A Dog fan’s memorable night in enemy territory
Reshad Jones celebrates a terrific interception. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
Saturday night’s Georgia-Georgia Tech game was memorable for me for more than just the unexpected result.
It was the first football game I’d attended at Grant Field since I was a teenager.
Generally, I’ve avoided the campus of the school that pretentiously likes to call itself “the Institute.” I’d been to a few concerts at the old stadium over the years and took the kids to a couple of Atlanta Beat games, but when it came to football I preferred not to mix with the folks in gold and white (and blue, the often forgotten Tech color). I can proudly say I’ve never given their athletic association a penny’s income.
But my son decided back in September to take me to this year’s Tech game as a birthday present. I have to admit that the way the season had transpired, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the game, but I figured it would be an interesting experience. Different, at least.
That was the case right from when we arrived at our gate. I’d never been patted down before entering a football game.
Once we made it up to our seats in the upper deck of the North end zone stands, mostly among folks in red and black, I marveled at two things: First, the view of the nighttime Atlanta skyline was pretty spectacular. And second, how could a school of engineers come up with such a poorly designed stadium? The thing looks like it was just pieced together, with no thought about easy access from one side to the other.
One plus about our location was that the Redcoat Band, located diagonally across from us in a corner of the other end zone stands, could be heard just fine all night, while the Tech band down below us, looking as silly as ever in those all-white uniforms, couldn’t be heard at all where we sat. My son noted before the game that there weren’t as many red shirts as two years ago, when it looked nearly 50-50, but there was still a good representation of UGA fans and we fortunately had plenty of occasion to make noise.
I liked that Tech showed the seniors on the big video screen, introducing themselves and telling their favorite memory from their time with the Jackets. (Predictably, more than half cited last year’s win in Athens, all reciting the score as if it were engraved on their rings or something.) But the silly poses struck by many members of the team in frequent video clips of them clowning around in sweats and urging the fans on seemed kind of cheesy. And the Tech band still has the dorkiest announcer I’ve ever heard.
I thought the folks running the game took a big chance after pregame warm-ups, letting the two teams come face to face at midfield, jumping up an down with only a thin line of coaches and officials between them. That easily could have gotten out of hand. There was a little shoving at the end of the game, but despite the hatred between the two programs, I also noticed throughout the night players helping opponents up off the ground and patting the helmet of someone on the other team after a play, which brought home the fact that many of the Bulldogs and Jackets grew up with each other and played together in high school.
So a Georgia-Georgia Tech game is sort of like a family squabble. OK, a pretty dysfunctional family.
And in the end, as my brother Tim noted when I called him after the game, Saturday night’s game turned out to be a pretty nice birthday present. One of the best I’ve ever received, in fact.
Some other random thoughts about Georgia’s win over Tech …
Georgia’s offensive line finally lived up to its preseason hype Saturday night. It was great to see the Dogs’ backs racking up yardage like in days of old, but it also made you sigh and wonder why it took so long this season to get the running game on track. And what the season could have been like had that aspect of Georgia’s game come together sooner. Or if the Dogs hadn’t had such a turnover problem all season. Take away the last-minute loss to LSU and the four second-half turnovers against Kentucky, and you’d have the pretty decent 9-3 season that so many folks predicted. …
It’s a good thing the Dogs got off to such a fast start against the Jackets, as the offense sputtered somewhat in the second half, having to resort to kicking field goals too many times thanks to uninspired play-calling in the red zone. And the poor tackling that killed Georgia last season occasionally reared its ugly head on Tech’s successful scoring drives. Vance Cuff particularly had a hard time subbing for the injured Brandon Boykin in that regard. But as I said last night, the middle of the defensive line was magnificent. And that one-handed pick by Reshad Jones was spectacular.
An entire quarter of Mark Richt football without a pass? Who’da thunk it?
Georgia’s special teams play continued to be spotty, particularly on kick coverage, and Blair Walsh had an up and down night, getting three touchbacks but also kicking one out of bounds. I felt sorry for him that he wasn’t able to ice the game with that 55-yard field goal attempt, but the three that he made provided the margin of victory, so he definitely should join Washaun Ealey and Caleb King on the list of the evening’s Bulldog heroes.
