Kirby Smart Prepares Georgia Defense for Florida Offensive Threats

Kirby Smart Targets Former Assistant Buster Faulkner as Georgia Prepares for Florida

“They have got a great run scheme, and they have got a great back to go with it,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart stated when discussing the matchup with Florida.

Smart doesn’t typically spend much time discussing specific opponents before games, much less on multiple occasions in one press conference. But the questions about Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and standout tailback Jadan Baugh drew unusually direct assessments from the Bulldogs’ head coach during the bye week.

Kirby Smart revealed an interesting detail about UGA’s Florida prep | On The Beat

Slowing Down the NCAA Touchdown Leader

The centerpiece of Florida’s offensive threat is Jadan Baugh, a former Columbia High School standout whose 13 touchdowns are tied for the most among tailbacks nationally. Baugh’s touchdown tally through seven games actually outpaces the production of the past four Heisman Trophy-winning running backs at the exact same juncture.

That production has commanded the total attention of the Georgia defensive staff. “We have shown our guys clips of him since the start of the year to kind of say, ‘Are you practicing to tackle him, or are you practicing to tackle who you’re playing against?’” Smart explained. “We are driving the motivation that every day you’re trying to prepare for the best.”

Kirby Smart has strong words for former Georgia assistant, Florida OC Buster Faulkner

Stopping that ground game starts with winning first downs and getting the Gators off schedule. That is an area where Georgia stumbled earlier this season against an Auburn rushing attack that rolled up 192 yards in a tight 27-24 upset. Conversely, when Missouri successfully bottled up Baugh to just 13 yards on 12 carries earlier this year, Faulkner’s entire offensive attack unraveled in a 45-17 defeat.

The Familiarity Factor of Buster Faulkner

Beyond the backfield, Georgia must reckon with a play-caller who knows the Bulldogs’ defensive system from the inside out. Buster Faulkner served as UGA’s Offensive Quality Control and Quarterbacks coach from 2020 to 2022, acting as an important go-between for Stetson Bennett and then-coordinator Todd Monken.

Watch Florida Running Back Jadan Baugh Georgia Preview Press Conference

Faulkner nearly proved how well he understands Smart’s defense back in 2024, when his Georgia Tech offense put up 563 yards against a UGA unit that featured 10 future NFL players, including seven eventual starters, before falling 44-42 in an eight-overtime thriller. Now equipped with a more talented Florida roster assembled by first-year Gators coach Jon Sumrall, Faulkner presents an even steeper challenge.

“I think he’s one of the best offensive minds in the country, and it’s really hard to defend,” Smart said of his former assistant. “He has played in different styles of offense. He is not one style, and it has made him a better coach through doing that. He knows how to utilize the player skill sets he has on the team, and he does it while maintaining physicality and making sure that there is still toughness in the run game and how you do things.”

Georgia Football: Head Coach Kirby Smart Pre-Florida Press Conference

Testing Similar Defensive Principles

Faulkner’s offense has averaged 38.5 points in two games against Top 10 opponents this season. He also recently dissected a Texas defense coordinated by Will Muschamp—a scheme built on many of the same foundational principles as Georgia’s—controlling the ball for 38 minutes and 11 seconds while converting 8 of 19 third downs in a 27-24 win.

Smart noted that the bye week allowed his staff extra time to evaluate potential wrinkles for the matchup. “There is probably more time to make decisions; to flirt with things and look at things because of the time both teams have in terms of things you might carry or might not,” Smart said. “At the end of the day, there is only going to be so many plays in the game.”