1. Haynes King – One of the top quarterbacks in the nation, Haynes King is the engine for this outstanding “Helluva Engineers” football team. A high school sprint champion in the state of Texas, King has the speed. He’s also got the instincts, the cuts and the ball handling skills that make him a dynamic runner. King is a tremendous passer as well. When he’s running well and the backs are chewing up yardage, the passing attack is lethal and this offense is borderline unstoppable. Georgia must be physical and find a way to get some stops. That means getting the Yellow Jackets behind the chains. Easier said than done. But it starts with penetration and forcing King’s hand. If he can pick and choose whether to run or throw, and which direction to go, defenses are on their heels and in big trouble. Backup quarterback Aaron Philo is also an outstanding player.
2. Brent Key – What a job the Yellow Jackets head coach has done. Very public with his hatred for Georgia, this Jacket alum is ‘Old Gold’ through and through. He played offensive line for George O’Leary on the Flats in the late 1990s, a very successful era for the Jackets. A member of Geoff Collins’ staff, he got the call to be the interim head coach after a 1-3 start to the 2022 season. Their program was at a very low point. Key led them to a 4-4 finish and then bowl games the next two seasons. The three previous times Georgia has taken on a Key-coached team, the games have been extremely tough. Especially last year’s eight overtime Georgia triumph. Now he has the Jackets playoff and ACC championship hunting. Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, who was previously an analyst for Georgia, is a hot commodity on the coaching carousel.
3. Mercedes-Benz Mix – From the lowest of lows to some incredibly high highs, Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been a house of heartbreak and joy. Amongst the most memorable victories, Georgia’s 28-7 triumph over Auburn in the 2017 SEC Championship Game, which sent the Bulldogs to the College Football Playoff, and the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl CFP Semifinal victory over Ohio State, which helped Kirby Smart’s powerhouse Dogs to the 2022 National Championship. No need to go through the lows in that building and its predecessor the Georgia Dome. We remember them all too well … Bama, Bama, Bama. Now the Dogs have a chance to make some all-time great history against the Yellow Jackets, who have their best team since arguably 1990, in one of the biggest showdowns in the history of this rivalry and amongst the most impactful showdowns on this Thanksgiving Weekend of college football.
4. Dawgs at Grant Field – Georgia has been on a great run at Grant Field. With the Jackets opting to host this season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the next time these two meet on the Flats will be 2027. The Bulldogs have won 12 straight times on Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium (now also called Hyundai Field), dating back to 2001. The last time the Jackets beat Georgia there was in 1999, the infamous Al Ford/Jasper Sanks non-fumble called a fumble which it should have then been a safety because they picked it up and went backwards into the end zone play. Georgia had won four in a row at Grant Field prior. So that makes 16 out of the last 17 in the win column for the Bulldogs on the Jackets’ campus.
5. Baseball Magic – Through the years, the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets have played in some incredible NCAA Tournament baseball regionals and superregionals. The Bulldogs won the 1987 NCAA Regional at Russ Chandler Stadium, beating the Jackets in an elimination game along the way. The same thing happened at Foley Field in 2001, as the Dogs clipped the Yellow Jackets in the loser’s bracket of the Athens Regional, then went on to win and top Coastal Carolina (Jeff Keppinger) to go to the College World Series. Georgia swept the 2004 Super Regional on the Flats to go to Omaha in 2004, and came through the losers bracket twice defeating the Jackets in 2008 en route to the College World Series. Most recently, in 2024 Georgia won an extra innings instant classic at Foley Field to clinch the Athens Regional. Along with my broadcast partner David Johnston and our SID Chris Lakos, getting to call the victories of 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2024 remain some of my most cherished Bulldog baseball memories.