The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dogs stars ponder NFL draft decision,
Athens turns out to show its pride in players, coaches.
ATHENS — It hurts, but the Dogs will be back.
That was the consensus of most Georgia Bulldogs fans here Tuesday, in town and on the university’s campus, as they processed the heartbreaking defeat to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday night.
Hundreds of fans lined the streets near the ButtsMehre Heritage Hall on campus shortly before noon Tuesday to greet the team when it returned to Athens. They held signs that read “So Proud” and yelled “Go Dawgs!” in what felt like a pep rally. Ear-splitting cheers were louder than the team buses when they arrived, escorted by police. Many hugged the players as they exited the buses or patted them on the back.
Seven-year-old Madox Barnett waited with his mother, Jennifer, and brother, Sawyer, 4. He watched most of the game, upset that Georgia lost “by one dumb touchdown” but optimistic about the future.
“I feel really good about it, and I’m proud of them,” he said.
Shawntanet Ford, 25, a lifelong Athens resident and self-described “No. 1 Fan,” said she wanted to welcome the team back and show them “they let nobody down.”
Senior defensive lineman John Atkins said he was not surprised by the welcome.
“They’ve always had our backs,” he said as he collected his belongings.
Georgia hasn’t won a national championship since
the 1980 season. This season was the closest the team has come to being national champions since, and the 37,000-student campus was excited about the prospect of winning, including students who aren’t football fans.
“I had high hopes,” said Sarah Ibraheem, 20, a junior, although she didn’t watch the game, as she headed to class early Tuesday.
Several thousand students and staff gathered Monday at Stegeman Coliseum to watch the game. Many checked out the contest from sports
bars downtown. Dozens of students left the Stegeman watch party in tears. One person tried to cheer up the crowd by yelling “Go Dogs!,” his words echoing around the venue.
“It’s so silent in here,” said Emily Austin, 19, a sophomore from Douglasville, who watched from Stegeman.
Austin, like some students, focused on the surprisingly successful season Georgia put together.
“We’re overjoyed just to be in this game,” she said. “They did the best they could.”
Many students had anticipated a parade or some sort of campus celebration. There were hushed conversations before the game about placing a banner over part of the campus. Students talked about ringing the chapel bell, a tradition that takes place after Georgia football victories.
The campus was quiet at sunrise Tuesday as students rushed to class. Athens-Clarke County police reported no major incidents overnight, aside from a few fights.
One man who was part of a work crew apparently was happy with the final score. He wore a knit cap with “Alabama” emblazoned across it.
UGA still found ways to congratulate the team Tuesday. “We (heart sign) our Dawgs!” read a sign inside the UGA Center for Continuing Education and Hotel. “How ’bout them Dawgs” flashed across a campus bus.
Peter Bryan, 25, a biomedical engineering student from the Congo, thought there would be a celebration as he waited for a bus Tuesday morning across the street from Sanford Stadium. He’s more of a soccer fan, but watched part of the game. He turned off the contest thinking Georgia had won.
“Wow,” he said upon learning the outcome. “Sad.”
In sports bars, restaurants and at the welcome-home gathering, Bulldogs fans suggested the refs did the team in with bad calls. Many talked about Alabama freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who rescued the Tide after halftime.
Freshman Markell Hardee offered a statement made by UGA fans for nearly four decades. “Hopefully, next year will be the one,” he said.