Kirby Smart's Physical Altercation with Mississippi State QB Goes Viral

The Georgia Bulldogs advanced to 5-1 on the season after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs 41-31. Although Mississippi State played well, Georgia was able to keep them at bay and take home the win.

It was a heated contest throughout. Mississippi State made a strong push in the third quarter. However, Georgia scored just enough points in the second half to earn the win.

But head coach Kirby Smart became the talk of town during the game due to his sideline antics. Most notably, the 48-year-old coach was seen shoving the Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. on the sideline after a play concluded.

You can see Smart yelling something before pushing the true freshman quarterback. In the video, it appears Smart is potentially yelling at the referee, and Van Buren Jr. just happened to be in the line of fire. Regardless, it isn't a great look for the Georgia head coach.

It's currently unknown what led to the incident. It may have been a call that Smart believed was missed by the referees. Or, perhaps he truly was upset with Van Buren Jr. on that play.

The Georgia head coach may address the situation during the postgame press conference, or at a later time. Until then, sports fans speculate what led to the physical altercation during the Mississippi State game.

Smart began his coaching career in 1999 and served as a defensive assistant coach through 2007. In 2008, the veteran coach was hired as the defensive coordinator of the Alabama Crimson Tide where he worked alongside Nick Saban until 2015.

He finally earned a head coaching role with the Bulldogs in 2016 and has remained as the head coach since then. After several years of building the program, Smart has created a true powerhouse in the SEC.

During his time coaching Georgia, the Bulldogs have won two SEC championships, as well as two National Championships. Georgia's last title win came in the 2022 season.

Related: Kirby Smart says Michael Van Buren ‘is a tremendous athlete’