ATHENS — Kirby Smart is starting to see some of the things he knows Georgia needs to have in place for the start of the season.

The Bulldogs’ head coach appeared more at ease after Scrimmage Two on Saturday, addressing the media on a Zoom call.

“It probably wasn’t as good of an explosive offensive day as it was last time (Scrimmage One last Saturday), which is probably a good thing for the defense,” Smart said, assessing Georgia’s second scrimmage of fall camp.

“I thought a couple of guys on the defense made some plays,” he said. “Pop (Jamon Dumas-Johnson) had some good plays, (and) David (Daniel) made some good plays. Malaki Starks showed up a few times and made some plays.”

Dumas-Johnson will be key at middle linebacker, a first-year starter attempting to fill the shoes of 2021 Butkus Award winner Nakobe Dean.

Daniel and Starks are also important players and the Bulldogs look to replace first-round NFL draft pick Lewis Cine at safety.

Smart said he needed to see the film before singling out too many players, but also felt good about some of his offensive stars.

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“Dominick (Blaylock) made a nice play; young guys at wide out continue to step up,” Smart said. “I thought that Stetson (Bennett) did a good job getting the ball out to those guys.”

Smart went over an injury report that included veteran receiver Kearis Jackson, who suffered an ankle or an Achilles injury, so Blaylock’s ability to step up will be key.

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Georgia lost speedster Arian Smith indefinitely after the explosive wideout underwent ankle surgery early in fall camp.

While offense and defense continue to show improvement, Smart hinted at some concern on special teams, with field goals being an issue in Scrimmage Two.

“Field goals we have to continue to work on,” Smart said, not divulging more details after sources relayed many misses on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.

On more positive notes, Smart said freshman punter Brett Thorson had a good day, and he was please with the team’s kickoffs.

Tampa Bay Bucs fourth-round pick Jake Camarda handled punting and kickoffs in all-star fashion for Georgia last season, and figures to be sorely missed.

Camarda was also a team leader, one of the 14 game captains from a season ago that Georgia looks to replace.

Smart said he’s seeing leadership grow with key players.

“Jalen Carter has done a great job, Pop (Dumas-Johnson) has done a great job, Trezmen Marshall has, Kelee Ringo has, Kamari Lassiter has,” Smart said.

“There are several guys that have stepped up and really taken on that responsibility. Even Robert Beal. He’s not a guy of many words, but he has certainly been around here a long time like William Poole.”

For all the players Georgia lost — a record 15 were selected in the NFL Draft — Smart feels there are enough veterans around to know how to set an example.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that know how to do it and have seen it done right,” Smart said. “They haven’t been the featured player, but they understand how to lead and have seen it done the right way.”