Kirby Smart reflects on Georgia's 4th SEC East title in 5 years

What a year it’s been for Georgia. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the country and won their fourth SEC East title in six years under Kirby Smart last week.

It seems like it’s been nothing but success for Smart, who took over as Georgia head coach in 2015. Now that he’s getting ready to play in yet another SEC championship game, he reflected on what’s gone into the program’s run.

“A lot of hard work, a lot of great support from our fan base and our administration and a lot of recruiting,” Smart told reporters on Monday after Georgia beat Florida. “The expectation is to win the East and go play for an SEC championship. I think it’s the greatest conference in the country in terms of competitive nature, and the recruiting battles are really tough. Really proud of our guys and the work they’ve done.

But obviously, that’s not our goal and it’s not where we want to be. We’re not where we need to be. We’re focused on getting better for Missouri and how can we get better at these areas we need to improve in because everyone knows that humility’s a week away. … The biggest thing is how we get better. But I’m certainly proud of what we’ve been able to do and accomplish.”

Georgia is 8-0 overall this season, including 6-0 in SEC play. The Bulldogs have the best scoring defense in the country, holding teams to just 6.6 points per game, and rank second in the nation with 226.6 yards per game allowed. It’s a big reason why Georgia is one of the favorites to win the national championship this year.

But Smart wasn’t necessarily happy with the defensive showing against Florida. The Gators had 355 total yards — outgaining the Bulldogs by one. Still, Georgia forced three turnovers, which made the difference.

ESPN analyst speaks highly of Georgia’s defense following Florida win

The No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs and their near-perfect defense were yet again unstoppable on Saturday. Holding Florida scoreless through the first three quarters of the game, Kirby Smart’s squad ultimately won 34-7 to remain unbeaten at 8-0 and captured the SEC East title in the process. 

ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic spoke highly of Georgia’s defense in his weekly Sunday SEC takeaways posted to his Twitter account, mentioning how impressive the Bulldogs’ defense line is. 

“After 99, 88, 44… here comes 95 on that DL showing you another individual that can take over the game,” Cubelic wrote in his tweet. “Reacted well to new plays they saw on def. 70 blocked well. Plan not communicated on off, didn’t need to be. Q made some plays but had a few BAD decisions. Got the East.”