Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram react to Jake Pope celebrating with Ole Miss fans, Kirby Smart calling him an ‘idiot’

Georgia coach Kirby Smart is receiving pushback from several college football analysts for how he handled a situation with safety Jake Pope. Pope was seen celebrating with Ole Miss fans on the field after a 28-10 loss to the Rebels in Oxford on Saturday.

It turned out to be a that Pope had an old high school teammate, Reece McIntyre, who plays for the Rebels and was possibly with people he knew. Regardless of the circumstances, Smart was still upset and called his player “an idiot” in his Monday press conference.

Former Alabama running back Mark Ingram addressed the controversy in a recent episode of The Triple Option podcast, where he criticized Smart for his response.

“You talk about how he’s pushing other players,” he began. “Now he’s calling his own dude an idiot in front of everybody. My man Kirby is just fighting it right now. But it’s OK. It’s tough in the SEC. Coming off a tough loss. But come on, man. Don’t call your dude an idiot. It’s not a good look for Jake Pope. It’s not a good look for him to be bouncing up and down. The teams I was on, if you look like you’re celebrating, we’re probably gonna dump you on your head on something.

“…I’ve seen some people that I really love after a tough loss and you do smile. You do hug ’em. But when you get whooped like that, I don’t see the jumping up and down part. But don’t call the man an idiot in front of the media. Don’t call him stupid in front of the media. Just let it go.”

Former Ohio State and Florida coach Urban Meyer, on the other hand, can understand the frustration that Smart had after the loss. It was the second game the Bulldogs dropped all season and makes every game going forward a must-win.

Meyer explained that he would have also reprimanded Pope for celebrating with the opponent, but added that he thinks Smart went too far.

“Everybody’s got virtues and vices and my vice was handling a loss, so I’ve got no room to talk,” he said. “There was no hugs. I mean, it was hard to hold on to solid food for three months after a loss. The investment on teams like Georgia, Ole Miss, Ohio State, the investment is beyond reproach. A normal human being doesn’t really understand the amount of time, blood, sweat and tears that goes into that. You play in the freaking SEC. You get kicked in the face. I’m serious, I’m the wrong guy to ask.

“It would take me months to get over a loss. I’m 60 years old and I’m still thinking about 2015 when we lost to Michigan State. I get it. He’s a young kid and you apologize and move on. But I also feel Kirby. I would have never said the idiot word, but I tell you, I would’ve busted him up.”

Pope transferred to Georgia this offseason after spending two seasons at Alabama. Pope has only played in three games for the Bulldogs this season and hasn’t recorded a statistic.

In the 2023 campaign at Alabama, Pope played in 12 games, primarily serving on the special teams units. Pope was a four-star prospect in high school and the No. 315 overall player in the 2022 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.