Oh my, what a win it was for Kirby’s Dawgs and all of Bulldog Nation this past Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. As predicted, the game was a titan slugfest that went all four quarters. And pass interference ‘no call’ be damned … Georgia 20, Alabama 17 … BOOM!
What I loved the most about beating the Crimson Tide on their turf, was the fact our Bulldogs got the job done without having the services of their main two running backs, Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens.
Enter Dwight Phillips, Jr. and Bo Walker. My goodness, No. 20 and No. 24 showed-out in T-Town. While their stats for the evening took front stage, the two back-ups when called on, with help from freshman No. 30 Nick Peal, passed the enormous assignment of providing stellar protection for Gunner Stockton.
It was an epic offensive performance by all of the above, but none of it would have been possible without the dynamic blocking by the Georgia O-Line and the superb pass catching by the Georgia receiving corp. Amazing!
On the other side of the ball, the Georgia defense was equally a part of providing their team and Coach Kirby Smart their first victory in Bryant-Denny Stadium (which hadn’t happened since 2007 under Coach Richt). The Alabama offense, alongside Georgia, was at the top of the nation in stats coming into the game. That was no longer the case by the game’s final whistle. The best part … the mighty Crimson Tide could only garner three points in the second half in their own stadium … BOOM!
However, as we always do here at Bulldawg Illustrated, it is now time to turn the page to Georgia’s next opponent. While our Dawgs were slugging it out with Bama, the Auburn Tigers were on the Plains getting valuable rest and an extra week to prepare for their trip to Athens.
The Voice of the Georgia Bulldogs, Jeff Danzler and I started worrying about Auburn’s beneficial bye-week when the schedule came out late last year. And as Coach Smart pointed out in a recent media appearance, his 2026 team is mighty beat-up right now.
My point in bringing this up isn’t to scare folks in the Bulldog Nation. Rather, it is a friendly reminder that Georgia-Auburn is always a physical football game. Be ready folks, the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is always a battle. And you can bet, Tiger Nation would love nothing better for their new coach Alex Golesh’s first signature win to come at the expense of Georgia.
So, as our cover says, It’s Time To Eat! This issue of BI will get you ready for Georgia’s fifth home game in seven weeks.
On the sports front, enjoy Max Champion catching up with former Georgia kicker, Jack Podlesny on page 14. Jack Pod’s game winner in the 2020 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl set the stage of our program’s back-to-back national champions in 2021 and 2022. What a great memory and important field goal. Also, I love that Kevin Butler awarded his Special Teams Player of the Game (page 29) to Blake Stewart. Whoa KB, you are 100% on point in the importance of not giving Bama the ball inside Georgia’s 10. A huge break for the good guys … BOOM!
Our social section, is packed with fan photos galore starting on page 34. And don’t miss our Georgia Girls (pages 44, 45) and Proust Q&A (page 48) with Savannahians John DeLoach and Ann McGuire Lerch. They are both awesome 912 Dawgs!
Valdostian turned Athenian Kelly Call provides some terrific tracks in this issue’s MIXTAPE (page 47). Nothing like “Tequilla Sunrise” to “It’s Tricky” to “Friday I’m in Love.” And Trent Allen returns with Backstage & Behind the Bar (page 46) proving there is nothing wrong with men enjoying a pink drink. Nice work, Kelly and Trent!
With that, I bid farewell as my available space ended two paragraphs ago and my brain and body are still refueling from the T-Town takedown. See you in two weeks with our Georgia-Florida issue and in Sanford on Saturday. Time to Eat … Go Dawgs!!