The running game, the most productive of the Mark Richt era, was the story of the night, but Joe Cox nearly had a beautiful long touchdown pass to Rantavious Wooten. The ball was perfectly placed; it just wasn’t caught, one of a couple of drops the Dogs had in the game.
All in all, it was the most satisfying win of the season, and not just because it was over the Jackets. Let’s hope that Richt and Mike Bobo aren’t just single-game converts to the running game. It’s still the best way to dominate in college football.
And when you can run the ball better than the No. 2 rushing attack in the country, what could be sweeter than that?
Well, how about this: Tech and Clemson are meeting for the ACC title. Clemson lost Saturday to South Carolina. Tech lost to Georgia. And Georgia beat South Carolina. As the Dogs’ Michael Moore facetiously asked in a postgame Tweet, doesn’t that make Georgia the real ACC champion?
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260 comments Add your comment
GT IS A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
November 29th, 2009
11:11 pm
ACC – ASSOCIATION OF CUP CAKES – HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHA AND ANOTHER HA
BuLLdawg
November 29th, 2009
11:15 pm
Tony Barnhart
“Georgia at Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech is brimming with confidence as it goes for its second straight win over the Bulldogs. Georgia, meanwhile, there is no evidence that the Bulldogs can handle a tough, physical football game for four quarters. That is exactly what Georgia Tech will give them. Georgia Tech 38, Georgia 21.”
devil simon
November 29th, 2009
11:20 pm
8 out of 9.
all is well in the world. tech sucks again.
Football Fan
November 29th, 2009
11:31 pm
Bill King, I read your blog recently that stated “Rivalry with UGA defines Tech”. From reading your blog above and the responses from most of the UGA fans, it appears that the opposit is true, i.e. “Rivalry with Tech defines UGA”. As you stated above “this UGA win over Tech is the most satisfying win of the season”. Also, I believe you are a very petty individual (making derogatory comments about Tech’s stadium, band, etc.). It is a shame that a once proud program like UGA and its fans have become so petty and are defined by a win over one team, Tech. If I am not mistaken, Tech is 10-2, ranked 10th in the latest BCS standings, are going to play for the ACC championship and possibly an Orange Bowl (BCS Bowl) berth. In my opinion, that is much more important that a Tech win over UGA. Maybe UGA will become relevant in college football again, and its fans can aspire to more than a win over Tech.
superDawg
November 29th, 2009
11:55 pm
macro come out son you can do it.
superDawg
November 29th, 2009
11:58 pm
silence is golden!
acme dawg
November 30th, 2009
12:05 am
Believe me football fan, we aspire to more than a win over tech. The reason we’re happy this win is because, well, we didn’t win that many big games. I mean, we have the Auburn win, but they aren’t a ranked team this year, and we’ve beaten them the past three seasons as well. There’s the South Carolina game, and we always enjoy beating Spurrier, but they aren’t a top 25 team either. So we’ll take the GT game as this year’s signature win, seeing as how y’all were in the top ten and supposed to be good, and we get payback for last year. But, for most UGA fans, a victory over FLA in Tebow’s senior year would have been better, and beating down the Kiffins would have been nice as well. Those weren’t in the cards, we just aren’t a good team this year, so we’ll be happy and settle for beating you. The truth is though, in a couple of weeks we’ll have moved on to worrying about whether we’re ever gonna beat Florida again, but all the Tech fans I know have spent the past 365 days feeding off of last years victory.
And, ccrider et al, anybody that has gone to any college football games in the south knows that every team has obnoxious fans, drunk fans, racist fans, redneck fans etc…, UGA has them (I’ve met them, and would kick them out of games if I could, GA fan or not), GT has them (again, I’ve met them, at football games and out in the world) so calling out certain UGA fans is pretty pointless.
StateChamps
November 30th, 2009
12:40 am
Football Fan (aka, man who, most likely, changed his handle this weekend),
Your post on the UGA fan blog proves that Bill King was correct in his assessment. You lost and you are still trolling on the JunkyardBlawg. Additionally, the vast majority of posts on Bill King’s article was from GT fans. The actual GT fan blog for the game did not even have a full page of comments before kickoff. Your envy and frustration are delicious.
