Venables says Georgia's offense looks different under JT Daniels

Venables says Georgia can beat you through the air or on the ground.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Aug 30 18:00:07 GMT-04:00 2021

CLEMSON – Brent Venables was at his best during interviews Monday, and he knows his defense will have to be at its best Saturday when the Tigers take on Georgia in the season opener.

Georgia quarterback JT Daniels didn’t take over until late in the season and played just four games, including a bowl win over Cincinnati, but he completed 80-of-119 passes for 1,231 yards with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Venables says the Bulldog offense changed once Daniels was healthy.

"Once JT (Daniels) took over, things were a lot more fluid in the run and passing game,” Venables said. “Physical, play-action, attack you short, attack you deep. They beat a really good Cincinnati team to finish off the year. Expect them to do what worked well for them last year, and a lot did."

Georgia defeated Cincinnati 24-21 in the bowl game and Daniels threw for 392 yards with one touchdown and one interception. However, the vaunted Bulldog rushing attack gained just 45 yards on 24 carries.

"I think Cincinnati sold out in the run game and the by-product of that was the back end, but they gave themselves a chance to win,” Venables said. “Cincinnati was not going to let UGA run the ball, but UGA took advantage of that. (Daniels) handled the pressure very well; he throws the ball very well under pressure — one of the highest ratings in college football. He can make quick decisions, good decisions under duress, throws the ball with accuracy and the type of arm strength you need in the college game."

One media member asked about Georgia’s attrition at tight end, but Venables was having none of that.

"How'd you know that, did they release a depth chart that I'm not aware of? They expect everybody back. Whether it's (John) Fitzpatrick or the California freshman (Brock Bowers), It was a position of strength for them last year,” Venables said. “Two- and three-tight end packages, we expect to see all of that. Fitzpatrick can run, really athletic. He was the point man last year as far as the attached tight end that is going to move people. Their tight ends are big, long, athletic, and can play in space. They can attach and bloody your nose too."

Venables was asked if Georgia’s offensive line had a comparison to a team the Tigers have played.

"They are probably a lot like Ohio State. Notre Dame in some ways,” Venables said. “Probably more like Ohio State too. Physicality, size, athletic ability."

Wide receiver Jermaine Burton is a player the Tigers will have to watch.

"He's really fast. Very sudden. Incredibly strong. He's a playmaker,” Venables said. “On jet sweeps, he can run by you outside. He can catch the short one and turn it into a big game. What he did as a freshman, super impressive. Very impressive physically. He's a dude. He's a big guy as well."

Former Tiger Derion Kendrick will likely start at corner for the Bulldogs, but Venables doesn’t think that Kendrick will be able to give them a big advantage from his knowledge of the Clemson defense.

"Maybe he can talk about strengths and weaknesses from a personnel standpoint. You still have to go out and play,” Venables said. “It's not like we don't do a lot, we do a lot. We're just going to focus on us from that standpoint."

Several media members wanted to ask about the depth chart, and once again Venables wasn’t willing to answer the question without a little gamesmanship.

“It’s a good question, but I'm not going to get into all the personnel packages until we put something on tape,” he said. “I don't think it serves us well to put that out there yet. We have a bunch of different options. You can look at whatever we were doing last year, most of these guys are all back. You can probably expect more of the same."