Kirby Smart calls out players for lack of football history knowledge ahead of Auburn rivalry game
It's an important week to know your history as the Georgia Bulldogs take on the Auburn Tigers — a rivalry that dates back to 1892. The game is so old that it's referred to by both schools as the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry." While many fans and former Bulldogs players may know just how deep […]
It's an important week to know your history as the Georgia Bulldogs take on the Auburn Tigers — a rivalry that dates back to 1892.
The game is so old that it's referred to by both schools as the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry."
While many fans and former Bulldogs players may know just how deep this rivalry goes, a lot of players today aren't as in tune.
That's because they have been other distractions like technology and social media as opposed to opening up a history book or watching an older football game, according to Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.
But that doesn't mean they won't know everything there is to know come gameday when they host the Tigers Between the Hedges.
"We still had them [history lessons]," Smart said. "We had history lessons. We had coaches that told us the history of every game. I mean, we had them. I knew them because I grew up in a football family and loved football. All I did was football, but that's not what these kids do today. I don't think these kids know as much. I mean, they don't watch football, a lot of them. They play it, but they don't watch it. I don't know. Ask them, like, who's your favorite NFL team? I don't know. They got more things to do. They got more attention options. They're going to be on their phone looking at social media and doing whatever. They're not going to watch. It's just not what they do anymore. So, I think it's important to make sure they understand."
At least one Georgia player is already well aware of exactly how important this rivalry is to college football, and that's walk-on running back Cash Jones.
Georgia and Auburn have met 128 times with the Dawgs currently leading the series 64–56–8.
It wasn't too long ago that the rivalry was tied back in 2014, however, Georgia has won their last 17 of 20 matchups, including seven straight recent wins, against Auburn.
An important date to remember for the rivalry is 2017 when Auburn (No. 10) upset Georgia (No. 1) 40–17 in Alabama. The two teams then faced off in a rematch for the SEC Championship where the Bulldogs got revenge and beat the Tigers 28–7.
That just goes to show that anything can happen on Saturday when the Dawgs and Tigers meet for the 129th time in Athens.
How to watch, stream, and listen to Georgia Bulldogs vs. Auburn Week 6 college football game
Watch the Dawgs bounce back!
