Georgia football began its Monday media session by addressing its narrow 24-21 loss to Alabama and shifting attention to Saturday’s noon matchup against Kentucky. Head coach Kirby Smart, junior defensive tackle Jordan Hall and junior wide receiver London Humphreys all spoke about how the Bulldogs plan to rebound from their first setback of the season.  

Kirby Smart on responding after Alabama

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart made it clear that his program has already turned the page after a tough loss. 

“It’s on to Kentucky for us,” Smart said in his opening statement. “Our guys are fired up, got work done yesterday, and a bunch of them came in. I think when you see our guys, you realize how invested they are when they hurt. It’s good when guys hurt, because you hurt relative to how invested you are in something.”

Smart noted that Kentucky presents a physical challenge that mirrors Georgia’s own philosophy. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops leans on the run game behind a physical offensive line, something Smart said the Bulldogs must be ready to match.

“It’s always the most physical game when we play these guys,” Smart said. “We’ve had head-to-head battles many times with these guys, and Coach Stoops’ teams are always physical, so we know it’ll be physical.” 

The head coach also reflected on how his team can learn from adversity following Alabama.

“What are you going to double down on? I know more about my team right now than I did a week ago,” Smart said. “That’s what fires me up.”

Jordan Hall on defense and moving forward

Junior defensive tackle Jordan Hall has logged nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss this season, and on Monday, he pointed to execution as a major focus for Georgia’s defensive front after giving up too many extended drives against Alabama. 

“We got to get off the field on third down,” Hall said. “That’s the biggest thing we got to do, taking away from Saturday. People want to point the finger at different things, but I take accountability for what I had a part in, which is not getting off the field on third down.”

Hall also emphasized that Georgia’s defense prides itself on physicality, especially when stopping the run — something Kentucky will test again this weekend.

“Stopping the run is always something that we pride ourselves on doing,” Hall said. “We’ve improved and that’s all that matters. There’s still a lot more work we’ve got to do, but we’re going to keep pushing.”

Despite the loss, Hall said the locker room is confident and united.

“We build for adversity,” Hall said. “I feel like we can take a punch and give a punch back. That’s something that we pride ourselves on. We’re going to continue to do that day in and day out. Our standard is to never give up until the game is over, until the season is over.”

London Humphreys on offense’s mindset 

Junior wide receiver London Humphreys, who transferred to Georgia before the 2024 season, spoke about the offense’s approach heading into Kentucky.

Humphreys said the Bulldogs have to stay disciplined while continuing to create explosive plays, especially after a game where Alabama’s pass rush disrupted Georgia’s rhythm at times.

“As receivers, we just have to stay locked in,” Humphreys said. “When our number’s called, we’ve got to make those plays. We know Kentucky’s going to be physical, but we feel like if we do our job, we can give our offense what it needs.”

He also pointed to the importance of maintaining confidence after a setback.

“You can’t hang your head,” Humphreys said. “We’ve got a lot of football left to play. Coach tells us all the time, block out the outside noise and keep getting better, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

Looking ahead

Georgia now prepares for Kentucky in a matchup that has historically been defined by physicality in the trenches. With both Smart and Hall stressing the need to stop the run and win on third down, and Humphreys pointing to execution in the passing game, the Bulldogs know the blueprint for bouncing back is clear.

Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday in Athens, with Georgia looking to reset its momentum in SEC play.

  

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