Will we see another White Out for Georgia football? Here’s Kirby Smart’s take.
Let it be known that Georgia players loved rocking the all-white uniforms for the first time in school history.
The all-white look, beloved by recruits on official visit photo shoots the past few years, became a reality for the Bulldogs in their lopsided 70-20 win against Western Kentucky Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium.
“I love them,” linebacker Chris Cole said. “White uniforms, 10 out of 10. Hopefully we wear them again. But I love them.”
“It was amazing, I’m not gonna lie,” cornerback Ellis Robinson said. “First time ever wearing something different at Georgia. It felt good to be out there, too, seeing the crowd all white, too, just like us.”
Georgia moves to 2-0 on the season and 5-0 in alternate uniforms in the Kirby Smart era, but will we see this all-white look again?
Maybe, but then again, based on Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s impression of the second half, maybe not.
“I don’t know,” Smart said after the win. “Time will tell. If we play like we did in the second half, hell no.”
No. 2 Georgia won by 50 and dominated a lesser opponent for the second straight week. Quarterback Gunner Stockton tied a school record with five passing touchdowns in a single game, becoming the third to do so in the first half of a contest. The Bulldogs put up 493 yards of offense and scored on their first seven drives, not allowing the Hilltoppers a point until up by 49.
As backups got more playing time, Georgia still won the second half 21-14, but the Hilltoppers outgained the Bulldogs in total yards, 162-150 and had 11 first downs to Georgia’s six. The Bulldogs had four fumbles in the second half, losing one, though the torrential downpour contributed to a turnover-heavy game all around.
The Bulldogs obviously dominated this game and, in the grand scheme of things, were cruising with the starters out in full force, but that didn’t matter much to Smart — not when Georgia was sloppier than he would have liked in the second half.
Here’s what did:
“If you don’t get off the field on third down six consecutive times, you’re not ready to play for Georgia’s defense,” Smart said. “If you can’t possess the ball on offense, then you can’t play. If you can’t crack block a guy that’s lined up inside you and hold your block and pin him, then you’re probably not ready.
“If your front five offensive linemen can’t move Western Kentucky’s defensive line, you’re gonna really struggle on the road when you play in the SEC. So there’s guys that want play in time and think they’re worthy of playing time that just proved to me they don’t deserve it.”
When asked if that surprises him, Smart said: “No, it doesn’t surprise me. I do it every year. It’s every year, it’s the learning curve, right? You go through it, you keep coaching them, you rub their nose in it, you say, ‘Look, this is what you are.’ This is not — don’t be offended because somebody gave you your fourth star and you came in here and you couldn’t block somebody that outstrained you from Western Kentucky. Don’t be upset about it. It’s just ... reality. So you can do something about it by going out there and practicing.”
Georgia will begin SEC play next week at Arkansas.