Kirby Smart demands Georgia focus on Sugar Bowl, development

Alabama wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks (17) is stopped by Georgia linebacker CJ Allen (3) and defensive back Ellis Robinson IV (1) during the first quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

 

ATHENS — Kirby Smart is dialed in, and it’s clear he has the same expectations for his players with Georgia’s CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal with Ole Miss fast approaching.

 

UGA last took the field on Dec. 7, when it defeated Alabama in the SEC title game, 28-7.

 

Smart acknowledged on Monday that the time between games does create challenges, but also, potential benefits.

 

“The negative is when you’re playing good football, a lot of times you want to keep playing, you want to stay in rhythm, you want to stay in a weekly schedule,” Smart said.

 

“That schedule gets thrown off by the break. You do the best you can with the calendar you have and try to talk to other people and find out what the best way to do things is.”

 

Smart said that, despite the underlying roster management taking place in his program — as it is in every program, with teams on the verge of the Jan. 2-Jan. 16 portal window — the focus is on the game.

 

“Development occurs in December for us, and that’s what we’ve been focused on,” Smart said, noting that, regardless of players’ futures, hard work is the next step.

 

“Did you truly come here to develop? Because if you did, all your buddies are out there right now, everybody’s announcing what they’re doing, announcing that ‘I’m going into the portal, announcing that I’m re-signing.’

 

Smart said a different sort of declaration is more appropriate.

 

“How about you announce that you’re getting better and you’re going to practice?” Smart said, “And actually do what the 20 and 30 years of college football players did before you, which was practice in December.”

 

The Bulldogs (12-1) play Ole Miss (12-1) at 8 p.m. on Jan. 1 in the CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal in New Orleans, and Smart made it clear there’s not a second to waste.

 

“I’m excited about where our team is, (and) I’m excited that they’re practicing the way they are and are excited about the opponent, because they have so much respect for the team,” Smart said of the Rebels, who held a double-digit lead over UGA before the Bulldogs rallied for a 43-35 win in Athens earlier this season.

 

Smart said the Bulldogs’ preparation this year is similar to what it was last year leading into a CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal against Notre Dame, a game Georgia lost 23-10 to the eventual CFP runners-up.

 

“As far as changes, going to New Orleans, there hasn’t been a tremendous amount of change,” Smart said.

 

“We don’t think we did anything wrong in the prep last year. We didn’t necessarily play a great game, but we also played a really good football team. We had a block of the middle eight (minutes, final four of first half, first four of second) where we played really poorly, but I don’t think there was anything wrong with our prep.”

 

To Smart’s point, the Irish scored 17 points between the 39-second mark of the second quarter and the 14:45 mark of the second half — a span of 54 seconds — on a drive-ending field goal, a touchdown one play after a strip-sack fumble on Gunner Stockton and the opening kick of the second half being returned for a touchdown.

 

Georgia actually out-gained Notre Dame 296-244 but could not overcome a fumble in the end zone, the turnover that led to an Irish touchdown and a special teams breakdown.

 

Smart noted the back-breaking nature of such plays when teams are more evenly matched.

 

“I think when you play a quality team, just like every game we play in the SEC is tight,” Smart said. “And so when you’re in a playoff, you’re gonna play a good team.

 

“We trust the prep we have. We trust the rest and recovery we’ve had. And we’re gonna trust the plan we have to go out there

and play at a high level.”

 

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