Georgia aware of potential for history while keeping three-peat off their mind

ATHENS, Ga. — Kirby Smart talks about complacency and doing everything to get rid of it within the walls of his Georgia Football building after the Bulldogs have won back-to-back national championships. That was certainly the case last Saturday after the team’s first scrimmage of the fall when he reminded them what this group had accomplished.

“We’ve got an extremely long way to go as a football team,” Smart said. “I think so many people make an assumption off of last year’s team and their accomplishments. This team — I asked them after the scrimmage and after we ran, ‘What have you done to deserve anything you’ve gotten?’ And they’ve done nothing. They’ve done nothing. And we’ve got to get the right guys in the right spots, find the guys that can really tough it out and compete.”

That being the case, you certainly won’t expect to hear the term “three-peat” thrown around. Georgia players know what they can accomplish but also know that nothing will be given to them based on what the past two teams have done.

“We harped last year that that team was different from the year before. This team is different from both of those. So just taking it a day at a time,” Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey said. “We have our own motivation because we want to do it ourselves. There’s a bunch of that came in or might not have played last year or weren’t even here last year, so we’re a totally different team. Coach Smart has used the motto ‘Better Never Rests’ so that’s just taking it a day at a time and not looking ahead. The rest will take care of itself when we get there.”

McConkey has been a part of the success for both National Championship squads. The same can’t be said about many of the players expected to play a role in trying to win another. Of the 22 starters on offense and defense from Georgia’s first National Championship Game, only two remain – Brock Bowers and Sedrick Van Pran. McConkey had a carry and a catch for a net yardage of 0 in the win over Alabama. Defensive back Dan Jackson – who was out for the season with an injury by the time the repeat was on the table versus TCU – had an assisted tackle. Those four are the only ones that remain that either recorded a stat or started against the Crimson Tide. In total, 15 players that stepped foot on the field are still on the roster.

“I mean, I wasn’t here for the first one, so it doesn’t really mean much to me. I’m just hoping to get one where I can really kind of feel like I contributed and I worked for it,” sophomore tight end Oscar Delp said when was asked about the three-peat. “I’m really just focused on this season. I mean, no one really talks about that stuff. We’re just focused on this year and what we can do this year.”

“That is something that we’re not even worried about right now. We are worried about UT-Martin or the first game. We’re worried about the next game. We’re worried about the next day,” receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint added. “We’re not worried about a three-peat. That’s not what we’re focused on. We just worry about winning today and attacking the day today. I know everybody wants to talk about the three-peat, but that’s not what we focus on. We just focus on ourselves and getting better.”

Georgia was voted No. 1 in the preseason for both the AP and Coaches polls. The Bulldogs received at least 92% in each of the polls (60/63 in AP, 61/66 in Coaches). Vegas oddsmakers consider Georgia to be the favorite to take home the title again.

However, odds are also against them. The preseason No. 1 team in the AP Poll has brought the championship trophy back to their town just twice since 2000, and a three-peat has not been accomplished in the AP Poll era. Minnesota was the last to claim three straight titles in 1934, 1935 and 1936.

“It would be a great historical feat. I know it hasn’t happened in a long time. Having that opportunity before us, we won’t take it for granted,” linebacker Jalon Walker said. “It starts for game one. It starts for tomorrow.”

So, how do they do it? As cliché as it is, it’s by attacking every day.

“Our goal here is to make history, every day. Making history every day is what we plan on,” Walker said. “That history, we just made at today’s practice. Tomorrow, we’ll make history at the next meeting, we’ll make history at the next team event. Overall, it’s just an opportunity for us to seize. Once we have that opportunity, I think we have the tools in our hands of our preparation to attack it.”

“By setting goals before. You can’t set a goal that far ahead,” Arian Smith added. “We try to say, ‘What’s important now?’ We can’t win a National Championship right now. We’ve got to still practice and build our foundation for the season throughout fall camp so we can get where we want to be.”