Georgia head coach Kirby Smart’s Alabama headache continued on Saturday night, but he could still call it a night afterward.
Alabama beat the Bulldogs 24-21 for a 10th win over Georgia in the past 11 meetings, and Smart has a 1-7 record against the Crimson Tide. In addition, this originally looked like a Crimson Tide team having a rare down year that began with a 31-17 loss to Florida State.
“I donât lose sleep over that because those games have been, like, championship-caliber games, right?,” Smart told reporters on Saturday. âAnd even when we play in the regular season, theyâve been â I just saw 25 (NFL) scouts out there. Theyâre all there to watch these teams play.”
In just the 2025 draft alone, the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs had a combined 15 players selected. The premier SEC programs again fielded plenty of talent in Athens on Saturday, and the Crimson Tide simply started faster, and the defense closed the door. Smart nonetheless doesn’t want to dwell on ongoing struggles against Alabama.
âThatâs not gonna affect me,” Kirby added. “Iâm gonna be happy, and just go-lucky if our team comes back and plays well. Thatâs what I worry about. But that, itâs just, weâve got to get better. Next year wonât have anything to do with this year.”
Kirby Smart: ‘They Out-Executed Us’
Alabama didn’t turn over the ball, went 13-19 on third downs, and limited penalties to four. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, fell behind 14-0 and only scored once in the second half.
“A lot of credit to Alabama. They out-executed us tonight for what was clear, especially on the offensive side of the ball, “Smart said. “I donât know that, Iâve coached a lot of years and weâve never been 13 of 19 on third down, and that tells the tale of the game.”
“We controlled the line of scrimmage and held the run down for them, which was the goal, and then we got win on third down, and we did not play well on third down, and it showed pretty much all night,” Smart added. “So, I hate it. They controlled the tempo of the game outside of maybe the third quarter. They controlled the time of possession. On the turnover battle, and really special teams seemed like it was not even relevant. So, a lot of credit to them.”
Alabama Answered Every Georgia Rally
The Crimson Tide’s 14-0 lead didn’t last long as Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton cut the lead in half with 38-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Georgia answered every Alabama score afterward, but the Bulldogs ultimate couldn’t get on the board again beyond the 6:30 mark in the third quarter. Alabama’s defense held the Bulldogs to punts on two of the final three drives, and the Bulldogs turned it over on downs for the first drive of the fourth quarter. Smart expects execution to improve in the future.
âPractice, you have to practice it, you have to execute it, you have to do it with confidence,” Smart said. “You have to have guys do it more times the right way. Youâve got to keep doing it. I thought we had some guys grow up out there.”
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