ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia backup safety Jake Pope apologized Monday after a video of him showing up to celebrate following the Bulldogs 28-10 defeat in Mississippi on the field with Rebels fans drew strong criticism from Georgia coach Kirby Smart.

the Pope said in a explanation that he published in X was surprised to see old family friends from his hometown of Buford, Georgia on the field. He said his friends, including one wearing the jersey of Ole Miss offensive lineman Reece McIntyre, also from Buford, “were really excited to see me after the game. I was also surprised to see them. And that’s why you saw the reaction I gave through the video.”

In the video, a smiling Pope jumped with his friends.

When asked about the video on Monday, Smart said: “What an idiot. I just mean stupid. I didn’t see him until today, but he’s embarrassed. He’s upset about it. “He’s obviously a childhood friend of his that he grew up with and played with there in Buford and he knows him, I haven’t seen him in a long time, but he’s just not very smart.”

Georgia dropped nine places to No. 11 in The Associated Press Top 25 after the loss. The Bulldogs return home to play No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday night.

Pope posted his apology shortly after Smart’s press conference.

“First of all, I want to apologize for the way it was taken out of perspective and has caused distractions and commotion among my teammates and coaches,” Pope said. “This is not representative of who I am in any way. And there is no way I would celebrate a loss on this show. And anyone who knows me well knows it.”

Pope transferred to Georgia from Alabama and has played in three games this season.

Ole Miss fans ran onto the field before the end of the game and again after the game and Pope said, “I was trying to get off the field to safety” when his friends surprised him.

“I’m Georgia through thick and thin and I’ve never loved a group of guys more than the ones I fight with day in and day out,” Pope said. “Lastly, and once again, I am sorry to my teammates, coaches and fans for the way that video looked.”

Smart said he wasn’t going to focus on Pope’s mistake.

“To be honest, I don’t have time to waste energy on that,” Smart said. “Do you know what I’m saying? My focus is on Tennessee. “I’m not worried about that.”

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