For once, I don’t think the word “special” is being oversold:
“This is a special group, and I think it’s a special group because they have really good leadership,” second-year Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said. “They have an opportunity to win their 38th game, which could rank them right in the top 10 senior classes to ever play here. The big thing for me is that everybody else on the team acknowledges that it’s their last home game and that you prepare and play as if it was yours.
“I know what that last home game in Sanford Stadium means. It’s the one you remember the most. These guys have meant a lot to this program, meant a lot to me personally, meant a lot to the staff, and they’ve meant a lot to this university. I think we all owe it to them, as a fan base and as a coaching staff and as a team, to make sure that we give them our best effort.”
This year’s group has a unique resume: the transition from Richt to Smart, a shot at three ten-win seasons despite that transition, Georgia’s first trip to the SECCG in five seasons and the Dawgs’ first serious opportunity to score an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Right now, though, I suspect they’ll be remembered most for this:
Smart went 8-5 in his debut season a year ago, but the foundation for a big 2017 occurred last December, when Chubb, Michel, Bellamy and Carter announced their plans to return rather than declare for the NFL draft.
“Those four guys showed their commitment, and I think that really set the tone for the rest of the team,” Blazevich said. “They chose to invest another year in this, and when they came back it made it even easier to follow them, because you knew they were all in. That really caught on with the team…
It’s too early to talk about legacies, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all in a few years to point back to that decision as the moment leading to the program taking off and re-establishing itself as a conference power. Senior Days are always worthy of our support, but this one may be a little more special because of those four.
Get The Picture 
Anyone know what time the senior recognition usually kicks off?
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3pm
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Isn’t kickoff at 2:30?
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3:30 CBS
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Dawg Nation, show up early and give these guys your support. #DGDs
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Thank you for this post, I thought the same thing last night. I’m lucky to live close enough to campus and could hear the stadium blasting rehearsal last night and thought about Nick Chubb, one of the few All-timers we’ll get to see play that last game Between the Hedges (wish it were him trampling some Yeller Jackets, lol).
Of course, now I’ll wreck this post and quite possibly the whole thread: too bad Chubb won’t be wearing a black jersey, dancing to Ludercris! I KEED, I KEED!
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So did you freak out at the fireworks test?
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Negative. It took a volley for me to think fireworks, though
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What? We’re NOT wearing black Saturday? Dang!
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Interesting to hear Kirby’s comments re: the seniors’ last game @ Sanford because he lost his last game (’98 Tech when they broke a 7-game losing streak to us).
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ugh. And we blew a lead in that game by sitting on it, if I recall correctly. Dark portent for the next couple of years, too. The Jasper non fumble at the Joke. Goose Godsey meandering for a long score on a zone read keeper back in Athens. Bunch of nerds happily chewing on pieces of the hedge, all captured in pictures. Unruly nerds trampling handicapped folks so they could get to the west end zone hedge. That’s why our beloved visitors from GTU now sit up in the Tech deck, far from easily destroyed flora and fauna, or easily trampled disabled folks.
Kirby seems to be doing ok this year without my advice, and we have UK coming up this week, but I hope that next week, he makes a point of impressing how much it sucks to lose your last game at UGA to those douchebags on North Avenue. This senior class is in danger of having a losing record against Fish Fry, something no senior class has done since that unfortunate 3 year run under Donnan (and wouldn’t have happened then, but for the Jasper non fumble fiasco, but that’s life. It all still counts in the record book). That is the only GTU win at the Joke By Coke since 1989, by the way.The last GTU senior class to have a winning record against UGA, other than the Donnan era, was back when Bobby Dodd was punting on 3rd down. Dooley righted our ship won something like 70% of those matchups; Goff was 5-2 against GTU. CMR was 13-2.
Here’s hoping we kick UK’s asses, and then focus on setting some things straight inside our own borders. Cant have those pencil necks thinking they belong on our field.
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For me I will always hold this senior class in high regard. Think most other alums, fans, and supporters of the program feel the same. They are a first class group of young men. They have represented the University very well, and have provided us with some fond and great memories.
Thanks Seniors! Go for five.
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Thanks Seniors. Beating the dog shit out of Kentucky would be a fitting end to your service at home.
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Since the day Nick and Sony announced they were staying, I planned on coming up to this game. But my wife got gifted a damn condo from her boss at PCB and this was the only damn weekend we could go.
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You may want to check the temp forecast for the beach down there and carry more than a windbreaker when you go out to dinner.
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Thanks for the tip. I did pack a swaeter since you mentioned it. But it’s really not too bad. It’s actually even a little warmer than it has been in the Riverbend area.
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All this is great but we need to win the game first for it to mean something good. Everybody is acting like we got Kentucky in the bag–we don’t. Not yet anyway. Go Dawgs! GATA!!
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Well said.
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It’s pretty awesome that the senior class that bridges a coaching change has a chance to win 40 games. Maybe that happens a lot, but seems unlikely.
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Some damned good Dawgs in this group. I hope they have long, safe and healthy careers of their choosing. Thanks guys!
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Will Chaney honor Nick Chubb by ONLY running him between the guards and on first down? Yeah, that was kinda condescending for a positive post but it’s a legitimate question.
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Thanks to the wonderful seniors, especially those who came back.
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