Trevor Etienne, the running back for the Georgia football team, was under a lot of pressure before last weekend’s game against Texas. Everyone knew Etienne would be heavily leaned upon because two Georgia running backs were out due to injury. But with this extra strain, no one knew how he would do.

But Etienne gave a significant response to that query.

One of the main reasons Georgia defeated the top-seeded Longhorns on Saturday was Etienne. This game saw three touchdowns from the Georgia offense, all of which came from their standout running back. Etienne gained 87 yards on the ground and accomplished this on 19 carries.

During this game, Etienne caught the attention of everyone, including head coach Kirby Smart.

“He’s definitely been a standout, especially in terms of his energy, enthusiasm, and leadership off the field,” Smart said on dawgnation.com. “The linemen mean a lot to him, and he does things for them that others who have played here haven’t done. He was also a big hit with us the other night, making some huge cuts and breaking through the line for impressive runs. It gave us a key asset.”

While praising Etienne’s excellent performance on Saturday, Smart also emphasized how exceptional he is as a teammate and leader. “Off the field, he exemplifies everything you want in a leader and star, which at times is even more valuable than his on-field performance.”

Although it’s unclear how long Georgia will be without Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson in the backfield, all indications are that Georgia’s running game will be OK until the Bulldogs get them back.

Smart also remarked that Etienne couldn’t have put up such a strong performance against Texas by himself, and given who he is, he probably feels the same way.

“There are people out there taking hits, blocking, and cracking people. He got a lot of assistance, but he performed admirably.

On Saturday, his offensive line performed admirably in addition to Etienne. Since they are the ones accumulating yards in the boxscore and the players celebrating in the end zone, the running back always receives the most attention. But without strong offensive line performance, no running back can succeed.

In addition, Georgia’s offensive line performed admirably against Texas. The Georgia offense will be fine for the remainder of this season if they can maintain that level of performance.

 

The top five victories during Kirby Smart’s time as a Georgia football player.

Kirby Smart’s tenure as Georgia’s head coach has been remarkable. In under nine seasons, Smart has already achieved his 100th career win with the Bulldogs.

Won to remember for win 1⃣0⃣0⃣#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/hBPaaGC49r

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) October 20, 2024

Any coach at any program would be proud of this accomplishment, but Smart’s speedy feat puts him ahead of almost every other coach who has achieved 100 victories.

There are a lot of victories that jump out at me when I think back on the previous nine seasons. I think of national titles, SEC titles, and fiercely contested rivalry victories. It’s hard to choose just five wins as my favorite from Smart’s tenure because there are so many possibilities.

However, I will make every effort to rate the top five victories during Smart’s time at Georgia.

5. Kirby defeats No. 1 Texas for the 100th time

I may have textbook recency bias, but I have to give Smart’s victory that moved him to number 100 the fifth place. Fortunately, this game was significant enough on its own to maybe merit a spot on our list without being Smart’s hundredth.

As everyone is aware, Georgia was the underdog going into this Saturday’s game for the first time since 2021. It didn’t matter that everyone was picking Texas to win. Georgia jumped out to an early lead and was ahead 23-0 at the break.

Although UGA’s superior defensive performance helped them finish the game strong, credit goes to the Longhorns for making the game exciting in the third quarter with some assistance from the officials. To prove to the college football community that they are still in the running for the national championship, the Bulldogs defeated the top-ranked Longhorns 30–15 in their own stadium.

4. Auburn in the 2017 SEC Championship

Smart’s first SEC championship, which he won over rival Auburn, comes in at number four. Although Smart’s first title of any kind is a significant accomplishment during his tenure, it is made much more memorable by the fact that it was won versus Auburn.

However, the fact that this victory was a retaliation for the Bulldogs, who had just fallen to Auburn 40-17 a few weeks earlier, makes it good enough to rank in the top five.

But Georgia didn’t let the defeat deter them; on the contrary, they took it as inspiration to dominate the game the entire evening.

Five minutes into the game, Auburn had a 7-0 lead and appeared to be poised to dominate, just as they had in the first encounter. However, the Bulldogs took control after that and led 10–7 at the break. On their way to a 28-7 victory, Georgia’s defense kept playing brilliantly, and their offense really stepped up in the second half.

After this game, it finally dawned on me what Georgia could become under Smart. Although it still took a few years to reach the pinnacle of college football, this victory solidified for me what was to happen later in Smart’s career and later on this list.

3. Ohio State vs. College Football Playoff Semifinals

The final two slots are set aside for two outstanding games from Smart’s reign, but this game should likely rank one sport higher on a pure entertainment basis.

The exciting 42-41 triumph of Georgia against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals is what comes next.

Ohio State surged out to a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter, which did not bode well for the Bulldogs. However, Georgia quickly recovered and went on to take a 24–21 lead later in the second quarter.

But after that, it was all OSU, who increased their lead to 38-24 at the end of the third quarter. However, Georgia took over again, cutting the Ohio State advantage to four points with ten baskets in about ninety seconds. UGA led 42-41 with less than a minute remaining, but the Buckeyes responded with a field goal of their own.

We all know how poorly that kick was missed, but Ohio State had a chance to win it with a last-second field goal, so the game wasn’t over yet.

This game ultimately seemed like the de facto national championship game, even as Georgia advanced to the national championship game (which we’ll discuss a little later). It’s difficult for a single game to be as exciting as this one, but fortunately, Georgia managed to win by persevering even after falling behind, a habit that Smart has made commonplace throughout his career.

2. TCU in the National Championship

To be honest, I considered giving this game a much lower rating because it wasn’t that great. I must rank it this high, though, since there is no greater accomplishment in college football than winning a national title.

I’m at a loss for words, so let’s just say that Georgia finished their undefeated 15-0 season by destroying TCU 65-7.

After scoring a touchdown to make it 10-7 in the first quarter, TCU did give the impression that they could hold their own against Georgia, but we all know how short that lasted. Before we knew it, the score was 38–7 at the half when Georgia marched successfully down the field once more.

I would say that knowing the game was finished in the second quarter was enjoyable, even though the blowout may have made it less thrilling to watch. Our group festivities were able to begin early, and we were able to unwind and enjoy the second half without any worries.

Because it earned Smart his second national championship, this game must be ranked No. 2 on my rankings even though it does rank very low in terms of excitement.

1. Alabama in the National Championship

Other than Smart’s first national championship at Georgia, was there really any other option for first place? It probably doesn’t matter who it was against because, in my opinion, the first title is always the best, but the fact that it was against Alabama of all teams makes this the best victory of his career by far. Before this game, I wasn’t sure whether Georgia could defeat Alabama, but this victory showed me that anything is possible under Smart.

After falling behind 9-3 at the break, the Bulldogs dominated the second half and defeated the Tide 33–18.

Leading the way for Georiga was Stetson Bennett, who completed 17/26 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. But more significantly, in the most significant game of his career, he failed to throw an interception.

With 84 yards on 13 carries, Zamir White led the Bulldogs on the ground and made one end-zone reception. Holding Alabama to 18 points in the national championship game during the height of the Tide’s supremacy is no joke, so the Georgia defense also deserves a lot of credit.

It was at this game that Georgia and Smart declared themselves the nation’s best college football team. And almost three years later, that sentiment is still relevant today.