Georgia’s Orange Bowl focus sustained by Bama loss

David Hale, ESPN

• Personnel WriterDec 29, 2023, 10:59 AM ET Close ACC reporter.Joined ESPN
• in 2012.
• Graduate of the University of Delaware.DANIA BEACH, Fla.– Georgia

‘s expect a 3rd straight national championship ended with a loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game, but coach Kirby Smart said his players refused to let that minute be their final memories of the 2023 season.The Bulldogs go into Saturday’s Capital One Orange Bowl against Florida State without any players who have actually publicly pulled out of the game, and Smart said that’s a credit to the team’s leadership.”The leaders of the team led that,” Smart stated Friday.”I stayed out of it.

I consulted with each player who was draft-eligible and the seniors, and I was really honest. Then they needed to make a decision with their household. However they wish to go out on top. They do not desire their last Georgia outing to be the SEC championship. “Smart said the decisions to play in the championship game were”type of infectious,”where after one or two players announced their objective, everyone else got on board.Editor’s Picks

1 Related Still, Smart said a rash of injuries coming out of the SEC title game has actually created more chances for younger players to get reps during bowl preparation.

“We have actually had a great deal of guys who weren’t able to practice during this bowl run,” Smart said.Chief among

them is tight end Brock Bowers, who remains questionable for the Orange Bowl. Smart played coy with the media Friday, stating “we’ll see” whether Bowers would be readily available for the game.Linebacker Damon

Wilson returned to practice Thursday, Smart said, and wide receiver Arian Smith is expected to be back Friday.

“They wish to end up together,” Smart stated. “I believe completing is very important, and we do not talk sufficient about it. Everyone states, ‘This is what you need to do.’ Kids who like football, they wish to play football. And it’s the Orange Bowl. That’s an opportunity that’s not offered to everybody.”

One member of the team who won’t be a part of the Orange Bowl stinks line coach Stacy Searels. Smart stated Searels felt ill ahead of Christmas break, however the assumption was that a few days away would have him back on his feet. Rather, Searels wound up hospitalized in Athens, Georgia.

“He’s walking around the healthcare facility, but I don’t think he’s going to make it down for the game,” Smart said. “But he’s up and moving and recuperating, and his other half, Trish, said he’s ornery as hell.”