Kirby Smart shares positive final message to team ahead of important Georgia-Tennessee game

ATHENS, Ga. — Kirby Smart understood the challenge that was ahead of his team coming into the season. Presented with a gauntlet that included games against Clemson, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee, among others, the ninth-year head coach knew the Bulldogs might suffer a loss or two.

Sitting at 7-2 with three games remaining in the regular season, those multiple losses are a reality Georgia hasn’t faced before this season but once since Smart’s first year on the job. Heading into that all-important matchup with Tennessee however, Smart is confident in his team’s ability to respond to the challenge that’s ahead of them. They’ve trained for the adversity. Now though, it’s time to prove it.

“We started this season knowing that it would be a very different kind of season … We knew there would be some adversity. We didn’t know at what point it would hit and those things, but our guys have built for that,” Smart said during a Friday evening appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show before the big matchup.

“We’re in a great situation here because we get to go play tomorrow night and we get to play right here in our home stadium. There’s a lot of teams out there that are hoping this happens and that happens, but we get to go play our game,” Smart added. “… The big thing I’ve talked about is, prove it. Anything you say, ‘I want to play better,’ prove it. ‘I want better results,’ prove it. The works’ been put in for the week. I’m sure Tennessee’s done great work too. We’re going to get an awesome atmosphere, and I’m counting on these people behind me being with me and being loud. We’re going to get after it.”

Georgia will have to prove it without a full deck of cards though. Leading rusher Trevor Etienne won’t be suiting up on Saturday. He’s one of three scholarship running backs that are unavailable, and that’s far from the end of the list of banged up Bulldogs – several of whom are going to try and push through the pain to play against Tennessee.

“We did the number of games we’ve played at this point the last two years and the number of snaps. We’re 150 snaps ahead of whatever game it is, almost a game and a half ahead of where we normally are because in the past, we might have had a big lead. Now we’re playing all the way through the fourth quarter, and our kids have essentially played more games than they have in the past,” Smart pointed out. “That’s resulted in some more injuries. We’re going to have some guys step up tomorrow night, and I’m so excited to see some of these guys go play. Some of them have had a very small role and are going to have to play on a very big stage.”

It’s not just the physical toll of the tough schedule that’s worn on Georgia. There’s a mental wear down as well.

“We were managing a monster before of, you’ve got to win every game. There’s an expectation to win every game, and these fans still have that expectation. Pressure is a privilege, and I love that part. I love the fact that we expect to win every game,” Smart said. “… It’s so different now though. Can you manage the emotional roller coaster? Can you outlast the other team? All of us, especially in our conference and probably around the country, are on this emotional roller coaster up and down weeks. You’re getting viewed, but there’s more spots, so it’s a different management of our team. You can’t be up and down and worry about it. You’ve got to get better as the days go.”

“There’s two outcomes to every game and you have to plan for each of those. You want to be very direct in your leadership,” he continued. “The players hurt in those moments. They’re disappointed. They’re going to read bad things about themselves, and you need to reassure them that all is not true. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth … I think our team realizes that. We’ve got a good football team, and we’ve got a chance to go prove it.”

Georgia and Tennessee kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: ABC) on Saturday at Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs, despite being short-handed, enter the matchup as favorites of 9.5 points over the Volunteers, winners of seven straight in the series and 28 in a row at home – longest in the nation.

For more coverage of Georgia’s matchup with Tennessee and UGA Athletics in general, be sure to head to the DawgsHQ YouTube channel!