WLOCP - 4th & 3 Dudes, episode 28

In this week's episode, we have a recap of week 9, which was an off week for both the Dawgs and Cord's Beavers. Then we delve into the coaching carousel and talk about this weekend's showdowns.

Link, share and subscribe. Most of all, let's go beat the gators! Go Dawgs!

Some links from mentions in the show:

• the Haynes King article by David Hale and Dave Wilson
• 4th & 3 Dudes YouTube channel, and/or Spotify
• Kiffin's "Velvet Ditch" tweet

WLOCP - a rivalry in pics

Just some pictures to share as we ready ourselves for the next edition of the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

"Sweetheart, at UGA the guys carry the beer for the ladies."

Mr. Bill Stanfill, Spurrier's greatest nightmare.

Run Lindsay RUN!

"Dorsey Hill, now fortified with more than collards..."

"Screw florida and the mule they rode in here on!" Absolute LEGEND!

Mrs. and I relishing another win on the banks of the St. Johns

Go Dawgs!

Digesting the WLOCP - the bad, the good, and the HAVOC

Let's get the bad out of the way. Carson Beck had another awful start. He continues to struggle connecting with targets and overall doesn't look polished like he did towards the end of last season. The interceptions were baffling, to be honest.

The defense struggled in the first half and clearly missed Jackson and Aguero. The Gators should not have gotten that last field goal to end the half. Our secondary followed their motion and left a weakened weak side over-matched.

That's it. That's the bad. The defense returned to form when Jackson and Aguero were given their helmets back and released from SEC officiating purgatory. Florida didn't amass 200 total yards of offense until that last touchdown drive midway through the 4th quarter.

Bobo called a great game, balancing it between managing through Beck's rough start and losing Etienne. Frazier stepped up into the role well, and Cash did his usual Cash things. So the loss of Etienne was troubling, but not devastating by any means.

And Hello! Peanut! 

We are all Peanut fans#GoDawgs | @DwightP_2024 pic.twitter.com/ee2ZPAVmNm

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 4, 2024

Saturday was probably the best game our tight end room has had this season: blocking, route running, and catching. That's encouraging!

Woodring and Thorson had great days, but until that bad snap/hold Florida was having an even better day at special teams.

I watched the tv version last night and was surprised to hear Herbstreit say the Georgia fans were not into it. In the stands I felt the opposite was true. Going back to Kirby's words to the fans after the Auburn game, I feel like Dawg fans have only gotten louder and dug in deeper behind the team.

And having a couple great defensive outings has helped. You take a play like Daniel Harris made, that brings a lot of noise from Georgia fans. Sacks, solid tackling, meeting the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage, CJ Allen leaping in anticipation of a bad pass...just HAVOC in general dissolves any perceived separation between those in red on the field and those in red in the stands.

Let's end with Beck. I'm sure you are hearing it too. No one knows more than Carson that he needs to be better. The fact that he's had three interceptions in each of the last two games and we've still managed to win both by two touchdowns is both amazing and nerve wracking.

But if you think he's not our best option by a wide margin, you're just not paying attention. Many coaches would've pulled the quarterback after that third interception in the early moments of the second half. And let's be honest, Beck could've had four by that time!

But Kirby did not pull him. That tells me Beck was still our best option to win the game. That being said, in the television replay I could see Kirby getting less "hand holding" with 15 and more firm in the "it's time to step up" message as we entered the final frame.

And let's be fair, Carson did step up. He was 11 for 11 in the deciding final 15 minutes of the game. 

I may spend another post on our quarterback later in the week, but for now let's acknowledge the fact that we've won four straight in Jacksonville. Something that we haven't been able to do since the '80s!

Go Dawgs! 

the Friday Misery says FTMF!

"We need a miracle!" screamed Dorsey Hill, now fortified by more than collards.

"Holding pigs for my dad to castrate was quite a challenge. I can't say that helped prepare me for football, but it sure did remind me a lot of sacking Steve Spurrier." - Bill Stanfill

"Hey Stevie...BOO!"

With your bright orange shirts and your sissy blue britches, you can go to Hell you sonsabitches! Gators...Gators...how'd ya like to bite my ass?!

