Kirby Smart shouts out Stetson Bennett, Javon Bullard after second straight title

Georgia won the national title over TCU 65-7 in dominating fashion and Kirby Smart made sure to recognize quarterback Stetson Bennett and defensive back Javon Bullard after the game.

They aided Georgia to a second straight national championship to leave a stamp on their legacies, particularly with Bennett playing his last game with the Bulldogs. Smart couldn’t be prouder of the two players.

Following the win, he discussed what both meant to Bulldogs football throughout their careers.

“These two young men are special to our program,” Smart said. “They’ve done a tremendous job. I don’t know that we’ve had two players that embody toughness more than these two guys. Bullard’s had injuries throughout the years, done an incredible job. Stetson speaks for himself. The way he leads, the way he prepares, his mental makeup is such of a quarterback that believes he can make every throw and what he did tonight was truly amazing. 

“I mean, probably had his best game of his career, in my opinion. With some of the checks he made some of the decisions he made. Just really elite.” 

Bennett finished the game, as Smart said, with arguably the best numbers of his career considering the circumstances. He was 18-of-25 passing for 304 yards, four touchdowns, 39 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

Bullard registered a tackle, but two interceptions in the dominating performance. Now that Georgia has two straight national titles, there are expectations for a third straight considering what Smart built in his time.

He sent a message to the fans after thanking Bennett and Bullard.

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“I want to thank our fans for traveling all the way out here,” Smart said. “I hope they understand the message I’m about to say. They can’t take it for granted. You know, you can’t take opportunities like this for granted and they showed up in full force. And they better never get tired of it. Because we need them here. We need them to back us and you can’t become complacent as a fan and we can’t become complacent as coaches. 

“I’d also like to give a shout out to my dad who wasn’t able to make it and he and my mom are back home and I didn’t say anything about them earlier and I missed them. And I wish they were here to celebrate it with my family and myself but I know it was the right decision. So, I love you dad and love you mom.”