Skip to main content
Dawgs Daily

The Nightmare is Here for Georgia Football and the Alabama Crimson Tide

A tropical storm is brewing off the coast of Texas, which could effect when the game is played
Dean Legge|
Georgia football RB Chauncey Bowens against Alabama.
Georgia football RB Chauncey Bowens against Alabama. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Georgia Bulldogs

ATHENS - The nightmare scenario for Kirby Smart’s Georgia football team a few days before a trip to Alabama is here.

A tropical storm is brewing off the coast of Texas, and it has eyes for the mammoth showdown between the Dawgs and Tide - throwing into doubt the logistics of the game itself.

Late Tuesday night Alabama released a statement on social media about the game.

"Alabama athletics is closely monitoring the weather forecast ahead of Satuday's football game vs. Georgia. At this time, there are no plans to alter the contest. We will continue to observe conditions through the week and remain in communication with the Southeastern Conference office, as needed." - Statement from Alabama Athletics

Smart has been in this situation before. In his first season at Georgia, the Dawgs’ trip to South Carolina was delayed a day by Hurricane Matthew. Georgia’s Sugar Bowl date with Notre Dame at the conclusion of the 2024 season was delayed by a day after a terrorist attack in New Orleans.

A longtime meteorologist in Birmingham told AL.com that it is possible a hurricane could form in the coming days, and that event would make postponing the game a very real possibility.

"The idea of moving the game, it's on the table," ABC 33/40 Chief Meteorologist James Spann told AL.com Tuesday. "I'm saying it's clearly on the table. It would be a nightmare for everybody involved. But if we do get a Category 1, Category 2 hurricane coming right up Mobile Bay Saturday morning, I don't know if you wouldn't be playing that game in Tuscaloosa that you've got the chance of winds gusting to 50 miles an hour, torrential rain and the chance of isolated tornadoes on top of everything else.”

CBS Sports reported Tuesday night that the Southeastern Conference was monitoring the weather situation.

"Like we do every week at this time, we're keeping an eye on forecasts and staying in communication with schools with games that could be impacted by weather," a SEC spokesperson told CBS Sports.

President Donald Trump announced last week that he would attend the game, but that was before the possibility of a hurricane in the gulf was in the forecast.

LET’S PLAY ON SUNDAY

Three days after the Bulldogs’ painful loss to Tennessee on a Hail Mary pass, weather was complicating things for Kirby Smart in his first season as coach at Georgia. Hurricane Matthew was on the path to American, and seemed headed to South Carolina. The Gamecocks were set to host Georgia for a Saturday night fight in Columbia.

But by Tuesday it was clear weather could be a major problem in the Palmetto State.

"The University of South Carolina and the athletics department are currently monitoring the movements of Hurricane Matthew,” USC said in a statement. “We are in communication with the National Weather Service, local authorities and the SEC regarding potential weather issues. The safety of everyone that could be impacted by the storm is paramount. Once forecasts call for action, we will use all means necessary to inform the public. Kickoff for the USC football game vs. Georgia is slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.”

But Hurricane Matthew made landfall near McClellanville, north of Charleston Friday morning. By Friday afternoon the SEC moved the game to Sunday afternoon.

Trees in rural South Carolina laid on the ground from the force of the wind. Power was knocked out for much of the eastern side of the state, but Williams-Brice Stadium had power, and the Bulldogs beat Carolina during a windy day. Georgia QB Jacob Eason managed to throw for only 29 yards.

"We've got to improve our ability to throw and catch the ball," Smart told reporters after the game in the cramped space used for post-game press conferences for road teams at South Carolina.

TERROR IN THE BIG EASY

In the early morning of New Year’s Day, a terrorist made a hard right turn and avoided barriers on Bourbon Street in order to speed up and ram his pickup truck into a crowd. It happened only blocks from the hotels Notre Dame and Georgia were sleeping in at the time - only hours before their showdown at the Superdome.

By midmorning playing the game came into serious doubt - even though the Sugar Bowl is a significant distance from where the attack took place. One UGA student was described as “critically injured” by UGA president Jere Morehead.

At a news conference just after noon, the Sugar Bowl announced the game would be postponed from New Year’s Night to the afternoon of January 2nd.

"All parties and all agree that it is in the best interest that we postpone the game for 24 hours,"  Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said at a news conference.

“Our prayers are with everyone involved in this horrific event, and we are here to support them in any way possible,” UGA AD Josh Brooks said in a statement. “As a native Louisianian, I know how special this place is. The people of New Orleans and this entire community are resilient and will remain strong during this time of healing.”

The Bulldogs fell to Notre Dame - ending the 2024 season.

"I'm not desensitizing what happened, okay? That was a very traumatic event," Smart said after the game. " But this team was focused and ready to go play. So, I'm not going to sit here and talk about the tragedy affecting our team. Notre Dame played well. We didn't play great, but when we turned the ball over twice and have a kickoff returned, that's what I attribute the loss to, not to the tragedy or what happened, and that's not any disrespect to the community of New Orleans or the people with tragic losses."

PREPARING FOR THE UNKNOWN

Smart said on Monday that his program always monitors the weather, but that early in the week it is hard to tell what Saturday will be like.

“Weather obviously can be a factor,” Smart acknowledged. “It was this time last week, it was going to be a monsoon for the Vanderbilt game. So you know, you have to plan based on it, and you've gotta change the plan based on future forecast.”

The Bulldogs have both outdoor and indoor practice facilities in Athens.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published | Modified
Dean Legge
DEAN LEGGE

After two-plus decades of covering the Georgia Bulldogs and the SEC, Dean Legge is one of the definitive voices in Athens and beyond. Legge has authored two books - DAWGSTRUCTION and DOUBLE DAWGS - with each chronicling Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs' run to national titles in 2021 and 2022. Legge has been a Heisman Trophy voter since 2005 and a Biletnikoff Award voter since 2009. He’s covered SEC Championships, Peach Bowls, Orange Bowls, Sugar Bowls, the Rose Bowl Game, College Football Playoff National Championship Games, the NCAA Tournament, the College World Series as well as a slew of college football, basketball and baseball games. Legge graduated from Coker College in 1999 with a degree in Political Science. He played both tennis and basketball for the Cobras. After graduating, Legge completed his academic career at the University of Georgia where he earned a Master of Public Administration from the School of Public and International Affairs in 2001. In 2008, Legge was elected President of the Coker College Alumni Association. He served on the Board of Trustees at Coker from 2009 to 2017 and was a member of the Executive Committee, Student Services and Enrollment Committee and Athletic Committee in that time. Legge is a native of Tucker, Georgia.

Share on XFollow Dawg_Post