The home-practice field advantage was in play for the Georgia Bulldogs in Sanford Stadium Tuesday afternoon. The AJC.com’s Chip Towers guessed as many a 1000 students streamed into the stadium halfway through practice to get a preview of what they might see when the Dawgs open the season at home against Clemson on August 30.
More from Georgia Football
- Georgia Football: Top 5 Nick Chubb Moments at Georgia
- Georgia Football: Know the enemy UAB Blazers
- Georgia Football: Should laundry list of injuries be a cause to panic?
- Georgia Football: Report cards for Week 3 game against South Carolina
- Georgia football: Sunday afternoon thoughts and feelings
“It was awesome to get out there in front of the students,” Starting center David Andrews told Georgiadogs.com. “The first day back (after classes start) is always kind of a tough day. Getting back into school, people aren’t used to the schedule. I thought we did a good job today, and they brought a little life and energy to practice. Football is fun when you play in front of people. Having them there and being able to do that was a good opportunity.”
The students also received t-shirts, water, pizza and a pep talk from the Big Dawg. “We’re really looking for a big turnout for the ‘Dog Walk’ and for the student section,” Richt said. “We’re asking everyone to wear red and black and make it one of the those memorable games, memorable atmospheres. The students are a huge part of that.”
The open practice experiment was announced through an email blast Tuesday morning and appears a success. If repeated , expect a few tweaks. “It was smoking hot,” Richt said. “I noticed we had them on the sunny side of the stadium. If we do it again, we may put them on the other side in the shade. They would probably like that. We appreciate all the students who came out. You could tell they’re excited for the season.