Kirby Smart took a gamble on Saturday against Alabama that did not pay off, and the Georgia head coach is feeling the heat from it.
Alabama snapped Georgia’s 33-game home winning streak in front of a packed crowd at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. The Crimson Tide raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first half and kept the Bulldogs at arm’s length throughout most of the contest.
Georgia managed to trim the lead down to 24-21 entering the fourth quarter. Facing 3rd-and-3 at Alabama’s 10, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton fell one yard short of a first down. Rather than tie the game with a short field goal, Smart made the call to go for it on 4th-and-1. Bulldogs running back Cash Jones got tackled well behind the line of scrimmage.
Alabama makes the stop on 4th & 1 and keeps Georgia from being able to tie it up or take the lead 🛑✋ pic.twitter.com/luypnkkWJ7
— Apostle Sports Finance (@ApostleSports) September 28, 2025
Several fans slammed Smart for getting greedy on the play and blamed him for losing Georgia the game.
Kirby Smart or Kirby Moron? You Got to Take that 3 Points to Tie the Game. He Cost his Team the Game. He’s a Loser
— Vic Monte (@TheVicMonte) September 28, 2025
As a coach in a close game… do you seriously think not kicking a FG down 3 in the 4th quarter is the best decision. I mean Kirby Smart is one of the best coaches in CFB right now but what the hell was that decision…
— Project Parlay (@Project_Parlay_) September 28, 2025
Kirby smart could have a tied game right now and 3 timeout. What an idiot. This was his fault
— 613Jet (@613Jet) September 28, 2025
Some expressed their disapproval over the type of play offensive coordinator Mike Bobo drew up.
There were about five things Mike Bobo and Kirby Smart could have done there and handing the ball to the smallish tailback and asking him to break tackles in isolation was the dumbest one available.
— Dawg Sports (@dawgsports) September 28, 2025
Kirby Smart is a great coach but 4th and inches out of the shotgun going hurry up with your third down back is a war crime and they deserve to lose.
— SportsBank (@Sportsbank100) September 28, 2025
Georgia entrusted Jones, the team’s third-down back, to get the team a first down at the game’s most critical juncture. Jones finished the contest with negative yardage on two carries, while Chauncey Bowens averaged nearly 10 yards on his 12 carries during the contest.
Hindsight makes it easier to pin the blame on Smart. Few would have called him out had the Bulldogs successfully gotten the first down and eventually scored a touchdown.
However, nobody would have criticized Smart had he tied the ballgame up and put the pressure on the Crimson to score. Georgia’s defense held Alabama scoreless in the second half, but just could not score enough to keep its home winning streak alive.
Alabama has been Smart’s Kryptonite over the years. The Georgia coach has a 1-7 record against the Crimson Tide, with his lone win coming during the 2022 CFP National Championship Game.
