The Blessed Season is Back

236 days. That’s the amount of time that’s passed between the last time we saw our Dawgs take the field and when they will run out of the west end zone (for the first time) this Saturday. 236 days between 2nd and 26 and the opportunity for redemption…the opportunity to continue to build the legacy. I think I can speak for every Dawg fan when I say that the time hasn’t passed quickly enough. It’s time.

    Much is said every year about the length of time between Georgia’s last national championship in 1980 and the present. It’s time to put all that aside and focus on the greatness of the present and what it represents - hope. Each season starts with hope. Hope that the returning players have continued to grow and improve. Hope that the prized recruits are as good as advertised. Hope that the team becomes the TEAM. Hope that the dreams of the Dawg Nation come to fruition.  That hope will drive 92,746 believers to Sanford Stadium every home weekend to revel in the pageantry that is one of college football’s greatest traditions. 92,746 fans will point to the lone trumpeter in the southwest corner of the stadium when he or she plays the first 14 notes of the Battle Hymn of the Republic (I still get chills and on the verge of tears every time I hear it). Those fans will hear the voice of Larry Munson across the sound system…92,746 fans will stand and render honors while the Redcoat Band plays the National Anthem. And we will remain standing for the UGA alma mater….and lose our minds when the boys in red and black come running on the field like modern-day gladiators preparing to take on the world. 

    For the fans at home….we’ll put on our red and black and pace the floor waiting for kickoff. We’ll listen to the TV coverage team talk about our boys and get incensed when they don’t give the respect we think those boys deserve. And we’ll stand at kickoff with our right arm in the air, moving in a circular motion, yelling “Gooooooo Dawgs! Sic ‘em! Woof Woof Woof!” And we’ll pace and yell like they can hear us. And above all, we’ll wish we were there between the hedges with 92,746 of our closest friends.

    We’ll hang on every play, every bounce, every up and down regardless of where we are. And we’ll cheer our boys on because they represent what’s good in sports and the pride we have in our university. We’ll revel in each victory and be close to despondence with each loss. And then we’ll start it all over again each week. And guess what? There’s nothing like it. It’s time to GATA. Go Dawgs!