The Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will be meeting this weekend for the 117th edition of their in-state rivalry that’s become affectionately known as Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. Before the showdown, Georiga head coach Kirby Smart opened up about what the storied rivalry means for his program.
The game, as Smart explains, is important to both programs for one big reason: geography.
“Geographically, they’re close,” Smart said according to On3. “They’re in our state. You’re playing for something every time you play them. You’re playing for a state championship and I think that’s always important. They do a good job… A lot of respect for Brent (Key) and the job they do.”
It’s a storied rivalry and a big game, but Smart doesn’t seem to be elevating it over any other game for the Bulldogs, claiming that he views every game the team plays as a rivalry and doesn’t compare or differentiate between them.
“It’s the next opponent,” Smart said. “I don’t rank them any higher than anybody else because I look at all the games as rivalries. I let everybody else debate what’s the highest. I don’t get into those comparisons.”
Georgia will be a strong favorite in the game, but sometimes unexpected things happen in rivalries like this.
[On3]
About Kevin Harrish