Kirby Smart shares what he told Nate Frazier after taunting penalty

One of the bright spots for Georgia football in their 34-20 win against Florida on Saturday was running back Nate Frazier. With two UGA running backs sidelined with injuries already, Trevor Etienne's first half injury was a very scary moment for the Georgia offense.

However, Frazier stepped up and helped lead the Georgia offense in Etienne's absence. Frazier finished the game with 19 carries for 82 yards and one big touchdown which tied the game at 13 during the third quarter.

However, while celebrating this touchdown Frazier was flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty because of his celebration. Whether you agree with this call by the ref or not is irrelevant, Frazier needs to know where the line is and he can't cross it in as close of a game as this was.

And Kirby Smart let him know that on the sideline immediately after his touchdown.

Smart discussed this moment in his postgame press conference and shared what he told Frazier on the sideline after this penalty.

"Just told him don’t be stupid, man,” Smart said via dawgnation.com. “We’re not selfish people at Georgia. We don’t, I mean, I’m not interested in all the shenanigans. We’re meat and potatoes. We roll our sleeves up, we go to work every day. I’m not interested in you gator-chomping and throat-slashing. It’s not respectful. I mean, I want to be respectful of the game and the people we play. And I think the best way to attack somebody is beat them.”

Teaching moment for Nate Frazier

Thankfully this penalty from Frazier didn't end up impacting the game, but it's something he needs to learn from. Frazier is a freshman, he is young and hasn't been in many big games like this. He especially hasn't been a major contributor yet in a moment like this when he is being relied upon so much in the run game.

But at the end of the day, this is a moment he will be able to look back on and learn from going forward. This won't be the last time he scores a big touchdown during his Georgia career and it won't be the last time he is called upon during an emotional game like this, but he will now know how to keep his emotions in tact next time he's in this situation.

Thankfully Frazier is able to learn how to control his emotions at Georgia, because it's clear how special of a talent he is.

The running back room at Georgia is deep, and once UGA gets everyone back and healthy Smart and his staff are going to have endless options in the backfield. And Frazier certainly will be one of those options used regularly the rest of the season.