No. 5 Georgia hosts No. 10 Texas Saturday night in the marquee game of the Week 12 college football schedule, and Kirby Smart left no stone unturned when it comes to preparing for the Longhorns.
Smart confirmed on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference that he had fired Florida coach Billy Napier come by the Dawgs’ practice on Tuesday. An ex-Florida coach swinging by the practice of his former top rival would be notable any week, but especially with Georgia set to face Texas, a team Napier’s Gators upset in their biggest win of the season.
Florida beat the Longhorns 29-21 in what was the Gators’ best offensive performance of the season. DJ Lagway completed 21-of-28 passes for 298 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while Jadan Baugh ran for 107 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries. On the other side of the ball, the Gators turned Arch Manning over twice and sacked him six times en route to the victory that extended Napier’s tenure in Gainesville for a few more weeks.
Georgia looks to replicate Florida’s success against a Texas defense that has been stingy for most of the season, aside from that trip to Gainesville (and later, Starkville). The Longhorns were a bit shorthanded in that Florida game, with top corner Manny Muhammad out for the game, but the Gators still produced one of the best complete offensive gameplans of the season against Texas. It’s one thing to go over tape from that game to see what Florida did well, but it’s another to be able to dive deeper and pick the brain of the coach who crafted that plan.
Unemployed coaches dropping by practice does not represent an uncommon occurrence, and Napier and Smart go back to when they were both assistants under Nick Saban at Alabama. So, while it’s not a surprise Napier would be willing to provide an assist for Smart even though they were rivals a few weeks ago, it is notable and offers some insight into the depth with which Smart and the Dawgs are preparing for the challenge Texas presents.
Since that loss to Florida, Texas won four straight including wins over ranked foes Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, but are still trying to prove they can handle the challenge of a big road environment. Both of Texas’ losses have been on the road and they got dragged into deep waters by Kentucky and Mississippi State in their two road wins this season.
Now they head to Athens to face a Georgia team hitting its stride of late. The Bulldogs will be well-versed in how the Gators pulled off their upset of Texas a month ago.