Georgia Coach Kirby Smart Says Bulldogs Aim to Improve in College Football Playoff After Recent Quarterfinal Losses

Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Tuesday the Bulldogs must improve their performance in the College Football Playoff after back-to-back quarterfinal losses. Speaking at SEC media days in Tampa, Florida, Smart called for the team to "play better and play bigger in bigger moments," regardless of whether it wins the SEC title again.

Georgia has captured the last two SEC championships yet fell to Notre Dame and Ole Miss in consecutive playoff quarterfinals.

The program has finished in the top 10 of the final rankings for seven straight years, an achievement Smart described as its biggest accolade. Alabama was the last team to win three consecutive SEC titles, doing so from 2014 to 2016; Georgia last achieved the feat in 1980-82, with one title shared.

The Bulldogs return 72 percent of their defensive production from last season, the second-highest rate in the SEC.

Redshirt senior quarterback Gunner Stockton and junior tailback Nate Frazier headline the returning skill players. Georgia also retains the core of its offensive line. Offensive production remains a focus.

The team recorded just two plays of 50 yards or more last season, tied for the third-fewest in FBS. Only 19 percent of its offensive plays gained 10 yards or more, fourth-worst in the conference. Fifth-year senior center Drew Bobo said the main goal this year is to become a more explosive offense.

Smart also questioned the length of the layoff between the conference title game and the playoff for teams that earn a bye. "No sport that I know of shuts down for 25 to 30 days between performances, and we have not had our best performances when we needed them most," he said. Stockton said the team's goal is to finish the job in the CFP.