After suffering a brutally tough loss to Alabama, Georgia returned to the win column with a 31-13 victory over Auburn on Saturday.
However, head coach Kirby Smart didn’t just focus on the win – he had strong words for the fans at Sanford Stadium, urging them to step up their game.
Quarterback Carson Beck led the Bulldogs to victory, rebounding from his inconsistent outing against Alabama with an impressive performance, completing 23 of 29 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns.
The win pushed No. 5 Georgia to 4-1 on the season, but Smart wasn’t entirely satisfied, specifically calling out the home crowd for a lackluster atmosphere.
“Great victory for Georgia,” Smart said after the game. “It was hot out there today and if anything, to be honest, I’m a little disappointed. I’m probably disappointed with our fans for the first time.
“I thought there was a lack of really affecting the game crowd noise-wise, passion and energy. Hey, it was hot, but our players have got helmets and pads and it’s hot out there and they’re pushing, trying to have a home-field advantage like we’ve had when we’ve played against teams and I can’t get crowd noise.
“That’s frustrating for me so I’ll just be honest about it, I think we’ve got to do a better job as fans. I know I’ve got to do a better job as a coach, but we need these fans to support us and these players need them behind them.”
The Bulldogs are entering a critical stretch of the season, with a high-stakes matchup against No. 1 Texas on October 19 looming, followed by games against Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Smart is well aware that, with one loss already on their record, Georgia needs all the support it can get from its fanbase.
The coach also expressed frustration with the lingering talk about their Week 5 loss to Alabama, saying it dominated conversations and social media throughout the week.
“I’m going to be honest because all people talked about all week was what? That [loss to Alabama]. Right?” Smart said. “That’s all people talked about all week. I mean, it was all over every Twitter feed, all over every social media, everything.
“We’re not going win all of our games all the time. That’s not going to happen. I want our fanbase to appreciate what we have and give their all and be unbelievable with crowd noise and make energy at home games.”
Beck also addressed the topic but was much more careful with his words.
“We’re focused on this game, and they kept putting [the Alabama-Vanderbilt game] up on the TV, and all our fans are cheering,” Beck explained. “We’re like, ‘Lock in man, just focus on this.’ We’re sitting here playing this game trying to win. It is what it is.”
Smart is not the first major coach to criticize his fanbase, and he certainly won’t be the last. Over the years, we’ve seen Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin take similar approaches.
While Smart’s point is understandable, fighting your own fanbase will always be a losing battle. Having said that, Kirby has built-up enough goodwill in Athens that he can say almost anything he wants – as long as the Dawgs keep winning.
What are your thoughts on his comments? … Does he have a point about the Georgia crowd???