How much do I hate florida? Turn the toaster oven to 500, throw it into the center of a thousand suns, and then into the molten lava center of a box of pizza bites.

the legacy of Willy Napier

On the day of November 28, 2021, Napier was known for bringing success to the Sun Belt Conference's UL-Lafayette. He was known as a solid recruiter, and was replacing known counter-recruiting aficionado - Danny Mullen. It seemed a thoughtful pivot for the bull gator intelligentsia.

Also, Billy had turned that ULL program around. They made bowl games in all four of Napier's seasons there as he lead them to a 40-12 overall record. Could he be the full package for florida? And would that aforementioned intelligentsia give him the space and time to right the ship that Muschamp, Sharkdaddy McIlwain, and Mullen had steered into jagged rocks?

Recruiting has improved, which is to say the current gator coaches engage in it and recognize its importance. But (current Georgia backup QB Jaden Rashada) is currently suing Napier and the Gator Guard Collective for failing to stand by their NIL commitment of $13 million and change. It's the first suit of its kind.

And for any gator fan that has stumbled from their single-wide/meth lab over here? When I type "suit" I'm referring to a legal action, not the fact that your 15 jersey with the sleeves ripped off matches your frayed edged jorts.

So in summation, it's been and still is rocky water in the swamps around Gainesville. Ya hate to see it! Where does the SunBelt Billy legacy lead? A win tomorrow could warrant it more time on the gator sideline. A loss might find it at the bottom of the swamp chained to a concrete block.

a Hate as old as time

Gator family, or alligatoridae as it were, have been around since well before Steve Spurrier returned to Gainesville. I'm talking the Eocene epoch, like before they evolved into eatin' boogers. Man came along roughly 29 million years later. Many species of alligatoridae are now extinct. So despite the age difference, the overall record in this series is almost unfathomable - 8 billion humans and nearly a billion dogs to roughly 3 million embiggened lizards.

Why? Well, all scientists agree (even the ones on campus in Gainesville wearing their lab coats backwards) that the alligator evolved much more slowly than mammals and even birds.

I know, shocker right?! These are the reptiles whose fans clap as if their left hand is on fire. Have you ever seen an alligator wearing jean shorts? No, me neither. Then again, I guess jorts are cheaper than alligator skin outerwear.

According to their team fanpage Wiki, in 2010 after outlasting the Dawgs in overtime 34-31, their fans "were found to gather in large numbers for group courtship, the so-called 'alligator dances'." Egad! Sounds like a scene from a late night Cinemax flick.

No thank you! So despite all the millenniums of evolution (mostly on our part fellow Dawg fans), the goal remains the same.

Beat.

Florida.

of note

Did you know that during the years of Prohibition, Georgia dominated this series 6-2-1? Which proves that a florida tackle football team is no better when they are sober.

I believe I took this pic prior to the 2017 WLOCP. On one hand I took it because I have two daughters, and this is not mine nor their mother's impression of "chivalry". But I also took it because...screw you florida douche ass punk! Be a man and carry the case of beer! Jesus, it's not a toothbrush or, Heaven forbid, a non-fictional account of College Football prior to the 1990s!

I imagine it went down something like this:

"Hey babe, let's go catch that bus and get to lil Dickie's tailgate. And can you carry the beer? This bad ass lanyard and my Skoal Bandits are really weighing me down."

"Well, you made me pay for them, so I guess it's only right."

Back to reality. Danny Wuerffel ain't walking down that tunnel tomorrow. More to the point, Trevor Etienne ain't gonna be wearing a helmet with the cute cursive print on it. Prohibition is long over. It's time to work those corked bottles, snap back cans, twist tops and shot glasses. It's the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party! It was a metal, steel chair. With about a five inch cushion! JAWS was about a shark, not a gator. Monthly parole is no longer a undergraduate major, the Urban era is done. FTMF! That's what my coach said. One bit, two bits, three bits ain't gonna get you shit tomorrow! Lindsay RAN so Munson lit the cigar. Your fans throw meth raves and your players throw cleats. You're so poor, you couldn't keep Cam Newton on the roster. You're closer to a circus than a College Football Playoff. To give a nod to ol' Dorsey again, "I haven't worked since Texas, and I haven't slept since Clemson. You expect me to go back home when we play Ole Miss in six days!??" God IS a Bulldog!

