The stage is set: the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns will face off in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The schools last met earlier this season as the Dawgs blew the Longhorns out of the water, Kirby Smart hopes for a similar outing, though he is well aware of the evolution on Steve Sarkisian’s team.
Georgia handed Texas their lone loss of the 2024 NCAA season and on December 7 they’ll vye to defeat them once again. Since the 30-15 loss to Georgia, Texas has been on a tear. The Longhorns turned around their season and finished the SEC schedule on a five-game win streak.
Saturday’s rematch is a highly-anticipated matchup, the league’s title is on the line, as well as a first-round bye in the College Football Playoffs. While the easy thing to do in such a high-stakes scenario is to do a bit-too-much and go the extra mile, Smart’s experience tells him otherwise.
“Don’t overthink it,” Smart said. “Don’t overthink the entire process. You have to do what you do well. You got to stop what they do well. Offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators, they want to make it about the scheme. They want to make it about changes. They want to make it about how can we execute at a higher level.
Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts during the second quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Athens, Georgia.
“At the end of the day it’s going to come down to those guys on the field, the strain they play with, probably who executes better. The more things you do differently, sometimes the more you mess things up. You got to go out and execute.”
see also
NCAAF News: Steve Sarkisian reveals Longhorns' plan to utilize QB Arch Manning vs Texas A&M
Smart’s SEC Championship record
Smart and his Bulldogs have reached the SEC Championship in six of the last seven seasons, with the only exception being the shortened 2020 season. While Sarkisian is coaching through his first year in Austin, Smart has plenty of past experiences to help him prepare for this upcoming title game.
Georgia is 2-4 in the SEC Championship under Coach Smart. On Saturday, the Dawgs will aim to improve their record to 3-4 in this decisive stage of the league’s play.
Texas, logically, will have their first SEC Championship appearance on December 7 in Atlanta, where the University of Georgia hopes to make their presence felt.
Smart, Georgia’s six SEC Title games
- 2017: 28-7 win over Auburn
- 2018: 35-28 loss to Alabama
- 2019: 37-10 loss to LSU
- 2021: 41-24 loss to Alabama
- 2022: 50-30 win over LSU
- 2023: 27-24 loss to Alabama
