It was a tough, disappointing trip for Kirby Smart back to Athens, Ga.
He came in to Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium over the weekend with hopes to defeat an Alabama football program that he won against only once in six tries. Smart led the Georgia Bulldogs into Tuscaloosa (Ala.) with “boo” chants coming from Alabama fans and overcame a 30-7 deficit to produce a classic matchup. However, Smart fell short again and this time to Kalen DeBoer.
RELATED: Former Alabama WR puts ‘more so’ blame on coaches for letting UGA come back
The Crimson Tide emerged with a 41-34 victory, dropping Smart to 1-6 against it. A reporter addressed the issue to Smart in his post game presser. The two-time College Football Playoff Champion fired back at the reporter about how hard it is to beat Alabama.
“I don’t know, what is everybody else’s record against them, you know?” Smart said.
“Has anybody got one better than 1-6, that’s played them six times? I don’t think so. I think they’ve got really good players. They have got a great program. I got an immense amount of respect for them. They do a great job.”
Alabama tends to have everyone’s number, not just Smart’s. Many expected him to win because of the time he spent under Nick Saban as the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator (2007-15).
Smart and Saban recruited the same level of talent, and Smart took the blueprint he learned from Saban to Georgia’s program. The idea was Smart had the staff in order that could take down DeBoer’s first year staff at Alabama, but it did not happen. DeBoer got the win and Smart returns to the drawing board.
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber-only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
