It’s been over 20 years since they last worked together, but everything’s about to come full circle as Coach Smart and his team will face off against Coach Chris Hatcher and the Samford Bulldogs for the second time in Smart’s tenure at Georgia. In 2000, Hatcher offered Smart his first coaching job as the Valdosta Blazer’s secondary coach. And now the two teams will face off with the Dawgs being reigning national champions. There’s been a lot that’s happened since Smart’s days in Valdosta, but one thing that’s remained the same is the standard to which the Bulldogs prepare.
Objectively, Samford should not be one of Georgia’s tougher opponents, but that’s not stopping the Dawgs from leaving it all out on the practice field– or at least trying to. In the week leading up to the home opener Coach Hatcher and the Bulldogs, Smart hasn’t let up one bit.
On Tuesday Coach Smart told reporters that the team had had the worst practice of the year. The team continues to hold themselves to an elite standard even though everything is pointing that they’ll win. Star wideout AD Mitchell went as far as to say, “It’s all about preparation at the end of the day. We [are] just preparing how we would the national championship.”
Smart is especially wary of Samford’s offense and their ability to throw the ball. They have a lot of confidence there, and it’ll be something that Georgia will have to watch out for come Saturday.
Georgia is treating this like any other game and expects to execute as they would any other game. Don’t be surprised if Samford winds up flashing some of their talent though. Smart holds Coach Hatcher in high regard and spoke kindly of their time together, “He was incredible, his disposition with the team, was always confident. And just believed that we could win every game.”
The home opener should be an opportunity for more Georgia players to get valuable game reps and hone in on the details of the game. But the biggest thing to look forward to this weekend is more than just the game against Samford. It’s the plan and simple fact that football is back in Athens.