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The Georgia Bulldogs rebounded from a loss to Alabama by beating the rival Auburn Tigers, 31-13. According to Kirby Smart, the Dawgs’ homefield advantage played little part in that SEC win.
The head coach blasted the fanbase after the game, saying it was the most disappointed he’s been in his time with Georgia.
“To be honest, I’m a little disappointed,” he said while speaking with former Bulldog QB DJ Shockley. “I’m probably disappointed in our fans for the first time. I thought there was a lack of really affecting the game with the game crowd noise, and passion, and energy.
“Hey, it was hot, but our players have full pads and helmets, and they’re pushing to try and have a homefield advantage like we’ve faced when we play against teams, and I can’t get the crowd noise. That’s frustrating for me.”
There was a notable emptiness in portions of Sanford Stadium, with many of those areas being located in direct sunlight. Highs in Athens were in the mid-80s, and heat is something a number of SEC teams have had to deal with early on in the season.
Current UGA students couldn’t last an hour in the asylum that was the 2013 through 2016 football seasons pic.twitter.com/RcBd0EVR5B
— wes (@wesj_42) October 6, 2024
We saw similar scene at LSU as fans flooded out of the stadium at halftime of a tie game vs. UCLA.
Kirby Smart doesn’t think the conditions warranted the lousy atmosphere this weekend, though, noting that the players are on the field in that same weather.
He wasn’t the only one taking shots at the crowd. Starting QB Carson Beck felt the fans were more interested in another game altogether.
Georgia fans were watching along to the Alabama-Vanderbilt game while the Bulldogs battled Auburn.
Highlights of the massive college football upset were shown while the Georgia football team was on the field, sparking a response from Beck.
“We’re focused on this game, and they kept putting [the Alabama game] up on the TV, and all our fans are cheering,” the QB said. “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.”
He seemed peeved with the Alabama attention as Georgia and Auburn were in a dogfight of their own. It was a 14-10 game before the Bulldogs pulled away late.
Kirby Smart and Co. were able to win despite the lackluster support, improving to 4-1 on the season. They’ll hope to see a better environment next weekend when Mississippi State comes to town.