Smart won't look ahead to Notre Dame with Appalachian State up first

It will be a major deal when Georgia travels to Notre Dame for the two teams' meeting on Sept. 9.

The programs haven't played each other since the 1981 Sugar Bowl, a game the Bulldogs took en route to their 1980 national championship. With that in mind, head coach Kirby Smart revealed that the indoor practice facility will host a viewing party for that championship team when Georgia takes on Notre Dame.

Following Smart's viewing party revelation, he was asked if playing Notre Dame served as a springboard game for the remainder of the season.

With Notre Dame coming in Week 2, Smart pointed out that he is not looking past the season opener.

"Not one guy on that team has a lack of respect for Appalachian State, who we open with," Smart said. "Let's make sure we are clear: That is our primary concern. We know the kind of team. I know the head coach at App State who does a tremendous job."

Smart is referring to Scott Satterfield, who took the Appalachian State job in 2013. The Mountaineers have had plenty of success over the years, including what is regarded by many as the greatest upset in modern college football history when they defeated Michigan 34-32 in 2007.

Last season, Appalachian State took Tennessee to overtime before losing.

The Mountaineers return a couple of major offensive contributors in quarterback Taylor Lamb -- the son of Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb and running back Jalin Moore. Moore ran for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2016, and was named the Sun Belt MVP.

"I think it would be remiss to talk about the second game without first concerning yourself with Appalachian State, who does a tremendous job of recruiting our state and has a great senior quarterback that I got a lot of respect for," Smart said.

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Smart won't look ahead to Notre Dame with Appalachian State up first."