Now let us bow our heads...dear little baby Jesus, in the words of Dan Magill, please smite these florida Philistines and keep our ice cold and our Dawg hearts warm. In the name of Nat Hudson, Robert Edwards, Dick Sam IV, and Nakobe Dean...Amen and Go Dawgs!

Mid week feelings on the WLOCP

We're getting close! As I cross over the Trout River each day and putter towards MLK, get closer and closer to taking that exit instead. Hope all y'all traveling down in the coming days drive and fly and boat safely. The weather is good this year. I think we'll head into the game in the low 80's, so it could hot sitting in portions of the stands. But overall a very pleasant weatherly outlook.

As for the game:

• I like that we are healthier than we have been in a month or so. Getting Tate back is big. Sounds like Mykel will still be on a play count. On their side of the field, they have a lot of playmakers listed as questionable - RB and especially wide receiver. Most of the real game experience is still available though; the exception being senior RB Montrell Jackson. They've done pretty well with freshman Jadan Baugh toting the rock.
• Here a few days out it just feels like a game that starts slowly before we really lean on them. So it could be close at half, but I like our interior lineman on both sides of the compared to theirs.

I enjoy this week for the social media posting too. One of the greatest Dawg fans I know, Billy goes old school with this post:

And Greg came in with the full video experience. Go Dawgs!

A video that never gets old. “Screw Florida and the mule they came in here on!”. Erk Russell ‘1980 pic.twitter.com/9vJXns7w9d

— 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑔 - 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑎𝑡! (@Dawgsfan4ever) October 29, 2024

Let's re-visit a florida gator nightmare sequence

Nama shared this last night. What a game!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Row Sixty: A Georgia Football Podcast (@rowsixty)

We happened to be sitting behind Nolan Smith's grandfather. He busted a knuckle celebrating during that fumble return. So I went home with a bloody polo, but beyond overjoyed!

The longest two and a half minutes of Dan Mullen's career. And precipitated one of Kirby's greatest halftime speeches (at least to our knowledge) where he implores the team to "make them fucking quit!"

I can't wait for Saturday!

the Friday Misery once wore orange

 "I want to coach a team that opponents don't look forward to playing." - Danny Ford, Clempson head side line roamer 1978-1989

I understand the sentiment Coach Ford. But feel the opposite about Georgia vs Clemson. And I think Coach Smart feels the same as I do. Maybe Dabo too.

A tail as old as time

Long time readers may recall, I both grew up in Athens and am the product of a Clemson Tiger household. Yes, those two things can indeed both be true! Dear ol' dad took me to 100% more games at Lake Hartwell's version of Death Valley than he did at Sanford Stadium. I both had an orange windbreaker as a kid AND remember listening to Munson on the radio calling Georgia games while I raked leaves in the backyard.

Talk about a conflicted upbringing!

"Coach, that boy Herschel is gonna be a problem for us isn't he?"

And yet it all worked out in the end. Dad went on to get his doctorate from an actual school, UGA, and Georgia continued this rivalry by flat out dominating! Also, I ditched the orange windbreaker for a gray Member's Only jacket in middle school and started doing impressions of Michael Jackson on the side.

The '80s! What a time!

The point I'm failing to get to is...I love this game! My greatest prediction in this series came when I was walking into Sanford in 2002, called the folks on my flip phone, and predicted a 31-28 Georgia win. Thank you Billy Bennett! 

Speaking of Sanford, this game was the first one under lights 'tween the hedges. Forty two years ago ABC moved the game to Labor Day night, gave Vince Dooley $50k for temporary lights, which he parlayed into $250k for permanent ones. Dawgs won 13-7. And then won every other game until we lost to Penn State in the Sugar Bowl. Meanwhile, Clempson went undefeated, but got caught giving recruits extra cow patties and had to forgo a bowl game.

To be honest, it's not much of a rivalry, as Georgia leads the series 43-18-4. But they've played some epic games. And two of which I was sitting beside my IPTAY father in Death Valley. We watched that 2003 team dominate with Pollack, Greene, and Fab Fly Freddie Gibson. And we watched that 2013 team come so close in a 38-35 Clemson win. 

