Kirby Smart both excited and disappointed with young star player following Georgia's messy win over Florida

The Georgia Bulldogs didn't exactly win with ease against the Florida Gators on Saturday. The final score ended up being 34-20, but for much of the game it was a much closer match than that. Part of it had to do with Carson Beck's three interceptions. But it also didn't help when Trevor Etienne left […]

Travis May — College Football Managing Editor

Nov 3, 2024 7:00 AM EST

The Georgia Bulldogs didn't exactly win with ease against the Florida Gators on Saturday. The final score ended up being 34-20, but for much of the game it was a much closer match than that. Part of it had to do with Carson Beck's three interceptions. But it also didn't help when Trevor Etienne left the game early with a rib injury. Luckily, Georgia's emerging young star running back Nate Frazier stepped up and played well throughout the contest.

However, Kirby Smart certainly was feeling both excited and disappointed in Frazier after the game when he was asked about him in his time with the media. Frazier was penalized for a silly "Gator Chomp" taunting celebration and made a couple other mistakes, but also posted 89 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown:

"Yeah I mean he's got to grow up. We've been trying to grow him up the whole time. It's probably me more than anything. Josh [Crawford, RBs coach] does a good job trying to get him in there. We've got to show confidence in him and play because a back can't make it through this league trying to do it by himself. And I thought he did some good things tonight…He had a couple mistakes that can cost us. He has really gotten better in his [pass] protection. I'm fired up about him in protection because he is not shy of contact. But he's got to get vertical and not try to outrun everything to the sideline."

Smart is definitely right about Frazier's tendency to run horizontally instead of pushing vertically up the field. Frazier's longest carry went for 11 yards partly due to always looking for the home run play. And Kirby was obviously upset after Frazier's Gator Chomp taunting penalty as you can see in the post below:

Smart addressed the penalty directly when asked a follow-up question on Frazier's antics:

"Just don't be stupid, man. We're not selfish people at Georgia. I'm not interested in all the shenanigans…I'm not interested in you 'Gator chomping and throat slashing'. It's not respectful…I think the best way to attack somebody is to beat them."

It was just one penalty. And while Frazier might need to work on getting up field, his athleticism and high motor generated positive plays on all but one touch on Saturday. His diving touchdown also launched the Georgia offense into rhythm, as they scored 28 points in the final 22 minutes of the game.

Frazier is now up over 300 yards from scrimmage on the season as a true freshman, having logged multiple strong games when Trevor Etienne missed time now. Etienne, according to Kirby Smart, is struggling with a bit of a rib issue but should be fine rather quickly.

Smart has reiterated on multiple occasions that the team needs to find more ways to give Etienne a break because no one back can make it through a full SEC slate of games by himself. It seems that Frazier is continuing to emerge as the team's clear next best option to pair with Etienne to help keep him fresh. That might prove critical down the stretch as Georgia tries to find success in the first ever 12-Team College Football Playoff.

Kirby Smart defends Carson Beck’s horrible play again following Georgia’s sloppy SEC win over Florida Gators

The turnovers apparently aren’t all on Carson Beck

We'll be back with more Georgia Bulldogs coverage here at A to Z Sports all season long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!