The Georgia teams that Kirby Smart played on did not fare well against Florida, winning only once from 1995-98.
In 1995, the Gators bested the Bulldogs 52-17 in Athens and in 1996, in Gainesville, Florida posted a 47-7 victory. The series returned to Jacksonville in 1997 with Georgia taking a 37-17 win and in Smart’s senior season, Florida posted a 38-7 pasting.
When asked earlier in the week what – if any – advice he received as a player before facing Florida, Smart said he really can’t recall receiving any words of wisdom.
“I don’t know that I ever received any,” Smart said. “We had some tough games against them. We won one game in this battle, and we didn’t have a great record against these guys during those years, and I don’t know that I really received any advice that would stick out as meaningful to these kids.
“It’s such a different day and time. I think the most important thing for these guys is to focus on playing well, not the pageantry, not the surroundings, all that. It doesn’t matter. You have to get back to playing well, and what helps me play well is my focus, my concentration, how do I practice, because usually our guys that practice well, play well, and that carries over.”
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