Bulldogs embrace target on back, not looking at big picture of Playoff implications on Saturday
ATHENS, Ga. — The black and white Georgia G on the side of the Bulldogs’ red helmet is round enough to consider it target-esque, and it certainly always is for teams that line up opposite of the silver britches. Kirby Smart’s squad has had an even bigger than normal target on them this year though as the reigning national champions, but that’s a role that the Bulldogs have embraced all year along. They get teams’ best shots each and every week, and it’s their goal to give their best right back.
“I just feel like we get teams’ best shots every week,” Georgia safety Christopher Smith said. “I don’t think no team is going to lay down to us ’cause they want to be able to spoil our season. Luckily we were able to go 12-0 during the regular season. That’s not the end-all, be-all for us. We want to be SEC champions, national champions once again. We got to do everything possible to do that. There’s going to be teams in our way trying to stop that. I fully respect them for it. We just got to go out there and play it out on the field.”
Spoiler is certainly a role that LSU will be looking to play this Saturday in the SEC Championship Game. The Tigers had an outside shot at the College Football Playoffs if they were able to pull off an upset in Atlanta until they lost 38-23 at Texas A&M this past weekend. Defensive lineman Zion Logue knows that they’ll be hungrier than ever to get a big win after the disappointing result against the Aggies.
“A wounded tiger is the most dangerous tiger,” Logue said. “We know we’ve got to go in there with the right mindset from the start of the game to the end of the game and play. We can’t think that just because Texas A&M beat them by this much or whoever else beat them by this much. They’re going to come ready to play because it’s the University of Georgia.”
The two defensive stalwarts aren’t the only ones on the team that have felt that target. Every player has at some point. Again, that’s just part of putting on the red and black. Embracing it every week though, that’s what separates good teams in College Football from the elite ones – an echelon Georgia seems to have gotten into over the last few years.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Sam Huard
Former 5-star QB Big Ten bound
- 2New
Cotton Bowl weather threat
Statement on pending snow
- 3
Paul Finebaum
In loss, Georgia became new Alabama
- 4
Texas AD blasts rumors
Sarkisian, NFL links draw response
- 5Hot
AP Poll
Hoops Top 25 shakeup
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Georgia enters the weekend atop the College Football Playoff rankings, the penultimate version of which was released Tuesday night. Conversation around the country says that the Bulldogs likely will be getting in regardless of what the result is in the SEC Championship, but instead of worrying about a potential Playoff berth that could come on Sunday, the focus for these Bulldogs is on Saturday.
“Locking into everything, taking it week by week, just being where your feet are at,” Georgia offensive lineman Warren McClendon said when asked how he blocks out the noise of being on top. “Our feet are here, so we’re here preparing, practicing, getting ready for this weekend.”
“It’s not really motivation for us. It’s about taking it week by week and not really looking forward to the big picture,” Logue added. “Everybody knows what we are fighting for, but we’re trying to take it one game at a time.”
