ATHENS, Ga. _ The Georgia Bulldogs this week heard the story of Joe Simpson.
Not the Atlanta Braves broadcaster and former major league baseball player. Joe Simpson was a British mountain climber who broke his leg trying to ascend Siula Grande Mountain in the Peruvian Andes in the 1980s.
Miraculously, Simpson managed to descend the 20,000-foot mountain one-legged and save his own life in icy, treacherous conditions. His exploits became the subject of a book, "Touching the Void," and several television documentaries.
What was coach Kirby Smart's point in sharing that story with his team?
"The next step is the most important step," Smart said after the No. 4 Bulldogs 19-13 win over Texas A&M Saturday. "All (Simpson) talked about was the next step, until he got down. So, for us, the next step is the most important step, and that was tonight. And now we'll move on to the next."
The next step is Georgia Tech this coming Saturday in Atlanta. Most college football observers are looking right past that at the Dec. 7 matchup against No. 1-ranked LSU in the Dec. 7 SEC Championship game.
The Tigers (11-0, 7-0 SEC) beat Arkansas 56-20 Saturday and will play this same Texas A&M team (7-4, 4-3 SEC) in Baton Rouge next Saturday night. Perhaps then we'll have a better gauge as to whether Georgia can compete with LSU. The national narrative is that the Bulldogs can't possibly keep pace.
Saturday's performance against Texas A&M didn't do much to discount that projection. But Georgia will focus instead only on its next step.
Here's a few takeaways from the win over the Aggies:
