Five years into the Kirby Smart era of UGA football, Dawgs fans can look back on one of the best half-decades the program has known.
Highlights abound, from a pair of wins over legendary Notre Dame to coming within one overtime play of the Bulldogs’ first national championship since 1980. And, under Smart, Georgia has become a recruiting juggernaut, routinely signing some of the nation’s top prospects.
Of course, despite all the 5-star talent Smart has drawn to Athens, not everything has gone according to plan. Due in part to Nick Saban’s continued dominance over the Dawgs (known in Bulldog Nation as “the Bama curse”), as well as Smart’s problems managing that wealth of talent, and the evolution of the college offensive game challenging the defensive-minded coach, the national title that he was hired to obtain has remained just out of reach.
Many, if not most, fans remain convinced it will come, and probably under Smart. He seems ambitious and focused and, yes, smart enough to adapt to the changing game, just as his mentor has done in Tuscaloosa.
In the meantime, Bulldog Nation has seen some golden moments — and some not so golden ones — in Smart’s first five years at UGA. Here are one fan’s choices as the best and worst games the Bulldogs have played during that time, going chronologically.
