Kirby Smart on Georgia Tech rivalry, recalls memories from playing days

Georgia heads to nearby Atlanta to play annual foe Georgia Tech on Saturday, but if you’re around Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, don’t refer to it as a rivalry. It’ll lose its luster.

On Monday, Smart spoke with the media about the historic matchup, what it means to his team, and why the word “rivalry” can be overused to a detrimental point.

“I wasn’t a big college football fan as a recruit, so it’s hard for me how I viewed it,” Smart said when asked how he viewed the annual contest with Georgia Tech prior to moving to Athens. “I didn’t come to the Georgia-Georgia Tech game. I didn’t grow up going to those. I grew up going to high school football games and watching TV on Saturdays.”

Smart is a Southern Georgia native. He grew up in a small town called Bainbridge and went on to play defensive line for the Bulldogs from 1995-1998. An All-SEC defender as a senior, Smart notched 13 career interceptions, which ranks fourth all-time in the Georgia record books. Smart went undrafted in 1999 and signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colts shortly thereafter.

“It’s not about the history of the rivalry because our guys weren’t even born when I was playing,” he added.

Too many rivals diminishes the aura of a rivalry

Next, the sixth-year head coach shared an interesting perspective on rivalries. 

“Once I got here, there was an ingrained, built-in belief that you had to beat your in-state rival, but you also had conference rivals,” Smart said. “You play on something so many times that it falls on deaf ears sometimes… We don’t get into that because it really loses its effectiveness if you use it all the time. Who isn’t our rival?”

In addition to playing Georgia Tech each year for the Governor’s Cup, SEC foes Florida, Auburn and Tennessee are considered big rival teams in Athens. 

“We look at it as a chance to grow, Smart added. “We want to become the best team we can become, and they stand in our way, so we have the opportunity to go play them, you use game reps to grow and become better.”

At this point, growing for the Bulldogs would just be improving upon their already near-flawless play this season. They lead the nation in points allowed per game by over a touchdown, giving up just 7.5 every time they take the field.

While the offense is not quite as dominant, they are posting more than 40 points per contest and rank in the top 10 nationally in that category. Quarterback Stetson Bennet has the fifth-highest passer rating in the country.

Georgia-Georgia Tech kicks off at noon ET on ABC. Georgia is a five-touchdown favorite.