NEW ORLEANS — Georgia football coach Kirby Smart believed his team belonged in the College Football Playoff, but since the Bulldogs were left out, they’ve been left with another challenging bowl game.
At least, that’s how Smart says he sees it with the Sugar Bowl kickoff closing in on New Year’s Day of 2019 in New Orleans.
“I think the opportunity in front of our team is as grand as there is, as there can be, because for our guys they’re looking at it as an opportunity to play to a standard, to make a statement, to play to the excellence that we try to create at the University of Georgia.,” Smart said.“ They’ve got an opportunity to do that against one of the top programs in the country.”
Georgia (11-2) is ranked No. 5 and Texas (9-4) is ranked No. 15, but Smart has immense respect for the Longhorns head coach.
“The guy that just walked out of here, Tom Herman, I’ve had immense respect for, for a long time,” Smart said. “Saw what he did firsthand at Ohio State with the offense. That led to Houston where he had an unbelievable coaching career, did a great job. and now he is turning Texas around.
“I know the standard that he has, I know the way they practice, I know the leadership qualities he has, and I know the recruiting base he has. So we know we’re up against a very, very, very respectable opponent who does a great job on both sides of the ball and special teams.”
Georgia football-Texas details
• Time: The game kicks off at 8:45 p.m. ET Saturday • Date: Jan 1, 2019 • Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
• Weather forecast: Cloudy with a high of 66 and a low of 61 outside of the stadium.
DawgNation Georgia football coverage
• Follow: DawgNation beat writers Mike Griffith @MikeGriffith32 and Chip Towers @ChipTowersDN on Twitter.
• Watch: Brandon Adams and Jeff Sentell on the postgame show via DawgNation Facebook page.
How to watch Georgia-Texas on TV
The Georgia-Alabama game will be televised by ESPN. Sean McDonough will handle the play-by-play call, and Todd Blackledge will provide color commentary. Holly Rowe will be the sideline reporter.
How to stream Georgia Sugar Bowl
The game can be streamed online at WatchESPN or GTV on georgiadogs.com.
Where to find Georgia-Texas on radio
The game will be broadcast on WSB 95.5 FM, 750 AM, along with other Georgia Bulldog Sport Network (IMG) radio affiliates. Scott Howard is on the play-by-play call, Eric Zeier is the color analyst, and Chuck Dowdle is the sideline reporter.
Satellite radio for Georgia football vs. Texas
The game will be broadcast on Sirius and XM radio, channel 84 Georgia feed, channel 81 Texas feed and channel 80 national feed.
Georgia-Texas football game notes
• Texas holds a 3-1 lead in the series but lost the last meeting in the 1984 Cotton Bowl, 10-9.
• Georgia is 4-5 all-time playing in the Sugar Bowl, winning its most recent appearance in New Orleans with a 41-10 win over Hawaii on Jan. 1, 2018.
• Georgia seniors are 42-12, which is tied for the third-most amount of wins by a UGA senior class. The most wins for a senior class is 44 (2005), while the 1983 seniors were 43-4-1 with a national title and three SEC crowns.
• Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm is 23-4 as a starter and is completing 68.4 percent of his passes, on par to break the single-season record of 67.9 set by Hutson Mason in 2014.
• Texas is playing its first bowl game outside the state of Texas since 2011 and its first post-New Year’s bowl since losing to Alabama in the BCS title game in Jan. 2010.
