ATLANTA — Kirby Smart said he has tried to use a long break to help No. 2 Georgia prepare for its College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against No. 6 Mississippi in the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl.
At the same time, Smart said having a first-round bye while the Rebels and other playoff teams were playing games wasn’t necessarily easy.
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“You have to make it a positive by how you handle it,” Smart said. “The positive is the mental practice you get, the recovery you get, the extra lifts you get. The negative is when you’re playing good football, a lot of times you want to keep playing. You want to stay in rhythm.”
There is no doubt Georgia (12-1, No. 3 CFP) was in a good rhythm. The Bulldogs overwhelmed No. 10 Alabama 28-7 in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Dec. 6 to extend their winning streak to nine games. Georgia won its second straight SEC title and is preparing for a run at its third national championship under Smart, following back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022.
The Bulldogs’ winning streak included a challenging 43-35 win over Ole Miss in Athens on Oct. 18. Georgia trailed 35-26 before outscoring the Rebels 17-0 in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss (12-1, No. 6 CFP) beat Tulane 41-10 in the CFP first round to give new coach Pete Golding his first win. Golding replaced Lane Kiffin, who departed for LSU after the regular season.
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Smart said he hopes some injured players, including center Drew Bobo (lower leg) and defensive end Gabe Harris (turf toe) can return for the Sugar Bowl.
Ole Miss had running back Kewan Lacy suffer a left shoulder injury against Tulane. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss also left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Lacy and Chambliss returned to the game.
“We’re still working through that right now,” Golding said when asked for an injury update. “Obviously, several of those guys came back into the game after the injury occurred. Not feeling any issues on those.”
Georgia has practiced when not taking a break for final exams since the SEC championship game. Smart said there has been an emphasis on more practice for younger players and said he also has staged practice games with crowd noise.
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“But at the end of the day, all those simulations are not real games,” Smart said. “And anybody that tells you they’ve got it figured out probably haven’t coached long enough to know that it’s a lot more about how you play than how you practice leading up to it. You just do the best job you can to try to prepare.”
Smart had a strong response when asked if he has focused on roster management, including talking to players who might consider the transfer portal, during the break.
“We’re not focused on it,” Smart said. “We’re focused on prep and getting better.”
Smart said his question for players is “Did you truly come here to develop? If you did, all your buddies are out there right now. They’re announcing what they’re doing. Announcing ‘I’m going into the portal. I’m announcing that I’m re-signing.’ How about you announce you’re getting better and you’re going to practice and do what the 20 and 30 years of college football players did before you, which was practice in December when they’re on good teams and get better.”
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Added Smart: “If you’re going to play somewhere else, you know what you need to do? You need to get better. If you’re going to play here, you know what you need to do? You need to get better. If you’re going to the National Football League to play, this is your last chance to get better.”
