Bulldogs receive a history lesson about Auburn

Before Georgia players took to the practice field Tuesday afternoon they received a little history lesson.

The Bulldogs have a lot of rivals playing in the SEC, but Kirby Smart wanted to make sure his players understood why the one with Auburn is special.

“We had a lot of coaches who played and coached in this game. We have two Auburn alumni. We got a bunch of Georgia alums, and the historic nature of this game is very personal,” Smart said. “We had guys talk about that, just explaining what the game means. I think the players recognized that and they certainly practiced hard.”

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry isn’t just a moniker.

Starting in 1892, Saturday’s meeting marks the 129th meeting between the two programs, with the Bulldogs taking eight of the last nine during Smart’s tenure in Athens.

But just because the Bulldogs have had their way with the Tigers, Smart wanted to ensure his players knew why the contest remains such a huge deal to the program and its fanbase.

“It's us. T-Rob (Travaris Robinson) and Stacey (Searels) played there, and a lot of us played in it, between Jonas (Jennings), myself, Jarvis (Jones), (Mike) Bobo, all the guys that played in the game,” Smart said. “I just think it's important that you know that history.”

Running back Cash Jones was paying attention.

“It's definitely a huge thing. I can't remember the exact year, but I'm pretty sure the first game was in 1892? I'm not sure exactly, but 1892, yeah,” Jones said. “It’s still just like it's another game; we just got to be physical and do our best to win the game.”

Back in Smart’s playing days such history lessons weren’t always required.

As the son of a football coach, football wasn’t just something you played for four months out of the year. It was a way of life.

Everyone had favorite teams. Although the history of those early games were still passed down, most young people growing up at least had an idea of the rivalries and what they meant.

That’s no longer the case, and why Smart routinely reminds his team of their importance in the days leading up to games.

“We still had them. We had history lessons. We had coaches that told us the history of every game. We had them,” Smart said. “I knew them because I grew up in a football family and loved football. All I did was watch football, but that's not what these kids do today.”

Smart said it’s definitely a different world.

“I don't think these kids know as much. They don't watch football, a lot of them. They play it, but they don't watch it. I don't know. You ask them, ‘Who's your favorite NFL team?’ 'I don't know.' They’ve got more, more things to do. They got more attention options,” Smart said. “They're going to be on their phone, looking at social media and doing whatever. They're not going to watch. It's just not what they do anymore, so I think it's important to make sure they understand.”

Sophomore linebacker CJ Allen said he appreciates the history lessons.

“No doubt,” he said. “It just means more to the coaches and all of us here. It means a lot to the guys that played in this game before.”