For those of you reading this, I’m still reeling off my trip to Austin after watching Georgia whoop Texas.
First of all, if you ever get a chance to visit Austin, it’s a great place. There are plenty of places to eat and drink. There are also a lot of great comedy clubs and music venues.
Second, what a freaking game. I expected the Bulldogs to come out firing on all cylinders, but not like that. There were many mistakes, but how the players responded impressed me the most.
Georgia dominated that game – especially defensively – for 55 of 60 minutes. The Bulldogs took the crowd out of the game early by jumping out to a 23-0 lead at the half. And when Texas mounted a comeback, trailing 23-15 late in the third quarter, Georgia put the game away with a long scoring drive.
That is the Georgia team we’re used to seeing. We haven’t seen that version of this team all year long.
Kirby Smart had his team ready to play, while it seemed the Longhorns had bought into the sunshine-pumping that ESPN fed them. Just before the game, celebrities like Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Durant, and others shared the same sideline as the team. Everything is undoubtedly bigger in Texas.
However, Smart had his team dialed in. He never lets his players buy into the big moment, which is key.
The Bulldogs had already played in the big moment this year, while Texas has not. From my view on the field, the Longhorn fans in the crowd were left speechless. They didn’t expect their opponent to show up and dominate their team in Darryl K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium – but I did.
I’ve seen this movie before.
Georgia was embarrassed by Alabama in the 2021 SEC Championship game, but less than a month later, the Bulldogs defeated the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff’s national title tilt.
The officials did all they could to help Texas, but it didn’t work. I think they got the pass-interference call right late in the third quarter, but to reverse it was certainly against NCAA rules. I was on the field trying to dodge water bottles and beer cans while they were discussing the call. They also marked Trevor Etienne short on a play where he crossed the goal line.
Don’t get me wrong – the officiating was terrible on both sides – but it did seem like the officials were biased against Georgia. Regardless, the Bulldogs overcame adversity, especially Carson Beck’s three interceptions, and left Austin with a win over the nation’s (former) No. 1 team. That is impressive to me.
This Georgia team has been inconsistent this season, but my view of them changed after this game. These Bulldogs flipped the script on Saturday night, and I’ll eat my score prediction with pride.
Part of what Georgia broadcaster Larry Munson said after the Bulldogs’ win over Florida in 1980 applies to this year’s team, “... We were gone. I gave up; you did, too. We were out of it and gone. Miracle!”
There’s still a lot of football to be played, and Georgia still has much to improve on if it wants to make the College Football Playoff after missing last year, but as Smart has said many times, this group is resilient.
