Kirby Smart’s record after three seasons at Georgia eerily similar to Mark Richt’s in same span

As Georgia looks to turn the page from a disappointing performance in the Sugar Bowl loss to Texas, the three-year record of coach Kirby Smart bears striking resemblance to his predecessor.

Mark Richt went 32-8 in his first three years at Georgia, and now Smart is 32-10. Smart is 2-2 in bowl games, with wins in the Liberty Bowl and Rose Bowl, and losses in the Sugar Bowl and a national championship. Richt began 2-1 in his first three seasons with wins in the Sugar Bowl and Capital One Bowl, and a loss in the Music City Bowl.

Georgia fans remain optimistic about the future of the program under Smart as recent recruiting classes appear to be an upgrade of the roster from the players recruited by Richt. However, there are questions about Smart’s performance in big games with national interest, such as the three losses this season. A change in Georgia’s performance in those types of games — the marquee CBS afternoon time slot and SEC Championship — would be a departure from the Richt era, which included nine double-digit win seasons, but not enough championship hardware, or late-season triumphs.

Georgia faithful also point to the vast majority of the roster this season being underclassmen, and returning in 2019 and beyond, and that the 2018 team is expected to be among the weakest in the foreseeable future.

Along with the typical rivalry and divisional matchups, Georgia will get tests in 2019 from the likes of Notre Dame and Texas A&M as the Bulldogs continue to establish themselves as a contender on the national stage.

Kirby Smart and Mark Richt numbers after 1st 3 years at UGA

CMR overall record: 32-8
CKS overall record: 32-10

CMR 2001: (8-4)
CMR 2002: (13-1)
CMR 2003: (11-3)

CKS 2016: (8-5)
CKS 2017: (13-2)
CKS 2018: (11-3)

— Jonathan Perez (@_JonathanMPerez) January 2, 2019

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.