Despite sitting undefeated, one of the University of Georgia’s football alums has a problem with head coach Kirby Smart. No team will ever play perfectly all the time. The human factor automatically takes away perfection. Flaws will surface on the best teams. Programs will attempt to smooth out the rough spots, whether it’s a defensive flaw or an offensive pattern of hiccups. In the mind of the alum, what can the coach do differently?
CFB Analyst David Pollack Explains Issue with Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart
When anyone reads a list of the greatest defenders in Georgia history, Pollack’s name will be in the conversation. A two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year and winner of the Lott, Hendricks, Lombardi, and Bednarik trophies, he established himself as a legend in Athens.
As a result, he sees what his alma mater must improve on. Now, as the host of the “See Ball Get Ball” podcast with David Pollack, Pollack discusses the sport and doesn’t hesitate to criticize his school.
“You know, I’ll probably just repeat myself in the show when we do all of our picks, but Kirby Smart has 19 career losses as a head coach. Six are to Alabama. Six. Like, that’s a big deal. Like, four of those six are by seven points or fewer, like close, but only two of them in the regular season, right? Yeah. But Georgia’s allowed a lot of points to Alabama.”
Basically, Alabama accounts for 31.5% of Smart’s career losses. On top of that, Smart defeated the Crimson Tide once, in the 2022 National Championship. Before that, you’d need to return to September 22, 2007, nine years before Smart arrived, for the last UGA victory.
Moreover, to Pollack’s point, the Bulldogs surrender points to Alabama. Since Smart took over in 2016, the Crimson Tide has scored 35 points four times. Furthermore, Georgia surrendered no fewer than 27 points each time in the last five meetings.
This year feels different. Quarterback Carson Beck transferred to Miami, and Jalen Milroe plays for the Seattle Seahawks. Now, it’s Ty Simpson and Gunner Stockton, two former backups, who will start in this rivalry game.
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After three games this season, Simpson completed 71.95% of his passes for 862 yards and nine touchdowns with zero interceptions. Stockton, under center for UGA, brings a completion rate of 70.8% with four passing touchdowns and no interceptions.
Both teams need to win this game for almost the same reasons. After a subpar (by their standards) 9-4 season, the Crimson Tide would like to return to the College Football Playoff after missing the cut in the 2024 season. While Georgia made the playoffs, it still lost to Alabama during the season. Pollack feels that a victory on Saturday for Georgia means something. Which team emerges victorious in Athens?
