Georgia's defensive line was getting extra practice in during TV timeouts against Arkansas. Kirby Smart explains why

No. 2 Georgia handled Arkansas 45-17 on Saturday in Fayetteville, as many expected as Ryan Silverfield continues his bid to rebuild the Razorbacks.

But the moment that had both fans and coaches talking came during a fourth-quarter TV timeout, when the Bulldogs' defensive line lined up and ran a full individual period on the field while the game clock sat idle.

Cameras caught it, and ESPN's Dusty Dvoracek called it out on the broadcast. "I have never seen a team use it as an individual period," Dvoracek said. "The defensive line of Georgia went through a full three to four minute individual period to stay fresh."

The clip below is from a game in Knoxville last year, so it's been going on for a while, but demonstrates the same approach Dvoracek called out versus the Razorbacks yesterday.

Three to four minutes of drill work. During a game. With the game well in hand. Has anyone seen that before?

The read from the outside was easy: Georgia was bored, so the Dawgs turned a live SEC road game into a practice field. Kirby Smart's deflected the question a bit before shedding some light on the why behind it.

Tray Scott has coached Georgia's defensive front since 2018 and is one of the longest-tenured assistants on Smart's staff. Smart said Scott operates from a simple belief about rep count when an opponent stops running the ball. "That's a belief he has of, we're not getting enough work," Smart said. "They're not running the ball, so he gets work between snaps and between huddle breaks to make sure we're getting enough."

Arkansas gave the Georgia front almost nothing to defend on the ground, finishing with 20 rushing yards on 17 carries. When the run game disappears and the score is out of hand, a defensive line can stand around for long stretches. Scott would rather his players stay in a work pattern than cool off between series.

Snaps are the currency of development, and a blowout where the ball is getting thrown around a ton is where they dry up. Scott found a way to bank a few more reps without pulling his starters off the field.

It also fits everything Smart has built in Athens. He runs a program on the idea that there is no wasted rep and no coasting once the lead gets fat, and a defensive line drilling on the sideline of a game it has already won is that idea taken to its end. Younger coaches watching probably filed it away. Older ones probably smiled, because most of them have wanted to do exactly that and never had a group disciplined enough to pull it off in front of a national broadcast.

The results of the Georgia's defense are impossible to ignore. The Dawgs first-string D has surrendered three points all season, and the Bulldogs sit 3-0 and ranked No. 2 heading into the heart of the SEC schedule.

Call it excessive or performative if you want. Smart and Scott will take the extra work every time.

Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.