Around the Dawg House will bring you daily updates from what people and publications are saying about Georgia,  from inside and outside of Athens.

Kirby Smart wins the pregame speech

Georgia beat Florida this past Saturday 36-17 on Saturday. Everyone saw how well Jake Fromm and the Georgia running game looked but you might have missed what happened when the teams where in their locker rooms.

The SEC Network captured both Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Florida coach Dan Mullen addressing their teams on “SEC Inside.”

Mullen sounds like he’s coaching you through your driving test. Smart on the other hand, should have you ready to run through a brick wall based on what he had to say (warning, Smart’s language is a little salty).

While Smart’s speech may not have had any tangible impact on the game, it’s easy to see why players and fans love him. His passion is off the charts here. Smart is usually stoic when he’s in front of a microphone, but when he has a chance to have a “private” moment with his team, he really puts himself out there.

This speech and Smart’s passion also explain why his postgame celebration was so great after the Bulldogs did beat Florida.

Two Bulldogs are semi-finalists for national awards

Two of Georgia’s top players were nominated for national awards on Thursday, as kicker Rodrigo Blankenship was named a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza award, which is given to the nation’s top kicker. Senior defensive back Deandre Baker is a semi-finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation’s top defensive back, and the Bednarik Award, which is awarded to the country’s top defensive player.

Blankenship is a major weapon for Georgia on kickoffs, in addition to his work as Georgia’s place-kicker. The junior is 13 of 15 on his field goal attempts this season and is second in the country in both touchbacks and touchback percentage. Blankenship has become a fan favorite for Georgia fans, as he often gets the loudest cheer when he is introduced in Sanford Stadium.

Related: The legend of Georgia’s Rodrigo ‘Rec Specs’ Blankenship was born in Kentucky

Baker has emerged as a shutdown cornerback for Georgia, as teams are no longer even testing him. Baker has 2 interceptions on the season to go along with his 19 tackles. Baker is also a major reason why Georgia has the ninth-ranked pass defense in the country. Georgia is also tied for fifth in the country in touchdown passes given up, as the Bulldogs’ secondary has allowed only 6 touchdown passes all season.

The best Kirby Smart and Georgia football costumes from Halloween

With Halloween on Wednesday, a number of fans took the time to don their best Kirby Smart or Georgia-themed Halloween costumes.

The key for most of the Smart inspired costumes is a visor, Georgia polo and a head set. As you can see below, these are some pretty great costumes.

 

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