Georgia Bulldogs Countdown to Kickoff: 83 Days
The number 83 showed up in a few relevant spots as we continue our journey to Georgia football kickoff against Oregon. I couldn’t pick just one.
Call it the Sunday buffet of Georgia Bulldogs ’83”s.
Let’s begin, shall we?
First, a statistical 83 from the Dawgs’ 2021 season:
Georgia’s defense led the country during the 2021 regular season with 83 hard-earned points allowed.
Clemson finished second-best, and the Tigers had 180. That season-opening win, in which Georgia’s only points came on a field goal and a pick-six, was a defensive gem for both teams.
The Dawgs were just that much better.
A couple 83-yarders from RBU
Nick Chubb had a couple of 83-yard touchdown runs during his time at Georgia. One came against Charleston Southern in 2014.
At the time, it was Georgia’s longest run from scrimmage in nearly 30 years.
Then Chubb did it again in the garbage time of a rainy Georgia loss to Alabama at Sanford Stadium in 2015. I still have some water in my ears from that one.
Georgia’s run game continued its explosive ways after Chubb left for the NFL, with an 83-yarder from D’Andre Swift at Kentucky in 2018.
First Georgia football ’83’ jersey number that comes to mind: Jeb Blazevich
Jeb Blazevich was an all-time Dawg. Not statistically, necessarily. But he stuck it out through the Mark Richt transition to the Kirby Smart era, and remained an upbeat contributor even as Jim Chaney turned Georgia’s offensive attention away from tight ends.
Here’s what I mean:
Blazevich caught 43 passes for 413 yards and three touchdowns during his first two seasons in Athens – and Mark Richt’s final two.
He caught just eight passes for 88 yards and zero touchdowns in his final two seasons. He still played in all 28 of Georgia’s games, but he clearly wasn’t much of an option in the passing game.
My, oh my, how times have changed for Georgia’s tight ends.
Despite that statistical inconsistency, Jeb Blazevich found other ways to be a Damn Good Dawg. He earned a spot on the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team in 2016. Then he became part of the SEC Football Community Service Team in 2017.
Blazevich could have transferred and found a different system that put the ball in his hands more. But he committed to Georgia, and found a way to make the most of his time as a Bulldog until the end.
That’s how I’ll remember his time in Athens.
Recent Countdown to Kickoff Stories
No. 84 – Ladd McConkey and Kevin Butler kicks a long one
No. 85 – Georgia defeats No. 1 Florida in 1985
No. 86 – John FitzPatrick helps Georgia secure new NFL Draft record
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