UGA football drops an epic hype video to get fans fired up ahead of the Georgia Tech game
The No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs (9-2, 6-2) host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-4, 5-3) in a key rivalry game to start off the last weekend of the regular season..
Georgia’s hype video for the Georgia Tech game is “Fourth Quarter Mentality”. With the slow starts that have been happening this season, UGA needs to start playing like it is the fourth quarter in the first quarter. Everyone knows that Georgia Tech can come into Athens and compete for an upset win.
In the video a quote was said, “What if we played with the fourth quarter mentality in the beginning of the game?”
Georgia has struggled to start games fast, but finds a way in the second half to find that extra gear. Georgia Tech has scored double digits in the first half all but one time so far this season, so UGA needs to win the first 30 minutes. That fourth quarter mentality is something that head coach Kirby Smart wants to see from his team to make sure they can seal the victory Friday.
Georgia football coach Kirby Smart continues to accomplish things Alabama coach Nick Saban was unable to do
Former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach of all time, but he never achieved Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart’s latest accomplishment.
After clinching a berth in the 2024 SEC championship game, Smart has advanced to the SEC championship game four years in a row. Saban never made the SEC championship in four straight seasons. Saban made the SEC title game in three consecutive seasons, but never four.
Smart and Georgia will have to wait and find out who they’re playing in the SEC championship game. First, Georgia plays the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Friday night. Then, Smart and Georgia will see who wins the Texas-Texas A&M game to determine who the Bulldogs’ foe in the SEC championship game.
Smart will be making his seventh SEC championship appearance as Georgia’s coach in 2024. The Bulldogs are 2-4 in SEC championship games under Smart.
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Three of Georgia’s four SEC championship losses were to Saban and Alabama. Saban went a ridiculous 9-1 in SEC championship games in his career.
Coaching links, overlap heavy between Georgia football and Georgia Tech
The Georgia versus Georgia Tech rivalry pits players who once shared high school fields against one another. However, this year’s Georgia-Georgia Tech matchup goes beyond the players with notable crossover among the coaching staffs.
Georgia’s offensive staff features first-year running backs coach Josh Crawford, a longtime high school coach in Georgia who spent last season coaching receivers at Georgia Tech. In February, Crawford made the switch to UGA, taking on a new role with Georgia.
“I don’t know many people that have had to go out and play with three true freshmen in a critical, pivotal game, which really happened against Tennessee. Those kids didn’t flinch, and he didn’t flinch,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of Crawford. “He’s very intelligent, demands excellence, and has done a great job preparing his players for big moments. He was also a very successful high school coach in this state, which is huge.”
Another former Yellow Jacket now contributing to Georgia is Andrew Thacker, Georgia Tech’s former defensive coordinator, serves as an analyst for the Bulldogs. Thacker has embraced his new role and is valued for his energy and enthusiasm, according to Smart. “He’s been a great asset for us. He knows his role, defines it well, and brings a lot of excitement and energy to our defense,” Smart said.
On the other side, Georgia Tech boasts its own staff members with Bulldog ties, including offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, who worked as an analyst for Georgia during the Dawgs’ back-to-back national championship seasons in 2021 and 2022.
“Buster was incredible in terms of insight, ideas, work habits, and recruiting. He worked extremely hard while he was here,” Smart said. “As an analyst, you have to find the balance between proving yourself and staying within your role. He did that perfectly. He made me a better coach, and he’s a great father and husband as well.”
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Buster Faulkner has revitalized the Yellow Jackets’ offense, showing significant improvement across the board. In 2022, the offense struggled mightily, averaging just 17 points per game and 192 passing yards per game, which ranked second-to-last and last in the ACC, respectively. Georgia Tech managed only 10 rushing touchdowns, placing 12th out of 14 ACC teams.
Fast forward to the 2024 season, and Georgia Tech’s offense has taken a major leap under Faulkner’s guidance. The Yellow Jackets now averages 27 points per game, a 10-point improvement, with a solid passing attack generating 234 yards per game. On the ground, they’ve become a dominant force, tying for first in the ACC with 26 rushing touchdowns.
With connections running deep on both sidelines, this year’s edition of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate promises to be as competitive as ever. Georgia plays Georgia Tech at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night. The game will be televised on ABC.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart addressed the media on Monday with injury updates on Miller, along with other injured Georgia Bulldogs including running back Trevor Etienne, wide receiver Dillon Bell, running back Branson Robinson, and running back Roderick Robinson II.
Robinson II has been out since the beginning of the season with turf toe.
“Yes, he’s banged up. Didn’t do much yesterday, and don’t know what he’s going to be able to do today. It wasn’t your typical Monday,” said Smart on Christen Miller.
“(Wide receivers) Anthony Evans and Dillon Bell were able to go and do something yesterday and practice. We will see if they are available, I’m hopeful,” said Smart.
“Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson have both looked good in the last few weeks. They have been running and have reached good speeds. We will ramp them up today a bit, we are excited about them getting back to work,” added Smart.
