Georgia’s football team 35-10 demolition of Texas was the kind of game that explains why the Bulldogs still sit at 9-1 and very much in the playoff picture. It also reinforced the identity Kirby Smart keeps hammering home.
After the win, Smart praised his defense’s toughness and complained about a modern game where, in his words, “a lot of these kids want a check” more than contact, making it clear that at the Georgia football team, you are expected to actually hit people, not just collect NIL and vibes.
Pressed further about players who leave because they do not like that physical standard, Smart doubled down in vintage fashion.
As he told On3, “We schedule them. The ones that want to leave, we schedule them. We try to get them on the schedule, because when they want to leave, because they're not physical, that means they're probably going to a place that's not physical. We like those places; we like to play them. We prefer them, actually, if you can get them on the schedule. So, it's one of those deals that you don't run from hard in life. You run from hard in life, you'll find more hard.”
That is the entire program distilled: if you are not built for strain, Georgia will happily see you on the opposite sideline. The Texas game fit that script. After allowing an early score, the Bulldogs strangled Arch Manning’s offense, held the Longhorns to under 20 rushing yards, and blew the game open with a 21-0 fourth quarter, helped by a perfectly timed onside kick that broke Texas’ resistance.
There was a price, though. Star linebacker CJ Allen left with a leg injury and did not return. On Monday, Smart said Allen is week-to-week after the Texas game, per SEC Network’s Brandon Zimmerman.
With the playoffs looming and Allen arguably the tone-setter of the defense, Georgia will hope he can rest against Charlotte in what amounts to a tune-up and be ready when the games get bigger.
Put together, Smart’s comments and Georgia’s play send one message: the standard is physical punishment, and if that runs some players off, so be it. The Bulldogs believe that anyone who chooses a softer road is choosing a future they would rather play against than with.
