Georgia Football: Fan journal from Georgia’s win in the Duke’s Mayo Classic

Romare Bearden Park was a prime location for College Gameday. Situated around the corner from Bank of America Stadium, and just outside of the right field gate of the Charlotte Knights magnificent home stadium, Truist Field, it was college football central Saturday morning.

We walked in the gates a little after 7 am and the park was poppin’. The gated-entry fan corrals were already bursting with fans and the entire stock of the iconic College Gameday Presented By Home Depot hard hats adorned the majority of the attendees heads.

We went to a rain-soaked Gameday at the 2018 SEC Championship Game and then again prior to the 2019 Notre Dame game in Athens.

I don’t know that anything will ever top 2019 Gameday in Athens before the Notre Dame game. It was my son’s 7th birthday and David Pollack pulled him up on one of the side stages after one of the live hits, gave him a high five and told him Happy Birthday. Tough to eclipse that memory.

But! But. This was a close second. After the 2020 COVID season where college football’s pulse, it’s lifeblood, it’s soundtrack – the fans – were largely missing, the energy at Bearden Park was jubilance personified.

Georgia fans were WELL represented. Red was the prevalent color throughout the crowd, members of the Spike Squad were there, and Hairy Dawg and the Georgia cheerleaders were front and center.

The guest picker had a Georgia flavor as well. Country music megastar and massive Georgia football fan Kane Brown made his picks with the Gameday crew.

Georgia fans always seem a little weary when Lee Corso’s pick involves donning the Hairy Dawg headgear.

But, it was a chicken skin moment when L-C exclaimed Clemson, then dropped his patented “Not so fast my friend” catchphrase before proclaiming it was the “Year of the Dawg” and pulling on the UGA headgear. What a way to start the day.