College football is already feeling all the heat of the rivalry week, starting with the sheer, unfiltered spite between Georgia and Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key didn’t mince his words a bit when expressing his raw “hate” for Georgia. “There’s nothing I hate more in the world,” Key said (h/t Red and Back). “It’s probably the only thing I hate. When I say hate, like, truly despise everything about it. I really do.”
Kirby Smart is not the one to let the rivalry week pass without an apt response. Although Smart avoids such strong statements, he issued a bold, defiant answer on how he sees the epic showdown.
“I think you’re a lot better coach when you stay composed and you coach the players, and you teach your players what it’s going to take to win the game,” Smart said, indirectly throwing shade at Key per Olivia Sayer of the Red and Black. “It will be an emotional game, but I don’t get emotional about it.
“It’s interstate rivalry. It’s a chance at a state championship. It’s a lot of pride. It’s a lot of history in the game. But the game’s played between the lines, between the players.”
Even though he’s planning on keeping his emotions at bay, Smart doesn’t expect anything less than an absolute “street fight” on Friday in Athens.
“It’s about what we think and how we play. We have to control that. We have to have a’seeking contact’ attitude and enjoyment of a street fight,” said Smart.
Yellow Jackets players are also in line with their coach
The Georgia Tech roster is also full to the brim with pure spite toward the Georgia program, making it one of the most menacing rivalries this week.
Georgia Tech offensive lineman Weston Franklin held nothing back when speaking on his feelings about Georgia.
“When I think of Georgia, it’s a strong dislike of that program,” Franklin stated (h/t bolavip). “I’ve never liked it. Never wanted to be there. Where I grew up, all was different for me. Everybody around me was a Georgia fan, and I just didn’t like it. It wasn’t me. I never liked red. For us as a program, it’d be a huge goal checked off for us. That’s a goal we have every year, and that’s what we plan to do.”
Linebacker Kyle Efford, who leads Georgia Tech in sacks (3) and tackles (61), wasn’t exactly forgiving for the Bulldogs, yet he had some respect amid the sourness for Georgia.
“They’re an explosive offense,” Efford said. “I mean, per usual, we just gotta come out there and play our brand of football and notice, but we’ll be able to stop them; play our best.
“I think of hate, of rip. But I mean, really and truly, it’s a football team. It’s still guys that fell in love with the sport that we love. So, I mean, at the end of the day, it’s hate, but it’s still a little bit of respect there because it’s still the game that we love.”
Both Smart and Key know how vital the next win is for the Bulldogs as the best team in the SEC and also as an SEC Championship title contender.
Given the intense “hate” they have for Georgia, the Yellow Jackets will make it almost a mission to bring Georgia to its knees while the Bulldogs will try their best that they don’t.
This Week 14 showdown will have major College Football Playoff implications.
