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Kirby Smart is moving on, because he has to.
Saturday’s epic victory over previously undefeated Tennessee was great, but is in the past, and his top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs have turned their attention to another group of Bulldogs, the ones from Mississippi State, who host Georgia on Saturday night in Starkville.
Mississippi State is coached by Mike Leach, a creative offensive mind who has Smart’s attention as his ferocious Bulldogs defense gets ready for the challenge of dealing with Leach on Saturday in primetime.
“I enjoy being around him. I don’t know him that well, because he was out West for a large time that I’ve been coaching here,” said Smart. “I know a lot about him. I’ve followed his career because of the Air Raid kind of family.”
Smart knows that this particular version of the Air Raid isn’t like the previous ones.
“I got a lot of respect for what he does,” said Smart. “He’s evolved, too. He has not stayed exactly the same. Their backs and their commitment to the run has been different than the so-called, just, Air Raid. He’s brought that physicality to the SEC in terms of what he does.”
Smart will get an up-close look at the new version of Leach’s offense when his Bulldogs try to stay undefeated and on course for a spot in the SEC Championship Game and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
