We juss gotta git budder.
Mr. SEC recently looked at the power shifts in the SEC since 1993. Obviously, the Dawgs are one of the fastest rising programs over that period of time, and his article got me thinking about what a wildly different position we are now vs. just 15 years ago.
Think back to 1993:
The 1993 season opened with solid optimism. The Dawgs had just won 19 games over the prior two seasons, Eric Zeier was returning, and recruiting was moving along nicely. We had obviously taken two huge hits to the NFL in losing Garrison Hearst and Andre Hastings, and there were still concerns about Ray Goff's long term viability. However, the overall talent level looked reasonably strong.
Then the 1993 season just absolutely shat all over the program. The season started with a home opening loss to the Gamecocks as Brandon Bennett dove over the top with seconds remaining. Listen to the panic in Munson's voice. It's wrenching.
The Bulldogs were then demolished in Knoxville 38-6. Losses to Arkansas and Ole Miss followed a win vs. Texas Tech, and suddenly the Dawgs were 1-4 to open the season.
they would've all crashed from the weight of the anger.
After winning three in a row against Southern Miss, Kentucky and Vandy, the Dawgs had their guts ripped out during a monsoon in Jacksonville at the infamous "Time Out Florida" game. It was one of the worst moments in One Play Away Ray's career. The 1993 season ended at 5-6. It was the second time in Ray's first five years that we had no bowl plans for the holidays.
1994 was no great shakes either
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The positives -- blowing out a wretched Clemson team, dropping a tie on an Auburn team that hadn't lost since 1992, and a second consecutive obliteration of Georgia Tech (48-10). The negatives included giving up 200+ yards rushing to a legally blind running back in a homecoming loss to Vanderbilt. The Gators dropping 52 on Georgia in the Swamp, and Ray Goff blowing the fourth quarter lead in Tuscaloosa by going uber conservative.
The season ended with Vince Dooley's disastrous decision to give Ray Goff one more year AND to publicly notify him of a need for "significant improvement." That two in one decision combined with the pending NCAA investigation served to cripple recruiting for two consecutive seasons.
1993-1996
I think it's hard for current students, recent grads and new fans to comprehend that today's Georgia program is not that far removed from going 22-22-1 from 1993 to 1996. That four year period was the darkest UGA had experienced since the 1950s and very early 1960s. If it weren't for the wildly good luck of having Georgia Tech hire Bill Lewis in 1992, things could've been much, much worse.
It was just 11 years ago that Georgia was teetering towards Gamecock and Ole Miss levels of futility. Yet, here we are today.
So it's with that trip down suck alley that I said, "God Bless Mark Richt."
PWD
