ATLANTA – Kirby Smart gave his team a new nickname on Saturday evening.

Smart was on stage after Georgia won the SEC championship in a 22-19 overtime thriller against Texas. As he looked at his players, decked out in special jerseys and hats, he called them “Never Say Die, Dawgs.”

That name was never more appropriate than on Saturday, as the Bulldogs overcame injuries, a halftime deficit and occasional mediocre play on both sides of the ball to win their third SEC title of the Smart era.

“I’ve had physically stronger teams and more physically talented teams, but I don’t know that I’ve ever had a mentally stronger team,” Smart said. “They just keep coming, and they never say ‘die.’ I have a lot of respect for the leaders in this room because of what they’ve been through, probably the toughest schedule in history that we’ve ever had. And “They got through it, came out victorious and fought their way through.”

Veteran Safety Dan Jackson went through so much in Athens. He’s been on campus since 2019, endured a pandemic, won two national championships and suffered the heartache of a near miss last season. This season also saw many ups and downs for Jackson and the defense on the field.

This team, Jackson said, was the most resilient he had ever been a part of.

“We’ve been in fire a lot,” Jackson said when asked why that was. “Maybe not, we don’t want it to be close every game, but I think it’s just about the way we fight, the way we communicate and our work ethic.”

In contrast, running back Trevor Etienne is new to Georgia’s DNA traits, a four-pillar mantra that includes resilience. Etienne transferred from Florida in the offseason and was a key factor in Georgia’s offense.

It didn’t take long for Etienne to be convinced of the resilience of this group of bulldogs.

“One of the first games I thought, after the Bama game, I said: We never panic,” Etienne said. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad. And it’s good for us because no matter what the situation is, no matter what happens, I believe and have complete confidence in this team.”

More adversity lies ahead for Georgia. They await their fate in the College Football Playoff while keeping an eye on the quarterback’s injury status Carson Beck, who missed all but one of the second half games due to an elbow injury.

But as they’ve shown all year, the Bulldogs will be ready to fight no matter the circumstances.

“I don’t know if you all hear it, but I hear all the time that people doubt us,” Receiver said Arian Smith said. “So if you leave us out, that’s on you, but we always count ourselves in.”