huckaby

Darrell Huckaby is a syndicated columnist and author of six books including two about Georgia football. Read Huck’s Wit and Wisdom every Wednesday and Sunday. Subscribe at darrellhuckaby.net.

9.08.25

It’s hard to watch Georgia play Cupcake U from California, when they are on a streaming service with two announcers who shouldn’t be doing a high school game. Television? Forget about it. No problem though. We were in in Lake Tahoe. Casinos up and down the street. Casinos have sports book rooms. Right? We headed for the Goden Nugget. The guys in the pay cage were more than happy to help. I think they knew that, since we were all wearing red and black that we would all bet for the Dawgs to cover and they knew that Kirby ain’t gonna cover against a cupcake.

Never does.

They gave us plush leather couches and chairs in front of the largest TV screen I had ever seen. It was showing the Arch Manning Show but the GN guys assured us they would have our game on before you could say overrated.

Couldn’t do it. Could not pull Georgia—Austin Peay out of the airwaves. The guy that broke the bad news said it had something to do with the change in starting time. So, I left and went to my hotel room and watched on my phone.

What a revolting development that was. I saw the same game you all did, but mine was on a 2 by 3 screen instead of from the 78-inch line they offered at the casino.

It looked hopeful at first. Three and outs. 99-yard drives. Running back by committee. But then it became obvious that Georgia was playing without focus, much less passion, fire and energy—for random blocks of time.

Nate Frazier just running down the field dropping the ball, practically tossing the ball into the defender’s hands. The usually reliable London Humphreys doing much the same thing. And that debacle on the goal line. How do you run five plays from the one without scoring against a team that doesn’t have a single player that could start on your team?

Gotta talk about Gunner—whom I love. He obviously was gun-shy about standing in the pocket and looking downfield and waiting for his receivers to break into the clear. Way too soon he would check down to the short receiver—usually the one still in the backfield with him. Or, even worse, just give up and try to run the ball.

I know that it was a strange day. Early start time. Two-hour lightning delay. Wet track after the half. I also know that Austin Peay started two hours early and had a two-hour delay at half and played on the same wet field. We should have taken control of the game in the first quarter and did not. We were never in danger of losing, but we failed to dominate and, worse, failed to play like we wanted to.

So here, about to face a SKY HIGH Tennessee team with College Game Day and 100,000 rabid fans in attendance, fans who have been waiting almost a decade to beat Georgia. They are ready to throw more goal posts into the Tennessee River. In the meantime, fair weather Georgia fans are whining and complaining. It is amazing how many internet warriors could fix the offense in seconds. And you know there are unhappy hoards insisting that Ryan Puglisi replace Gunner Stockton immediately.

We’ve been here before. Many times. I am riding with Kirby and his staff because he has a lot better track record in dealing with these things---that may be true—than I do. But don’t you think for a moment that Saturday is not big. We all have to hunker down and pray that we get out of Obnoxville Alive. I’m hoping this game turns into Gunner Stockton’s coming out party. But I’ll be proud to be a Georgia Bulldog, win lose, or draw—rain or shine.

Look for me Saturday. I’ll be the the good looking guy in the red shirt—the one that will be so happy to be back from the Left Coast.

Darrell Huckaby

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