Just like that, a fourth of the 2021 football season is in the books and our Bulldogs are looking mighty good. However, what I like the most is the team’s focus for further growth and improvement.

    As expected, the South Carolina team that arrived to Athens on Saturday was severely over-matched. But you must tip your hat to them because they fought hard throughout the lopsided contest.

    I’m sure there are some folks in the Bulldog Nation who are concerned about the Georgia secondary, who unfortunately were beat on a few one-on-one balls in the air. I choose to look at those plays as excellent learning experiences for a youthful secondary unit, who will be earning their stripes each and every week during this season.

    Sound familiar? It should because last season Alabama’s secondary was very similar. And guess what … by the end of the year their young guys had grown up. The result, another title in T-Town.

    I would say the same thing about Georgia’s running backs. Throughout fall camp, Coach Smart and Monken harped on the importance of explosive plays in the running game. Unfortunately, none really occurred in the games versus Clemson and UAB. That wasn’t the case on Saturday night versus the Gamecocks. Sure there weren’t any super long runs, however James Cook’s zip up the middle was certainly a thing of beauty. And Kendall Milton had one of his best games since coming on the scene last season. I mention all of this because I think it’s important for fans to embrace the improvement that is occurring from week to week.

    Now, we turn the page to this Saturday’s game in Nashville against Vandy. Since our last few covers featured terrific player shots, we thought it was time to give our fan base some love for the upcoming road trip. The inspiration for the cover is borrowed from country music artist, Luke Bryan’s 2015 song, Kick the Dust Up. Bryan and his good buddy and songwriter Dallas Davidson (who co-wrote the song with Ashley Gorley and Chris DeStefano) love the Dawgs. In fact, they are typically in the stands in Nashville cheering on the Red and Black with the rest of us. And they make a trip or two to Athens each season.

    A big thank you goes to the Kappa Kappa Gamma seniors who were gracious enough to do our cover shoot the day of the South Carolina game. With boots and all, you can bet these ladies will be ready to kick the dust up Saturday in Nashville. And I certainly, hope the same goes for our team and the entire Georgia fan base.

    Just a reminder that last year’s game against the ‘Dores was basically canceled twice. The final time cost our team a game (including no Senior Day) and the city of Athens a very valuable home game. I won’t do any finger pointing, but it wasn’t Georgia, who seemed perfectly content with the no-contest result.

    Please enjoy this issue of BI. Night games are always a blast, but they put a ton of extra strain on the folks that work them. I think our man, Jeff Dantzler, signed off the air at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

    Speaking of JD, we at BI are quite proud of the job he did on the Bulldog broadcast as the on field announcer for the South Carolina game. The same goes for D.J. Shockley, who was upstairs with Scott Howard. Both filled in brilliantly, which isn’t surprising since they are both damn good Dawgs.

    I’m cutting this note short because like so many of you the big-time South Carolina weekend in Athens has my bed calling my name. However, please be sure to checkout our Georgia Girls feature with Melissa Roberts. She recently returned to UGA to work in the Performing Arts Center, which is celebrating their upcoming 25th anniversary season. It’s amazing the world-class events that are held at the center on the campus of our beloved University.

    Also, enjoy the bonus fan shots below. My favorite is the one of the First Five Black football players, who courageously joined the Georgia football team, when they integrated 50 years ago. It was a real honor to be on an hour-long media session with three of them last week. I’m so glad these terrific Bulldogs were properly recognized before the South Carolina game. They were leaders for something much bigger than themselves. Sic Vos Non Vovis!

    Let’s kick the dust up in Nashville and hammer the ’Dores. Go Dawgs!!