Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart dropped an interesting quote after his team’s 44-41 overtime win against the Tennessee Vols.

Smart, as he often does, referenced the “naysayers” after Georgia squeaked out the win.

When asked about his “naysayers” comment, Smart told reporters that there’s been a lot of “whistling by the graveyard.”

“I think we know who we are,” said Smart when asked about the naysayers. “I don’t mean this directed at Tennessee, but I told our players there’s a lot of whistling by the graveyard. A lot of people don’t know what that saying means. But there’s a lot of whistling by the graveyard, and that ain’t who we are. I don’t think Tennessee is — they’re physical and they’re tough.

“But there was a lot of outside whistling by the graveyard. A little bit of acting like one thing, but we feel like our team is a certain identity, and we’re not gonna go down without a fight. We’re nowhere near where we need to be. We’re a long way from being there. But boy, we got some kids that aren’t afraid to fight.”

What was Georgia head coach Kirby Smart getting at?

“Whistling by the graveyard” is a saying that means someone is acting confident despite being incredibly nervous and frightened.

Which is why I’m not sure who Smart is talking about. Is he talking about the national media? Most of those folks picked Georgia to win. A few picked the Vols, but most seemed to think the Bulldogs would continue their winning streak against Tennessee. Is he talking about future opponents on Georgia’s schedule?

The only way his comment makes sense is if he was talking about Tennessee, but he made sure to point out that he wasn’t.

So what’s he talking about?

My best guess is that Smart was talking about the Vols this week when he told his team that, even though Tennessee didn’t trash talk Georgia at all leading up to the game.

Whatever he meant, though, I guess doesn’t matter since the Bulldogs got the win. But it was still a perplexing comment from Smart.

Tennessee Volunteers News

Georgia’s Kirby Smart confirms what Tennessee fans already knew about Vols’ overtime loss to the Bulldogs

Neyland Stadium was the site of an incredible game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Vols on Saturday afternoon. It was also the site of a heartbreaking 44-41 overtime loss for the Volunteers. Tennessee had a chance to beat Georgia for the first time since 2016, but a Max Gilbert field goal that sailed […]

Zach Ragan