Under the lights at Jordan-Hare, Kirby Smart knows exactly what’s coming — noise, chaos, and a physical Auburn team ready to strike.
Georgia’s Kirby Smart claps back at ESPN’s Jesse Palmer ahead of Auburn originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Kirby Smart didn’t downplay the moment. With his 10th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs heading to Auburn for a primetime clash under the lights, he acknowledged what’s waiting for them at Jordan-Hare.
“What an atmosphere, an opportunity to play a night game at their place,” Smart said. “They’ve got incredible atmosphere…they do an unbelievable job with the crowd, the fans, their students. Tremendous job they do.”
Right on the money 💸#GoDawgspic.twitter.com/Ha3KgIcANU
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) October 5, 2025
Smart emphasized the physicality Auburn brings, praising Hugh Freeze’s group as “really physical all across the board…they will strike you and hit you,” Smart warned. “You see it on tape. They’ve played two really hard road games in our league against two of the premier teams right now.”
The Georgia head coach brushed aside talk of rest advantages or excuses. “You have to practice football to get good at football,” he said. “It all evens out…you can’t really look at that and try to make an excuse for it.”
When asked about Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold, Smart pointed to his unpredictability. “He runs like a running back. He runs over you, through you, around you,” he said. “The toughest thing to defend is when he drops back and ends up taking off running.”
And when asked about ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer’s questioning of Georgia’s creativity on defense, Smart’s tone didn’t waver. “You’d have to ask Jesse,” he said dryly. “I’m glad he makes a living getting to make those decisions. I focus on what gives us a chance to be successful.”
As for Auburn’s mystique, Smart summed it up simply: “They’re all special,” he said. “There’s obviously a longer-standing tradition with this one…but this game is completely independent of all the others. It’s about who plays best Saturday night.”
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