Daniel J. Brush - University Of Georgia Football: An Interactive Guide To The World Of Sports

W hen you walk into Sanford Stadium, you enter from the base of the second tier. The stadium sits in a small valley, built on the bed of old Tanyard Creek (the creek was diverted underground in 1928). Every seat is an unobstructed view, and even in the top deck youre on top of the action. This is where football is played Between the Hedges.

OCTOBER 5, 1991: The Clemson Tigers journeyed down to Athens to play the Georgia Bulldogs. It was the 58th renewal of a rivalry that had featured epic matchups. Danny Ford was gone from Clemson, as was Charlie Pell. Ken Hatfield had been imported to make another Clemson legend. Clemson came in ranked sixth and sporting the toughest defense in the nation. Georgia was still looking for the secret formula for success under Ray Goff, who was 1314 in two-plus seasons at the helm. The previous year, Clemson had humiliated the Dawgs 343 at Death Valley.

I remember a few details of that day; we hearty band of 30 who tailgated in the Baldwin Hall parking lot had started our worthy task at 7:30 that morning, so there is a whiskey fog that floats over my memories. Down the hill from us, some fine folks from Columbia County shared barbecue and bourbon with us as they always did before every home game. Well-lubricated Bulldog cheers followed orange clad visitors making their way to Sanford Stadium. Dawgs dont like Tigers; they leave little orange paw prints everywhere.

Georgia dominates the series with Clemson, but from the mid-70s on Clemson had successes that made every Bulldog fan cringe. They played Georgia closer than any other rival, and in 1981 Clemson had derailed Georgias bid to repeat as national champions in November and then stolen the title out from under Georgia as they beat top-ranked Nebraska at the Orange Bowl. Every Georgia-Clemson game fits the category of bitter rivalry, even if the rivalry is often lost amidst the Dawgs battles with Auburn, Florida, and Tennessee.

The Georgia crowd was in rare form. Fortified with pulled pork barbecue, fried chicken, beer and whiskey, the Georgia faithful filled Sanford Stadium. Our seats were in the north grandstand, on the 50 and just over from the Marching Redcoats. The crowd, primed from ten hours of tailgating, was whipped into a pre-game frenzy. The game was an unusual night game, a 6:30 p.m. kickoff. Earlier that day the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros to win the N.L. West, their first division title in years. Ed Shearer of the AP recalled, A crowd of 85,434 tore a page from the Atlanta Braves, going into a tomahawk chop and Indian chant routine several times during the game. The state of Georgia was flush with victory, and Clemson was to be the next victim. The air was alive with celebration and anticipation. It was not a night Clemson would soon forget.

UGA V, successor to the winningest Dawg in Georgia history, roamed the sidelines, barking at the excited crowd and bounding with energy in his second season. Fraternity boys and sorority girls crowded the stands in their jackets and ties and sundresses as a cool Georgia evening brought a chill that still would not temper the crowd. Larry Munsons gravely voice growled over Walkman stereos in the pockets of alumni. Then, the coin-toss, the choosing of goals to defend, and

GO-O-O-O-O DAWGS! SICEM!
OOF-OOF-OOF-OOF-OOF-OOF-OOF-OOF!

Amidst a crowd loaded with barbecue and bourbon, on a cool fall night, Eric Zeier made his debut starting at quarterback for the Dawgs. Zeier was the savior, the next Fran Tarkenton, who enrolled early at UGA and went through spring practice before his freshman season. Zeier didnt start the first four games of the season, but this was his coming out night.