Georgia football's rivalry with Georgia Tech is fueled by one thing. Hate. It's even in the name of the rivalry, and the teams and fanbases have definitely taken that name to heart.
But another thing that makes college football rivalries so great is the respect that the programs have for one another. This is definitely the case between Georgia and Georgia Tech, at least between head coaches Kirby Smart and Brent Key.
After Georgia's epic 8OT win over Georgia Tech on Friday night, the two coaches met at midfield like they always do. But this time, the two coaches shared a very emotional moment after the hard-fought game.
So what did the two coaches say to each other in this moment as they embraced one another? Smart was asked this question by the media in his postgame press conference and his response was very heartwarming.
”I'll just keep it between he and I. We're both competitors. We have respect for each other,” Smart said via 247sports.com. “We played here in the same area, we played against each other, we recruited against each other. We don't get to share thoughts and ideas and have break bread and have tea very often. So when we get a chance to talk and show respect to each other, I think being competitors — it's a hard game, and nobody knows what it's like to sit on that sideline and go through that pain and the highs, the lows, we're going to win, we're going to lose, we're going to win, we're going to lose. I mean, he was emotionally spent, and so was I."
Smart and Key share beautiful moment after the game
Smart didn't share exactly what was said in this moment, but the context he added surrounding this moment is pretty amazing.
These two go way back and have more history than any fan probably knew. They have played, coached and recruited against each other for quite some time now, and after being competitors with each other for so long now it's not a surprise that there is this much respect between the two.
And how could Smart not respect Key after Friday's game? Georgia Tech took it to Georgia during this game, especially in the first half when they dominated the Bulldogs. Tech had every chance to win this game, and even throughout overtime had many opportunities to pull off the upset. And while Smart is thankful that his team still found a way to win, seeing this Yellow Jackets team push Georgia this much earned his respect.
This time next year I'm sure these coaches will want nothing more than to beat the other again. But the respect between these two will never fade, and that is going to make this rivalry very fun in the years to come, especially if it continues to be this competitive.