Georgia State and it should be another big crowd this week.

Smart talked about the challenges of some of his young players going on the road.

“Any time you go on the road for the first time, guys have to get comfortable with that. We had a little bit in Atlanta with not being on our own field, but it certainly wasn’t the environment we are going to this time,” Smart said. “We will have some young guys that will have to lean on some older players.”

Junior offensive lineman Warren McClendon noted that it’ll be his first time in a full Williams-Brice.

“I played at South Carolina my sophomore year,” he said. “It was during COVID-19 so we didn’t get to experience ‘the sandstorm’ and all of that, but through recruitment I remember how the games used to be, so I’m pretty excited to play there.”