Dawgs Got Black Magic November 13, 2007

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is one of my favorite games of the year. It was a must-see game in my family and I never missed one until I moved overseas. My Dad HATES Auburn…with a passion…in a way that makes him grit his teeth at the mere mention of the plaineagletigers. As his daughter and a UGA alum, my disdain of the barners therefore comes honestly.

Which is exactly why I’ve had this obnoxious grin on my face since Saturday night. To humiliate Auburn two years in a row and reclaim Sanford with a home win is like Christmas morning. To do that and whip Florida in the same year is like a dream come true! Seriously, I’m so deleriously ecstatic right now I can’t contain my gloating.

This game was bigger than just another home win. It was possibly one of the greatest games I’ve seen Georgia play in all my life. It ranks right up there with the 2004 LSU game for me. It’s more than rivalry or revenge though; its validation that we deserve a seat at the table.

My only regret is that I wasn’t there to witness it in person. Just hearing all of Sanford shake in a way I’ve only witnessed a handful of times in my 30 years of sitting on the South side, was enough to make me cry. That’s the kind of game you tell your children about someday, you know? 

Even though I wasn’t there this year, I watched it from home and saw the CSS replay twice. Just can’t get enough, I guess. But each time I watched the replay I came away with the same thoughts on the day:

The Good

1. The fans - CMR has said over and over the last few weeks how important the fans are to the team. He’s made it his mission this year to take all of the Bulldawg Nation along for the ride by getting us involved in the process of winning. He’s practically begged us to come out for the Dawg Walk, get in the stands early, scream loud while the opponent’s O is on the field. Didn’t you see him pull a Pollack, waving his hands & getting the crowd up while Auburn was calling audibles on 3rd down Saturday? It’s bigger than just wearing black for the team. It’s about being apart of the magic. And, thank God the fans listened.

2. Coach Richt - A lot has been written this week in blogs, on ESPN & SI, on message boards, etc. about the change in demeanor for CMR. I don’t believe he’s a different man or coach, for that matter, I just think he’s settled into his new role: leader, motivator, engineer. Out of necessity, he forced himself to be calm all those years as OC for Florida State. Now he’s allowed himself to loosen up a bit and step into the role of Head Coach, leading a good team towards goals only achieved by great teams.

3. Brandon Cox - I love this kid man (he’s freakin’ 24) like I love Reggie Ball. He turned Kelin Johnson into this year’s Tra Battle. Eight interceptions in the last 2 games we met. Damn sorry to see him go.

4. Ballanced attack - It’s undeniable that this Georgia team is not the same team that came out flat against SCUm and just flat out didn’t compete against UcheaT. The offense is firing on all cylindars. They fought back when Auburn decided to spoil our rout in the 3rd quarter. They racked up 417 total yards against one of the nation’s top defenses, passing for 237 and rushing for 180. And I can’t say enough how amazing it is to see our receiving corps get after the ball like they deserve to play on Sundays! The defense is miles ahead of where they were just 6 weeks ago. That line was constantly invading Auburn’s pocket, making big tackles, forcing punts (Auburn was 4-11 on 3rd down), and causing turnovers. Out-freakin-standing! I was one of those calling for CWM’s head a while back and thought Muschamp would do a better job.  We’ve taken him to the woodshed the last 3 times we’ve faced his team, counting his 2005 LSU squad. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.

The Bad

1. 17 unanswered points - this is where I started to shake me head and expect the inevitable meltdown or lamecock curse of the black jersey. I’m glad we took back momentum, but 17 points in the SEC is often a total score. If not for the Stafford to Bailey strike downfield, we may be having an entirely different discussion.

2. Verne Lundquist & Gary Danielson’s version of superman - I like the Soulja Boy thing. I don’t want piped in music to overtake the Redcoats EVER, but I like what it does to keep our guys loose and having fun. However, seeing Verne & Gary shake their asses is not something anyone needs to see again, ever.

well, maybe just one more time for giggles

The Ugly

1. The officiating - My God! As soon as I realized Penn Wagers was calling this game again, I knew we were in for trouble. He proved at the WLOCP that he was gonna put us in our place. Apparently he’s still out to prove his point. If I NEVER see that asshat officiate another Georgia game again, it will still be too soon. However, when I watched the replays, I saw some penalties that we definitely deserved. Not all, but some. The late hit on Cox, for example, was unnecessary and classless - that’s something I expect from Florida & Tennessee, not Georgia. You can most certainly play with passion & intensity, just don’t be stupid. On the road to racking up 98 yards worth of penalties let Auburn back into the game twice. To most teams, yardage like that would cost the game. We’re lucky as hell it didn’t for us. And I’m telling you, if we give Kentucky 98 yards, Andre Woodson will use his arm to punish us and erase any shot at playing LSU in the dome on December 1st.  Those 98 penalty yards were a season high for us, btw. Hopefully the team got the memo. Hopefully Penn Wagers will be at the LSU/Ole Miss game.

It’s a new day in Athens, folks. The team that looked young, inexperienced, and even scared to play at the beginning of the season has matured into something to be feared. I’ve even seen posts on LSU message boards hoping that UT makes it to the SECC game and not us. That’s awesome. I think this team knows they can win, not because of an endzone celebration or a black jersey, but because they want it and know they can go out and get it. History has been made at UGA this season. Demons of old have passed away, records of losses have been erased, and new heros have emerged on the field at Sanford. We’ve once again earned a seat at the table. 

Glory, Glory to Ol’ Georgia! How sweet it is…

Go Dawgs!