Picture that Dad's colleagues hung at his desk

Saturday it's time to Hunker Down and grab that kitty by the tail, again!

Pro-NUN-see-a-shuns

As we begin another college tackle football season, I again begin to appreciate how we can both hate a team, yet respect their pride in said team. In our family text threads, the perfect Fall Saturday is when Georgia wins, Clemson wins, and South Carolina loses. We can't stand the Gamecocks, but Lord A'mighty they HATE them.

And then there's little things too. Years ago, Dad and I had a nice Sunday at Augusta National (watching, not playing). We're walking out the gate and I pointed at Mike Tirico, who naturally was there to cover the little tournament they had going on. Dad had a long look of disgust, to which I asked why he didn't like the dude.

Turns out, Tirico pronounces "Clemson" in a way that is considered somewhere between a gross error and downright idiocy. He emphasizes the "s" as more of a "ZZZZ" if I recall correctly. Which is why I often type "Clemson" with a "p", because that's what I've heard since childhood.

Come on Tirico! How are you gonna make it in that business if you can't connect to a rural upstate South Carolina farming population. Jeesh.

Other adventures in pronunciations. en-dor As in Georgia fans enjoy indoor plumbing, now going on more than a century! Or how about, klown. Because our coach isn't named after one. And tra-dish-shuns. They touch a rock.

And we create HA-VOK! Go Dawgs!

Chubb didn't need a helmet in 2014

Quick housekeeping notes

Stapleton's White Horse will forever be my go to tune before a game. It was playing at our tailgate before we marched into the WLOCP last year...I lost my voice. Thanks to our youngest for the reminder!

And here's a link to the first episode of our podcast - 4th & 3 Dudes - in which Nama does his best to put a tent over a circus. 

In closing

I understand what Farmer Ford meant when he gave us that quote about the kind of team he wanted to build. But there's a real, tangible difference between opening up on national television against Clempson, as opposed to an Austin-Peay. Even at noon.

The players are tired at this point of lining up against their own teammates. They're hungry to hit someone in a different jersey. They want this game. Kirby wants this game.

I want this game. And I know you do too. It's been a long off season. About a week longer than we had gotten used to, am I right? Now let's bow our heads please...dear Lord, please allow our fellas to give Klubnik an awful nightmare tomorrow afternoon. And thanks for helping me get rid of that hideous windbreaker!

Amen. Go Dawgs!!

the Friday Misery wants a Standing O!!

Prelude

"Just consider it an ice cold purse Babe. You're
doing great. Go Gators!"

While they mix their vodka and Monster energy drinks, we’ll be pouring some bourbon comfortably over ice. They’ll chase their Four Lokos with Pepsi...or vice versa, I have no idea and does it really matter anyway? They’ll make their girlfriends carry their beer. They’ll be in orange clapping as if their entire arms are encased in cement. We’ll be in red and black, ready for a handshake and a pat on the back. In the immortal words of the Greatest Bulldog ever, Coach Magill, “They are the Florida Philistines.” They are a perfect unnatural blend of rudeness, crassness, and base immorality. They will tailgate at crosswalks, Burger King bags in each hand. Meanwhile, we’ll raise a tent, sit a spell, and commence to sharing stories, such as what our barber said during the off week haircut about Jake Fromm, or what our neighbor heard from a friend of a cousin’s tennis partner that is in the Mary Beth Smart carpool rotation. They’ll dump ice into the cardboard Miller Lite case because a styrofoam cooler is a whole $4.99 at the gas n’ sip where they bought their Skoal bandits and pork rinds. Nearby, your lovely wife will adorn her newest bloody mary with a Phickles Pickles pickled okie.

Despite the overt disparities, everything will seem normal. Relaxed even. As Grizzard quoted a local after the 1980 win, “It’s the annual celebration of the repeal of Prohibition!” Yes, it’ll be good to be back in Jacksonville, our annual Fall, midseason retreat.

Then suddenly, it happens...

Under an overpass, average florida fan in awkwardly short jorts and a Tebow jersey with the sleeves cut off strolls up to a young Georgia fan waiting with his dad to cross the street - “Welcome to florida bitches! Hope you like the taste of our ass later this afternoon! Go gators!!”

