Georgia welcomes trip to Atlanta with experience at Mercedes-Benz
It’s not often that Kirby Smart gives his complete endorsement anything, but when he was asked about playing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game back in September, the Georgia head coach made his thoughts very clear. He loves playing in the game because it sets the stage for an end-of-season goal to be back in the building for an even bigger game in December.
“I love playing in this game because No. 1, it’s in Atlanta, and No. 2, I like playing in it because they do a tremendous job,” Smart said ahead of the opener against Oregon. “It’s an unbelievable venue. Your hope is you’re back in the stadium and you’ve got a chance to play in it once already when it comes to the SEC Championship Game. So that has a lot to do with it.”
Now, nearly three months and 12 wins later, the Bulldogs are returning to “The House that Arthur Blank Built” for a chance to win their first conference title since 2017. The building hasn’t been the friendliest for Georgia – holding a 3-4 record there including three SEC Championship Game losses and a National Championship loss too – but for Bulldog defensive lineman Zion Logue, there’s a level of comfort that comes with playing in Atlanta.
“We always treat Atlanta like it’s our backyard, like we’re just down the road in Sanford,” Logue said. “We do treat it like a home field advantage, going off of playing Oregon earlier this year and how many other countless times we played there in the past. We just try to use that to our advantage.”
Georgia defensive back Javon Bullard agrees. A Peach State native himself, Bullard feels called to protect his home state and his team’s home state too.
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“We take a lot of pride in playing there. This is the University of Georgia, so we feel that this is our state,” Bullard said. “We played there earlier this year and last season, so it means a lot to us, and we want to make sure we can go out there and be victorious in this game.”
And while it may feel like a home away from home for the Bulldogs, of course it’s not identical to Sanford Stadium. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is artificial turf while Dooley Field is natural grass, and the team is aware of those differences. Smart says turf takes it out of the players’ legs more and it takes a little bit of figuring out your footing. That’s something that wide receiver Ladd McConkey says comes during warm ups, and Georgia is doing everything that it can to prepare for that difference this week too, going into the indoor practice facility more than they may do on a normal basis with the goal of winning in Atlanta on Saturday.
Do that and the Dawgs just might secure another date in Atlanta on December 31st for the College Football Playoff semifinals, one that certainly would be welcomed by all across the Peach State.
