ATHENS — Kirby Smart doesn’t typically spend much time discussing specific opponents before games, much less on multiple occasions in one press conference.

But that’s where the questions led the Georgia head coach when discussing the pivotal rivalry matchup with Florida, and Smart bluntly put the facts out there for everyone — including the Gators — to see.

“They have got a great run scheme, and they have got a great back to go with it,” Smart said when asked about NCAA touchdown leader Jadan Baugh, a former Columbia High School standout whose 13 touchdowns are tied for the most among tailbacks.

“We have shown our guys clips of him since the start of the year to kind of say, ‘Are you practicing to tackle him, or are you practicing to tackle who you’re playing against?’

“We are driving the motivation that every day you’re trying to prepare for the best.”

Baugh’s 13 touchdowns through seven games are more than the past four Heisman Trophy-winning running backs had through the first seven games of their respective seasons.

Baugh’s No. 13 will be in the minds of the Georgia defenders all week, just as Buster Faulkner’s tendencies will be running through the minds of Smart and his defensive coordinator and play caller, Glenn Schumann.

Faulkner, of course, served as UGA’s Offensive Quality Control / Quarterbacks coach at UGA from 2020-2022, serving as an important go-between for Stetson Bennett and then OC Todd Monken.

If anyone knows how to exploit Georgia’s defense, it’s Faulkner, as he proved in a 44-42 eight-overtime thriller that saw the Georgia Tech team he was play calling for in 2024 fall just short of an epic upset.

If Faulkner’s Yellow Jackets could muster 563 yards of offense against a UGA defense that featured 10 future NFL players - seven of them NFL starters — what might the former UGA assistant do when equipped with a more talented Florida roster?

That’s part of why first-year Gators coach Jon Sumrall hired Faulkner, no doubt, aware of his prowess against Smart’s Georgia defensive scheme.

Smart, as he did with Baugh, did not attempt to deflect or hide the threat Faulkner’s offensive wizardry poses.

“I think he’s one of the best offensive minds in the country, and it’s really hard to defend,” Smart said. “He has played in different styles of offense. He is not one style, and it has made him a better coach through doing that.

“He knows how to utilize the player skill sets he has on the team, and he does it while maintaining physicality and making sure that there is still toughness in the run game and how you do things.”

In two games against Top 10 teams this season, Faulkner’s offense has scored an average of 38.5 points.

But in a 45-17 loss at Missouri earlier this season, Faulkner’s offensive attack was stymied, as Baugh managed just 13 yards on 12 carries.

Faulkner pointed out that part of the reason for that was how the Gators had fallen behind earlier, trailing 20-10 at the half and 30-10 through three quarters.

“We want to be able to (throw) on our terms,” Faulkner said after the Oct. 3 loss at Missouri, accentuating the necessity of a good run game.

“(Throw) on schedule, play-action pass, naked (bootlegs), all those different things you want to be able to do.”

It will be up to Georgia’s defensive front to win those first downs and get Florida off schedule — something the Bulldogs were unable to do against an Auburn rushing attack that rolled up 192 yards rushing in a 27-24 upset.

Smart has essentially put the Gators on notice that his defense will be geared up to stop Baugh, and Faulkner freely admitted that Missouri’s ability to do that led to his offense unraveling.

It’s a safe bet Smart and his staff have spent multiple hours watching Florida’s most recent game — a 27-24 win over a Texas team featuring a Will Muschamp defense that’s based in many of the same principles as Georgia’s.

Faulkner had his way with Muschamp’s star-studded Longhorns’ defense, rolling up 21 fist downs on 8-of-19 third-down conversion efficiency and a staggering 38 minutes, 11 seconds time of possession to Texas’ 21:49.

Smart hinted that Georgia has examined some potential twists and tweaks for the Bulldogs game plan for Florida during the bye week.

“There is probably more time to make decisions; to flirt with things and look at things because of the time both teams have in terms of things you might carry or might not,” Smart said. “At the end of the day, there is only going to be so many plays in the game.”

Indeed, but there’s only one Florida player Georgia defenders have been watching cut-ups on all season.