Kirby Smart Talks Rivalry with Georgia Tech
Over the years, the Georgia and Georgia Tech game has lost a bit of its luster as a rivalry. Some have even gone as far as to say that it is a dead rivalry considering how dominant Georgia has been in the series as of late. For reference, Tech has only beaten Georgia a total of three times since 2001. The Bulldogs have also won the last four matchups.
However, it wasn't always that way. The hatred between these two in-state rivals use to run a lot higher than it does today. And Georgia's head coach wanted to remind everyone how special this rivalry is and why it should still be considered a great rivalry.
“Yeah, certainly it is. I mean, it's what this program's biggest rivalry was many, many, many years ago when they were in the SEC. Our kids don't know that history. They don't know the history of this rivalry and what goes into it. It was a really big rivalry, you know, during Paul's years here because of the triple option and playing something different and the physicality of the game, you know. And I think educating our players on that so they understand it -- because it means a lot to our players in terms of what they want to achieve and they got to win this game to achieve those things. So making sure they understand that is really important. And teaching the history of that is important because it'll mean something to the Georgia Tech players and the Georgia players 20/30 years from now.”
There's something special about a team's head coach being a former player from the same school. Smart very much understands the history behind Georgia's football program and is aware of how big of a deal it is to beat teams like Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech.
Smart knows how bitter a loss to the Yellowjackets tastes. He experienced it firsthand during his playing days at Georgia as he lost to Tech during his final home game as a Bulldog back in 1998. He also lost to them during his first season as a head coach with Georgia in 2016.
While this rivalry in its current state doesn't draw as much attention as it used to, it's clear that Smart still values the long history that these two teams have with one another. The fans may view it as just another game now but Smart certainly doesn't and he wants to make sure that his players continue to remember the importance of "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate".
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