The young boy turns to look up at Average Gator Fan Man and responds, “Thank you sir, my dad and I are both sorry that you have to live here in this awful swamp of humidity and bad life choices you call a state. And we hope that one day you’ll manage to save up the $56 so you can finally finish that GED course. Enjoy the game!”

The dad smiles at the jorted one as they cross the street. Meanwhile the florida fan stands stupefied momentarily, then turns to his sister and asks, “What the hell’s a GED?”

Hate is not a strong enough sentiment.

The word itself has too few letters to sufficiently explain the eternal fire that burns inside of us, fueled by years of having to share a stadium with those knuckle dragging, mouth breathing, dim-witted cretins. They are pathological losers, especially when their team wins the game. They are sociological anomalies. Centuries from now anthropologists will be dumbfounded by the gator fan’s lack of class, unwillingness to learn simple tasks (such as grooming or eating with utensils), inability to adapt, ineffectiveness at contributing anything positive to its community, and their otherwise pervasive ability to offend those around them.

A gator fan is what you get when you introduce a WalMart clothing clearance rack with a meth-addled brain. It is sexless. It is devoid of any redeeming value. It is lacking any single quality that would make an ordinary person want to interact with it. It is insolence personified. It is a magnet for immoral behavior thought patterns. The gator fan isn’t the person your mother warned you about because your mother is too nice of a person to even think that such a vile, degenerate douchebag like the gator fan could possibly exist.

I would complain about this gator fan's behavior in front of the young
boy perched on dad's shoulders, but obviously the dad has no qualms.

Cases in point

Exhibit A: Normal person takes their toddler for a photo session after dressing the boy in his Sunday best. Gator fan doesn’t bother to wipe the oreo crumbs from the kid’s mouth, but makes sure the miniature Tebow jersey is straight and the kid’s middle fingers are raised before the photographer snaps the pic.

Exhibit B: Normal person eventually develops past the third grade mentality of teasing everyone about everything. Gator fan sees an elderly lady drop a cantaloupe in the produce section and commences to shouting irreverent and disgusting names at her then grabbing his genitals aggressively and chanting “Go Gator!”

Exhibit C: Normal person needs money for a new laptop so he saves up until he has enough. Gator felon swipes bank cards like they’re apples on a tree and heads to the student union for a spending spree. (Hey Corrinne Brown, that rhymed! Go Gatuh!)

We owe it to our children to prevent the spread of this classless race of sub-humans. Be a good parent, a good neighbor, a good citizen that wants to see advancement and happiness in the community. Don’t let children become gator fans. Again, especially your daughters.

Kirby’s STAND in Jax

Kirby, dude, I’ve bought in. I hear you coach and see you coach and I believe. I’m following your orders. I’m not into national narratives and I don’t give a shit about college football playoff scenarios.

The CFBOMG!! Playoffs are in January. Today is the 27th of October. Tomorrow we have Georgia-Florida, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party by God! That’s the only thing on my mind. I don’t care how Notre Dame is doing because I haven’t thought about them since I woke up on September 10th.

You wanted it louder in Sanford and I gave my voice. You wanted a work week and I haven’t pressed snooze once. The focus is one day, one rep, one play, one drill at a time. You want to accomplish a goal it must be earned through preparation and dedication.

The next step towards that end is to beat the Florida Gators. The fog that envelops this game for Georgia is heavy. There’s always something - dropped passes, weird cold fronts, missed tackles, bad bounces. For the better part of the last three decades in Jacksonville, success has been few and far between. Netflix could devote an entire season of Stranger Things to Georgia’s experiences in Jacksonville Florida.

It needs to end Kirby. It needs to end tomorrow.

The sporadic victories that we had in the Donnan and Richt eras weren’t big enough to change the tide of the series. 1997 was sweet, sweet revenge for years of taking Spurrier’s jabs. But 1998 just reminded us that our cocktail is rarely shaken nor stirred. 2005 should’ve been Urban’s first taste of defeat in the series, but propped up by crutches, Shockley could only watch his team lose a heartbreaker. As incredible as 2007 was, 2008 was a complete kick in the crotch, followed by an endless chorus of “F--- YOU GEORGIA!!” as we rode the escalators down...down...down.

