This past weekend was mighty special as our Dawgs once again made a statement to the nation that they truly aren’t going anywhere. And the fans of the Bulldog Nation also flexed their muscles turning Athens into a party town from Friday at lunch until the early hours of Sunday morning.
 
 
The electric performance by the team and the fans most certainly had to garner major props by all the recruits that were in Athens. This, of course, comes at a perfect time as the early period of Signing Day is just a little over a month away on December 19.
 
 
Great football and a great town … I certainly know where I would be committing to play, if I was a talented 17-year-old player.
 
Georgia … Bulldogs!
 
 
Next up for the Dawgs is the University of Massachusetts, who despite having an unfavorable record this season, does have some history of playing SEC teams tight. More than anything, the contest against the Minutemen gives the team another opportunity to fine-tune themselves as Georgia Tech and Alabama await in the following weeks.
 
 
While the Georgia offense is usually the one that gets the most press, I think it’s high time for everyone to realize that Mel Tucker’s defense is a stingy, nasty unit that has allowed only two teams to score more than 17 points in 10 games. And what I like most is how everyone on the D is always flying towards the football.
 
 
Besides being another opportunity for the Georgia team to get better against UMass, Saturday will also observe Military Appreciation Day in Sanford Stadium. Knowing that, we at Bulldawg Illustrated commissioned Athens artist Kathy Cousart for the fantastic piece on this issue’s cover. Kathy nailed it with her awesome rendition of Uga in front of an American flag. It is our sincere hope that everyone takes some time this week to reflect and appreciate all that our honorable service men and women do in serving our great country.
 
 
Beyond our cool cover, this issue has plenty of good stuff to get you ready for the UMass game. Obviously, taking photos (pages 26-37) of our awesome fans was particularly sweet with the whipping the Dawgs put on Auburn. Also, in our social section, I encourage you check out What’s Cooking with Gena Knox (pages 38,39) and our Georgia Girls featuring Kiki Tillman (pages 24, 25). Both ladies are uniquely interesting and trendsetters in their respective fields.
 
 
On the sports front, Jeff Dantzler, Murray Poole, Savannah Richardson and Greg Poole continue to crank out solid content, which is certainly challenging as the season gets deeper. And while the Georgia fan base loves a night game, it makes for a super, long day/night for media folks. Keep grinding … guys and gal and thanks so much.
Our junior journalist Hamilton Culpepper is back in this issue, and catches up with Georgia assistant athletic director John Batemen, who has the task of keeping up with the Hoop Dawgs’ new coach Tom Crean. I say that jokingly, but anyone who has had the pleasure of being around Coach Crean knows that he runs wide open. And good news, his team is catching on to his energy, which was displayed by them scoring 110 points in their opening game victory over Savannah State. I encourage everyone in the Bulldog Nation to go ahead and make plans to catch some basketball games this season. And that goes for Joni Taylor’s Lady Dogs who are also off to a nice start on the hardwood.
 
 
Finally, this week also presents the opportunity to support both Georgia golf and my hometown of the Golden Isles with the playing of the RSM Classic at the Sea Island Golf Club. Robin and Davis Love III and their foundation have built something special with this tournament. What’s not to like about PGA golf in the awesome setting of St. Simons and Sea Island? Tickets are still available and hopefully one of these former Dawgs will raise the championship trophy on Sunday …
 
Joey Garber • Harris English • Brian Harman • Russell Henley • Chris Kirk • Kevin Kisner • Keith Mitchell • Sepp Straka • Hudson Swafford
 
 
That’s going to do it for me … another issue of BI is in the books. See you in Sanford on Saturday as Kirby Smart and his team seek their 10th victory of the 2018 season. How about the hops Kirby (in this photo) displays in reacting to another game-changing play by Mecole Hardman? Go Dawgs!!