Georgia releases exciting game trailer for Orange Bowl

Georgia Football released its final hype trailer for the 2023 season. The trailer is titled “Finish,” which the Dawgs want to do against Florida State in the Orange Bowl on Saturday. 

This trailer is great. It got the blood pumping. I am ready for the game to get underway and see the Dawgs finish the season correctly, something Kirby Smart emphasized immediately after the SEC loss. The Dawgs are currently 20-point favorites over the Noles, so the expectation is for the Dawgs to win big. 

The Dawgs have a history with Florida State and the Orange Bowl. This will be Georgia’s  62nd Bowl appearance. The Dawgs are in second place for all-time appearances in Bowl games. The Dawgs are only behind Alabama, which has the record with 76th appearances. However, the Dawgs lead the country with an active streak of Bowl appearances at 27. 

The Dawgs will make their 4th appearance in the Orange Bowl this week. This will be the first time the Dawgs play in the Orange Bowl since beating Michigan 34-11 in the 2022 Orange Bowl, a College Football Playoff Semifinal game. 

The Dawgs first trip to the Orange Bowl was in 1942. That ‘41 team was 9-1-1 and took on the TCU Horned Frogs. This was also Georgia’s first-ever Bowl game in program history. The Dawgs beat TCU 40-26 on New Year's Day 1942.

The next trip down to Miami for the Dawgs was in 1949, where they lost to Texas 41-28. What is it with Georgia playing Texas and Bowl games and not performing well? 

Out of all the New Year 6 bowl games, the Orange Bowl is ranked third in appearances for the Dawgs. The Sugar Bowl and the Peach Bowl are number one and two for the Dawgs.

Georgia and Flordia State will play for the 12th time in both programs' history. This will be the first time the Dawgs and Nole have squared off since the 2003 Sugar Bowl, a game that all Dawg fans will fondly remember. That was the first Sugar Bowl Georgia had played in since 1983. Also, that game was the first time Georgia had been the SEC Champion since 1983. 

The first time these two programs faced each other was in 1954. Georgia traveled down to Tallahassee and beat the Noles 14-0. Georgia and FSU played each other almost every year to close out the 50s. The only year they did not play one another was in 1957. Fun fact: Lee Corso and Burt Reynolds were on teams in the 50s that played against Georgia. Both Corso and Reynolds were roommates during their time at FSU. 

The first time that Georgia and FSU played inside Sanford Stadium was in 1956. Georgia won in a barn burner of a game 3-0. Another interesting note about this series is that Georgia and Flordia State played in Jacksonville, Florida. The game was held on October 10, 1958, which was a Friday. 

Georgia and FSU also played two home-and-home series in the early to mid-sixties. Georgia lost all four of the games and the 60s. The games were played in 1961,1962,1964, and 1965. 1965 is also the last time the Dawgs have lost to the Noles. The Dawgs lost to the Noles 10-3 in Tallahassee. 

The only other time the Dawgs have faced the Noles in a bowl game was on December 22nd, 1984. The Bowl game was the Citrus Bowl, which is still held in Orlando, Florida. The game used to be called the Tangerine Bowl, and then it was the Citrus Bowl from 1983 to 2002, and then it became the Captial One Bowl, which Georgia fans are familiar with. Then, it went back to the Citrus Bowl in 2015. 

The ‘84 version on the Citrus Bowl was the first time Vince Dooley and Bobby Bowden coached against each other. The game was a 17-17 tie in a game with two legendary coaches. Yes, a bowl game ended in a tie.

The Dawgs forced the Noles to punt the ball with under a minute remaining. The Dawgs got the ball back for a chance to break the tie and win the game. James Jackson, UGA QB, threw the ball deep two times but could not connect to any of his receivers downfield. 

Dooley then trotted out Kevin Butler for a 71-yard field goal attempt. Butler, known for his leg, missed the kick by a foot or two. Butler walked off the field disappointed, almost as if he was sure he would make a 71-yard field goal. Watch it on YouTube; it is one of the most impressive missed field goals I have ever seen.

I made my prediction this afternoon, but I will also make another prediction. I can guarantee that Kirby Smart will not put Peyton Woodring out there to kick a 71-yard attempt and that the game will not end in a tie.