Passion, unity, a common goal are all admirable traits in the pursuit of excellence and life’s enjoyment. Now here we are, a people united, The Georgia People, the Sons and Daughters of the Red and Black, ready to descend once again on that most sacred of sites … Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium.

The home opener for Georgia’s 2024 college football season is here, and the Bulldog Nation is hungry to gather and cheer on their beloved gridiron warriors. These are amazing days for the Dogs, enjoying an unprecedented extended run of greatness under the direction of the country’s finest football coach, Georgia’s own Kirby Smart.

Georgia’s faithful, and opposing fan bases alike, are keenly aware of all that the Bulldogs have accomplished under his watch. The highlights, back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, and seven straight seasons in a major bowl with a final top-seven ranking. This run of greatness began in Smart’s second year at the helm of his alma mater in 2017. The Bulldogs played for the national championship, won the Rose Bowl, captured the Southeastern Conference title, and began a tremendous run of success against the program’s arch rivals.

Dating back to that 2017 campaign, the Bulldogs have enjoyed remarkable success Between the Hedges, a must for a championship program. Dominating the home field is essential to showering in the neutral site confetti of January.

Winning at Sanford Stadium is a cornerstone for Smart, and a by-product of the powerhouse program he has constructed.

There was a cruel twist of fate in Smart’s first campaign as Georgia’s coach, with the Bulldogs losing a trio of games in improbable fashion … leading to long walks up the hills of Baxter and Lumpkin. Tennessee, Vanderbilt and the Yellow Jackets all rallied back in the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium to defeat the Bulldogs, each setback leaving the Georgia fan base stunned.

The good news, we got it all out of our system that year.

Control your field, control your state. Since 2017, the Bulldogs have beaten the Yellow Jackets six consecutive times while dominating the opposition Between the Hedges.

It was a perfect 6-0 for Georgia en route to an 11-1 regular season and the SEC crown in 2017. The Bulldogs were 7-0 in Athens the following year, posting a second consecutive 11-1 regular season.

In 2019, the Bulldogs won their first three home games, highlighted by a highly anticipated 23-17 triumph over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish under Athens Saturday night lights. Following a dominating performance in a 43-14 victory at Tennessee, the Bulldogs were bitten by the upset bug.

Four turnovers and a pair of unsuccessful field goals were too much to overcome, as Will Muschamp led South Carolina to a 20-17 double overtime victory over his alma mater. That was a noon kickoff, and the Dogs were shaken.

The next Saturday in Athens, it rained and rained and rained. It started at about 6 a.m. in the morning and didn’t stop until after midnight. It didn’t let up, it poured and poured. A lot of Dog fans stayed home for the game with Kentucky. The game was 0-0 at the half, and the game looked very losable for the Dogs. As Smart always says, even in the highest of high times, humility is only a week away. What was shaping up as another special season all of a sudden looked like it might get sidetracked by back-to-back losses at home to South Carolina and Kentucky. Ouch.

But Georgia would rally. D’Andre Swift broke a 38-yard touchdown run to grab the lead. The Bulldogs completed one pass in the second half, but played great defense and mounted a pair of impressive drives to win 21-0. That set the tone for the rest of the season, and began another long winning streak in Sanford Stadium. In the month of November, the Dogs beat Florida, Missouri, Auburn, Texas A&M and the Jackets. The victories over Mizzou and the Aggies came at home, and Georgia rallied to post a third straight 11-1 regular season.

In 2020, the Covid year, Georgia played just three home games, and beat Auburn Tennessee and Mississippi State. The two-time rudderless ship no-show Commodores cost Georgia another home date.

Then came the back-to-back national championships of 2021 and 2022, with a pair of perfect 6-0 Sanford Stadium marks. While posting a third straight perfect 12-0 regular season en route to a 13-1 campaign, Georgia was seven for seven in Athens last season.

Add all that up, and the Bulldogs have won 25 in a row in Athens, and 41 of the last 42. Dominance.

Georgia is a heavy favorite Saturday, and should handle Tennessee Tech for a 26th straight home victory. Then things get cranked up with eight straight SEC games before another buffer with UMass and then “the enemy” in the regular season finale.

Hot take, dominance in Athens is vital, especially with this season’s schedule. Daunting road dates await and these Bulldogs are wearing a big target as college football’s top program of the 2020s.

So enjoy Saturday, and everything that goes with a Georgia football weekend in Athens. There’s nothing like them. Especially now.

Attack the Day.