The Georgia Bulldogs are eyeing yet another trip to the College Football Playoff. Kirby Smart’s boys crushed the Texas Longhorns 35-10. Looks like one of Kirby Smart’s gambles paid off. Kudos to the fifth-year Georgia Bulldogs senior RB Cash Jones, who engineered the risky play. Well, this came off as an out-of-syllabus topic for Steve Sarkisian’s boys. 

Dawgs247 analyst, Olivia Sayer, quoted Smart from his post-game presser. “Everyone of y’all would have thought I was an idiot if it didn’t work,” the Georgia head coach said on the onside kick. During the third quarter, Georgia punched back with a crisp 10-play touchdown drive, capped by Gunner Stockton’s 30-yard strike to London Humphreys. Even at a crucial 4th & 1, a quick pass to RB Chauncey Bowens kept the drive alive.

Smart’s surprise onside kick play was picked up by Jones helped the Bulldogs retain possession of the ball. A simple measurement turned into a plot twist. What began as a routine review to check whether Smart’s redshirt senior running back picked up a first down (he didn’t) quickly morphed into something much bigger. 

On a 3rd-and-3 at Georgia’s own 34, Stockton hit Jones for a short 2-yard gain, prompting the punt team to trot onto the field while officials took a second look. After review, the call flipped to a 4th-and-1. Although the punting unit was already on the field, Smart chose aggression over convention. He pulled Brett Thorson and the special teamers back and sent in the offense to take their chances on fourth down. 

This role called for special attention to Jones. And Smart did not push the praising game for later. “A little walk-on kid from Texas … I bet you he’s taken 250 reps of that in his time being here,” said the head coach. The head coach acknowledged how Jones is a classic grinder, who practiced that specific onside-kick recovery hundreds of times. So, he got the moment right, not by luck but because he put in the reps.

In 2020, Jones had his bags practically packed for New Mexico State. Then Smart worked his recruiting magic and changed the three-star recruit’s entire trajectory. Fast-forward to now, and Jones’ decision to delay the 2025 NFL Draft for one more Georgia ride has Smart counting his blessings. The players sticking to the coach’s guidance are clearly showing results.

Kirby Smart’s Georgia finally broke the early-game curse

There already existed some plaguing issues in Smart’s squad. They have been slim favorites all year, laying a touchdown or less in five matchups. And every single time, they’ve played from behind early, with four halftime deficits and one dead-even tie. So, the head coach did not want it to repeat this time. 

“Save up. I think I talked about it last time. Don’t expend your energy on things that are foolish, your phone, wasted time, anxiety, things you don’t control,” said Smart on Paul Finebaum’s podcast. “I really want them to rest and relax, because it’s going to be a four-quarter game. All these games have, and they need to be ready, prepared to play in front of a hell of an environment.” That all-in mindset came through.

Now the Bulldogs can finally breathe. Kirby Smart’s boys just cleared one of their last big hurdles, and the road to the playoffs looks downright cushy. Andy Staples has already laid out the map. “Georgia has a sort of luxury path to the second round of the playoffs,” the analyst said. “It’s not easy because they play Texas this weekend. And then they’ve got to play Georgia Tech at the end of the regular season, which is another tough game.” Now they just need to ride the momentum, not the ego.