Kirby Smart compares Georgia mindset to Friday the 13th: ‘They can’t kill Jason, he keeps coming back’

Perhaps Georgia head coach Kirby Smart remembered it was Halloween weekend when he referenced a classic horror film while discussing his desired mindset for the Bulldogs. Or perhaps he just thought that Jason Voorhees was an apt vessel for his analogy.

In any regard, Smart doesn’t want his team to be passive, worried about losing a winning streak or just a game. He wants them to be relentless, coming after opponents in wave after wave on offense, defense and special teams.

“At the end of the day, the quickest way to lose it is to think about that. So when you think about attacking somebody and coming after them every play with a mindset of Friday the 13th. They can’t kill Jason, he keeps coming back, man. You gotta keep going that way and think that way, aggressively, so you’re not paranoid about that,” Smart said.

He did add that he knows his players are more susceptible to seeing things about how the win streak that Georgia is currently on — exceeding 20 games — will end or they’ll slip up along the line.

“I don’t even hear it. I literally don’t. So I don’t address it. I think they hear it because they’re on their phones 24/7 and it bothers me that they may hear that or they may feel anxiety or they may feel pressure from this win thing,” Smart said.

Although some outside noise managed to find its way to Smart prior to a rivalry matchup with Florida on Saturday.

Evidently it didn’t play a big role, as Georgia thumped the Gators, 43-20. And Smart even joked about it after the win.

“I don’t see it or hear it, but I know it’s out there,” Smart said. “Somebody texted me before the game like, ‘All these people predicting that we’re not going to win today.’ I’m just like, ‘Golly, where’s that coming from? Supposed to be my friend.'” 

That last line carried a bit more meaning

Dan Mullen made his opinion on Saturday’s Florida–Georgia game known. He believed the Gators were going to come out with a win, something Billy Napier could consider a staple for the program. Of course, Mullen might be a bit biased, being the Gators’ former head coach.

Well, Georgia wound up winning quite easily, as we have seen over the past few seasons. Really since Mullen was in charge in Gainesville.

Following the game, Kirby Smart took a shot at Mullen, who had heard of his pregame prediction. Smart thought he and Mullen were good friends, before pointing out one of the reasons Florida may have moved on.

“Somebody texted me before the game was like ‘All these people predicting that we’re not going to win today.’ I’m just like ‘Golly, where is that coming from? Supposed to be my friend.’ He didn’t like to recruit though,” Smart said.

“He didn’t like to recruit though”

Kirby Smart just bodied Dan Mullen 😂 pic.twitter.com/olwut9SG5P

— Jonathan Williams (@Dr_JWill) October 29, 2023