There’s always a sense of familiarity when Georgia faces off against instate rival Georgia Tech.
This time, there’s even more so.
Offensive Coordinator Buster Faulkner served as a quality control coach for the Bulldogs in each of the previous three seasons (2020-2022), while defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer served as a Bulldog assistant from 2014-2017, the final two under Smart as the team’s linebackers coach.
They’re not the only familiar faces.
Wide receiver Dom Blaylock and tight end Brett Seither were also part of Georgia’s last two national championships before transferring to Georgia Tech for a more opportunity on the field.
“Buster's done really well offensively everywhere he's been. Statistically, the reason he came here is he wanted to get an opportunity at a bigger Power Five school, and he got that opportunity,” Smart said. “He came here and did good things. He helped us tremendously. He helped the coaches. He brought ideas to our staff. I think he and Mike (Bobo) both played a major support role for Todd (Monken) last year, and Todd would be the first to say they were both idea guys. He played a key part in helping Coach (Todd) Monken with Stetson (Bennett) in terms of developing him.”
The statistics bear out what Smart had to say.
Georgia Tech enters Saturday night’s game fourth in the ACC in total offense (435 yards) and scoring offense (31.9).
“Like I said earlier, (Faulkner has) done a phenomenal job. He would be the first to tell you that it's not he who gets all the credit. He has a great staff of offensive coaches with him,” Smart said. “They do a great job. Their offensive line is dirty, nasty, physical, and play hard … everything you want in your offensive line. You can tell they're a unit. Like I said, your head coach is an offensive guy, that's what you're going to get.”
Blaylock and Seither have played key roles in that success.
Seither only has six catches for 73 yards, but four of those have gone for touchdowns. Blaylock, meanwhile, is Georgia Tech’s fourth-leading receiver with 21 catches for 337 yards and two scores.
Bulldog safety Javon Bullard said he’s excited to see his old friend, even though it will be on the opposite side of the field.
“We used to make jokes with Dom all the time at practice. He was so nonchalant with those skills,” Bullard said. “Me and Tykee (Smith) would make jokes all the time, but Dom wouldn’t really care because he’d be messing you up at practice. He’s a great player."
A series of injuries during his tenure in Athens kept Blaylock from reaching the individual goals he hoped to obtain in Athens.
Nevertheless, the former Walton High star played an important role for the Bulldogs, playing in 31 games for Georgia, catching 35 passes for 548 yards and six touchdowns during that time.
“Selflessness is probably the number one thing that stands out. Toughness. He's such a great competitor. Dom is one of those who never says anything. He doesn't complain. He doesn't moan,” Smart said. “He goes to work every day. He made some really, really big, critical plays for us over the years, in terms of the stretch run. He's just very dependable. You've seen the same thing there. They've got him returning punts and doing things offensively. You can see his value as a football player.”
Although Seither only played in 27 games over his Georgia career, current Bulldog tight end Oscar Delp credits the Florida native for showing him how to manage both school and playing football.
“He kind of brought me under his wing when I first got here. He’s still one of my good friends and we talk all the time,” Delp said. “He really just showed me how to manage school, workouts, and everything, just becoming that college student out of high school because he did the same thing that I went through. He showed me the ropes, really.”
In a time where sign-stealing has been in the headlines, Smart snarked when asked if any familiarity by Faulkner could play into the Yellow Jackets’ hands.
“There's this thing called tape, and they watch it, and they see what you do. There's no secrets out there. They're not going to go out there and trick them and say, ‘Oh, man, Buster knows when that double reverse pass throwback to Brock Bowers is coming. He doesn't know when that's coming,” Smart said. “I think you waste a lot of time and energy thinking about that. I think it's great for you guys to write about. Sorry, I didn't give you more juice on it.”
Bullard said having friends on the other sideline will not affect his play. Georgia wants to win; no matter what.
“I don’t know if it adds anything,” he said. “They’re our brothers but at the same time they’re on another team right now and we want to come out with the victory.”
