For years and years (and years) University of Georgia fans have heard “ this is our year” and without a doubt every year the Dawgs have managed to fall short of that claim. UGA’s football team has had an absolutely unbelievable amount of talent for as long as I can remember but for some reason they just have not been able to get the job done or as Mark Richt used to say “finish the drill”. Some might believe it’s related to the Atlanta Sports Curse (Falcons blowing their 28-3 Super Bowl lead, The Braves always playing exceptionally well to start off, then slowly letting us down towards the postseason, and most recently Georgia losing the National Championship after being up 20-7. (Yep, I still cry every time it replays.) I’m not really sure what to blame it on but I know that like any other fan my heart has been broken several times by many different Georgia teams.
I’ve been a Georgia Bulldog fan since before I was born ( shoutout to my bulldog crazed mother) but I feel as if this is something we can all agree upon. Don’t get me wrong, I am a die hard, red and black bleeding kind of fan and can’t even begin to describe just how amazing UGA’s last football season (and my first season as a student) was. I was lucky enough to attend not only several UGA road games but the iconic Granddaddy of Them All, as well as the National Championship. To see first hand what Kirby Smart has done with this team in just two short years was incredible. Maybe it’s because he’s a true bulldog at heart or maybe it’s because he’s coached under some of the best coaches out there, but whatever it is, Kirby Smart was exactly the coach UGA needed.It gives me more faith than ever for yet another successful year for the Bulldogs.
Am I skeptical? Of course. The reason why we love sports is for the mere fact that it is so unpredictable. Yeah, when you’re on the losing side of a 20-7 lead blow, it doesn’t feel too great but when you’re on the winning side of a first time ever in history, double over time win during the Rose Bowl, there’s absolutely no other feeling like it. Win or lose, the unpredictable outcome is why we are so invested in the game of football. I’ll be taking it game by game this season, as most Dawgs will be, but I definitely do believe it might just be the year the Dawgs can get the job done. We’ll just have to wait and see starting this Saturday “Between the Hedges”.
Go Dawgs!