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Kirby Smart could’ve been excused late Saturday night if he didn’t feel like waxing poetic about the epic game he just coached in.
The Georgia head coach is used to being on the right side of games like Saturday’s, but this time Smart was on the wrong side of a pulsating SEC showdown in Tuscaloosa, as Alabama once again broke the Bulldogs’ hearts with a 41-34 victory.
Georgia’s 44-game regular-season win streak came to an end, which Smart is chiefly responsible for, and Smart has led the Bulldogs to 2 national titles. Of course, their bid for a 3rd straight championship was thwarted by, who else, Alabama, in last season’s SEC Championship Game. Back to Saturday’s heartbreak, which Smart did have a lot to say about afterward.
“Well, obviously, one hell of a game. Great atmosphere. A lot of respect for Alabama’s team, their fans, the venue. It was one hell of a game,” said Smart. “Tale of two halves. Obviously, we were not really prepared and that falls on me.”
Smart knows the Bulldogs will have to dust themselves off quickly and get ready for Auburn next Saturday in Athens.
“For us, humility is always a week away,” said Smart. “We got to go get ready for another tough opponent coming to our place.”
Smart was asked about being 1-6 against Alabama after Saturday’s heartbreaker.
“I don’t know, what’s everybody else’s record against them, you know?” said Smart. “Has anybody got one better than 1-6, that’s played them six times? I don’t think so. I think they’ve got really good players. They’ve got a great program. I got an immense amount of respect for them.”
One of those really good players is 17-year-old freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, who hauled in the 75-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe — another really good player — with a little over 2 minutes left that was the difference in the game.
“They got a guy back there at quarterback that could be the best running back in the country, and he throws the ball. You can’t put two people on Ryan Williams. You can’t do it,” said Smart. “You’ve got to make (Milroe) make throws. We’ve known Ryan for a long time. He came to our place on several visits. He’s such a great kid. He’s extremely fast and elusive, and he’s got great ball skills.”
These 2 behemoths could see each other again, in Atlanta for another SEC Championship Game showdown or even beyond that in the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff. So, Smart might not be done with Alabama in the 2024 season.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
