NEW ORLEANS — Kirby Smart got right to the point in the aftermath of his team’s Sugar Bowl loss to double-digit underdog Texas.
“Texas outplayed us, outcompeted us,” Smart said. “They out-coached us. They out-physicaled us. They did a lot of things better than us.”
The No. 15-ranked Longhorns (10-4) beat the No. 5 Bulldogs, 28-21, in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Georgia’s final touchdown came with 14 seconds left to play.
RELATED: Georgia football recap, Texas tops Bulldogs in Sugar
“They played more physical than us, and it showed me that they wanted it more than we did, and you’ve got to give them credit for that,” Smart said. “I thought their quarterback managed the game well with his quarterback run play. He really hurt us.”
Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was 19-of-27 passing for 169 yards, and he rushed 21 times for 64 yards. Ehlinger, who rushed for three touchdowns including one on a crucial fourth-down plunge, was named the game’s most outstanding player.
The Longhorns out-gained the Bulldogs, 355-296. Texas also benefitted greatly from Georgia’s two turnovers and an errant punt snap that led to about a 70-yard positive swing in field position for the underdogs.
Texas was in control from the start, becoming the first team this season to score a touchdown against Georgia on the game’s opening drive.
“I hope they learn you better show up to play every game because the teams you’re playing at the end of the year are all capable of topping you,” Smart said. “We’ve got to learn from the fact that when you go to play a game 30 days later you got to be at your best.
“We didn’t play our best game tonight, but you got to give Texas a lot of credit because they made it that way.”
Georgia football Sugar Bowl coverage
Luke Ford likely leaving Georgia, Justin Fields misses postgame
Georgia football stock report: Bulldogs fall, off-day for stars
RECAP: Sour ending for Georgia in Sugar Bowl
