ATHENS — Distractions? What distractions?
Georgia football coach Kirby Smart reiterated on Tuesday night that his No. 4-ranked Bulldogs (10-1) remain self-motivated, and they are paying no mind to outside noise and critics.
“We have no consideration of anything outside of here, we really don’t,” Smart said, asked about some of the criticisms about his team, even as they’ve rolled to a third straight SEC East Division title and SEC Championship Game appearance.
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“We don’t have any control over it. The thought of those things never even crossed my mind, because I don’t look at them as punches. I don’t look at them as jabs, because I don’t really listen to them.”
Georgia plays at Georgia Tech (3-8) at noon on Saturday looking to gain more momentum headed toward its Dec. 7 showdown against No. 2 LSU in the SEC Championship Game.
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Some have suggested the Bulldogs don’t have enough offense to contend for the national championship, pointing the finger at Smart for creating a conservative offensive framework.
Smart said neither he, nor his players, pay the criticism any mind.
“It’s not motivation for me — if I need that for motivation, than I’m not going to go where we need to go,” Smart said. “Our players are intrinsically motivated. You have to motivate because you want to be great. You motivate because you want to be better. It’s not about what people are saying or criticizing.”
Smart said earlier this season he’s familiar with Twitter and expects and understands there will be criticism there.
“They have a right to do that (criticize) and I understand it, we’re critical of ourselves,” Smart said. “We have a lot that we need to improve on and some of the things they’re saying, they’re dead on.
“But it doesn’t motivate us, it’s just things we have to get better at.”
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