Georgia and Georgia Tech meet Friday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and if UGA's media availability earlier this week made anything clear, it’s that this rivalry still carries plenty of weight inside Georgia’s locker room. Kirby Smart, junior wide receiver London Humphries, and sophomore linebacker Chris Cole all spoke with the media, outlining the mentality the Bulldogs will bring into a short-week rivalry matchup.
Here’s what they all had to say.
1. Smart has major respect for Haynes King — and zero comfort with Georgia Tech’s offense
Despite Georgia entering the week as a clear favorite, Smart made sure to shut down any notion that Tech’s offense will be easy to handle.
“There’s no level of comfort dealing with it,” Smart said via 247sports.com. “They stretch you horizontally, vertically, with tempo, with numbers counts because of their quarterback.”
Haynes King was the focus of his extended praise, with Smart highlighting his speed, toughness, and dual-threat ability, noting how often he bounces back from big hits and how efficiently he operates in the passing game.
“People think, 'Well he doesn’t throw the ball.’ He throws the ball really well,” Smart said.
Tech’s scheme under former Georgia analyst Buster Faulkner has given the Bulldogs problems before. Smart repeatedly emphasized discipline, eye control and tackling as the defining keys for Friday’s matchup.
2. Chris Cole says the defense is embracing the physical challenge after last year’s 8 overtime thriller
Few Georgia defenders understand last year’s eight-overtime slugfest better than linebacker Chris Cole, who described the 2024 meeting in one word, √3ZGCTCfrx“physical.”
Cole said Tech’s sucess running the ball last season has fueled Georgia’s preparation this week,
“Our main goal this year was to stop the run,” Cole said. “We put in the work throughout the offseason, it’s going to be a great opportunity.”
Cole also said playing against King is a mental and physical grind, especially with Tech’s constant motions and shifts designed to create confusion at the second level. Still, he believes a year of experience in the matchup makes a difference.
”It definitely helps me a lot,” Cole said. “Just anticipating the things they’re going to do before it happens.”
Cole added that Georgia’s practice shifted because of the Friday game, calling Monday a “Bloody Tuesday on a Monday,” a sign the coaching staff is pushing urgency on a short week.
3. London Humphries says Georgia’s young receivers are maturing fast — and ready for the moment
While most of the attention this week is on Georgia’s defense, junior receiver London Humphries highlighted a different storyline, the continued development of the Bulldogs young wideout group.
Humphries praised freshman receivers CJ Wiley and Landon Roldan, noting how much more they’ve been asked to understand beyond simply running routes.
”It’s really awesome seeing them just learn the game of football here,” Humphries said. “Coach Smart’s thing is development, and they’ve gotten those opportunities.”
He also pointed to Noah Thomas's emergence as a steady contributor after Colbie Young’s injury, saying Thomas recent play is “no surprise to any of us.”
As for Georgia Tech’s defense, Humphries said the Bulldogs expect high effort and physicality from the Jackets secondary, a theme Smart echoed earlier in the session.
Final snap
Georgia knows the record doesn’t matter in a rivalry like Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. Smart made it clear, Tech is tough, disciplined and well-coached, and King is playing at an elite level. Cole and the defense are leaning into the challenge of stopping the run, while Humphries and the offense continue fine-tuning a receiving corps that’s growing up fast.
The Bulldogs will need all of it Friday afternoon Inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where bragging rights, and postseason momentum, are on the line once again.