Hopefully Georgia will come armed for a knife fight on Halloween against Florida, not a tea party.
Last year, Georgia played like this was a Pilot Club social and got blasted 49-10.
For the Bulldogs to have any chance of hanging with the SEC’s Darth Vader and reversing their Jacksonville hex, Georgia must do something early to send a clear message to a program that’s bullied the Dogs for 20 years.
It doesn’t have to be a turnover or a quick score, but some gesture of ill will during the first three minutes of the game — within the rules (no end zone celebration) — to make Florida flinch.
How about a highlight reel hit from Reshad Jones that ejects a Gator player’s helmet several yards? Or Tim Tebow driven back in such astounding fashion that it sets off a symphony of officials’ whistles?
That’s not Georgia, you say. Well, the great thing about Halloween is that you play the part of someone else for a day.
In that case, the Bulldogs best come disguised as the Alabama Crimson Tide. Just please don’t show up as that oft-confused, passive group that’s been easily pushed around in 2009.
The Bulldogs must play the role of psychological aggressor for once.
After all, they have little else going for them.
They can’t out-athlete Florida. The Bulldog coaches certainly can’t out- fox Florida. But if Georgia can win the proverbial street fight with the Gators, strange things might happen: quarterback sacks, fumbles, blocked punts and pure chaos — all things that come with aggressive play.
And then maybe the Dogs have a chance.
On a personal level, it’s been agonizing to watch Georgia struggle while Florida has flourished.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve been a Gator hater since the 1980s when I lived in Jacksonville and am a Georgia fundamentalist when it comes to the Gator nation. I gag at the sight of all your Florida tags, hats, shirts and mementos floating around suburban Atlanta. Take yourself, a U-haul and all that trash back to Palatka.
Florida is bad news.
People like to poke fun at Georgia’s off-the-field indiscretion. Well folks, here’s a Florida program that had SEC titles in 1984, 1985 and 1990 negated because it broke the rules.
What’s more, it has employed two of the most insufferable coaches in recent college football history, Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. And its poster boy, St. Tim Tebow, should be served an excessive celebration bench warrant for all his grandstanding on the field the last four years.
So Georgia, bring the proverbial knives to the fight Saturday. Not the proverbial tea cakes like you did last year.
If not, look forward to Florida running up 70 on you.
Ben Munro is a reporter for The Madison County Journal.
