Nick Saban hilariously channels inner Kirby Smart during halftime of CFP title game

So, what’s Kirby Smart telling his No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs at halftime of their College Football Playoff national championship game with No. 3 TCU?

Smart’s Bulldogs are 38-7 and have held Heisman Trophy finalist Max Duggan to 99 yards passing and to two interceptions.

Well, Nick Saban told us at halftime of the television coverage of the game.

“I can hear Kirby right now,” the Alabama coach said. “No scoreboard. We get the ball back in the third quarter. We’re going to re-establish the tempo in the second half. Play for 60 minutes.”

How does he know?

Saban admits Smart has heard him say it may times before.

Smart spent several years under Saban at Alabama where he was defensive coordinator from 2007 to 2015, so he was familiar with national championship-winning squads before he took over at Georgia.

The Bulldogs’ 17 points in the first quarter were the most to open a title game in the nine years since the four-team playoff came into existence.

Georgia had 164 yards of total offense in the quarter, averaging 11.6 yards per play. Quarterback Stetson Bennett was seven of eight passing for 111 yards and a touchdown, with wide receiver Ladd McConkey making four catches for 74 yards, including a 37-yard scoring grab.

Bennett opened the game with a 21-yard touchdown rush and had a 6-yard scoring run midway through the second quarter, joining an unlikely collection of quarterbacks with multiple scoring runs in the BCS or CFP title game.

Craig Krenzel had two in Ohio State’s win over Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl and Vince Young had three to help Texas defeat Southern California in the legendary 2006 Rose Bowl.

The Bulldogs led 38-7 at halftime, topping the 35 points scored in the first half by Alabama against the Buckeyes in 2021.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.