Roy Wood
November 30th, 2009
1:27 am
I just wonder if Johnson is still considered a Genius and CMR a dope or under achiever OLD DAWG
chris o bomb
November 30th, 2009
1:45 am
if tech sucks so bad from a team, “ghetto players,” stadium configuration, security, and the institute standpoint, HOW CAN THIS BE YOUR BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER?
funny how rednecks mock tech fans with their songs, while the soulja boy song was only danced by black players back when you were winnning.
guess our team is weird because city folks unite and are more cultured at our games.
future recruits– if you are willing to study, come to a more cultured and urban environment instead of… well the rest of the country knows too.
chris o bomb
November 30th, 2009
2:00 am
fyi- the two teams meeting at the middle of the field happened last year too at the tallest structure in athens.
and just remember besides students, half the fans at sanford has only pissed instead of ever stepped in a building on campus.
if you are getting upset, read what past opponents’ newpapers wrote about ye(asu, cu, osu, etc.)
buzz443
November 30th, 2009
3:18 am
7-5 hahahahahhahah just answer one question???? What bowl are yall playing??
UGA Student
November 30th, 2009
3:52 am
As a student at UGA, and a sister of 5 years a fraternity at Tech, I always thought, for the most part, that Tech fans had more class than our Georgia fans; however, as I stood on the front steps of my boyfriend’s fraternity house yelling for my bulldogs, I had a 50+ yr old man tell me “You like it Doggy Style”
My only reply “Well, you were just forced to take it that way for the past four hours. Hope you feel really masculine now”
Really Classy GT, and thanks for brining me down to your level with my rebuttal.
Want to talk about Class? How about Richt pulling his players off the field with time still left on the clock even though we won the game. Or how about him making our bulldogs get the ice off of their field. I thought our boys played great, and I am glad Joe Cox doesn’t have to end the season with another slap across the face.
And this is coming from a girl that put a Buzz doll in the casket of a good friend 8 hours before the game.
Go Dawgs!!!
UGA Student
November 30th, 2009
3:54 am
Chris O Bomb,
First of all what school did you go to that made you so high and mighty to belittle the education at UGA. Can I just tell you that when you come to my office, and I walk in with my white jacket and MD next to my name, that I can give you the worst colonoscopy or physical of your life.
Then again, you should be pretty prepared for the colonoscopy after last nights game when UGA stuck it where it belonged
UGA Student
November 30th, 2009
3:58 am
Btw Chris O Bomb, please back to Athens and reevaluate the tallest structure in Athens. I hope you didn’t got to Tech and believe you can analyze height very well. As a science student, I am pretty sure I can see the whole stadium from the 6th floor of Chemistry.
So please stop while you can, and get your foot out of your mouth.
UGA Student
November 30th, 2009
4:00 am
and finally…
At 4 a.m. and 6 hours of writing a physics paper, forgive my grammatical errors, as I know you will be the first to point that out.
UGA Student
November 30th, 2009
4:06 am
I forgot to mention Chris O Bomb, before you can take that foot out of your mouth, your own band learned to song “All the Turnt Up”
So seriously, just stop talking. You act as if your team is perfect, and trust me, anything our team has done, “ghetto” or not, your team as done as well.
When I have 6 of your defense at the fraternity house trying to beg me to go home with them and I tell them no, and if they touch me again I will call the police, then I guess you have some really “classy” no nothing thugs on your team.
I know some of the players, and without saying names, I wouldn’t speak too quickly Chris O Bomb.
Clearly you have both feet in your mouth, so just stop.
UGA Student
November 30th, 2009
4:09 am
Last but not least, while I am on my rant with how stupid Chris O Bomb has posted
“future recruits– if you are willing to study, come to a more cultured and urban environment instead of… well the rest of the country knows too.”
Make sure you join the team and go in as a management major as well, because that requires soooo much studying
godawgs
November 30th, 2009
4:31 am
uga student…..back away frm the keyboard and put the redbull away
UGA Student
November 30th, 2009
4:40 am
Thanks godawgs
At least you know how we survive our late nights.
No more posting for me, just had to rant a little and get my energy out. Go dawgs!!
BuLLdawg
November 30th, 2009
5:04 am
30-24.
