Kirby Smart praises Georgia crowd in 41-31 win over Mississippi State and looks ahead to Texas

ATHENS – Georgia coach Kirby Smart praised the crowd at Sanford Stadium for helping the Bulldogs' offense get off to a fast start in a 41-31 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday.

“I was really happy with the crowd, the effort and the energy in the stadium really helped us,” said Smart, who called out UGA fans after the lackluster crowd noise in the previous week's win over Auburn.

The Bulldogs took a 27-10 lead in a game in which Carson Beck completed 36 of 48 passes for 459 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions

Beck's 36 completions and 459 yards through the air were career highs.

“I thought both teams were lethargic in warmups, going through their motions, and it wasn't the energy that it normally has,” Smart said in this locker room interview on the Georgia Radio Network.

“Then when we came out in the game, I thought we started fast and did some good things.”

Georgia rushed for a season-high 605 yards and converted 5 of 10 third downs and 2 of 2 fourth down attempts.

“Football is a situational game, last week against Auburn we were up with two minutes to go before halftime and won third downs,” Smart said. “Here, we’ve built our program around winning situational football, and you can put yourself in a position to be successful.”

“We won most of those moments, but we have to play better in the second half.”

Mississippi State, with a freshman quarterback making his second career start, outscored UGA 21-14 in the second half.

Smart said he knows Georgia will have a lot of work to do next Saturday at No. 1 Texas in Austin at 7:30 p.m.

The Longhorns have won 12 straight in Austin since a loss to TCU in 2022.

“They’re a really good team, they’re really physical,” Smart said. “Whenever you play against a team like that, you have to give your best.”

Smart likes the momentum Beck built with his career day, when he seemingly shrugged off his quarterback's two interceptions.

“I thought Carson did some really good things, he had a tipped ball that was pick-ready,” Smart said, “but when you're ready to throw the ball, you have to be ready to throw picks “It’s going to happen.”

Beck had eight completions of 20 yards or more, adding an element to the offense that had been missing.

“We definitely have to be explosive,” Smart said. “Teams are explosive against us, (and) if teams are going to be explosive against us, we better be on offense.”