Georgia’s running back depth is shallow right now. Even though Carson Beck is playing well, getting back Etienne, Branson Robinson, or Roderick Robinson would help Nate Frazier and the fluidity of the Bulldogs’ offense.
Georgia still has two games of the season left. The Bulldogs play Georgia Tech, who played Georgia close last year. Georgia also plays in the SEC championship game against the winner between Texas and Texas A&M. To fend off an upset-minded Georgia Tech team and to win the SEC championship game, the Bulldogs will need as many hands on deck as possible.
The No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs (9-2) had a tune-up game against UMass after a satisfying victory over the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers. The Tennessee game wrapped up UGA’s SEC schedule, and Georgia was in a perfect position to make the College Football Playoff if they won out. Against the UMass Minutemen, Georgia had a few objectives: win by a lot, see what they have in younger players, and make sure no key players get hurt.
Bearing this in mind, the game was a disappointment. Sure, the Georgia Bulldogs won 59-21, but it’s hard not to feel worried about the Bulldog defense after letting up 21 points and 351 yards to a non-Power Four opponent. A lot of people, including head coach Kirby Smart, were unhappy with Georgia’s tackling.
Believe it or not, the Minutemen had a seven-point lead in the first quarter. UMass was within one score until the two-minute warning in the second quarter when Carson Beck tossed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Arian Smith.
Because this game was close, not many freshmen or sophomores got extended looks. Georgia freshman Nate Frazier had his best game with 136 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. Sophomore linebacker Gabe Harris had a sack and two tackles for loss and freshman Chris Cole recovered a fumble for a touchdown. Other than that, there wasn’t much impact from the underclassman of Georgia’s roster.
Georgia also couldn’t avoid injuries to key contributors either. Standout defensive lineman Christen Miller suffered an apparent right shoulder injury and was taken out of the game in the first half. The Bulldogs have an amazing front seven, but Miller’s loss hurts.
Here are four key takeaways from Georgia’s win over UMAss:
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Georgia’s run defense could be an issue
The Minutemen running game was the biggest reason they stayed in the game for so long. They racked up 226 yards on just 40 carries, and the running game helped the Minutemen score on three offensive drives and enter the red zone on five drives.
“We’ve got to tackle better,” said Smart in a halftime interview. The antidote against a potent running attack is solid tackling in the trenches. The Georgia defense will need to tackle better next week against Georgia Tech, who has a much better run offense, racking up 180 yards per game.
Georgia’s offense is rounding into form?
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
The Georgia offense has turned a corner in the past few weeks. There have been times when the offense was a concern, but since the Tennessee game, they have looked in sync.
Carson Beck is the biggest reason why. Sure, it was against an inferior opponent, but Beck was throwing pinpoint dimes nearly the whole game. Nate Frazier looked refreshed after a tough couple of weeks and solidified himself as the next man up once Trevor Etienne leaves. Overall, the Bulldog offense has scored 90 points and over 1,000 yards in the past two weeks.
Oscar Delp might finally be breaking out
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Oscar Delp, a former four-star recruit, hasn’t had much production in his first two years as a Bulldog, and in his third year, he looked overshadowed in the tight-end depth chart. However, in these past two weeks, he has finally looked like a game-changer.
Delp had just one reception for 17 yards and a touchdown against UMass, but now he has three touchdowns in the last two games. He is evolving into a red zone threat, and the Georgia passing attack has been better off for it.
Georgia has struggled with trap games
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Despite the offense looking spectacular, the defense looked mortal again. Inconsistent play from either side of the ball has been a trend the entire year. One week the defense shines and the offense falls flat, and the next week, vice versa.
This has caused the Bulldogs to look quite mortal against inferior competition, mucking out close games against Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Florida. Sure, the UMass game wasn’t close, but that speaks to how good one side of the ball is.
Georgia Tech (7-4) is better than any unranked team Georgia has faced. It’s less likely that Georgia can win with only one side of the ball producing against the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had some surprising things to say about the UGA run defense after the UMass game
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart was not happy with Georgia’s run defense or intensity in the Bulldogs’ 59-21 win over the UMass Minutemen.
Smart criticized Georgia’s tackling at halftime. Though Georgia cleaned some things up after allowing 110 rushing yards in the first quarter, the Bulldogs surrendering 226 rushing yards to a non-Power Four opponent was not an inspiring performance.
After the game, Smart revealed Georgia’s issues go beyond tackling.
“I don’t know that it was just tackling,” said Smart. “We did not tackle well, but it was more than just tackling. It was, I hate to say it, I just don’t think that our guys were ready to play and energized to play as their guys were. Their guys wanted it more than us, and it’s very rare that I could sit up here and say that.”
“Like, they were playing harder, they were moving us, they were playing physical. They had some nice RPOs and some nice play designs, but it wasn’t about that,” Smart continued. “It’s, I want to, like, desire. That’s the biggest thing.”
Georgia is going to have to want to win more than Georgia Tech next week if the Bulldogs want to make the College Football Playoff. Georgia faces a motivated Georgia Tech team that has already upset Miami and always has Georgia circled on their calendar.
