I felt it getting closer every day this week. It’s comparable to that sinking feeling you get after you realize the cool summer breezes are slowly turning into sharp fall chills, which is usually followed by a scratchy throat and the flu. In my youth, I entertained the idea that my acknowledgement and anxiety towards the thought of the impending flu contributed to the actual sickness. Never mind the fact that I was an unruly-ass kid who didn’t care much for stuffy coats and jackets when there were schoolyard games to play, I was convinced that I had that much control over my body.
By the same token, it seems that our beloved Dawgs have taken the annual Florida game with the same level of apprehension for the past couple of decades. Every year, we dread its arrival, and for a while it seemed the leaders of our program (players, coaches, and athletic directors) felt content with crossing our fingers and hoping for a change instead of preparing. That is, until a year ago. Sure, we lost, but with the players’ efforts in mind, the loss was a matter of mistimed, improper execution and downright bad luck as opposed to uninspired play or utter intimidation.
You saw the effort these guys put forth in plenty of plays: Take, for example, Christian Robinson diving over the line of scrimmage to take down Chris Rainey, A.J. Green stonewalling Gator DBs with multiple stiff-arms, Rambo trying to scoop a UF fumble and take it the distance (he wasn’t able to recover, but that’s beside the point), and Aaron Murray’s final two drives, the last of which included two of the most clutch completions of the year. The heart these guys showed in those 60 minutes exceeded what most Dawg fans have seen in a couple of years, yet for an entire year, they’ve had nothing to show for it.
This UGA squad is still pretty young, but it’d be a mistake to measure this team’s maturity by game experience. It may just be my naiveté speaking, but as of now I feel these Dawgs have grown enough to shatter the mental block this game has presented for so long. Just like I eventually learned to manage these frigid New England autumns and winters in the past four years, I believe this team can show the world how they’ve adapted and (hopefully) counteracted the Jacksonville jinx on Saturday.
Matching the Gators’ layers upon layers of program insulation should, God-willing, finally level the playing field for a rivalry that hasn’t been anything but one-sided since the 80s. By program insulation, I mean an accountable and effective strength and conditioning staff, opportunistic scheduling, along with energetic and competent assistant coaches. Now that these oversights have been corrected the teams have a chance to line up and play a game in the absence of lingering, yet oh-so relevant questions like “What if UGA had the bye-week advantage instead of Florida? What if the game wasn’t in Jacksonville?”
If the Dawgs play to their potential on Saturday, this game could be in hand by the 3rd quarter. If they play with the passion and focus that the recent direction of the rivalry calls for, it could be a downright massacre. However, this is a rivalry game, and history has shown us that recent trends are better off being thrown out of the equation. With that said, I’m expecting a 60-minute battle against a Florida defense with an extremely talented front seven and a chip on their shoulders. I have the utmost confidence in our defense, from the line to the secondary; therefore, if somehow Aaron Murray can keep a clean jersey for the majority of the game, Saturday will be an amazing day, and likely a sign of good things to come in Bulldog Nation.
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