The Georgia Bulldogs are still reeling from their 24-21 loss to Alabama, a defeat that ended the program’s 33-game home winning streak and sparked heavy scrutiny of head coach Kirby Smart’s late-game decisions.
The Bulldogs had multiple opportunities to tie or take the lead but ultimately fell short due to costly mistakes, questionable play-calling, and defensive lapses that plagued them from the opening quarter.
Trailing by three points in the fourth quarter, the Georgia football team faced a fourth-and-1 at Alabama’s eight-yard line. Instead of kicking a game-tying field goal, Smart opted to go for it — a gamble that backfired when running back Cash Jones was stuffed for a two-yard loss.
“That play has been really successful for us,” Smart told ESPN afterward. “We just missed a block. They made a great play.” The decision drew criticism from analysts like Paul Finebaum, who called it “inexcusable,” but Smart stood firm, saying he’d make the same call “10 out of 10 times.”
Smart’s intensity was also on display the following week against Auburn, when he went viral for what appeared to be a heated moment with the referees.
After calling a timeout, Smart began clapping repeatedly near an official, leading ABC’s broadcast crew to assume he was trying to clarify that he had signaled a timeout. However, Smart later explained that the outburst had nothing to do with the timeout; it was directed at Auburn’s defense.
“Yeah, they’re clapping,” Smart told reporters postgame, as noticed by On3. “So I told them before the game, ‘If these guys clap, it’s a penalty.’ They can’t clap because we’ll false snap. I’ve lost games on that before in this stadium.”
According to Smart, his staff had spotted Auburn defenders simulating a snap count to confuse Georgia’s offensive line. “I’ve got someone in the box watching every play,” Smart said. “They were clapping. So I ran over to them and said, ‘They’re clapping, they’re clapping.’ The ref thought I called timeout, but I wanted to make sure he understood.”
The moment quickly spread online, adding to a week already filled with frustration for Georgia football team fans after the Alabama loss and the tense finish against Auburn. Despite the chaos, Smart’s Bulldogs escaped with a 27-21 win, improving to 5-1. The defense once again proved clutch late, and Smart reiterated his faith in his team’s focus heading into their next matchup against Ole Miss.
