Georgia is coming off two big SEC wins against Missouri and Tennessee, but fans are not too happy. The team came out flat in both games but won in the end. Georgia fans are not happy with their team’s performances in the last two games, but it is a guarantee that Kirby Smart is even more unhappy. However, there seems to be a bright spot to take from the ugly wins, and that is a change in culture is going on in Athens.
Georgia Bulldogs Evolving Culture
Since Mark Richt’s firing in 2015, the atmosphere around the team is different. Georgia fans remember the era all too well. Memories range from the embarrassing big games, the emotionless facial expressions on the sideline, and the failure to make in-game adjustments. Significant games include the blackout against Alabama, blowouts at the hands of Florida, and any random game in a season. This was the ultimate cause of Richt’s downfall. “The Richt Way,” was no longer a viable excuse for the continuing disappointments. A difference in the head coach’s position was not the only change needed. The culture of Georgia football was hurting, and a program savior was needed. Kirby Smart has been exactly that.
After a struggle of a first season, it became known that a storm was brewing in Athens after their national championship appearance last year. People try to discredit Smart because of how many Richt recruited players were on that team, but it is actually an argument FOR the alumni coach. Smart took these players and developed them into SEC champions and NFL draft picks. The team found a new energy, and it is still there so far in 2018. Smart’s pure love of his team is a breath of fresh air to Bulldog fans. Unlike Richt, Smart made it clear. This is his team.
The most different, and most exciting, thing about Smart is his energy and attention to detail on the sideline. He truly seems to bleed red and black. He’s a Bulldog through and through, and that is exactly why fans love him so much. Last year in the SEC Championship, D’andre Swift had a long touchdown run to clinch the game. Kirby followed In the middle of the Missouri game, up multiple scores, Georgia’s offense had to call a timeout due to the play clock running out. As soon as Jake Fromm returned to the sideline, Kirby erupted with anger. Some fans from across the nation may view it as a hot-headed moment, but a majority of Georgia fans could not be happier to see it. He is a perfectionist. He lives in the details.
Most importantly, Smart has given Dawg Nation a sort of cockiness. Other fan bases may hate it, but football is just more fun when you can be cocky and confident in your team. Fans are proud to rep the red and black. They fill the stadium, cheer more, and bark louder than ever.
The feeling is just different in Athens. Georgia is no longer the hunted, they are the hunter. The savage pads will be out in full force for a long time. As Kirby Smart said after the heartbreaker to Alabama, “We aren’t going anywhere.” There is an evolving culture currently happening for the Georgia Bulldogs, and it has everything to do with Coach Smart.
