Kirby Smart reacts to Georgia's first national championship in 41 years

The last time Georgia won a national championship, Kirby Smart was six years old. Monday night, he led his alma mater to a title, defeating Alabama 33-18.

It’s been a long time coming for Georgia, which lost to Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide in the title game in 2017. The win also marked Smart’s first over Saban, with whom he coached from 2004-15 before heading back to Athens as Georgia’s head coach. Heading into the matchup, Smart was 0-4 against his former boss.

In his postgame interview with ESPN’s Molly McGrath, you could see how much it meant to Smart to win the title — and, at last, beat Alabama.

“That one will be with me for a long time,” Smart said of that 2017 national championship loss. “This one will be with me for much longer. I’m proud of the University of Georgia, the support we get there.

“A lot of credit to Alabama [and] Coach Saban. They had a lot of injuries. They lost Jameson Williams in a tough situation. Our kids kept fighting and never doubted.”

Prior to the game, Smart talked about his players being “hungry.” Remember, Georgia lost to Alabama 41-24 in the SEC Championship last month — the Bulldogs’ first loss of the season.

He continued to see that hunger, even into Monday night’s victory.

“I saw it at halftime,” Smart said. “There were people that said we weren’t conditioned enough, and that pissed a lot of people off on our sideline, and they went to work. And before we came today, we burned the boats and we came out fighting. I’m proud of these men.”

Kirby Smart: ‘I hope it doesn’t take that long again’ to win another title

But more importantly, Smart discussed what the win meant for the university. Fans have waited a long time to see Georgia win the big one, and he got the job done.

He also acknowledged the students and fans who made the trip to chilly Indianapolis to watch it happen.

“How about this university?” Smart said. “How about these fans? This is a special moment for the University of Georgia, a special moment for this team.”

To end the interview, McGrath asked Smart what it means to bring Georgia its first title in 41 years. He didn’t have to say much about the drought, but he said enough to fire up Bulldogs fans.

“I hope it doesn’t take that long again,” Smart said. “Go Dawgs.”