While road wins create confidence, protecting home field is paramount for Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. — It’s been about a month since Georgia last suited up at Sanford Stadium, and the Bulldogs are ready to be back between the hedges. However, winning away from home in hostile environments outside the comfort zone can create a sense of confidence and can prove to a team that they can get it done no matter how much the odds may be stacked against them.

For Georgia, look no further than last year’s trip to Missouri. UGA struggled to score until the fourth quarter. The Dawgs only had four field goals to show for, and frustrations were pretty clear on the sideline. But when push came to shove, they found a way to overcome the two-score second half deficit to walk out of Faurot Field with a 26-22 win.

“Being able to overcome adversity,” Georgia defensive back Tykee Smith said when asked the biggest thing the Bulldogs took with them from last year’s game against Missouri. “A lot of adversity in that game we went through against Missouri last year. Definitely a tough environment to play in but I think any road game in the SEC is a tough environment to play in. Just seeing the team come together and not bow our heads. Being able to battle together and come back. When the Ohio State moment came, we definitely lived in that moment when we played Missouri so we knew how to handle it.” 

“Life comes up, it’s not always just peaches and cream,” Georgia offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran added. “… I think ultimately, that game last year was such an essential role to what that team became. I think ultimately, I think we had the opportunity to kind of create our identity through that game. I think we could have (beaten Ohio State without it), but definitely (we) were grateful that we were able to have that game to help build us.”

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was asked the same question about how the early October outing in Columbia was carried with the team throughout the rest of the season. He said it helped build the resiliency of the 2022 team. And while there were things that the Bulldogs did to put themselves in a tough situation, he also wanted to make sure to give credit to Missouri.

As for the 2023 team, it remains to be seen if they can stand the test of a 12-game regular season gauntlet, plus the potential knock-down, drag-out fights of a SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff appearance. They’ll have to earn that. But when it comes to resiliency, the 2023 team very well may have already had their “Missouri game” of last year, coming from behind in the second half deficit at Auburn to prove to themselves that they too can overcome adversity.

“I think it gives you the belief that you’re in every game,” Smart said about winning on the road. “You can win any game, any circumstance, anything going on. This team has kind of had those qualities probably since last year against Missouri, but it’s not a situation you want to put yourself in often.”

Lucky for Georgia, the Bulldogs won’t have to have the added challenge of a hostile road environment this week as they once again take on Missouri. The Tigers, ranked No. 12 in the initial release of the College Football Playoff rankings, are in contention with Georgia for the SEC East. Saturday’s showdown will go a long way towards determining who represents the division in Atlanta for the conference championship game, and UGA will have a home crowd behind them come kickoff (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

“You don’t let a stranger come into your house. You don’t let anybody come into your house and unwillingly do what they need to do. You always protect your family and do what you need to do best,” Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker said. “Protecting your family is our team, our fanbase, bringing our fanbase into that as well. They bring a tremendous atmosphere for opposing people that come in here. Having that atmosphere feeds off of us as well. That gets us pumped, gets us energized. Just being able to protect our house is just our key thing to do.”

“I think it’s a collective effort. Like, hey, we all chip in on this. Beat the hell out of each at out there at practice and we want to put a good product out on the field,” Smart added. “We want to defend our turf. We feel like championship teams at Georgia have not lost at home. So you better not lose at home if you want to be a championship program. We have a wall that kind of says that. Like, you better not lose at home if you want to do something special. The atmosphere has helped with that but sometimes teams come in and play well. You have to rise to the occasion to play against them.”