Demanding grit and excellence from his boys, College football is no stranger to Kirby Smart’s ruthlessness. On Saturday, it was very well displayed on his home turf, as his offense dipped a trick play, snuffing No. 10 Texas Longhorns.

Although on the first play of the first possession, Gunner Stockton took a sack for a loss of 2 yards. But the chains never stopped moving. After throwing a 17-yarder and a 4-yard touchdown pass, the Bulldogs dominated the first half. 14-3. However, Texas’s defense was yet to call it a day. They were successful in limiting Stockton’s offense to four consecutive punts and an interception.

During the third quarter, Stockton never reached the endzone. But, they maintained their dominance, 14-3. “I thought Kirby was happy at 14-3,” starts UGA alum David Pollack in a conversation with Brent Rollins. “And he was like, “We’re getting the football.” And I’m like, he’s getting very conservative when he’s got a chance to step on the neck.”

However, Smart had a trick play lined up at his sleeve. During the early fourth quarter, Peyton Woodring employed an onside kick, hauled in by Cash Jones. In the next play, Georgia converted that into another touchdown.  Pollack continues, “Kirby went straight psycho mode. I’ve never seen that; That sucker said fourth and fourth and one from your own side of the field when your defense is playing well.”

Kirby knew the risks, but the dividends paid off. “It was a big momentum play, and it would have been, every one of y’all would have thought I was an idiot if it didn’t work,” Smart said. “So that’s OK too, that’s part of football.”

Georgia’s onside trick tilted the scales back in Athens’ favor, as Stockton lodged three back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter, winning 35-10.

Moments before the kickoff, a delighted Kirby Smart was cheering for Tim Tebow to put on a Dawgs jersey. Post-game, that smile never faded. “A big, strong anaconda,” that’s how he painted his offense. “They keep squeezing you.” That description couldn’t be more apt as an aggressive offense led by a 25-point lead with just four minutes left on the clock. Similarly, on the other side of the ball, the defense kept the Longhorns suffocated, limiting them to punts and downs.

David Pollack warns CFB

Saturday’s lopsided game reiterated Georgia’s dominance on the turf.

And David Pollack was in absolute awe of his alma mater. “It’s the physicality like…it’s the toughness, and then obviously it’s the experience too, but like Kirby’s….they’re (Georgia) just doing a great job, like to watch them where they were to start the season and where they are now,” he said, calling Kirby Smart the best coach in college football. “Georgia’s in a good spot, man,” he concluded.

Pre-season conversations centered around inexperienced Gunner Stockton and a young roster after talent bled to the NFL. But the 6-1, 215-pound QB hit back at the criticism and has delivered nothing but excellence.

On the other hand, Texas failed to be a big shot. Dropped catches and inconsistent performance, which plagued the roster all season, proved costly. “It’s fair to point out that Texas has struggled on the road,” he added.

After executing an exciting trick play, converting into fourth-quarter dominance, Kirby Smart’s Georgia team remains optimistic regarding its playoff chances. According to the latest On3 projections, the Dawgs can move one stop ahead after Bama’s loss.

However, it remains to be noted that “Georgia has not clinched a spot in the SEC title game yet, ” On3 writes. “It needed a win AND a Texas A&M loss, but the Aggies had the biggest comeback in school history to beat South Carolina.”

Already placed in a comfortable fifth spot in the latest playoff rankings, with only one loss to Alabama, which lost to Oklahoma on Saturday, their first-round hopes have become more lively.