UGA Football Coach Kirby Smart Calls Out SEC Commissioner After SEC Title Victory
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ATLANTA - After Georgia’s wild overtime victory over Texas in the 2024 SEC Championship game, Georgia Bulldog coach Kirby Smart was asked how important it was to receive a BYE in the College Football Playoffs.
Smart was quick to reply.
“It means rest for a team that Greg Sankey and his staff sent on the road all year long. We get to take a break and get ready for the playoff. This team needs some rest mentally.”
With Greg Sankey standing just feet away, Kirby Smart told the entire football world that his team went through the biggest gauntlet in college football and still came out with an SEC title.
That’s what this team is. They’re resilient. They fight. They make plays when it matters most.
And through it all, from Atlanta to Lexington, to Tuscaloosa, to Austin, to Jacksonville, to Oxford, and back to Atlanta, the Dawgs came out on top.
Again.
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The No. 5 Bulldogs (11-2) captured their 15th SEC title with a 22-19 win in overtime over No. 2 Texas (11-2). The Bulldogs improved to 5-7 in SEC Championship Games (SECCG) including 3-4 under Kirby Smart. Today, the Bulldogs played in their fourth straight SECCG. Junior DB Daylen Everette earned MVP honors, joining a list of Bulldog SECCG MVPs in QBs David Greene (‘02) and DJ Shockley (‘05), LB Roquan Smith (‘17) and QB Stetson Bennett (‘22).
*Bulldog Senior Class Gets 53rd Win: With today’s victory, the 2024 Senior Class is an FBS-leading 53-4, adding to its school record. Also of note, for the first time since 1943, Georgia posted two wins over the same team during a season. The previous time was 1943 versus Presbyterian in Athens twice.
*Summary Of The Offense: Georgia finished with 277 yards of total offense on 67 plays in the 22-19 win in overtime for the 15th SEC title in school history.
*Down 19-16 in the first OT, the Bulldogs powered into the endzone on six plays, going 25 yards on a four-yard TD by Trevor Etienne for a 22-19 win. On the final play, Carson Beck handed it off to Etienne as Beck missed the entire second half except that final play due to injury.
*Georgia played its second straight overtime game of the season, and it was the first in SECCG history. Georgia won the toss and elected defense.
*Georgia is now 10-7 in OT including 3-2 in the Kirby Smart era. Last week in Athens, Georgia beat Ga. Tech 44-42 in an SEC record 8-OTs.
*RS-sophomore QB Gunner Stockton (12-for-16, 71 yards, 8 rushes, 8 yards) began the 2nd half with senior Carson Beck sidelined due to injury that came on the final play of the first half. It was only his fourth game of the year and first appearance since a win over UMass Nov. 23. On the opening drive, Stockton converted a pair of 3rd downs, and it led to a 10 play, 75-yard TD drive capped by a 10-yard run by Trevor Etienne. Stockton was 3-for-4 for 36 yards and ran twice for 12 yards on the drive.
*Junior RB Trevor Etienne and PK Peyton Woodring scored all of Georgia’s points in the two wins over Texas this season. In the first meeting, Etienne had three TDs while Woodring made three field goals and three PATs. Today, Etienne had a pair of TDs while Woodring made three field goals.