Famed fraternity mediator Ron Zook left Florida with a 2-1 record in the WLOCP. Famed shark humper Jim McIlwain is 2-0 thus far. A 10 point underdog in 2014, famed sideline Hulk impressionist William Muschamp started a freshman at quarterback and the gators racked up 428 yards on the ground in route to a 38-20 upset.

DickSamIV...crusher of gator will to compete

Kirby, I say all that to illustrate how tired we are of playing second fiddle down there. What is your stamp on this series going to be? Are we one day away from putting an epic beat down on these swamp lizards, or just another chance at coming up with more excuses as to why we can’t win this game more often.

Your team has plowed through the likes of Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Missouri. Hell, you probably put the nail in the coffins that are the Jones and Odom tenures experiements at their respective schools. McIlwain needs to spend the fourth quarter scratching his head. We need to walk into Everbank tomorrow with the better prepared team, the one that is more focused and determined. They spent the week talking the talk. We need to walk out of there having walked the walk.

We need this win tomorrow. Not just for you. Not just for me. Not just for this season or the next. We need it for mankind. And when you ask those guys in the post-game locker room to stand up if they’ve beaten florida, we want a STANDING OVATION!

Now, please bow your heads...dear Lord Baby Jesus, please clear all lane closures on I-95 so we can zip down there and zip right back out after Wynn raises Chubb in the air after his 7th touchdown. And please don’t let those lizards slip no roofies in our cocktail. In the name of Nat Hudson, Lindsey Scott, Robert Edwards, and of course Lewis Grizzard and his ol’ pal Dorsey Hill, Amen!

Go Dawgs!

It's just another work week in Athens. Shhhh.

But down yonder...

#Gators WR Josh Hammond brings up that UF has won 3 straight against Georgia. "They might be the No. 3 team ... but they can't beat Florida"

— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) October 23, 2017

Chauncey Gardner on UGA QB Jake Fromm's success: "He's throwing simple passes. I get it. Anybody can throw a slant." #Gators

— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) October 23, 2017

Is Lock the best quarterback we'll see the rest of the season?

Statistically he is just ahead of both Bentley and Stidham in yards per game. But Lock trails both in completion percentage.

It's worth noting that Saturday night was Lock's best game since Missouri opened against SW Missouri St. They knew their best shots were going to be deep against a young secondary. They missed a couple but made a few. It didn't help that we couldn't generate much of a pass rush.

Still, the end result was never in doubt because with an open playbook, Fromm tossing darts, and a steady bevy of running backs that could barrel over defenders or hurdle them, Missouri wasn't going to be able to stop the offense from scoring.

Florida (6th)
South Carolina (8th)
Auburn (4th)
Kentucky (11th)

That's the rest of our SEC schedule with the respective total defense conference rank. Somewhere in there is a game or two where the offense probably looks closer to what we saw in South Bend. In those kind of games it often comes down to quarterback play in the fourth quarter. And we all remember that Wimbush couldn't answer the call.

I like Fromm's chances to shine in that kind of moment. He showed how dangerous he can be Saturday with the whole play book opened up and receivers making catches instead of dropping them. As a result he leads the conference in yards per attempt.

Can Franks, Stidham, Bentley, or Johnson answer the call? Franks didn't really scare me until he also racked up 82 yards rushing in Saturday's loss to A&M. Glad Tucker has that film on his desk this week. Bentley and Johnson both take good care of the football, but they don't have a strong rushing game to open up those intermediate and deep routes consistently.

Stidham has a nice deep ball and is completing 65% of his passes. He trails only Fromm in YPA. He'll also be at home. I hope our defensive line can torment him the way Clemson did.

Although we've run through the first half of this schedule like a chain saw, these next few games are going to be a bigger test overall. Historically, Florida has been good at coming up with new wrinkles to generate offense in Jacksonville. I'm always thankful for this week off, but I'm already looking forward to seeing this Georgia team play football again!

Go Dawgs!

Friday Misery - old fashioned cocktail party

One part ice. Two parts bitters. Two parts ginger syrup. Four parts bourbon.

Now. Let's do this.

Prelude

Washed ashore on the northern bank of the St. Johns river, I was dizzy and disoriented. Twice I attempted to rise, just to my knees, but gravity easily overpowered me and my face came crashing back down to Earth.

