A poster and program from the Georgia-Kentucky game
Last Saturday I decided to drive up to Lexington, Ky., to watch my alma mater, the University of Georgia, play Kentucky in football.
Logistically, it was not an ideal situation, as the game was at night, and I was driving back home to Knoxville. Generally, the only time a night game is good for me is in early September, when the temperatures are still scorching during the day.
But since I remembered that the time was changing and I would gain an extra hour of sleep, I decided to purchase a ticket online via the University of Kentucky athletic website.
I chose this game because this was the closest Georgia would be playing this year to my home in Knoxville.
Lexington is just under three hours from Knoxville – maybe 2½ hours if you don’t really stop much. Athens, on the other hand, is at least four hours – even longer on a football game day.
I wanted to see the game even though I do get to see SEC football several times in person every season. My former Baylor School classmate, Steve Smalling from the Chattanooga area, has University of Tennessee season tickets he inherited from his parents, and he kindly invites me to go to several Tennessee games a year with him. That includes the Georgia game every other year.
I like Tennessee’s football program and greatly admire aspects of a Neyland Stadium game atmosphere – such as how the Pride of the Southland Band marches into the stadium, and when the Vols and Smokey the bluetick hound run through the T. And watching the “This is Tennessee” segment with the neat music on the giant video board during a break in action is always neat.
And I certainly love the university in general after getting to teach some adjunct journalism and English classes on a part-time basis off and on over the last several years.
But, as most people know, there can be only one undergraduate alma mater, and for me, it is the University of Georgia.
So after my wife, Laura, told me “thanks but no thanks” about going to a possibly cold night football game and getting back home late, I left home by myself a little after 2 p.m. bound for Lexington.
After traversing the mountainous part of Interstate 75 near the Tennessee-Kentucky border and seeing some nearby wildfires, I eventually reached the outskirts of Lexington a little after 5.
The way I reached the University of Kentucky campus has to be one of the prettiest ways to enter any college campus in the Southeastern Conference. I went down a street called Richmond Road/Main Street, and then turned onto Ashland Avenue. Pretty, early 20th century homes could be found in abundance.
I turned at Euclid Avenue and then found a place to park on a side street in front of some other nice homes. It was a permit only parking place until 4 p.m., and it was now after 5, so I felt safe parking there.
Unlike Knoxville, Lexington seems to have numerous free parking places within walking distance of Commonwealth Stadium, unless I have just been lucky the two times I have been there in recent years.
After leaving my car – and hoping it would be there when I returned – I began walking around the campus. I had walked parts of the campus in detail for the first time two years ago and found it a nice campus.
It is not a top 10-type campus in terms of attractiveness, but it is still nice. One section looks a little like Georgia’s old campus, but with a high rise, and other parts of it are unique. The latter places include a giant new library off by itself and some mid-century high-rise dorms.
Anyway, I eventually made my way toward Commonwealth Stadium as game time became slightly more than an hour away. A big parking lot surrounds the stadium, and people were tailgating there, perhaps like at an NFL game.
Personally, I prefer tailgating on a nice lawn in front of an old building, but that is probably not often feasible for many people.
I also walked through a crowd of students in a grassy area by the stadium, and yes, some of them looked a little wobbly on their feet. But I guess that is the life of a college student on game day – especially before a night game.
With the Wildcats having a pretty good season at 5-3 and in contention for an SEC East title, I could tell the home team fans were excited, more so than when I was there two years ago for a noon game.
At a Kentucky game, there are a few neat traditions. A bugler does a call to the post like at a horse race, and the band plays “My Old Kentucky Home” – also like at a horse race. And, at this game, that day’s Breeder’s Cup horse race was shown on the video board during a break in the action.
Also during the game, I got to hold up a blue card that had been taped to my seat, and I and several thousand others were seen on TV when they showed that side of the stands spelling out “Go Big Blue” or something similar. I have never been a part of a “card stunt” before.
One aspect I did not care for is that music was constantly blaring loudly over the loudspeakers whenever there was a break in action on the field. Neyland Stadium had done some of that, but has cut back the last year or two and let people hear the band more. Of course, loud music over the speakers is typical of numerous stadiums these days.
As for the game itself, I tried to be optimistic, which I usually am whenever Georgia plays – even against an unbeatable foe.
However, Georgia was only 4-4 under first-year coach Kirby Smart, so I was basically ready for anything.
Although Georgia scored first on a nice catch and run by Isaiah McKenzie – whom I saw score two touchdowns on kick returns against Kentucky there in 2014 – Kentucky led 14-13 at the half.
The Wildcats went up 21-13 and I was ready for the worst. But I tried not to be down, as it would not have been any worse than the feeling after the loss to Vanderbilt a few weeks ago.
Through grit, or maybe just talent, Georgia came back and briefly went ahead 24-21. But Kentucky later tied the game on a field goal.
Georgia got the ball back with just under three minutes left and began driving the ball into Kentucky territory. I was hopeful Georgia could at least kick a field goal, but was also fearful of something bad happening.
The scene brought back memories of my freshman year at Georgia in 1978, when I listened to radio announcer Larry Munson excitedly call Georgia’s last drive before Rex Robinson put Georgia ahead 17-16, also in Lexington.
When Georgia lined up to attempt a short field goal with less than five seconds left, I tried to be calm but was still quite anxious. But the bespectacled Rodrigo Blankenship, who had hit three field goals earlier in the game, nailed the kick perfectly through the uprights to give Georgia the win.
It also gave Tennessee some help to get back in first place in the SEC East, just as Arkansas’ victory earlier in the day over Florida did.
I walked back to my car and reached it at 11:50 p.m. And yes, I was thankful it was still there and had not been towed.
I made a quick stop at a Cook-Out restaurant and heartily ate a cheeseburger and onion rings as I drove through the night on Interstate 75 past the smoke-filled area along the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
I managed to stay awake and the time passed quickly, in part because I was able to pick up the Georgia post-game report on WSB AM 750 in faraway Atlanta and because I was relishing the victory.
I even was able to experience the time going back an hour before getting home about 2:45 a.m. old time and 1:45 new time.
Another Georgia loss could come as quickly as this Saturday against a favored and good Auburn team, but I am still going to enjoy this victory for a while. The Bulldogs worked hard to get it, and I worked hard to get there to witness it.
Such is the life for us diehard SEC fans.
Jcshearer2@comcast.net