ATHENS — Kirby Smart doesn’t often stop to reflect on his program’s accomplishments, but on Saturday night the Georgia head coach made an exception.

The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs beat No. 9 Ole Miss by a 52-17 count, running their win streak to 27 games — one shy of the SEC record held by legendary Hall of Fame coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant and Gene Stallings.

Smart set a new SEC record earlier this season for most wins in first 100 games coached (85), passing the likes of Nick Saban (84), Steve Spurrier and Phillip Fulmer (83) and Paul “Bear” Bryant (81).

Smart is now on the verge of equaling or passing up more milestones set by college football’s most respected legends.

“Rare air,” Smart said, asked what it meant to be one win away from matching the record set by Bryant (1978-80) and Stallings (1991-93) at Alabama, while passing Saban’s best streak of 26 games (2015-16).

“Those guys (Bryant and Stallings) are guys I grew up watching as a little kid, growing up in Alabama with my dad as a high school coach,” said Smart, who was born in Montgomery, Ala., and moved to Georgia when his father changed high school coaching jobs.

“A lot of the credit goes to people who have come to this university and played; the players. Who made those sacrifices, the players who helped win those games.”

Smart noted many of the former players in attendance for the Top 10 matchup with Ole Miss.

“I went in the locker room today, and I was looking at Nolan Smith, Jordan Davis, Mecole (Hardman), Malik Herring, Brian Herrien,” Smart said. “It’s all these guys that made sacrifices to do this and make it special.

“It’s incredible coaching staffs. Great (assistant) coach made head coaches look smart.”

Kirby’s patience

The Georgia defense took a punch early before stepping up and controlling an explosive Ole Miss offense.

Smart noted the early Rebels’ score, however, as Ole Miss became the fourth straight team to score an opening drive touchdown.

“We’ve got practice at it,” Smart said of his defense bouncing back. “Y’all give me the stats, we’re going to give up one (TD) up on the first drive — didn’t shock me at all, I’m practicing patience.”

Milton’s mighty night

Kendall Milton rushed for a career-high127 yards on 9 carries, breaking off a 51-yard run despite wearing a bulky knee brace.

“Kendall ran really hard tonight, I thought that was like the toughest and hardest I’ve seen him run,” Smart said. “He ran through tackles, he ran through people’s face. He ran like he was mad. He approached the whole week that way. He’s really stepped up and become a more vocal leader.”

Smart said a lot of credit goes to the offensive line, which got a boost from the return of projected first-round NFL pick Amarius Mims.

“We had three tackles rolling, we had three guards rolling. To me, that was the special.”

The Red Blur

Brock Bowers returned just 26 days after undergoing TightRope ankle surgery, making 3 catches for 34 yards including an 8-yard TD grab.

Smart had said Bowers’ availability would be a game-time decision, but it sounds like he knew his All-American tight end would try to play.

“I didn’t have an expectation for Brock; I thought Brock would do what he could,” Smart said. “Brock was hellbent to get back out there.”

Smart recalled a moment watching film the past couple of weeks when he noted Bowers was getting his speed back.

“I was watching film of practice and there was a red blur back behind the play I was watching, about 20 yards behind it,” Smart said. “It looked like a guy flying across the field, and I was like, ‘Who is that?’ And I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s Brock.’

“O knew we had a chance then. He’s just different. He took a path that no one takes on that injury and said, ‘This is what I’m doing.’”