BuLLdawg
November 30th, 2009
5:34 am
Everyone has zero respect for all the Tech fans who ran their mouth so loudly before the game, and now have instead hidden since the game.
BuLLdawg
November 30th, 2009
5:35 am
Josh Nesbitt was not injured. Neither were any of the other Georgia Tech crying little babies, who had to be carted off the field, every one of which came back to play in a play or 2.
Ole Dawg
November 30th, 2009
6:02 am
Way to go GA BULLDAWGS! Glad to see CR show some emotions and appear to be involved in the game!
(Could you please not let the comments of Saint Simons be posted? He is way out of line…)
DaWg
November 30th, 2009
6:13 am
Excellent article Mr. King. Well written.
georgiadawg70
November 30th, 2009
7:05 am
Mark Bradley said it best. The two best ACC teams got manhandled by two mediocre teams in the SEC.
Urban
November 30th, 2009
7:11 am
Mutt…you ARE, and will ALWAYS be…..My b*tch!
#1 Gatorfan
November 30th, 2009
7:18 am
One post said it best—-GA IS mediocre.
#1 Gatorfan
November 30th, 2009
7:24 am
buLLdawg
You’re LATE!! Get over here and trim my hedges, edge the curb!
AltamahaDawg
November 30th, 2009
7:28 am
Thanks football fan, we appreciate your concern about the future of Georgia football. If you read the comments (and I suspect you did, but they don’t really fit in your agenda, so you ignored 95% of them) we are all just poking fun at the tech FANS, namely the ones that have acted like the biggest children in the history of sports banter for the past year. Not the idea that beating football team is some big accomplishment.
Most of us will see our real tech pals today and its all going to be good natured. Trust me the pettiness ‘in here’ is WELL deserved by those to whom it is directed. Well deserved, and expected. I believe they would be disappointed not to see it (pssst. sports trash talk is in fun. Unless your self-righthous head is up your butt, that is.)
Bill’s was dead on and the fact that the tech fans have made such a huge deal about thier one win in a decade causing a more than normal taunting this year PROVES his point.
Believe me, after we have our fun for a couple more days, UGA fans will go back to dismissing the tech win as same ol same ol, and focus back on what we need to do to win a real game. Happy now?
Columbus Dawg
November 30th, 2009
7:29 am
That moron from alerbamer better hope they do beat FU next week. Saban will lose a lot of Shula’s players, and will be back to being the team that Bama was during the biggest part of this decade. You know, the ones that UGA owned? The same goes for that FU fan running his mouth. Gators will fall far after this season. The Dawgs will continue to progress towards the top of the conference. Auburn will be the sore on Bama’s butt like it was for most of the decade also. Mark it down morons.
BuzztheKiller
November 30th, 2009
7:38 am
Congrats on the win to the true class UGA fans- believe or not there are a few. I know several in fact. Most of you clowns on here though probably never got anywhere near the campus other than on Saturdays. Try as hard as you can to win with class- one would think you remember what it feels like to win. Based on the reactions of the players and you clowns, it seems like you have never been there. Enjoy watching Tech play for a championship this week while you gas up the RV for the short trip to Nashville.
BuzztheKiller
November 30th, 2009
7:43 am
I think its hilarious that you guys base your perception of Tech fans on what a few idiots post on here regularly. Ever team has their lunatic fringe. Ever true Tech fan I know was very excited about the win last year (kind of like UGA is when they get a rare win against UF), but it was not life changing like you make it out to be. Believe me, the conference championship is a bigger deal to almost all Tech fans I know, because it means a BCS game. Losing to you guys hurts, but its not the end of the world, or the season.
Bill- the stadium is pretty bad (though I have been to Sanford, not much difference except the view is not as good as BD). What do you expect, it was built in 1913.
savannahdawg
November 30th, 2009
8:44 am
So St Simons is going to hide after a year of talking his crap! Damn good game! Go Dawgs!!
gtyj2
November 30th, 2009
8:51 am
you know for uga not carin about this there sure is a lot of hoopla over the win
RAMBLE ON!!!
November 30th, 2009
8:59 am
Congratulations fleabags, this is the greatest victory in UGAg history since Buck got lucky with Lindsay Scott.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82wU5NfRfr4
Gen Neyland
November 30th, 2009
9:21 am
BuLLdawg : You still want CMR fired..? Jus’ curious….
Division standings aren’t real complicated to figure out. After 2007, I’d have thought you’d have figured it out. Overall, head to head, W’s and L’s within the division. Am I missing something..? Have a great day.
SKULLS
November 30th, 2009
9:26 am
UGA Student…will you marry me? I’d like to say thank you to all the GT fans blogging here for making this such a great victory. Congrats also go out to all the SEC teams that one their respective rivalry games on Saturday; South Carolina, Bama, and yes…(ugh) even Florida…Til next year Jackets! Good luck against Clemson…
Gatorzone
November 30th, 2009
9:30 am
m, where are you today? Please, come explain how the ACC is sooo much better than the SEC…
What? Nothing?
Tell us what God and Greyhound could do for us.
Saint Simons…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Where are all of you guys today?
SadDawg
November 30th, 2009
9:33 am
Bill, I would say that it was the most satisfying win since the UF, AU wins of ‘07.
Gen Neyland
November 30th, 2009
9:40 am
Gatorzone : Those guys were last seen on the 10th ST Connector overpass around midnight Saturday…
North Ave. Trade School fan
November 30th, 2009
9:44 am
Dog fans, the right team won Saturday night. I think with out question after loosing to Kentucky the Dogs were pissed – and it showed against the Jackets. Now just maybe ya’ll can relax a little enjoy the holidays because this Tech fan is still happy because we still have a good tean and good coach.
SadDawg
November 30th, 2009
9:47 am
Absolutely right, BuzztheKiller, the Saint Simons, m, and Yellow Fuzz guys are the exception, not the rule, same as a few irritating UGA fans. It’s a shame everyone can’t be a little more respectful of each other, like me and my Tech buddies, but there’s always a few who like to rub it in, and then some… I, for one hope Tech wins out and finishes out 12-2 and a top-ten ranking. I’ll just make our win shine a little brighter in a dark season…
gadawg
November 30th, 2009
9:56 am
Where are all the smack talking Tech fans today that usually invade our blog with nonsense about how great Tech is and how bad UGA is? I guess the bandwagon turned over.
how2fish
November 30th, 2009
10:44 am
Well I had to taek a couple of days to savor the win…what a great month Nov has turned out to be both Gobal Warming and the ACC got exposed! Great game I knew if we could just hold on to the ball we could run against Tech after our O-lines performance the last 3 games just too much of a size difference. Still hats off to the class Tech fans on the blog…honestly I don’t see any more 7-8 game streaks as long as CPJ is at Tech, it will make it a better rivalry but in the end UGA will always OWN the Bugs..now for my fellow members of the Bulldog Nation…lets move past the bad old days of the Saint who can’t be named and leave off the posting of 30-24 day in and day out..remember we won but at the end of the day…we just beat Tech.
Go DOGS
November 30th, 2009
11:00 am
ccrider:
I hear you. It is embarrassing. I cringe at the thought of what you experienced. When I see the UGA trailer trash Wal-Mart fans coming I RUN the other way. By some of the comments on here, you can see we have plenty “fans” who never attended a single class at UGA, but they are the one’s running their redneck mouths. As a UGA Alumni and fan, I probably get more irritated at them then the opposing team’s fans do. It is embarrassing, and makes UGA look really, really bad. Not we can do about it though…just got to deal with them. Arggghhh!
spence
November 30th, 2009
11:01 am
SCENE: Grant field, shortly after the game. An ANNOUNCER approaches JOE COX, CALEB KING and WASHAUN EALEY.
ANNOUNCER: Joe Cox! You and the Georgia Bulldogs just beat #7 Georgia Tech! What are you going to do now?
COX, KING and EALEY: We’re going to Saint Simons!!! 30-24! Bwahahahahahaha!
.
November 30th, 2009
11:11 am
BuLLdawg: You sure do switch your wish list around on who is to be fired. How about grabbing a life, and spare us REAL UGA FANS, in other words not YOU, with your drool?
1-800-TECH-TIX
November 30th, 2009
11:13 am
Plenty of them left for next week still!!!! Please!!!! Anyone??????
Taint Simons
November 30th, 2009
11:14 am
30-24 hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha