ATHENS — The past is only relevant in the Georgia football locker room when Kirby Smart deems it so, and Tuesday night was one such occasion.
Smart tempered the enthusiasm for his No. 1-ranked Bulldogs and anyone in the free world listening when he pointed out that, of the previous seven teams that debuted No. 1 in the initial CFP Rankings, only one went on to win the CFP championship. (Alabama last season).
RELATED: Georgia football debuts at No. 1 in CFP rankings
Smart’s 2017 Georgia team was one of those teams that failed to win the title when the secondary had a breakdown on a now-infamous second-and-26 play in overtime against Alabama.
The message Smart wanted to send on Tuesday, however, was more about how he expects (demands?) this 2021 Bulldogs team to handle their success and move forward.
Smart brought the media into the Georgia football world to share the lens he wants this potential championship team to view the season.
Professor Smart
“Why did only one of the seen win it?” Smart said, going into a professorial mode one might imagine him taking in chalk talks.
“It’s pretty easy … "
1. “Because it went to their head, it affected them,” Smart said.
2. “They didn’t continue to grow and get better,” he added.
Finally, Smart concluded, there’s a misleading narrative that “distorts young people’s minds” that Georgia is part of an “upper echelon of teams that is above many of the others in the Top 10 or Top 15, all of which are “capable of beating each other on any given Saturday.”
The Missouri team (4-4, 1-3) the Bulldogs (8-0, 6-0 SEC) face at noon on Saturday is not one of those teams capable of beating Georgia, and to Smart’s credit, he didn’t attempt to sell that notion.
Smart did, however, make it clear he wants improvement out of his football team.
“What we better do is distance ourselves from everybody else and get better.”
2. Receivers getting healthier
One underlying factor in the Georgia QB decision, among the many, is the support cast that Stetson Bennett and JT Daniels have to work with.
RELATED: Georgia goes run-heavy with Stetson Bennett at quarterback
It doesn’t do much good to have a pass-first offense if there aren’t capable targets at receiver, and UGA has had more than its share of injuries at wideout.
Smart indicated on Tuesday that, while not 100 percent, the position group is getting healthier.
“You know, If you compare it to Auburn, I think we’re 30-40 percent better than when we played Auburn,” Smart said, referring to the Oct. 9 game. “We were really struggling going into that game, but we’re not 100 percent still.”
Smart said tight end Darnell Washington (foot) is almost fully recovered along with receiver Arian Smith (shin).
George Pickens, Dominick Blaylock, Justin Robinson remain out, while Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (ankle) is improving. Smart did not mention Jermaine Burton (groin), but Burton played against Florida.
The Bulldogs have healthy targets at receiver in Kearis Jackson, Adonai Mitchell, Ladd McConkey, Brock Bowers, Jaylen Johnson and Jackson Meeks.
3. Honoring Mark Richt
Smart has a special place for former Georgia coach Mark Richt, who will be honored during the Bulldogs’ game against Missouri on Saturday.
“Coach Richt gave me an opportunity to coach running backs (at UGA), which I’d never done,” Smart said, recalling the 2005 season he spent on the Bulldogs staff before leaving to coach with Nick Saban and the Miami Dolphins in 2006.
“It showed a lot of confidence in me as a coach and I learned a lot from him. I learned a lot about being the right kind of person and how to run an organization the right way and it’s meant a lot to my career and I was really only with him for one year, but always followed him from afar because he was an alma mater and I respected the job he did.”
Smart took over for Richt after the 2015 season and has helped elevate the Bulldogs’ into annual title contenders with four-straight Top 10 finishes.
Many talk about how Smart has convinced the UGA administration on the need to improve facilities from the Richt Era. Georgia has spent more than $170 million — including a new $80 million football building — since Smart has taken over.
Still, Smart credits Richt for building a foundation.
“He certainly made this a really good job from the way he built everything and the things he did the time he was here,” Smart said. “It’s always been very fertile in terms of people and players in the state but he’s meant so much to so many. I think when you talk to the players, I know all the guys that played for him, I’ve seen so many alumni and players that have just, they come back to events and they just rave about their relationship.”
