David v. Goliath, and David wins again. How can it happen?

Georgia Tech is located in the center of metro Atlanta with a small stadium where seating 50,000 is considered good, a scoreboard that only records scores, and a small group of cheerleaders who all fit on the “Rambling Wreck” vehicle crossing the field.

UGA dominates Athens, with first-class athletic facilities, an indoor practice field under construction, a stadium filled with almost 100,000 fans and a scoreboard that entertains fans with selfie photos as they dance to music or play “pick the cup” on the large screen.

The outcome of this year’s game is hard to take for me. I was the sports editor of the Pandora (the UGA yearbook) in 1964, when I designated the hiring of Vince Dooley as “Dawn of New Era,” and damn if he didn’t build a Goliath of a football team that won a national championship. Beating Tech became a habit.

Experts say it’s all about the interaction between the quality of the players, the coaches and how they come together on game day. Georgia clearly demonstrated this year how it doesn’t work. The head coach is talking to the defensive players when Georgia has the ball, meaning the offensive coach can lose the game by himself. And he does (as he has in the past; 8 wins and 28 defeats) by running the ball against Tech when they load the box instead of doing the obvious — throw the ball within three seconds in the flats or to the middle of the field to playmakers Chubb, Michel, McKenzie and the tight ends (short passes, long runs). Late in the third quarter, Georgia was ahead by two scores but doesn’t close the door!

I know Tech concentrates on great academic success, since my brother graduated from there and then became vice president of Georgia Pacific. His daughter married the chairman of the board’s son, who is a prominent Atlanta attorney. And my own daughter earns a great income working at Tech; that makes the defeats more painful, two games in a row at home. It’s like a sore that does not heal.

The only Georgia fans who left happy were those who visited the bookstore and received an autographed book from Dooley. Maybe Coach Smart will get one for Christmas.

Maybe next year. Go Dawgs!

Troy R. Millikan
Gainesville

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