If Ole Miss’s rout of Georgia wasn’t bizarre enough for the Bulldogs, video of backup safety Jake Pope seemingly celebrating with Rebels fans who stormed the field after the game took the 28-10 loss to another level.
For Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, his reaction to Pope going viral on social media had a simple response.
“What an idiot. I mean, just stupid,” Smart told the media.
Georgia defensive back Jake Pope (22) celebrates with teammates after defeating Florida on Nov. 2, 2024, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. (Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union)
Smart did, however, provide some background on why Pope was seen jumping up and down on the field.
“I didn’t see it until today, but he’s embarrassed about it. He’s upset about it,” Smart said of Pope. “That’s obviously a childhood friend of his; he grew up and played with there in Buford. [Pope] knows him and hadn’t seen him in forever, but just not real smart.
“To be honest with you, I don’t have time to waste energy on that. You know what I’m saying? My focus is on Tennessee, I’m not worried about that.”
Pope also released a statement on the matter via X, saying he was “sorry for the way it was taken out of perspective.”
“This is not representative of who I am in any way,” Pope said in the statement. “In no way, shape or form would I ever celebrate a loss in this program and anyone who knows me well knows that. My long-time family friends had come up to me unexpectedly after the game as I was trying to get off the field to safety and were extremely excited to see me after the game.”
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart (Petre Thomas-Imagn Images/File)
“I was also surprised to see them as well and that’s why you saw the reaction that I gave via the video,” he continued.
“Lastly, and once again, I’m sorry to my teammates, coaches, and fans all around about the way that video looked, and I choose to move forward and get ready for a great rest of the season with my brothers,” Pope said.
Pope previously played two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Georgia for this season. He has played in three games so far for the Bulldogs.
After their second loss of the season, the Bulldogs, 7-2, could face College Football Playoff elimination this week when they host No. 6 Tennessee.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart (Petre Thomas-Imagn Images/File)
It is the Bulldogs’ final ranked game of the season, but with three games to go, a third loss would likely knock them out of the CFP standings even in the expanded format.
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