The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs got the job done on the road Saturday night, beating the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide 20-17.
The match remained close throughout. Georgia jumped out to a 10-0 lead but trailed 14-10 at halftime before holding Alabama to just three points in the second half.
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Georgia totaled 209 yards as a team, with Dwight Phillips totaling 120 on 17 carries.
Quarterback Gunner Stockton also made plays when needed, completing 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed six times for 12 yards.
Kirby Smart celebrates victory against Alabama
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, who often shows his emotions on the sidelines, made sure to celebrate with the Bulldogs crowd in Tuscaloosa after the victory.
However, his choice of celebration sparked backlash from some college football fans.
As he ran off the field, Smart stopped and performed the classic “belt at (explicit)” celebration to mock Alabama.
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Via Underdog CFB: “Kirby Smart pulled off the belter while celebrating with Georgia fans after their win over Alabama.”
Fans react on social networks
Smart generated some heat on social media for his postgame celebration, with fans saying Georgia benefited from controversial late calls to escape with a victory.
“He knows he barely won with the help of the refs. What a clown,” one fan wrote.
Someone else added: “First time beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa. That’s how opposing coaches tend to act, I guess.”
Another person wrote: “Dude won his super bowl. Give him his moment.”
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“I’m surprised the refs didn’t go party with him,” one fan commented.
Another added: “What a tool. ALL ref help with bad/no calls and still only won by 3.”
Smart praises Alabama after game
Despite the emotional ending and his viral celebration, Smart spoke about his respect for Alabama and legendary coach Nick Saban during his postgame press conference.
“It’s a tough place to play. I don’t judge my happiness or my success on how we play against Bama. I have a lot of respect for this place,” Smart said. “Nick (Saban) taught me a lot. Watching that show the other night…I have so much respect for him. We run our program kind of like that. What’s happening on this show is happening in Athens right now…that’s what he taught me and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Georgia’s Kirby Smart Faces Backlash for What He Did After Alabama Win appeared first on HEAVY.
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