ATHENS — The last time Georgia hosted Mississippi State, the Georgia Bulldogs came out in black jerseys. Georgia won that day 31-24, which took place back during the 2020 COVID season.
But based on what head coach Kirby Smart said on Tuesday night, don’t expect Georgia to repeat its outfit.
“I don’t think that has one thing to do with the fan base,” Smart said. “I just think that’s hokey pokey. I mean, it’s great for recruiting, and we may do it sometime. I mean, I’m not anti-doing it, but that shouldn’t do anything for your atmosphere.”
Georgia last wore an alternate jersey in the 2021 Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati. Georgia wore an alternate jerseys three times during the 2020 season.
But Georgia hasn’t worn an alternate jersey since then. The Bulldogs do have recruits wear things such as black jerseys and white helmets while on recruiting visits, but since the start of the 2021 season, Georgia has worn its traditional uniforms for home and road games.
“Some of the best places I’ve played, great atmosphere,” Smart said. “They never change their uniform, they’re traditionalist. If it takes changing the uniform to get people fired up, then I’m at the wrong place.”
There have been plenty of discussions around the game day atmosphere at Georgia following comments made by Smart this weekend, where Smart voiced his disappointment with the fan base.
Smart has stood by the comments that he made and stresses that Sanford Staidum is not some lingering issue but rather a recent problem.
“I said earlier last time about, we had coaches play here last year, said it was the greatest atmosphere they had ever been in,” Smart said. “And so for somebody to say that from outside, it’s not like it’s all wrong. It’s really relative to what time the game is and who the game is. But we can’t afford to do that. You know what I mean? We can’t do that.”
Part of Smart’s frustrations likely stems from the lack of juice in a rivalry game like Auburn. This weekend’s game could have a similar vibe as the Bulldogs are a 34-point favorite against Mississippi State.
But with recent upsets in college football and a spirited Tuesday practice that Smart praised as one of the best, he’s not worried about his team playing flat.
“We don’t rely on the motivation of others,” Smart said. “I got a great analogy. Somebody sent me and said, ‘if they’re doing a Netflix documentary on you this week, who would you want to watch it? And would they approve? Would you send it to your parents? Would you send it to an NFL team if they did a Netflix documentary on your performance and your pride, and how you practiced this week?’
“And I was shocked, they must all thought the Netflix documentary was on them today, because they practiced as good as they have ever done. So just give them a little attention, and they eat it up.”
Georgia’s game against Mississippi State is set for a 4:15 p.m. ET kickoff on the SEC Network.
