ATHENS — Kirby Smart recognizes there is an advantage when it comes to playing at home. Georgia has won 33 consecutive games played inside Sanford Stadium.
He hopes it comes in handy this Saturday when Georgia welcomes Alabama between the hedges for the first time in Smart’s tenure.
“But at the end of the day, you’ve got to go play football, and it comes down to matchups, it comes down to who blocks and tackles the best, who executes and does things in the key moments of the game. So certainly glad it’s at home, but we’ve still got to play well.”
Smart has coached against his former employer seven times as Georgia’s head coach. The Bulldogs are 1-6 in those games, including a 41-34 loss last year in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
After the game, Smart was quick to quip that Georgia had not yet hosted Alabama at home. The Georgia coach hopes that the combination of the fans and Georgia’s 2025 talent makes a difference in a series that has been decidedly one-sided for almost 20 years.
“The toughest place to play is where the best players are,” Smart said. “And I think ours fits in that same category of hard to play in. But it’s what you’re playing against that makes the difference. The fans create the atmosphere, not the athletic department. And our fans have done a great job of giving us a competitive home-field advantage that is equal to other places in the SEC.”
Georgia has the longest home-winning streak in the country, last losing at home back in 2019 against South Carolina. Over those 33 wins, only three have even been one-possession games.
The Bulldogs have won two national titles in the course of the home-winning streak. Of the eight games Georgia has lost as a team since its most recent home defeat, four have come against Alabama.
“I think it’s, obviously, you know their quality outfit,” punter Brett Thorson said. “You know the talent they have and the talent we have. So anytime you get two elite programs going head-to-head, it results in some good games that we’ve all seen in the past. So, obviously, we want to win the SEC, and we know Alabama is always going to be a top team in the SEC. So anytime that game comes up, you get excited.”
Georgia has won big games against top-ranked foes during the winning streak, with the most impressive being a 27-13 win over Tennessee back in 2022. The Volunteers were the No. 1-ranked team in the College Football Playoff rankings before getting bullied by the Bulldogs.
This Alabama team enters in as the No. 17 team in the country. It lost its first game of the season, a road loss at the hands of the Florida State Seminoles. Kalen DeBoer is just 2-4 in road games since taking over for Nick Saban.
But the recent history between the two programs is strong, even if there hasn’t been much in Sanford Stadium. Georgia’s last home win over Alabama came back in 2003. The last time Georgia beat a ranked Alabama team at home was back in 1976.
“I know the atmosphere is going to be pretty crazy, feeling the support from the fans and everybody,” wide receiver Zachariah Branch said. “So I’m really excited for this atmosphere and this opportunity.”
Saturday will be the first time Branch gets to play against Alabama. It’s something he is looking forward to and in part why he came to Georgia in the first place.
Facing Alabama under the lights is something Georgia relishes. It’s well aware of its struggles against the Crimson Tide, which are no longer confined to just Saban.
Alabama, for better or worse, has defined the last period of Georgia football. Smart’s lone win against the Crimson Tide delivered Georgia’s first national championship under Smart.
Smart expects the fans to be more impactful on Saturday, a product of having all day to prepare for the game.
Of the seven games against Alabama under Smart, four of them have been one-score games. The margins between these two are razor-thin.
So small that a raucous crowd could tip the game in Georgia’s favor.
“I think it’s just that little edge,” Thorson said. “When you have two teams that are so evenly matched, talent and caliber-wise, the fans, maybe it’s a few false starts from their offense. Maybe it’s just the offense taking the momentum from a lot of energy running out on the field. But any little thing, it’s kind of like special teams.
“Just getting that little edge can be a huge part in a game that’s going to be this close and this challenging.”
