Georgia coach Kirby Smart discusses facing Sarah Fuller in upcoming game against Vanderbilt
By Jake Rill
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Last week, Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller made history as the first woman to play in a Power Five college football game. Her lone appearance came when she booted the opening kickoff of the second half in the Commodores’ 41-0 loss at Missouri.
It’s possible that Fuller will again get onto the field for Vandy this week as it goes on the road for a matchup at Georgia. And on Monday, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart was asked whether he’d have a conversation with his special-teams unit about facing her in a kickoff setting.
“Probably not. I’ve never had to have that conversation before. I’m not going to change and have that conversation now,” Smart said (h/t Matt Howe of 247Sports.com). “We don’t account for the kicker in our returns. I don’t think anybody in the country accounts for the kicker. You assume that if you get to the kicker, you did a pretty good job in the return game. We don’t plan on having a conversation about it.
“She plays a very physical sport, to be honest with you. I’ve seen some pretty brutal collisions without a helmet and without gear on. I’m sure she can take care of herself when it comes to that. That’s not something we’ve really concerned with because we don’t assign anybody to the kicker.”
Perhaps Fuller will have more kicking opportunities this week, but that’s not a sure thing. Especially because Vanderbilt is likely in store for another lopsided loss. Georgia is 6-2 and currently at No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Vanderbilt and Georgia are set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday on SEC Network.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
