Georgia Bulldogs Countdown to Kickoff: Day 20

The Georgia Bulldogs play Oregon in 20 days. We’re under three weeks away from that season-opener, in which Georgia begins its title defense.

When I look back over my time following the Dawgs, it overlaps almost perfectly with the start of Mark Richt’s career.

I couldn’t help but think back – 20 years ago now – to the 2002 season.

It was Mark Richt’s second season as Georgia’s head coach. The team returned a ton of talent. And the preseason hype boiled down to, ‘It’s been 20 years since Georgia won a SEC Championship. Heisman Trophy-winner Herschel Walker was the tailback! Can they do it this year?’

Spoiler alert: they did.

But not without plenty of doubt along the way.

Former Georgia Bulldogs football player – and former Auburn head coach – Pat Dye questioned the Dawgs manhood before a game at Alabama.

Georgia won.

But then the Dawgs lost in Jacksonville in one of the most confounding Cocktail Parties ever.

Georgia faced an elimination from its SEC Championship hopes, trailing Auburn 21-17 with 1:25 left on the Plains.

David Greene straightened up on fourth down and found – was it Watson or Gibson?

If you're a Georgia fan who saw David Greene-to-Michael Johnson live

and you can watch it / listen to Larry Munson with dry eyes

call your doctor.pic.twitter.com/avWc7bjS2F

— DawgsHQ (@DawgsHq) February 25, 2022

After putting glasses on it, the hollering Larry Munson saw it was Michael Johnson who brought down the Dawgs’ last chance at SEC glory, and won the Eastern division title.

In keeping with the ’20’ theme, the legendary play covered 20 yards.

Georgia went on to play Arkansas and smoke some Hog in Atlanta on the Georgia Dome Astroturf.

The Dawgs sealed their first SEC title in 20 years, and their first ever in the championship game format.

20 years after losing a National Championship matchup to Pitt in New Orleans, Georgia beat Florida State in the BCS Sugar Bowl.

Richt beat his mentor (Bobby Bowden) and former employer (Florida State) to lock it up.

20 years later, the story’s a little different for these Georgia Bulldogs

Now, it’s been five years since Georgia won the SEC Championship.

But it’s been less than one since it won the National Championship. Smart, too, had to beat his mentor and former employer along the way.

Georgia’s won three SEC Championship games and played in nine of them.

The Dawgs aren’t where they are today without Mark Richt’s elevation of the program along the way.

Remember when Georgia’s opposing fans liked to laugh about graphics that compared Kirby Smart and Mark Richt, as a way to try and prove that Georgia didn’t improve that much by hiring Smart?

It's almost like #UGA has been here before… pic.twitter.com/IraJInBAqe

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) May 6, 2019

Well, obviously, a National Championship spoils that jab.

But if there’s one thing that Mark Richt still ‘has’ on Kirby Smart, it’s one more SEC Championship victory.

Like Richt, Smart also won a league title in his second season as a head coach.

Since then, he’s lost to eventual National Championship runner-up Alabama (2018), eventual National Championship winner LSU (2019), and another eventual National Championship runner-up – for the best reason possible – Alabama (2021).

So 20 years after Georgia was desperately chasing that elusive SEC title, they’re doing it again.

Just for different reasons.

Kirby Smart needs any motivating factor he can find to avoid complacency.

If another National Championship isn’t motivation enough, he will continue to point out to his team that they haven’t technically been the SEC’s best team since 2017.

The Dawgs start their season in Atlanta on September 3rd. All predictions point to the Dawgs returning to represent the East against Alabama in the 2022 SEC Championship.

One of the CFP Semifinal games also takes place in Atlanta this season.

So, 20 years later, I somewhat facetiously ask the question:

Can the Dawgs break their SEC Championship drought?