Kirby Smart is busy dousing an unusual fire after the Auburn game. A controversial timeout-or-not-timeout call has sparked considerable controversy, prompting the HC to repeatedly clarify his motives. Once again, he doubled down on his stand and explained why he pulled the move in the first place, and what the SEC thought about it.

With just 13 minutes left on the clock and Georgia looking at 3rd-and-9, Smart suddenly flagged the officials for a timeout. He was awarded the stop, despite clarifying to the officials that he hadn’t asked for a timeout. Smart was instead pointing out that the Auburn defense was simulating a clap. When asked if he had heard from the higher-ups about the controversial decision, he still stood firm on his side of the story. “I talked to no one SEC [office] wise, and I stand by what I talked about after the game,” he told the press recently.

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Kirby Smart on the timeout/non-timeout against Auburn: "I talked to no one SEC [office]-wise, and I stand by what I talked about after the game. I'm worried about Ole Miss"

4:11 PM · Oct 13, 2025

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Georgia still got a new play despite this call not being officially recorded as a timeout. The Bulldogs then went for a missed field goal on that play. Kirby clarified his intention behind the call in the post-game presser itself. “I didn’t need a timeout. It was the fact that they were clapping. I wanted them to call it because it’s a penalty,” he said. Smart repeatedly highlighted that the clapping has caused Georgia to make false starts. And, he also stressed that he’s “lost games on that” at the Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Hugh Freeze blames officials for not acting correctly on Kirby Smart call