The “Clean Old Fashioned Hate” rivalry is set to be renewed Friday night when the Georgia Bulldogs will host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
But do the two sides really hate each other?
“There’s nothing I hate more in the world — it’s probably the only thing I actually hate,” Tech head coach Brent Key said about Georgia back in June while speaking to a group of alumni. “When I say hate, like truly despise everything about it, I really do.”
Following the Yellow Jackets' 30-29 win over NC State on Thursday, Key doubled down on the importance of the game against Georgia.
“I’m passionate about playing them, I’m passionate about those guys in the locker room, it’s the next game, come on,” Key said.
While Key has not held back when speaking about his “old fashioned hate” for Georgia, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart channeled a different tone.
“It will be an emotional game, but I don't get emotional about it,” Smart said during his Monday press conference. “It's an interstate rivalry. It's a chance at a state championship. It's a lot of pride. It's a lot of history in the game. But the game's played between the lines, between the players."
From the player’s perspective, or at least senior inside linebacker Smael Mondon, Key’s hate comes with the territory.
“I feel like you are supposed to feel like that with a rivalry,” Mondon said. “So how he feels, I guess it’s warranted. He’s supposed to feel like that.”
Even ahead of a fourth straight appearance in the SEC Championship game—where the Bulldogs could potentially miss out on the College Football Playoff if they were to lose—the players are not ignoring the importance of Friday’s game.
“I think just the history. There is a lot of history behind this game,” Georgia offensive guard Dylan Fairchild said about the rivalry. “There are a lot of people who are invested in this game every single year. That means a lot to us, that means a lot to our fans.”
For Fairchild, a Cumming, Georgia native, this game is more of a family affair.
“I grew up a Georgia fan. My dad was a Georgia fan, and his brother is a Tech fan,” Fairchild said. “So we always had our own family traditions and rivalry.”
Georgia is a 19.5-point favorite over Tech, and the Bulldogs will look to make it seven straight wins over their in-state rival. The Yellow Jackets last beat Georgia back in 2016, Smart's first season, pulling out a 28-27 win inside Sanford Stadium.
