Georgia Football: What does 1982 have to do with 2023?

Georgia Football has caused us some sleepless nights. Instead, I hope someone out there reading this has had sleepless nights over Georgia football. Well, last night was one of those nights for this blogger.

I was up late and already had a lot on my mind. We have all had that before, and my mind went to Georgia and the current situation that we have going on. I walked around Athens on a beautiful evening and wondered, “Is Kirby Smart looking at the same moon as me and thinking about the same thing?” Probably not; Kirby was probably tucked away comfortably in his bed asleep. But I am worried about all the injuries and slow starts this season. Are we even going to be in Atlanta on the first Saturday in December? I kept worrying.

Then, as my walk ended, it was early morning, and I thought I should walk into the coffee shop and see if any of the boys were there. Sure enough, they were. Funny enough, they were worried about the same thing!

Then we all began talking about the troubles the Dawgs are having, and one of the more astute boys said, “I remember when the Dawgs where trying to three-peat as SEC champions in ‘82; similar season to this one.”

Lighting struck me when he said that. 1982! That year, Georgia finished just short of winning its second national championship in three years. Furthermore, Georgia had a ton of close calls that season. Any good Georgia fan can tell you about Larry Munson’s famous call “sugar falling from the sky.” That call happened in 1982.

The Dawgs won four games that were decided by 6 points or fewer that year. They played in 5 that were decided by 6 points or fewer; the lone loss was to Penn State in the Sugar Bowl. If you want to get into the weeds, Georgia played seven games within 14 points. So basically, those seven games came down to the 4th quarter for Georgia to put away. What does that all mean? Well, it means that Georgia was in many tight games and came out on top. I wasn’t around in ‘82; I was just a twinkle in my father’s, but I am sure Georgia fans were not complaining that the Dawgs were blowing teams out.

Another interesting fact about the ‘82 season: Georgia had to play with a hurt “Superman.” Herschel Walker was hurt to start the season and was a decoy for the Dawgs’ win against Clemson on Labor Day night. As we know, Brock Bowers, Georgia’s new version of Superman, is out for a while, and the Dawgs will have to win without him.

How many games has Georgia won this year within one score? One. How many games has won one within two scores or less? Two. So this year’s Dawgs will have to play in 4 one-score games to tie the 1982 squad. Furthermore, that would also tie the 1980 team number as well.

So, as I walked back home from the coffee shop, a sense of relief came over me. The boys in the coffee shop finally helped me with something! But it made me understand that the Dawgs can accomplish history no matter how tight the games are. Worrying about the point spread after the game is a silly exercise. As long as the Dawgs win games, it does not matter how close the games are.

But let’s be honest, I will still worry that Georgia did not beat Flordia by the point spread number, so what is the point? Hopefully, there is more than sugar falling from the sky; hopefully, it’s that gold confetti with red and black to go along with it again.