Why Kirby Smart had no choice but to make risky call at Tennessee
ATHENS — Kirby Smart felt the full force of the momentum in Neyland Stadium flowing against his team in the first quarter and knew what his team needed.
Down 21-7 and facing fourth-and-3 at his own 48, Georgia had to go for it.
“It was a little analytics and a little gut; we didn’t have a lot of choice,” Smart said on the SEC coaches’ teleconference on Wednesday when asked about his decision to take the gamble.
“I mean, we were not looking like we were going to be playing very good defense, certainly to that point.”
Indeed, Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar was 14-of-14 passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns to that point in the game, and the Georgia defense was gasping for air with the on-field temperature at 90 degrees.
Smart didn’t just need to go for it, the Bulldogs needed to make it, or they’d be giving the Vols premium field position and even more momentum had they made a fourth-down stop.
“(Our) offense had actually performed pretty well to that point,” Smart said, reflecting on how Georgia had answered Tennessee’s game-opening touchdown drive with a touchdown drive of their own.
“(Aguilar) was in rhythm, and it was important to keep the ball and get the defensive adjusted.”
Gunner Stockton, the crowd ringing in his ears, took the snap and drilled a quick strike to Zachariah Branch, who was running a post, for a play that gained 13 yards and brought life to the Georgia football team.
“It wasn’t like a planned call,” Smart said. “It was just another third-and-3. I mean, third-and-3, fourth-and-3 are pretty similar in terms of your call menu.
“So didn’t have a lot of choice at that point. We needed to get things going and keep the defense on the sideline.”
That’s exactly what happened, as Georgia finished the drive with a touchdown three plays later when Stockton connected with Branch for a 36-yard touchdown.
The touchdown was the first of 20 unanswered points the Bulldogs scored, going up 27-21 with 3:48 left in the third quarter.
At that point, Georgia had found offensive rhythm and Tennessee had sputtered after its explosive opening quarter, netting only 56 yards on 20 plays over five drives.
The Vols, of course, rallied back to take the lead on a 56-yard pass from Aguilar to Chris Brazzell lll with 1:45 left in the third quarter, and the race was back on, as the game saw three more lead changes before it was finally decided.
But in looking back, there’s no doubt Smart’s decision to go for the fourth down on his side of the field down two touchdowns — and Stockton’s ability to convert with the pass to Branch — certainly kept Georgia in the game and provided a pivotal momentum shift.
The Bulldogs are 5-for-5 converting on fourth-down attempts this season, and the overtime win over Tennessee, capped by Josh McCray’s 1-yard touchdown run, marked the third time in the past six games Georgia has won with a walk-off rushing touchdown.
“I know that every game we have is going to be a war,” Smart said, “because the margins are thin.”
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