Last season, Georgia Tech rushed for 205 yards against Georgia, so the Bulldogs better buckle up their chinstraps on Friday night.
Starting Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller exited the UMass game with an upper body injury
Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Christen Miller left in the first half of Georgia’s 59-21 win over the UMass Minutemen with a right shoulder injury.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart confirmed Miller suffered a dislocated shoulder. Smart noted that Miller’s shoulder was popped back into place.
“Something with his shoulder, I’m not real sure exactly what. I don’t know, I think they put it back in, it dislocated, and they put it back in, but I’m not sure,” said Smart after Georgia’s win.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound sophomore defensive lineman is a key part of Georgia’s defensive rotation up front. Miller has 21 total tackles and 1 1/2 sacks this season.
Miller will have a short week to try to get ready for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets game on Friday, Nov. 29.
If Miller is unable to play against Georgia Tech, defensive linemen Jordan Hall, Warren Brinson, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Xzavier McLeod to play more snaps.
Georgia’s run defense struggled against UMass. The Bulldogs allowed 226 rushing yards in an unsteady performance.
Georgia football has to tackle better next week against Georgia Tech.
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart was critical of Georgia’s defense at halftime of UGA’s 59-21 home win over the UMass Minutemen.
“We’ve got to tackle better,” said Smart in a halftime interview. The Bulldogs allowed 110 first quarter rushing yards and improved their run defense throughout the game.
Smart is not happy that Georgia allowed 226 total rushing yards to UMass on 40 attempts. The Minutemen scored three offensive touchdowns and did most of their damage on the ground (226 of their 351 total yards).
Georgia struggled to defend a UMass team that has obvious tendencies. UMass runs with quarterback Ahmad Haston in the game (only one passing attempt over the past two games) and passes more often when quarterback AJ Hairston plays.
“We’re not tackling,” reiterated Smart at halftime. Despite Smart’s pleas, Georgia still allowed UMass to have a 68-yard rush and a 75-yard passing touchdown. Both safety Dan Jackson and cornerback Daniel Harris were in position, but unable to make a tackle on UMass’ long passing touchdown.
Georgia has to clean things up next week against Georgia Tech, who has the No. 45 rushing offense in the country at 180.1 yards per game.
Georgia football wants to do three simple things against UMass
Saturday’s matchup against UMass may not be the most exciting on paper, but it presents Georgia with some reasonable goals to accomplish.
Continue last week’s momentum
After Georgia’s 31-17 win against No. 11 Tennessee last week, Georgia enters the UMass game with momentum. The Tennessee game was arguably Georgia’s most complete performance. The defense pitched a shutout in the second half and Carson Beck being dialed it up. Many think Georgia could have a sense of taking it easy against UMass, but if Georgia wants to be part of the nation’s elite, then execute with the same mindset they had against Tennessee.
Get the young guys in
If UGA’s starters can take care of business, then there will be a chance to see the young guys. Everyone knows about freshmen KJ Bolden, Chris Cole, and Nate Frazier, but freshman wide receiver Nitro Tuggle is gaining playing time and UMass should provide more of a chance to see the younger guys. Running back Chauncey Bowens, linebacker Justin Williams, and cornerback Ellis Robinson IV are three freshman players to watch.
No injuries
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Dillon Bell suffered an ankle injury against the Tennessee Volunteers. Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Georgia has been hit with the injury bug all season. UGA will be without two starters this Saturday. Staring running back Trevor Etienne and wide receiver Dillon Bell are out for the UMass game. There’s no doubt head coach Kirby Smart wants to leave the UMass game with no injuries ahead of the Georgia Tech game on Friday.
A five-star recruit, Grayson High School standout loved the Georgia atmosphere against Tennessee
The Georgia Bulldogs have done great work recruiting high school prospects. Their 2025 class is currently ranked No. 1 in the country at this point, but that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs haven’t done work building their 2026 recruiting class.
The Bulldogs only have three 2026 commits, but five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson could be a fourth potential commit. Atkinson went to Georgia’s 31-17 win over Tennessee and described his experience as electric.
Atkinson Tweeted during their game against Tennessee. “I had a great time,” said Atkinson via social media.
This is not the first time Atkinson has visited Sanford Stadium. As a freshman in high school, he checked out the Bulldogs’ second championship celebration in January 2022. He attended “Junior Day”, where he met linebacker Mykel Williams.
This year, he was in the stands for the Bulldogs games vs. Clemson, at Alabama, at Texas, and vs. Tennessee. Additionally, his trainer Marcus Howard was an All-SEC defender for the Georgia Bulldogs.
While at the Tennessee game, he met with Kirby Smart and inside linebackers coach/defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann. “I spent a lot of time with Coach Kirby and Coach Schu,” he said, via DawgNation. “Kirby talked a lot about my game he came to and what he saw from me. Coach Schu and I talk about everything.”
Atkinson is currently ranked the No. 7 recruit in the nation and the top linebacker. He is the No. 1 prospect in Georgia. He currently plays for Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. The elite linebacker is predicted to commit to Georgia his potential commitment would strengthen Georgia’s class of 2026.
