Georgia head coach Kirby Smart shared respect for two guys who've had a tough time pleasing Auburn's fanbase this season: Tigers defensive coordinator DJ Durkin and first-year transfer quarterback starter Byrum Brown.
Smart lauded Durkin for his defense's physicality at the point of attack. Smart shared his opinion that Durkin has been one of the SEC's best, dating back to his days as Florida's defensive coordinator in the mid-2010s.
"Coach [DJ] Durkin, their defensive coordinator, has been one of the best in the conference over all the years he’s been in the conference. He’s a great defensive football coach. We’ve got a lot of links, a lot of respect for him. Our guys have to get ready to go play," Smart said on Monday.
Smart believes Brown has the physicality to maintain Auburn's classic hard-nosed running mentality on the other side of the ball. Smart also showed respect for Brown's ability to air it out.
"People want to make it about passing, and they do have a lot of good passes, and they have tempo. They get a lot of plays, but they’re physical. They’re physical at the point of attack. When you watch the games I watched yesterday on them, you immediately see those same pillars of his program, being able to throw the ball vertical down the field and being physical at the point of attack. They’ve got a guy that can do that at quarterback," Smart said.
Smart had nothing but good things to say about Alex Golesh, too. There was no mention of the Xavier Atkins suspension.
Kirby Smart killing AU with kindness before UGA kills Tigers on the field
Tiger fans probably feel that Smart is watching the wrong year of Auburn football. 2026 hasn't seen much of a vertical passing attack because Brown is always on the run. It hasn't seen a stout defense against an upper-tier SEC running back, either.
Tiger fans have seen Florida running back Jadan Baugh and Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop run roughshod over a run defense that has regressed significantly, though.
Smart is buttering up Auburn before delivering the dagger. It's just what Smart does. He's a Montgomery native with nothing but respect for the two SEC teams in the state. Smart coached for one (Alabama) and grew up by the other.
When it comes to Saturday, Smart has to know in the back of his mind that the Tigers are overmatched. It'd be off-brand to hear him say anything other than what he did, though.
It's why he's so respected. Smart doesn't talk a big game, but his teams always back up whatever confidence he has on the field.
Smart isn't going to allow his team to look past Auburn, as easy as it may be amid a chaotic week on the Plains and an uninspiring season so far.
The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is the longest-running rivalry in the SEC, dating back to the 1800s, after all.
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