Kirby Smart: “Humility is one week away”

ATHENS — Georgia returned from Tuscaloosa with the nation’s No. 1 ranking, a long-awaited victory over Alabama and a warning from Kirby Smart.

Humility is always one week away.

This week, it is wearing orange and blue.

The Bulldogs have barely had time to enjoy Saturday night’s 20-17 victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium before preparing for another old rival. Georgia hosts Auburn at 3:30 p.m. Saturday Between the Hedges in the 131st meeting of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

Auburn is 3-2. Georgia is 6-0. The Bulldogs have won nine consecutive games in the series and are 10-1 against the Tigers under Smart.

That is exactly the kind of résumé that makes coaches nervous.

Auburn had an open date to rest, heal and watch Georgia trade blows with Alabama for four quarters in the rain. The Bulldogs returned to Athens battered, emotionally drained and carrying the considerable weight that comes with becoming No. 1.

“We watched the tape of it,” Smart said. “It was extremely physical, and this one’s going to be really physical, too. It was a really hard-fought game. Mistakes made both ways, but I promise you the page for us is focused on this Auburn team.”

Turning that page may be Georgia’s first challenge.

The Alabama victory ended a 19-year drought in Tuscaloosa and pushed the Bulldogs to the top of the national polls for the first time since September 2024. It also revealed something about a Georgia team forced to improvise after injuries eliminated its top two running backs.

Dwight Phillips Jr. became the answer.

With Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens unavailable, Phillips made his first career start and carried 17 times for a career-high 120 yards. Bo Walker added 69 yards on 10 attempts as Georgia ran for 206 yards against one of the nation’s best rushing defenses.

At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Phillips does not resemble the bruising backs who have traditionally carried Georgia’s offense. He did not need to.

He slipped through small openings, made one decisive cut and repeatedly turned modest gains into something larger. When Georgia needed toughness, its smallest running back delivered plenty of it.

“His vision, his unique toughness for his size and his speed,” Smart said. “He has great vision, a great one-cut, and he’s got great toughness. His speed is elite.”

Whether Frazier or Bowens will return Saturday remains unclear. Smart made it plain that Georgia does not have another position player waiting to become an emergency tailback.

“We have the guys that we have,” he said.

Fortunately for Georgia, those guys also include Gunner Stockton.

The fifth-year quarterback completed 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards against Alabama and directed the decisive 84-yard drive during the final five minutes. He enters Saturday completing 76.6% of his passes with a rating that ranks among the nation’s best.

Stockton has helped Georgia become more efficient on third down because the Bulldogs have rarely asked him to rescue them from impossible situations.

“We have an experienced quarterback, and we’ve been able to run the ball better,” Smart said. “It’s attributed to the offensive staff. It’s attributed to the quarterback play. It’s attributed to the ability to run the ball on early downs and not get behind the sticks.”

Georgia’s offense is averaging 46.2 points and 474.8 yards per game. Its 277 points are the most the Bulldogs have scored through six games in school history.

Those numbers will be tested by an Auburn defense that does not intend to wait politely for Georgia to attack.

The Tigers are coordinated by DJ Durkin, whose defenses have traditionally played with pressure, speed and aggression. Auburn will blitz, crowd running lanes and attempt to force Stockton into hurried decisions.

“Speed, athleticism,” Smart said. “They can fly to the ball. They play really hard. They attack the ball. They blitz and come after you.”

First-year Auburn coach Alex Golesh presents a different challenge on offense. His system attracts attention for its tempo and vertical passing game, but Smart sees something more basic—and more dangerous—underneath it.

Physicality.

“People want to make it about passing, and they do have a lot of good passes and they have tempo,” Smart said. “But they’re physical. They’re physical at the point of attack.”

Georgia has handled that challenge better than almost anyone. The Bulldogs are allowing only 14 points and 74.7 rushing yards per game. Alabama entered Saturday having scored at least 45 points in every game, then managed only 17—its lowest home output since 2011.

Junior linebacker Justin Williams has become part of the depth powering that defense, recording two sacks while playing behind a group led by Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole.

Now comes the difficult part: doing it again.

Georgia leads the series with Auburn 66-56-8. Its current nine-game winning streak against the Tigers matches the longest by either school in the rivalry. Smart is 5-0 against Auburn in Athens.

The history is lopsided. The records are lopsided. The expectations will be lopsided.

Smart knows rivalries do not always respect any of them.

“It’s any given Saturday in this conference, as we see every week,” he said. “It will be an extremely physical game.”

Georgia proved plenty in Tuscaloosa. It proved it could win in a hostile stadium, survive injuries, run against an elite defense and close a tight game in the fourth quarter.

Saturday will demand a different kind of proof.

The Bulldogs must show they can stop looking backward long enough to protect everything that victory gave them.

Because Alabama is now a memory.

Auburn is coming to Athens.

And humility is only one week away.

GAME AT A GLANCE

Auburn at No. 1 Georgia

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday

Site: Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium, Athens

TV: ESPN

Records: Georgia 6-0, 4-0 SEC; Auburn 3-2, 1-2 SEC

Series: Georgia leads 66-56-8