Along with the pumpkin spice lattes and corn mazes, fall brings back SEC football to the South, and with college football, Georgia cannot wait to cheer on their beloved Georgia Bulldogs. University of Georgia is widely renowned for their football program and can be found between those notorious hedges. The Dawgs currently hold a 3-0 winning record against fierce teams such as University of North Carolina (33-24), University of Missouri (28-27), and Nicholls State University (26-24).

Kirby Smart, UGA’s new head football coach, replaced Mark Richt, former head coach, this 2016 season. Smart originally started his SEC career out of UGA as a former defensive back for the Dawgs; he later abandoned his red and black jersey to become a defensive coach at other colleges, including Valdosta State, Florida State, and Louisiana State University. Following his boss, Nick Saban, to the University of Alabama, Smart created a name for himself as the defensive coordinator of a team that was the SEC championship holder. Kirby Smart remained in University of Alabama merely as a defensive coordinator, not being offered head coach position until Dec. 26, 2015. After the end of the 2015 SEC season, UGA reached out to Smart to accept their offer of the head coach position for the next year.

Number 67, offensive line backer for UGA, Samuel Madden commented on the coach swap as a bitter sweet moment, “It was really sad to see Coach Richt to leave because he was the original reason I chose UGA to commit to, but Coach Smart had to fill in some big shoes which he has done very well. We all love Coach Smart and have had a passion to play the game again.” This passion mentioned by Madden is clearly observed in all three games the Bulldogs have contended in where they fought till the last whistle to obtain their victory.

Robert Story, a senior at North Forsyth High School, attended both games against the UNC Tar Heels and Nicholls State and identifies himself as a mega Dawg fan; he stated, “Kirby Smart was definitely the right man for the job even though he had no prior head coaching experience. However, I disagree with the way the team has been playing. No single player stuck out in a positive or negative way; the team as a whole played at minimum ability which I know they could play better. These past games we shouldn’t have won, but somehow the Bulldogs always pull through in the last minutes of the game.” Story applauds Georgia for hiring Smart because he deepens the love for the game and has created a needed refresh in UGA’s football program.

Although the Bulldogs have become a second half team and known for last minute victories, their three game win streak solidifies that the boys can keep up their winning record from the 2015 season of 10-3. Propelling the players to practice harder and hyping up the UGA Bulldog fans on game days, Smart repeats his famous saying, “Attack the day”, which is featured during the videos shown at game days in Stanford Stadium. Go Dawgs, and let’s attack the day and future SEC season.