A chill runs down your spine as you think about this weekend’s epic clash in Athens. Kirby Smart and the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs are set to face their biggest challenge of the season against the Texas Longhorns, with a playoff ticket and SEC dreams on the line. Remember, the Longhorns are coming to get their lick back after losing to Georgia twice last season, including in the SEC title game. Amid all the intensity and pressure, Kirby Smart has one message for his locker room: Don’t live in your head.

On November 14, Kirby Smart hopped onto Paul Finebaum’s podcast and kept it blunt during his last pre-game broadcast interview before this weekend’s matchup. The stakes are pretty high, and no one knows it better than Kirby Smart as he gives out his final verdict before facing the Longhorns.

“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. 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.”

Kirby Smart’s urge to ignore distractions makes sense, as the Bulldogs have been favored by a touchdown or less in five games this season. And they’ve actually trailed in the first half of all five, with four halftime deficits and one halftime tie. That’s not something they want to repeat this time. He’s also thrilled about the challenge of playing in a charged environment at home. The Bulldogs have won 34 of their last 35 home games. Plus, this is the first time Texas will play Georgia in Athens.

As the stakes rise, it can be easy for players and coaches to get caught up in the pressure and the outcomes of the game. “Be around the family, you realize there’s a lot more things going on in the world,” he explained. This helps to keep things in perspective, reminding everyone that while the game is important, it’s also just one part of a bigger picture. Kirby Smart openly admitted he’s nervous about this weekend.

Kirby Smart opens up about his emotions

With just a day left before the biggest game of their final SEC matchup of the 2025 regular season, the Georgia Bulldogs seem to be ready to host Texas at Sanford. Athens is known for bringing one of the loudest, rowdiest crowds in college football, and Georgia fans never fail to show up for big games. That noise makes life tough for any visiting offense trying to operate “between the Hedges.”

However, that same environment can also create problems for Georgia’s own defense. Kirby Smart explained during the Bulldogs Live Show that the extreme crowd noise sometimes leads to communication issues on his side of the ball.

“I get nervous at home about our defense because we have had some busts in communication, because it does get loud,” Smart said. “We are a very communicative defense where a lot of checks go on. When you do that at home, it scares me in terms of communicating.”

Even with those challenges, Smart made it clear that the home-field advantage is still worth it. He said the benefits of a fired-up Sanford Stadium outweigh the communication hurdles and urged fans to bring the energy again this weekend. Georgia and Texas will kick off on Saturday, November 15, at 7:30 p.m. Who do you think will win this? Let us know in the comments.