Georgia’s Kirby Smart Faces Backlash for What He Did After Alabama Win

The game stayed close throughout. Georgia jumped out to a 10-0 lead but trailed 14-10 at halftime before holding Alabama to just three points in the second half.

Georgia rushed for 209 yards as a team, with Dwight Phillips accounting for 120 on 17 carries.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton also made plays when needed, completing 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed six times for 12 yards.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, who often shows his emotions on the sideline, made sure to celebrate with the Bulldogs crowd in Tuscaloosa after the victory.

However, his choice of celebration drew backlash from some college football fans.

As he ran off the field, Smart stopped and performed the classic “belt to [explicit]” celebration to mock Alabama.

Via Underdog CFB: “Kirby Smart pulled out the belt move when celebrating with Georgia fans after their win over Alabama.”

Kirby Smart pulled out the belt move when celebrating with Georgia fans after their win over Alabama. https://t.co/mKC2OSmxCw

— Underdog CFB (@UnderdogCFB) October 11, 2026

Smart caught some heat on social media for his postgame celebration, with fans arguing that Georgia benefited from controversial late calls to escape with a victory.

“He knows he barely won with the help of the refs. What a clown,” one fan wrote.

Someone else added, “First time beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa. This is how opposing coaches tend to act I suppose.”

Another person wrote, “Dude won his super bowl. Let him have his moment.”

“Surprised the refs didn’t go celebrate with him,” a fan commented.

One more added, “What a tool. ALL that help from the refs with the bad/no calls & still only won by 3.”

Despite the emotional ending and his viral celebration, Smart spoke about his respect for Alabama and legendary coach Nick Saban during his postgame press conference.

“It’s a hard place to play. I don’t judge my happiness or success on how we play Bama. I got a lot of respect for this place,” Smart said. “Nick [Saban] taught me a lot. Watching that show the other night… I have so much respect for him. We run our program a lot like that. The stuff going on in that show is going on in Athens right now… it’s what he taught me and it’s what we’re trying to do.”

Cole Sullivan Cole Sullivan is a sports journalist for Heavy.com covering the NFL, NBA, college football, and college basketball. A member of the United States Basketball Writers Association, he has written for FanSided, Athlon Sports, The Sporting News, and Newsweek. Sullivan earned an Associate degree from Franklin Pierce University and a Bachelor’s degree from Lynn University, where he studied Communications and Media Studies with a focus on Sports Journalism. More about Cole Sullivan