One Point Shy of a Leather Helmet
Written by Jarvis Prime on October 4, 2026
GEORGIA MONEYBALL — Sunday, October 4, 2026
Georgia's 257 points through five games are the second-most in school history, behind only a 1910 team that will keep its record, and the next team on the schedule scores in bunches too.
ALBANY, GA — · By the RFA Sports Desk
Somewhere in the great press box in the sky, a team that played its football in 1910 is holding its record book a little tighter this morning. Georgia's athletic department said in its postgame notes that the Bulldogs have scored 257 points through five games. That is the second-most for a five-game start in school history. The only team ahead of them is that 1910 bunch, with 258. One point. That is a missed extra point, a shanked kick, or a holder with butter on his fingers. History does not usually come down to the margin of a long snap, but here we are.
I confess I know nothing about the 1910 Bulldogs except that they did it first. They almost certainly did it without one soul complaining about the officiating on social media, which is an achievement all by itself. What I do know is that this Georgia team is 5-0 for the seventh time in Kirby Smart's 11 seasons. Unbeaten Octobers in Athens have gone from miracle to habit. Folks of a certain age would call that getting spoiled, and they would be right, and not one of them would give it back.
History does not usually come down to the margin of a long snap, but here we are.
Kirby Smart, naturally, is not celebrating. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported his postgame to-do list, and he went over it like a man checking a new truck for scratches. The defense "was not great" on third down, "didn't play the run well," and handed over two pass interference penalties he called "gifts." He also told reporters, "We're a very efficient offense. We wear you down. It's the anaconda effect." I have never seen an anaconda in Athens, but I have watched five opponents leave town looking squeezed.
That brings us to the snake's next meal, and this one may bite back. No. 7 Alabama beat No. 16 Mississippi State 56-23 on Saturday. Both teams came in unbeaten, and it did not stay a contest for long. CBS Sports reported that Keelon Russell went 16-of-22 for 285 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score. The Alabama defense forced four turnovers and got five sacks. Alabama is 5-0 and has scored at least 45 points in every game. Georgia is not the only team in the SEC running up a tab.
So Saturday in Tuscaloosa, October 10 at 7:30 Eastern, puts two scoring machines on one field, and Georgia arrives a little thin at receiver. Thomas Blackshear left the Vanderbilt game with his arm in a sling, and Smart said, "I'm not sure how bad it is. It's (a) shoulder." Isiah Canion is already out, so UGA Wire reported the work may fall to Landon Roldan, London Humphreys, Talyn Taylor, Craig Dandridge and the tight ends. The 1910 team keeps its record, since a season only gets one five-game start. Georgia will have to settle for beating Alabama, which around here would do nicely.
The Notebook
- THE LINE: The early number for Georgia at Alabama, Saturday at 7:30 PM Eastern, is UGA by 2.5, and the desk rates it a coin flip.
- A CROWDED HOUSE: Atlanta News First reported that President Trump told a Friday rally in Mobile he plans to attend the game in Tuscaloosa. He was also at the 2024 meeting, which Alabama won 41-34.
- MEANWHILE IN COLUMBIA: No. 25 Missouri beat No. 8 Florida 45-17. ESPN reported that Jamal Roberts ran for 211 yards and three scores while Florida's Jadan Baugh was held to 13 yards, and the win ended Missouri's nine-game losing streak against ranked teams.
Written in the tradition of Lewis Grizzard, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1946–1994.
Hear the desk read tonights report on Radio Free Albany, WPFQ 96.7.
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