Kirby Smart and his 4-1 #10 Bulldogs have spent the past week preparing for an SEC showdown with the 3-2 Auburn Tigers. Georgia’s defense has been strong this season, holding opponents to 18.4 points per game. While Auburn is a middle-of-the-pack scoring offense, Junior quarterback Jackson Arnold adds a dual-threat challenge for the Bulldogs’ defense.
Smart joined the Bulldogs Live Radio Show this week to discuss the upcoming matchup with Auburn and his team’s preparation for Arnold.
How Is Kirby Smart Preparing for the Challenge of Jackson Arnold?
Arnold has played smart, clean football in 2025. On the year, he’s completed a career-high 64.9 percent of his passes for 846 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions, good for a 130.3 rating. The dual-threat quarterback has also added 192 yards on the ground and another five touchdowns.
While he’s been efficient, his performance hasn’t set the nation on fire, and we’ve graded him a C this season. That said, Smart isn’t taking Arnold lightly this weekend. Stopping a dual-threat guy isn’t easy, and Smart knows it.
“It’s tough,” said Smart. “I’d rather see a statue that stands in there and just doesn’t move because eventually you can get him.”
Georgia has struggled to get to the quarterback this season. They are tied for 107th in the nation with just 1.4 sacks per game.
“The best quarterbacks are mobile, they’re all dual threat,” Smart continued. “The key is, is he an extra element guy that can make all the throws, which Jackson Arnold can.”
Kirby Smart’s Biggest Concerns for the Georgia Defense
Georgia’s sole loss this season was to Alabama, 24-21, on Sept. 27th. Smart believes a recurring issue was part of their undoing in that game: their inconsistency in pass coverage.
“Against Alabama, in the second half, we covered well. We didn’t really in the first half,” said Smart. In that game, Alabama scored all 24 of its points in the first half, and it finished with 280 passing yards on the day.
To this point in the season, the Bulldogs are ranked 85th in passing yards allowed, allowing 231.2 passing yards per game. There’s still a long way to go, but Smart knows that his defense, especially against the pass, will need to be far more consistent if Georgia is going to have a shot at another national title.
The Bulldogs had a nice bounce-back win last week, but they now face back-to-back tough conference matchups starting this week. Smart knows what he’s looking for out of his squad as they round into shape as we move through the middle part of the season. Georgia and Auburn kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET.