Coaching matters. Regardless of how anyone views the Georgia Bulldogs football program, it is simply undeniable how great Kirby Smart is as a head coach. Only a decade into leading his alma mater, he has proven to be elite at three things: Recruiting, motivation and halftime adjustments. While he can call a strong defense as well, how he adjusts out of halftime is perhaps his best trait.
Saturday's road win over the Tennessee Volunteers went down to the wire. Georgia ended up winning in overtime 44-41, thanks in large part to poor in-game execution down the stretch for the Vols. This was in part due to Smart having his defensive backfield made adjustments out of halftime. Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar was carving them up during the first half before he did regress to the mean.
The Bulldawg Report outlined the type of impact Smart can have within the context of any big game.
Joey Aguilar vs Georgia:
— The Bulldawg Report (@ReportBulldawg) September 14, 2025
First 14 passes: 14/14, 100%, 213 yards, 15.2 YPA, 2 TDs
Rest of the game: 10/22, 45.5%, 158, 7.2 YPA, 2 TDs 2 INTs
That's what we call a defensive adjustment.#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/yXnk8q1B2S
On the afternoon, Aguilar completed 24-of-36 passes for 371 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. That is a strong stat line, no doubt. However, going from completing 14-of-14 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, to only completing 10-of-22 passes for 158 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the second half is quite telling. Smart really figured him out.
This just goes to show that Georgia is never going to be out of a game because of Smart's brilliance.
Kirby Smart's tried and true recipe of second-half defense rarely fails
For as much flack as Glenn Schumann is starting to get, and deservedly so, everyone knows who is pulling the strings on the sidelines for Georgia. It seems as though Smart is trying to let Schumann prove his worth as a quality defensive coordinator with serious head-coaching aspirations in the first half before he has to clean up his mess in the second. Smart is the best chess player Georgia offers.
A lesser head coach would have crumbled under the pressure and magnitude of the road date at Neyland. Aguilar could do no wrong against the Georgia defense in the first half. Yes, there were plenty of miscues in the back-end of the defense, but this is part of what Smart does under Georgia. The Dawgs never try to show anything fancy in the first half before really dialing in during the second.
Smart may have more good players than most teams Georgia will be going up against. However, he does use that to his advantage by running simple schemes and requiring his supremely talented players to execute them at a high level. This is how a team plays fast, physical and with a great sense of aggression. Aggressive wins for Georgia, especially when lesser teams pull back amid adversity.
Of the handful of reasons Georgia won last Saturday, Smart's halftime heroics are chief among them.