HOUSTON – After leading his fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs to a 30-15 win over top-ranked Texas in front of 105,215 fans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart has been named the Bear Bryant Awards Fan Favorite Coach of the Week presented by Accenture. Smart is now 3-1 at UGA against the nation’s top-ranked team.
The win was the 100th for Smart, who improved to 100-17 in his nine seasons as Georgia’s head coach. No other Southeastern Conference head coach has reached that milestone faster – Smart’s milestone win comes one game faster than former LSU and Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who reached the mark in his 118th game. Smart is now tied for fifth-fastest nationally to 100 wins, reaching the mark in 117 games and tying Knute Rockne (100-12-5 at Notre Dame) and Chris Petersen (100-17 at Boise State and Washington).
Georgia has won 45 of its last 46 games, including 31 of its past 32 SEC regular season games.
The Bulldogs held the Longhorns to 15 points and 259 yards of total offense, with Texas accumulating just 38 yards of total offense in the first half. That defensive effort helped the Bulldogs jump out to a 23-0 halftime lead.
Trevor Etienne carried the ball 19 times for 87 yards and three scores, and capped the Georgia scoring effort with his one-yard run with 12:04 to play.
Smart is the sixth winner of the 2024 season, following Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, and Washington State’s Jake Dickert. Continuing through the remainder of the regular season, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards will recognize a coach weekly for leading their team to an exceptional victory.
The American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, presents the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, to honor Coach Bryant’s legacy and to raise awareness and critical funds for their mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement.
Fans can follow the action at facebook.com/bryantawards, x.com/bryantawards or Instagram.com/bryantawards or the hashtag #BryantAwards. To attend the exclusive, VIP experience visit bryantawards.org.
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