Readers will occasionally email the accounts of their game day experiences.
As they attempt to chronicle what they’ve witnessed, it might occur to them that good writing takes time. A wordsmith doesn’t simply type a stream-of-consciousness account and hit the send button.
“To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement,” said Mark Twain.
Let’s proceed to recent correspondence that’s been edited, re-written and formatted to fit your screen.
Greenfield native Mark Snyder sent his account of Saturday’s contest between UMass and Georgia, which he was unaware was coach Mark Whipple’s last game.
“A longtime colleague invited us to Athens for our first SEC game,” wrote Snyder, who lives in Chicago but still roots for the Red Sox. “Georgia playing UMass was like the Red Sox playing a team from the Arizona Fall League, but it gave us a taste of big-time college football.”
All-time greats Herschel Walker, Fran Tarkenton, Terrell Davis and dozens of others have graced the Georgia gridiron at Sanford Stadium, which has been expanded incrementally from 30,000 seats in 1929, to over 92,000 today.
In the throng of red-clad fans, Snyder had an up-close view of Georgia football’s notable characteristics. “The field is surrounded by a hedge. It’s why TV announcers refer to games at Sanford Stadium being played “between the hedges.’”
According to the Georgia media guide, the phrase was penned by Grantland Rice in the 1920s, the same era when sportswriters kept referring to the players as “bulldogs” until the nickname stuck.
The first living four-footed mascot made his cameo on the Georgia sideline in 1956, when a fan brought his English bulldog onto the sideline. Georgia won the game and the tradition was born. He was nicknamed Uga because, well, figure it out for yourself.
“Some of the loudest cheers were for Uga,” wrote Snyder. “The current one is Uga IX.”
Uga is all-white and wears a spiked collar over a red game jersey and gets plenty of jowl time on national television. According to one account, he lives in an air-conditioned dog house next to the cheerleaders’ platform, blissfully unaware that his ancestors are buried nearby.
The betting line was 500-1 and the point spread was 42, and Georgia needed three plays from scrimmage to score its first touchdown. While they ran up the score, the fans exuded southern hospitality. “They were wonderful and we didn’t hear a curse word all day,” said Snyder. “Of course, they also didn’t hesitate to tell us it was their third-string back who just scored, and that UMass’ Andy Isabella was getting all his yards against the second- and third-team defense.”
Before halftime, Snyder noticed nearly an entire section of fans get up and leave. They were high school recruits with their families, and they were headed to the new recruiting lounge above the locker room. “It’s how the football elite remain elite,” wrote Snyder. “They keep the recruits’ mothers’ happy by promising to keep their boys healthy, and promise the four- and five-star athletes they’ll be groomed to play in the NFL.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart uses a pro-style offense, and according to ESPN, 30 former Bulldogs are currently on NFL rosters. The list includes three New England Patriots — running back Sony Michel, center David Andrews, and offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn.
During Saturday’s game, 22 Bulldog skill players touched the ball. Seven running backs rushed for at least 49 yards, three quarterbacks combined to complete 14-of-17 passes, and the Bulldogs racked up 701 yards of total offense. The 66-27 score was the most points they’d scored in a game since 2014, when they beat Troy, 66-0.
The next day, Snyder bought the Sunday Athens Banner-Herald and saw a full page cover photo of Georgia wideout Tyler Simmons sprinting toward the end zone. “There was no national coverage, or even a college football roundup. It was all about the Bulldogs.”
The fifth-ranked Bulldogs (10-1) are 17-point favorites against Georgia Tech on Saturday, an intra-state rivalry referred to as “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.” The following week, they play Alabama for the SEC championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Tickets start at $345 on StubHub.
Snyder was philosophical about seeing his alma mater lose by 39 points and finish the season with a 4-8 record. “Well, we scored and we beat the spread,” he wrote. “We couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
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In Gainesville two months ago, Deerfield native Crosby Hunt braved 96-degree heat to watch the Florida Gators beat Colorado State, 48-10. At first glance, the announced attendance of 80,021 appeared impressive, but Ben Hill Griffin Stadium holds over 90,000, and Hunt took advantage of the empty seats. This is his report:
“The fans near my seat said they’d never seen Ben Hill Griffin Stadium quite as empty. That’s good, because vacant stadiums mean lots of extra leg space and elbow room.
“I tried the scalping route, figuring my chances were good after the Gators lost to Kentucky. A woman was offering a club seat for $25, a good deal considering those are the best seats in the stadium.
“She hesitated because she suspected I wasn’t ‘a Gator.’ I wasn’t wearing any orange, that’s true, but I did have my Cedar Key hat and wore none of the discernible green-and-gold Colorado State colors that would reveal a traitor in her midst.
“The ticket included complimentary food — tossed green salad, black beans, pulled pork sliders — but when a vendor asked if he could bring me a hot dog, well that was too much, and I may as well have been in the desert than expect to find good old-fashioned water. They had jugs of “infused” water, iced tea and lemonade — but nary a drop of water.
“After the club experience, I might not be able to go back to regular seats. There’s nothing wrong with creature comforts. If I need to root against my alma mater, then so be it. We’re getting older and our egos and sore backs could use a massage.”