On Saturday, Kirby Smart’s decision to go for a fourth down instead of a field goal proved costly in the SEC bout of two former national champions. Kirby’s decision to drill down for a touchdown rather than a field goal has led to another college football meltdown, with the critics tearing at his decision, sending skeptical looks at his coaching acumen.

Georgia entered the fourth quarter with a three-point deficit, 21-24. Determined to get the lead, the Dawgs had secured another potential touchdown chance, but a critical play-calling decision turned the tide. Gunner Stockton’s offense had made its way to the 8-yard line, and Kirby Smart called to go for it on fourth down instead of a field goal. The attempt was unsuccessful, and now, Smart is facing the heat.

In a conversation with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, Johnny Manziel talks about Kirby’s decision. “It’s out of their character to rush to go hurry up,” Manziel poured out his frustration on the Nightcap podcast. “That’s not what they do, right? The play was close on third down, to where maybe it could get reviewed. Why not take your time? Let them see if they’re going to send it to the booth.” The offense could have gone in for a modest field goal with All-SEC kicker Peyton Woodring. However, the head coach chose to go with a more aggressive approach, going for a fourth down. With a three-point deficit, Stockton handed over the ball to running back Cash Jones on the fourth-and-1 play.

The heat is stemming from the fact that Kirby Smart, one of the best college football coaches in the circuit, made such a blunder in the critical hour. The very genius that led the Bulldogs to back-to-back championships a couple of years back. Moreover, his coaching game has been touted so robustly that his assistant coaches have gone on to lead successful programs as head coaches. Look at Dan Lanning, mentored by Smart, who just beat Penn State at the White Out.

Manziel continued. “Get a good play that you want in. Why are you rushing to go do what we did at A&M, and go hurry up? You don’t do that. That’s not your bread and butter. You don’t have the right personnel on the field,” he said. On the right side of the field, where Jones was positioned, Georgia had stationed two true freshmen at right guard and right tackle. But the RB was stopped short of reaching the endzone, as Bama’s defensive line descended on Jones, who lost his balance and hit the ground, ending the possession. If he could have maintained his balance, a potential touchdown could have been reaped, locking in Georgia’s victory.

Manziel continued. “But you think it’s just a yard, and you’re going to sneak this little outside zone play in, and it’s going to be it’s all cool. We’ll be fine. We’ll man it up, hat on hat, and get it in. What are we doing? It’s such a big part of the game to think you’re just going to slide one in in a game against Alabama,” Manziel concluded. “So, to me, I’m furious.”

Moreover, as it seems, in the hurry to go for the fourth down, Georgia also missed the chance for the officials to review the third down play. “Aside from hurrying to the line with suboptimal personnel, Georgia also took away the official’s chances to review this play,” Dawgs Central’s Graham Coffey wrote on X.

These costly decisions rippled across, with Georgia’s CFP chances taking a dip. According to the projections by the Athletics’ Austin Mock, Georgia’s chances of making it up to the playoffs took a serious hit, sliding from 77% to 56%. On the other hand, Crimson Tide rose from 28% to 47%. With the latest setback at Athens, aside from losing the game, the Dawgs also lost their 33-game home streak. The Oregon Ducks dethroned them with their 18-game streak.

Meanwhile, the criticism has poured in, and Kirby Smart is ready with an answer.

Kirby Smart states his POV on the controversial blunder

Post-game, Kirby Smart has been subjected to a lot of criticism. But the head coach had an explanation ready. The decision to go for the fourth-down call was rooted in past successes, stating that it has been a successful call for us over the previous matches. “We hit Tennessee on it three times for a conversion. We’d run it earlier in the night and run it for a conversion.

Smart continued. “We missed a block that you’ve got to make, and they ran through and made a really good play to stop it.” Zooming it down further, he stated that the decision is about going with the tempo and that tempo has worked very well with the Georgia all year round. He further added. “I’d do that 10 out of 10 times in terms of going for it,” the head coach added.

If looked from the POV of Georgia, it makes sense. The Dawgs were not trying to force overtime, but wanted to supersede Alabama’s lead with a touchdown. In addition to that costly decision, the roster accumulated six penalties for 68 yards as well.