No. 16 - Bulldawg Illustrated XVI: UGA vs. Miss State, 10/1/11
Five Alive
I guess the old saying that it’s better to be lucky than good is true. I didn’t think we looked all that great against Mississippi State (especially in the second half), but we won—and the football gods dealt us a good hand. Between Stephen Garcia pulling a Benedict Arnold by betraying his team with one bad decision after another and a Florida loss, I had little choice but to fire up a victory cigar Saturday evening. Why? Because the SEC East is wide open, baby!
I woke up Saturday morning with the perfect plan—one that was organized down to the minute, and I’m talking with the pinpoint accuracy of a Navy SEAL Team Six mission. Annabelle wanted to see “horseeys” (horses to you and me), and I wanted to see the Dawgs. Simple enough, right? But I’m learning there are many unforeseen variables that require your immediate attention when young children are involved. In hindsight, there was no way I was going to catch the first half of the game, even though I thought my plan was bulletproof.
After changing diapers, feeding a two-month-old who resembles Old Faithful half the time, cooking pancakes with a crying baby in the background, missing GameDay because heaven forbid Annabelle can’t watch her cartoons, realizing I had no idea what to pack or where the all-important “Mommy Bag” was, getting kids into car seats that require a Ph.D. from MIT to understand, and changing yet another diaper—I finally took those little buggers to an equestrian competition and caught the pregame radio show on the way.
When it was all said and done, Annabelle asked me to buy her a horse (again), and I ended up carrying both kids in my arms to the car. Andrew felt like a twelve-pound bag of sugar, and Belle like a twenty-five-pound sack of potatoes. And though the muscles in my arms felt like string cheese, it was fine—because I knew I was a short drive away from watching the second half.
Luckily, when we got home, Annabelle and Andrew were worn out and quickly escaped into dreamland while I got comfy in my plaid chair to watch us leave Week Five the victor.
The Dawgs are 2–1 in the SEC East with a relatively easy schedule to contend with: UT, Vandy, Florida with a bye week, and Auburn and Kentucky at home. We have to beat Tennessee this weekend—and if we do, it’ll be the first of many nails in their conference coffin, as they have LSU and Bama following us.
And it just keeps getting better—Florida still has LSU in Red Stick and Auburn at Jordan-Hare. South Carolina’s only real conference challenge is Arkansas in Razorback Stadium. But let’s not forget that Stephen Garcia is the gift that keeps on giving, and he’s sure to hand the Old Ball Coach another conference loss.
I know there are at least as many variables involved in getting us to the Dome as there are ways my kids can make sure my perfectly laid plans fall apart. But we’ve got an advantage none of our competition has—#1 LSU, #2 Alabama, and #10 Arkansas are not on our schedule.
We just need to deliver the Hobnail Boot, Part Deux, this weekend.
Go Dawgs!
Editor’s Note: Brad Evans is a guest blogger for Bulldawg Illustrated. He writes from the perspective of a UGA alumnus and suburban dad who longs every weekend to be in Athens. Instead, he watches the game at home in a red and black bow tie, bourbon in one hand and cigar in the other, alongside his wife—an Auburn grad—and their 2½-year-old daughter and 2-month-old son, both caught in the middle of mom and dad’s football loyalties.
