Kirby Smart has a unique perspective on the rivalry between Georgia and Florida. Smart is one of the few people who has coached and played for Georgia, so he has seen this rivalry from multiple vantage points over the last three decades.
Georgia has been dominant over Florida during Smart's tenure as head coach. Smart has led Georgia to a 7-2 record against the Gators which includes winning the last four matchups. Smart's success against Florida however didn't begin until he became UGA's head coach though because he and the Bulldogs really struggled against Florida during his four year playing career.
Kirby Smart's playing career vs Florida is one to forget
Smart played defensive back at Georgia from 1995-98. Outside of Smart's freshman season where Georgia finished 5-6, the Bulldogs were actually a very solid team. From 1996-98, Georgia won at least eight games and ended each season with a bowl win. That may not rival the success Georgia is finding today, but at the time this was a very solid run for UGA.
This success however was not found against Florida. In Smart's four matchups against the Gators as a player he only managed to beat Florida once. This occurred in 1997 during his junior season when the No. 14 Bulldogs beat No. 6 Florida 37-17.
The other three years saw Florida win in dominant fashion. 1995 ended in a 52-17 victory for Florida, 1996 the Gators won 47-7, and Smart's senior season in 1998 resulted in a 38-7 loss.
Smart thankfully has gotten his revenge against Florida over the last decade, and he will look to continue that trend on Saturday. Florida enters Saturday's matchup with an interim head coach and a disappointing 3-4 record, but Georgia is only favored by 7.5 points. Anything is possible in this rivalry, so Smart and his team will need to put their best foot forward if they are going to leave Jacksonville with their fifth straight victory over Florida.