Kirby Smart celebrates with crowd after Georgia's win over Clemson

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had every reason to celebrate on Saturday, as the No. 5 Bulldogs started off their season with a statement win over the No. 3 Clemson Tigers.

The Bulldogs’ defense gave the Tigers everything they could handle; the final score, 10-3, was indicative of the defensive masterpiece, and Smart celebrated by running over to the team’s bench, leaping up and yelling along with the rambunctious Bulldogs fans.

Kirby Smart is fired up. As he should be. Hell of a well coached game. #Clemson #Georgia

pic.twitter.com/SGAEPFOuxE

— Sideline CFB (@SidelineCFB) September 5, 2021

Smart’s celebration didn’t end there. He then dismounted from the bench and ran down the sidelines, collecting high fives from support staffers, before celebrating with his student-athletes and commissioner Greg Sankey on the way to the locker room. The Georgia fans began chanting, “SEC” repeatedly, as Smart pumped his fist and walked back to the lockers.

“I was nervous about that jump, Jeff,” Smart said of his leap onto the bench in his postgame press conference. “I said ‘If I slip, this will be on every camera in America, and it’ll be on ESPN’s Not Top Ten.’ That went through my mind. I was happy, and I felt like our fans didn’t get the love they needed. Our players sprinted into the locker room, and I wanted to show them some attention with it.”

In the game, Clemson rushed for just two yards on 23 carries. As a whole, Clemson totaled 180 yards and 178 passing yards. Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was sacked seven times by Smart’s defense, and he was not able to get anything going for the Tigers.

Smart expects his defense to perform at a high level every game. But he was a little bit surprised as how dominating the defense was. Clemson’s offense was not expected to take a major step back with Uiagalelei at the helm.

“No, I never would have thought that (we would hold Clemson to three points),” Smart said to reporters after the game. “We go to every game with the goal to shut them out. That’s the goal, but we have a goal on defense that says no explosive plays and going to hold them under thirteen points.”

Coming into the game, everyone knew that the outcome could potentially have big implications on the College Football Playoff at the end of the season. Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs sure hope that is the case. The Bulldogs start the season 1-0, as the Tigers fall to 0-1.