Kirby Smart: Intel from Michigan coaching staff helped UGA defeat 'Bama in 2021 NCG
After defeating Michigan in the 2021 CFP Semifinal, Georgia's coaches called Michigan's coaches to pick their brains. Michigan's coaches had previously done the same with Alabama's coaches to gather intel on Georgia. Apparently, Alabama had told Michigan that Georgia seemed "sluggish" in the SEC Championship Game. Michigan relayed this information to Georgia, prompting Kirby to kick the intensity of their practices and conditioning up a notch during the week between the semifinal and the NCG. According to Kirby, that was was a big factor in giving Georgia the edge it needed to avenge the loss to Alabama and win the NCG.
So I guess Kirby now owes us a favor, though it comes at the expense of having possibly burned a bridge with Nick Saban and Alabama.
I did say that even though we got potentially useful intelligence it didn't matter. And it didn't matter because UGA simply had better players at most positions that executed at a high level. I accepted this a long time ago, so yeah, I'm good.
I don't think we burned a bridge with that kind of intel.
WTF? This sounds like SEC logic. Feet Pinebottom. make this up?
So if I'm reading this correctly, Alabama was talking smack about Georgia to Michigan, which our coaching staff relayed to Georgia, who then used it as extra motivation leading up to their game in the '21 CFP. Sounds a little high schoolish but whatever works.
Yup, basically bulletin board material. Nothing more, nothing less.
this is a stupid story
but this is a blog
so i'm glad you posted it
This makes very little sense. Its like Alabama calling an osu what Michigans weaknesses are even though they get their shit wrecked by 2-3 scores.
It makes a lot of sense if the Michigan staff and Georgia staff have decent relationships with one another. They probably wanted self scouting material and knew we probably spent some time scouting Bama just in case. More information is better than less.
Hang on here. So Michigan advised Georgia that the key to beating Alabama was, in essence, extra stretching?
So the real plot here was that Michigan was scheming to get Georgia reprimanded by the NCAA, right? Right????
Any chance this the SEC trying to muddy the waters for Michigan, talking lies ? They see us coming and have been known to do so, like disallowing satellite camps.
If only someone had given us Intel on how to beat TCU
Don't throw pick-sixes.
Karma - I told my nephew, a few days before the game, that the only way Michigan loses is IF there are big, blown plays, lots of turnovers, and multiple officiating errors. Damn, if that isn't exactly what happened. I have kept my mouth shut for most OSU and MSU games and may make that policy for every game going forward.
and add a bit hunk of hubris: McCarthy and others boasting were about how much more physical Michigan was than what TCU was used to. That's the sort of stuff you don't say, you just go out and prove.
Let me see if I follow this:
1. Georgia loses by double-digits in the SEC title game after going 12-0 in the regular season.
2. Kirby Smart and staff are completely mystified by what happened.
3. Jim Harbaugh tells Smart that he heard Saban say they were “sluggish” in the one game where they played much worse than all their other games.
4. Smart (whose name clearly is apt) thinks “Huh, makes sense. Why didn’t I think of that?”
5. In practice, Smart tells his team not to be sluggish.
6. Georgia, in the national title game, does not play sluggishly.
That is some expert intel, I tell you.
I think somewhere in there Bama tried to help us beat Georgia and so to return the favor we tried to help Georgia try to beat Bama? Doesn’t seem to add up but maybe we are not getting the whole story.
Beilein got into a BUNCH of trouble using "SLUGS".
Milk, clearly it had to be the milk. Nothing else works as fast other than taking chicken off the menu.
RBGH free, whole, chocolate milk - in a BOTTLE - is one little aspect of nutrition.
Yeah that doesn't really make sense. You're not going to improve your conditioning over such a short time period, and trying would probably have negative short-term impacts on your stamina. Isn't that the whole idea of like a taper (more a thing in endurance sports, but still likely applicable).
I wish Harbaugh called anyone who played TCU.
Dare I say....Matt Campbell?!
Several odd things here. Who talked with Alabama, and who talked with Georgia?
Who exactly was "Michigan staff"? Harbaugh? Gattis (when did he know he was leaving?)? Multiple members?
Did Alabama say Georgia is "sluggish" meaning they are a slow, sluggish football team; OR did it mean in that particular (SEC championship) game Georgia looked more sluggish than usual (perhaps because of late season bumps and bruises), so when they have had a few weeks recovery time, be prepared for them to be faster than what they have shown on film over the last game or two?
Why would Michigan staff member pass on seemingly derogatory information, which basically undermines future trust in sharing information with Harbaugh or the Michigan staff in keeping things confidential?
[unless maybe it was someone that talked with Georgia who didn't care if he was undermining Michigan...]
Because if no one at Michigan had given them the inside dope they never woulda thought to ratchet up their intensity for the NCG
?????