Yes, Georgia is fired up for the renewal of its 126-year-old rivalry with Georgia Tech. No, the No. 4-ranked Bulldogs (10-1) aren’t looking ahead to their monumental matchup against No. 2 LSU in the SEC Championship game a week from Saturday.
Sometimes it sounds as though they’re trying to convince themselves of that. Other times the Bulldogs seem as sincere as death and taxes about it.
Like when Georgia coach Kirby Smart said, “You don’t think it’s important, then lose it.”
The Bulldogs lost to Tech 28-27 in 2016, Smart’s first season as a head coach. Like pretty much every other time the Yellow Jackets have managed to emerge victorious in Athens – three times this century -- their players made a meal out of UGA’s hallowed hedges. They ripped large chunks out of the English privet shrubbery, then paraded around Sanford Stadium with long twigs of it clenched in their teeth.
Perhaps seeking motivation for this year’s game in which they have been installed as a four-touchdown favorite, Smart has made sure to remind his players of Tech’s attack on its stadium landscaping. Pictures of it have been hung throughout the football complex and video of the assault plays in slow motion on a continuous loop in the weight room.
“I remember them tearing up the field and having the hedges in their mouth and all that stuff,” said junior Andrew Thomas, who attended the game that day as a recruit. “That has stuck with a lot a guys who were around then.”
And just in case it hasn’t, “They’ve put some pictures up,” Thomas said.
Smart also shared with the Bulldogs his memory of losing to Tech at Sanford Stadium as a senior.
Following are some examples of what’s being said in Georgia’s camp about this year’s matchup with Tech (3-8):
Senior tight end Charlie Woerner on what it means to him …
“I remember hearing about how much it means from my uncle (former Georgia All-American Scott Woerner) and all his friends. I love the passion that these rivalry games bring. It doesn’t matter the record or how good one team is, the passion and the excitement is always going to be there.”
Graduate snapper Steven Nixon on getting his first Tech-Georgia experience …
“It’s going to be fun. It’s a good, deep, Old South rivalry. I think Tech’s going to come prepared, but I think we have a really good game plan set in place. We’ll take them just week like we do every other week, by preparing a game plan and hopefully going out and executing it.”
Thomas, a Lithonia resident, on why he didn’t consider Tech in recruiting …
“One of my teammates (at Pace Academy) was a senior, Timothy Coleman, he plays at Richmond right now. The previous Georgia Tech O-line coach (Mike Sewak) had come to our school, and I guess he thought I was Timmy. He kept calling me Timothy and that just turned me off from ever going to look at their school.”
Junior linebacker and Alabama resident Monty Rice on learning about the Tech rivalry …
“Coach Smart talked to us about it a little bit. And I remember (watching) it when I was younger when Georgia Tech used to have — what’s his name? — (Joshua) Nesbitt. He was good. And they had Jonathan Dwyer, I remember watching him when I was younger. That’s when they were, like, really good. They’re still good now, but Nesbitt and them were a little different. But it’s an in-state team, and we want to be state champs. It’s always good to beat Georgia Tech because they have a lot of guys over there who take it personal when they play Georgia. Last game of the season. We want to go out with a bang.”
Senior safety J.R. Reed of Frisco, Texas, when he came to appreciate Georgia's rivalry with Tech. ...
“I learned about it when I first got here and the first time I had to go through a practice getting cut (blocked). That's when I really, really started to grow a hatred for Tech. ... You want to run the state. It's bragging rights, so that's why we go out and do what we've got to do.”
Rice on focusing on Tech and not looking ahead to SEC Championship game matchup against LSU …
“I didn’t know we play LSU. I didn’t even know. I’m not a social-media person, so I didn’t even know we were playing them. My focus and our focus is on Georgia Tech. We can’t overlook them. They’ve got good players, too. They can make a bunch of plays, their quarterback is fast, he’s got some good running backs, tough receivers who make plays for them. So we’re focusing in on them.”
Smart, who played safety for Georgia from 1995-98, on his memories of the Tech game as a player …
“The memory I have is probably the worst. You don’t remember the positives sometimes, you remember the bad. It was my last home game at Sanford Stadium and we lost (22-19) on a game-winning field goal with Joe Hamilton's drive. So that was my last memory of Sanford Stadium. Thank God I got into coaching; I got to fix that.”
Smart on Tech’s struggles during its transition to new coach Geoff Collins ...
“We don’t look at the record; we look at the team on the tape. That’s more important than their record. We’re not scoreboard watching. We’re not record watching. We’re looking at the guy across from us and we’re really, as simple as it sounds, I know you think people don’t do this, but we’re trying to take the next step, which is Georgia Tech.”
Smart on the challenge of playing the Jackets the week before the SEC Championship game …
“The challenge is about the rivalry. When you think about this game, records are thrown out. None of that matters. They finished Thursday. So, this is a huge opportunity and stage for them. We acknowledge that. A lot of our kids will be playing in front of their home crowd, where they’re from, their community, because of so many kids being from the Atlanta area.
“That’s the focus and that’s the concentration, and our guys understand that. We have a mature team, and we said the other day that most important step is the next step. Georgia Tech is the next step. They’ve got a football team that’s peaking at the right time, played a really good game Thursday night. So, we’ve got to go out and play a good football game.”
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