Kirby Smart didn’t waste any time resetting his Georgia football team’s mindset after Saturday’s disappointing loss at Ole Miss.
The No. 16-ranked Rebels overwhelmed the No 3-ranked Bulldogs in the rain, sacking Carson Beck five times and forcing three turnovers in a 28-10 win.
“It’s on to the next, welcome to the SEC, baby,” Smart said. “We’re not riding this roller coaster wave of emotion, we’re on a long journey, it’s a long journey, and you’ve got to play the next play, and you’ve got to play the next game, that’s the goal for this group.
“That’s what I told them in there, guys, our future is in front of us, we’ve got to figure out how to get better,” said Smart, whose team has trailed in 13 of its last 16 games, but still managed to win 13 of them.
“It’s tough, but our future is in front of us, we’ve got a big game next week, and we have to execute at a higher level.”
Georgia, even with two losses, will likely get into the 12-team College Football Playoff if it wins out because of its schedule strength.
The CFP Selection Committee revealed when unveiling its first rankings last Tuesday the UGA had the toughest schedule strength in the nation.
That doesn’t figure to change too much after the game with No. 16 Ole Miss, as No 7-ranked Tennessee is on deck, followed by a weak UMass team and a Georgia Tech game that figures to carry more weight after the Yellow Jackets upset No. 4 on Saturday.
“I said when the season started it would be the toughest schedule we ever had with the addition of the Texas game,” Smart said. “The outlook of going to those four road games, at Kentucky, Texas, Alabama and this one, we knew it would be really tough.”
Smart is maintaining confidence in his team, as it has shown resiliency when pressed this season.
“We need to get better, we have hard work in front of us, but we have a great group of men that I respect, and I look forward to getting back to work,” Smart said. “There’s nothing I’ll learn about this team from this game, but how we respond to it.
“It will be interesting the way this thing plays out…”
Smart said he expects many SEC teams to finish with two losses before the regular season has played out.
SEC LEADERS RECORDS
(top two play in SEC Championship Game)
Tennessee 5-1 SEC (8-1 overall)
Beat Miss. St. 33-14; Next: at Georgia, vs. UTEP, at Vanderbilt
Texas A&M 5-1 SEC (7-2 overall)
Idle; Next: vs. New Mexico St., at Auburn, vs. Texas
Texas 4-1 SEC (8-1 overall)
Beat Florida 49-17; Next: at Arkansas, vs. Kentucky, at Texas A&M
Georgia 5-2 SEC (7-2 overall)
Lost 28-10 Ole Miss; Next: vs. Tennessee, vs. UMass, vs. Georgia Tech
Ole Miss 4-2 SEC (8-2 overall)
Won 28-10 Georgia; Next: idle, at Florida, vs. Mississippi State
Alabama 4-2 SEC, (7-2 overall)
Beat LSU 42-13; Next: vs. Mercer, at Oklahoma, vs. Auburn
Missouri 3-2 SEC, (7-2 overall)
Beat Oklahoma 30-23; Next: at South Carolina, at Miss. St., vs. Arkansas
LSU 3-2 SEC (6-3 overall)
Lost to Alabama 42-13; Next: at Florida, vs. Vanderbilt, vs. Oklahoma
