Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart Appears on ESPN's College Gameday

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CHARLOTTE - Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said his program is ready to play the Clemson Tigers tonight in Bank of America Stadium. 

“It is a top five matchup - the stakes are high,” Smart said. “It is a great chance to represent our conference against one of the top programs in the country. It is a great opportunity.”

The matchup is the marquee matchup of the opening season of college football. For the 20th time in school history, Georgia will open a season against a ranked opponent as the Bulldogs battle Clemson (ranked No. 3 in Associated Press poll, No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches poll). The Bulldogs are 9-9-1 in these games.

Smart told the cast of College Gameday that he was happy to have JT Daniels return as the starting quarterback after three different signal callers started in 2020. 

“We are most excited to have (Daniels) back. Coach Monken has done a great job of preparing those guys on the offensive side of the ball,” he said. “We are excited to see what we can do.”

How the Bulldogs handle Clemson’s defense will have a lot to do with the outcome of the game. There has been speculation that multiple Clemson starters will miss the Georgia game, but Dabo Swinney would not confirm that news to reporters Wednesday night. 

“Clemson is very aggressive. They attack, attack, attack. They have kids that fit their system,” Kirby said. 

Meanwhile, Kirby said the atmosphere Saturday night is something he’s looking forward to, but that surviving the other team’s big plays will be the key to the game. 

“I think the tam that handles the other team’s shot the best,” he said. “I am loving (the atmosphere). I am happy for the fans.”

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