Georgia Football: Upcoming Matchup Echoes 2017 Season
By Ashley Espie
Georgia football heads into a similar matchup from two years ago against the Vols. Can the Dawgs mimic that success?
This year Georgia football’s team and its schedule is achingly familiar to the one that almost won a national championship two years ago.
And it’s not just as simple an explanation as to our home, and away games on the East are identical. That much is obvious.
This particular team feels similar to the one in 2017, from the experienced leaders paving the way to the inexperienced freshmen loaded with talent and potential.
Yet, like that 2017 team, this year’s team enters Week 5 with a lot still to prove. Do they have what it takes to win the East? Can they win the SEC and go all the way?
Just like 2017, Georgia easily waltzed through its two “cupcake” games, albeit more decisively this time around.
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They’ve also already conquered an SEC opponent. The Dawgs 30-6 win over Vandy is eerily similar to the 31-3 win over Mississippi St in 2017, only this time they did it on the road.
And the flea-flicker that wowed the crowd? While not replicated in the game against Vandy, the massive amount of Georgia fans in Vanderbilt’s stadium loudly cheering “Zeus” for Zamir White the moment he stepped on the field was still a moment to remember.
And then there’s Notre Dame. Somehow two of the most storied programs in college football have only met three times, and Georgia has walked away victorious every time.
Of all the teams that have played Notre Dame, only the University of Chicago and the Georgia Bulldogs can say they’ve never lost.
The night game in Sanford Stadium under the new red LED lights on primetime television was a sight to behold, becoming the most-watched CBS game this season.
The red and black crowd, the power running backs, the defensive struggle, and Jake Fromm under center echoed the events of that night in South Bend two years ago.
And like then, the ice flowing in the veins of Hot Rod and the defensive Wolfpack saved the day, sealing a UGA victory once again.
One conference win, two “cupcakes,” and a memorable win over Notre Dame are impressive. But, those games were also filled with a plethora of errors, from costly penalties to a stagnant offense.
And now, like two years ago, Georgia heads into Week 5 with question marks and a trip to Neyland Stadium looming just ahead.
It wasn’t until a vicious defense, an explosive run game, and a freshman quarterback delivered a 41-0 beatdown in Knoxville that fans realized that the 2017 team was special and had the potential to be great.
Does this team have what it takes? Can they walk into a rival’s stadium and win decisively? Can they play every snap with the same drive and determination as if it was the first play of the championship? Because it is.
Championship teams are built week by week, snap by snap. The 2017 Georgia team began to shape its identity in Neyland, building on the pieces awakened in the win over Notre Dame– a dominant run game, a clutch quarterback, and a defense out for blood.
Next. Georgia football aiming to make history against the Vols. dark
This 2019 team walks into Neyland with these same pieces awake and ready. Hopefully, the Dawgs leave with them assembling into an unstoppable offense, a Wolfpack hungry for more, and a team itching to be great.