ATHENS — Kirby Smart’s success is no an accident -- the 11th year Georgia head coach has a plan, seemingly, for everything when it comes to his football team.

Indeed, it’s interesting to contrast Smart’s season prep from last season — when UGA had 54 freshmen and sophomores on its team — to this season’s group featuring older, and more experienced players.

“There’s nothing like live game reps -- lot of young guys have gotten a lot of reps,” former Georgia linebacker and DawgNation Daily analyst Davin Bellamy said.

“Georgia had two very good dress rehearsals and some scrimmages, so hopefully those two games were used to get some confidence.”

The snap counts for Georgia starters from the first two games of last season are vastly different than this season’s, just as Smart earlier explained how fall camp differed this fall from last fall.

Georgia played Marshall (45-7 win) and FCS-level Austin Peay (28-6) in the first two games of last season, while this season has seen the Bulldogs beat FCS-level Tennessee State 63-3 and prevail over Western Kentucky 70-20.

After reviewing the snap counts, per PFF, it’s easy to conclude this season’s Georgia team is much fresher than last year’s as it enters into SEC play at noon on Saturday against Arkansas.

Three of the Bulldogs’ starting offensive linemen had more than 100 snaps through the first two games last season on account of Earnest Greene lll and Juan Gaston having early injuries.

Contrast that to this season, where freshman starter Zykie Helton leads the starters with 73 snaps and the most offensive line snaps have gone to rapidly developing freshman Ekene Ogboko (89).

Gunner Stockton’s snap count is also very different, as Smart looked to get his first-year starting QB ready last season with 133 plays through the first two games compared to just 50 plays this season.

Smart, when asked about the snap count management, made it clear he feels this season’s team is just as game ready, pointing out there’s plenty of practice time that goes into the equation.

“You’re not counting snaps in games, you’re counting conditioning reps and snaps in practice and what gives them the opportunity to be able to play a game,” Smart said this week. “You forget that we played 50, 60-play scrimmages that are almost a full game against an SEC opponent in fall camp.”

Furthermore, Smart is keenly aware of the SEC’s move from eight to nine games on the league schedule, and he knows that means more physical games are ahead than ever before.

“I don’t really get too into it and overthink it and say they gotta play more snaps, (it’s) the number of exposures you have,” Smart said of the live action on Saturdays. “Our kids have never had the exposure they’ve had because of a nine-game SEC schedule. It’ll be greater this year than it’s ever been before, playing a nine-game schedule.”

The decreased started snap philosophy has carried over to defense as well as offense.

KJ Bolden, the leader of the secondary from his safety position had 71 snaps through the first two games last season compared to just 43 this season.

Ellis Robinson IV, who developed into the FWAA Defensive Freshman of the Year, came off the bench to get 58 snaps last season through the first two games compared to just 37 as the starter this season.

Last year’s starting defensive tackle duo combined for 76 snaps through the first two games (Christen Miller/Jordan Hall), while this year’s (Hall/Elijah Griffin) has combined for 52.

Chris Cole leads Georgia starters with 45 snaps through the first two games, while last season’s younger, more unproven version of Cole had 62 coming off the bench.

Freshman Tyriq Green leads this year’s UGA defense in snaps through the first two games, with 68, in addition to 18 snaps on special teams.

USC junior transfer safety defensive back Braylon Conley also has more snaps, per PFF metrics 57 (12 on special teams), than any UGA defensive starter, while freshman safety Blake Stewart has 55 defensive snaps and is among special teams leaders with 26 snaps.

Smart has referenced coaching up the bottom of the roster several times when explaining the need to build depth for championship runs.

Georgia fans will remember the Bulldogs had five starters missing when the clock hit zeroes in the season-ending 39-34 CFP Sugar Bowl loss to Ole Miss.

“When you start looking at the 12(-team playoff), and you’re like, two times we’ve lost the first (playoff) game, both times after winning the SEC championship,” Smart said during an offseason podcast with analyst Josh Pate, “you have to start saying, ‘Are you peaking too early? Are you complacent?’ You look intrinsically saying, what are we doing wrong, and what can we do better?”

Smart has taken the time to reflect with his staff and the circumstances of this season’s schedule and a more experienced roster and adjusted accordingly.

“I’m always open to listening to how other people do things,” Smart said during fall camp, “to try to find a better way.”

There’s an argument to be made that Georgia could not be in much better shape — from the standpoint of having starters healthy and ready to play, and reserves having already gained valuable game experience — at the start of the SEC schedule than it currently is.