Kirby Smart lauds Georgia seniors for leading Orange Bowl rout, getting 50 wins

While Georgia missed out on a chance to compete for the prize it really wanted — a national championship — the Bulldogs settled for a decent consolation prize in the Orange Bowl. And they made sure it was a good final note for the season, throttling an opt-out and injury depleted Florida State, 63-3.

After the domination, head coach Kirby Smart raved about the tone set by the seniors for Georgia, not only during the week leading up to the bowl but during their entire careers. And with the win over Florida State, the Georgia seniors are now 50-4 during four years on campus.

“And make no mistake about it, this senior class drove this team to excellence. They didn’t let ’em slack off in practice. They made ’em work. A lot of the juniors said, ‘I want to come finish what I started. I want to walk off the field a winner.’ And they care about the University of Georgia and they care about each other, so I love ’em,” Smart said.

Smart was also set up to make an after-the-fact case for why Georgia might be one of the four best teams in the country. He didn’t make an outright statement, but it seems clear Smart thinks his squad could readily contend for a national championship in the College Football Playoff.

“Well, you know, I know this: We’ve got a really good football in a system that doesn’t allow everybody an opportunity to play for it. This group right here did everything we asked for ’em all year, they competed their tail off and they came out and won an Orange Bowl, which is special. These guys have won seven bowl games in a row, so it’s incredible what they’ve done. Great leadership and great fanbase,” Smart said.

Orange Bowl MVP Kendall Milton said the Bulldogs made it a business-like week of practice

Kendall Milton dominated in the game, carrying nine times for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns to earn MVP honors.

But he said from the podium that the whole team treated the week of practice leading up to the game with utmost seriousness.

“I mean it was really a team mindset the whole week. Everybody came out prepared. We took this whole week seriously. If you would’ve saw our practices, it was very intense and I’m just proud of the guys. We faced adversity, we had composure and the fans came out and supported us the whole way,” Milton said.

Smart also shared a similar sentiment and took pride in the amount of players who didn’t opt-out.

“I also have a ton of pride in watching our kids prepare. Everybody on the outside said ‘I didn’t matter, nobody cares, nobody should be at the game, nobody should play in the game.’ These guys right here, they care. They care about each other,” Smart said.