Fully-padded Georgia football team gets relief from 99-degree heat after lightning strike

ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia football team caught a break on Thursday afternoon when heat lightning forced the players indoors, in the shade, and out of the scorching heat.

The heat index climbed to 99 degrees as the Bulldogs took the field for a fully padded practice when lightning was spotted.

Coach Kirby Smart didn’t hesitate to get the players off the field, even though the former Bulldogs All-SEC safety knows the value of a challenging practice better than anyone.

“You find out about your team throughout the summer, throughout camp,” Smart said during the SEC Media Days in Atlanta last month. “We have to create adverse situations, the heat, going outside.

“You don’t get two a days to do that anymore, so creating adversity has gotten harder and harder,” Smart said. “But that’s where you really develop the toughness of your team, (and)  that’s where you find out what they are made of.”

Georgia was also forced inside on Tuesday by lightning before taking off Wednesday.

Smart said on Tuesday he was looking forward to getting his team up to speed for Saturday’s scrimmage at Sanford Stadium.

“I want to get to the scrimmage on Saturday so I can make judgments on some of these kids because a lot of them are swimming, as far as mentally, but that’s to be expected,” Smart said. “It’s not like it’s unexpected.  here are some really good competitors out there.  There are some guys in the young group that are competing hard.”