Georgia football coach Kirby Smart praised Tennessee while absolutely burying Auburn
By Mike Luciano
Georgia football coach Kirby Smart took another opportunity to rip Auburn.
In what might be the best matchup of the early part of the 2020 SEC schedule, Kirby Smart confirmed that Georgia are still the top dogs in the SEC East, proving it by keeping Bo Nix and Auburn out of the end zone in a dominant 27-6 win. Georgia will have to quickly turn around and get ready for Tennessee, who has improved markedly since the beginning of the Jeremy Pruitt era. Smart seems to be treating the Volunteers with more respect than Auburn.
Smart claims Tennessee is a superior opponent when compared to the Tigers, citing a much better and deeper offensive and defensive line.
Kirby Smart believes Tennessee is a better team than Auburn right now.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 5, 2020
"When you look at a defensive line and an offensive line, I really believe that's where the game starts. ... When you start with those two, they're just ahead right now of where Auburn is in terms of that."
Kirby Smart made sure to kick Auburn when they are down
Led by new defensive coordinator Barry Odom, the Razorbacks, who shut down KJ Costello and Mississippi State in their second game, had a lead on Georgia at halftime before Smart pulled quarterback Dwan Mathis and replaced him with Stetson Bennett. While Bennett played well against Auburn, the game was won in the trenches. Bennett had all day to throw the ball, while Nix was under pressure on every other snap.
While Smart isn’t just trying to rile up Auburn fans, as Trey Smith is as good an interior lineman as there is in the country, it’s clear he gets extra joy from taking down Gus Malzahn. After some choice words following a game in 2017, Smart’s Bulldogs have steamrolled Auburn in three consecutive outings.
Georgia and Auburn certainly share one of the most heated rivalries in college football, and we saw last Saturday that Smart is willing to beat their opposing quarterback to a pulp in pursuit of a win. It would’ve been out of the ordinary if Smart complimented Auburn.
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