Kirby Smart Reveals What Makes Him Nervous About Playing the Texas Longhorns at Home

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reveals what makes him nervous about playing the Texas Longhorns inside Sanford Stadium.

The Georgia Bulldogs are just over 24 hours away from their final SEC matchup of the 2025 regular season, as the Dawgs prepare to take on the Texas Longhorns inside Sanford Stadium. This will be the first ever matchup between these two teams in Athens, Georgia.

The Longhorns have been a member school of the SEC for just two seasons. However, it has not stopped the Georgia and Texas from becoming conference rivals. The two teams faced off twice last season, with the Bulldogs besting the Longhorns in both matchups.

This year, the stakes will be just as high, as both schools are squarely in the thick of the race for the College Football Playoff. Either team would be placed in excellent position to reach the College Football Playoff with a win, and a loss could make the path to the postseason extremely difficult.

The Bulldogs appear to have a slight advantage over Texas heading into this year's matchup as the game will be played inside the iconic Sanford Stadium. But while home-field advantage certainly bodes well for the Dawgs, there is one aspect about the game that makes Georgia head coach Kirby Smart nervous.

Why Kirby Smart is Nervous About Playing Texas in Sanford Stadium

Aug 30, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart (center) reacts during the game against the Marshall Thundering Herd at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Athens, Georgia is home to thousands of rowdy Georgia fans that always show up and show out for massive games. The atmosphere created inside the Stadium creates a daunting environment for opposing offenses.

But while communication for offenses becomes extremely difficult for opponents "Between the Hedges," it becomes equally as difficult for the defense that is also on the field. Smart recently mentioned during a Bulldogs Live Show, that this makes him nervous for his defense.

"I get nervous at home about our defense because we have had some busts in communication, because it does get loud," said Smart. "We are a very communicative defense where a lot of checks go on. When you do that at home, it scares me in terms of communicating."

Though a rowdy home environment does make communicating on defense more difficult, Smart noted that the advantage it provides the team far outways the challenges that it presents and encouraged fans to show up and be loud for Saturday's game.

Georgia and Texas will kick off their week 12 matchup on Saturday, November 15th at approximately 7:30 p.m. Coverage for this event will be made available on ABC.