ATHENS — Georgia coach Kirby Smart was satisfied with how his team played against Auburn on Saturday, with the Bulldogs notching a comfortable 31-13 win.
But he was less than thrilled with Georgia’s home environment.
“It was a great victory for Georgia,” Smart told DJ Shockley of Fox 5. “It was hot out there today. If anything, to be honest, I’m a little disappointed. I’m probably disappointed in our fans for the first time that I thought there was a lack of really affecting the game crowd noise-wise, passion and energy.
“Hey, it was hot but our players got full pads on, helmets, pads, and it’s hot out there. They’re pushing, trying to have a home field advantage like we’ve had when we’ve played against teams and I can’t get crowd noise. That’s frustrating for me.”
Sections of Sanford Stadium were noticeably empty, even in the third quarter of a two-score game against an SEC rival.
The Bulldogs have won eight-straight games against Auburn and have also won 27 straight games at home, which is the longest streak in the country.
Georgia was coming off a loss, as the Bulldogs were toppled by Alabama last week.
“I want our fan base to appreciate what we have and give their all and be unbelievable with crowd noise and make energy at home games,” Smart said. “We need it to be tough on other teams to play here. But it’s not. It’s not the same as it’s been in the past. It’s gotta be energetic. It’s gotta be. It was hot today. It was hot. But it was hot on our players too. They pushed through it. It was a tough week, and we answered the bell.”
Saturday was Georgia’s homecoming game and its first SEC home game of the season.
Up next, Georgia hosts Mississippi State at 4:15 p.m. on Oct. 12.
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