Kirby Smart praises Billy Napier for building 'really good roster' after 24-20 win over Florida

Georgia outlasted rival Florida 24-20, with quarterback Gunner Stockton taking a knee at the 1-yard line to effectively seal the game at the end. But Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart had nothing but praise for the opponent after the win.

In particular, he shouted out Billy Napier. Napier, of course, was fired following Florida’s win over Mississippi State two weeks ago, sporting a sub-.500 record through three and a half seasons.

It was an interim coaching staff that took on Georgia and Smart on Saturday. And they did a nice job, thanks in part to everything Napier did to get them there, Smart said.

“Cardiac kids, man. Cardiac kids,” Smart said of his squad in a post-game interview with ABC’s Katie George. “Crazy games keep happening across the SEC. Good staffs, good coaches.

“Lot of credit to Florida. Their kids fight. You know, Billy Napier has got a really good roster here and did a great job assembling this thing. They’ve got a physical football team. They’re just in a really tough league.”

That probably won’t salve the wounds for Florida fans after another rivalry game loss. But Smart’s not speaking idly, either.

The Gators were competitive throughout the contest, even taking the lead early in the fourth quarter in the big game. For a time, it looked like Florida might do the improbable and spring a big upset of the nation’s No. 5 ranked team.

But after Chauncey Bowens pushed Georgia ahead 24-20 with a 36-yard touchdown run with about four and a half minutes to play, the Georgia defense came up with a huge stop and a turnover on downs. It came after a controversial call on the field was ruled an incompletion for the Gators on what would have been a bomb deep into Bulldogs territory.

“Well it was a huge stop,” Smart said. “I don’t think we played real well defensively throughout the game. But you know what? We won the game. They keep coming. Offense played when they had to.”

Georgia ultimately came away with the win and maintained a little bit of breathing room in the College Football Playoff picture in the process. But Florida might have showed it has a roster ready to win for the next coach.

Smart’s comments certainly seemed to indicate as much on Saturday night. Nothing about the win in this year’s Florida-Georgia game came easy.