As I lay there, exhausted and despondent, I thought to myself, “This is what losing three of four feels like.” The shame was just too thick to slice through and even days later the memories would not relent.

Botched assignments. Overblown egos. Poor execution. Laziness. Poor decisions.

We had embraced the wrong tenets and got caught believing better of ourselves. Against inferior opponents you can sometimes survive, but not on a day when they wanted it so much more. So I was left to drift listlessly towards the next destination, the next moment of judgment, with nothing to tend to my wounds except time and the marsh water of the River’s lower basin.

Night was falling. In the distance I could hear the motorized sounds from the expressway. But I could not see the lights because my eyes had grown too heavy.

“Goddamn Vanderbilt,” was my last thought before I passed out.

Down. But not out.

By dawn the realization that this territory was not unchartered only intensified. The pain continued to be persistent, but hope can be an incredible analgesic.

And I saw you there too, as well as the others. As the Sun crested over Exchange Island we realized our strength in numbers. We were fortified by our position. I looked deep into your eyes and you mine, and we both saw a familiar resolve.

Chubb’s knee. Gurley and AJ benched. Third and Grantham. Fourth and Willie. The Independence Bowl. 2008 Blackout. Quincy in Columbia. Kevin Ramsey’s year. Ray Goff minus 1993.

We have seen some shit man. We have traversed this rickety bridge. To just stop and not move forward is to give up. You, me, Kirby, his players, we’re just not wired that way. To see the top we must endure the cold, dark valley.

Better days are ahead and these struggles will only make them that much sweeter. So we dust ourselves off and set our bearings. There is much work to be done.

The sweet salve of a WLOCP win.

Yes, some have chosen not to bear arms. The fight has lost them and they are no longer propelled to join our side. They’re the same ones that missed Nat Hudson throwing that block in 1980. Lindsay ran and ran, but not before their eyes. Instead they sobbed quietly in a corner after shutting the television off.

They know not how to see a fight through to the end. Their drawers are too tight and their grits are watery. Whether that is a result of their own personality flaws or poor parental influence when they were younger, is not our place to dwell in. Perhaps they only chewed crayons in kindergarten instead of their teacher showing them the beauty that could come forth from the waxy, vivid Crayola box.

Their only hope is that we circle the wagons in their absence. Have mercy they just need to be turned toward the light!

There was a point in time when players like Bobo, Edwards, Smart, and Champ decided they were just goddamned tired of taking the beating. No one gave those guys a chance against a Spurrier team that was the defending national champion and reloaded with talent. But those Dawgs didn’t back down and they certainly didn’t worry about those that had given up on them.

Same can be said of the 2004 team, as well as the teams in 2007 and 2012. They weren’t worried about Florida’s ranking and their streak in Jacksonville. They didn’t bother with supporters who had left their team’s colors at the bottom of the laundry pile. They didn’t concern themselves with fanatics that had only become fanatical about bitching and moaning more than hunkering down and Glory Glory.

Brothers, sisters...the fight continues on tomorrow. Together we cross onto Gator Bowl Blvd and populate the lots along Duval and Tallyrand. Many others will join us in spirit, a cocktail in their hand and some grit left in their belly. We’ll join hands and we’ll watch the team bus approach. We’ll embolden those players’ attitude and we’ll pledge our support through to the end.

We must focus on that which is within our control, which means recognizing that the very vocal minority may not be swayed. But that doesn’t mean that our colors change. It doesn’t mean that we can’t pump our fists into the cool evening air when Sony Michel battles for a first down. It doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy the absolute pleasure of being a Georgia Bulldog fan on a Saturday night.

Because win or lose, it is an absolute pleasure. Having endured so many losses together, we can stomach the possibility of one more while summoning forth the very voice intent on preventing it.

As Larry Munson and God as my witness, I look forward to looking back on the banks of the St. Johns tomorrow and smiling. Together we washed ashore broken and battered. And together we will walk away having seen players like Lorenzo, Atkins, Payne, Sony, and Chubb experience the utter joy of winning in Jacksonville.

Finally. Again. Go Dawgs y’all!

Now, let us pray...dear Lord please protect us from this enemy race and let the ice in our drinks have the will of Nat Hudson and the fortitude of Robert Edwards. First downs for Glory! Amen.