After months of snow and cold, a trip down south to Athens, Georgia was much needed. It had been over four months since college football was played, and what a long 109 days it was. Though football season was another four months away, Spring Exhibition games are a great halftime escape of false hope that the season is right around the corner. Nevertheless, over 82,000 fans flocked to Sanford Stadium on a 77º sunny day to see one of the most exciting teams from 2017 play their annual G-Day game.
Freshman standout Jake Fromm lead the Red squad and was pitted against the top recruit in the country, quarterback Justin Fields of the Black squad. The winter frost was still on Fromm, as he made some atrocious reads and some bad throws, leading Justin Fields to stand out and challenge the vet for his starting spot. Defensive back Deandre Baker picked off a tipped pass from Fromm and took it 32 yards to the house to begin the game 7-0. Fan favorite Rodrigo Blankenship hit a pair of field goals for the red squad and halftime began with a 7-6 game. Fields threw a touchdown in the third to make the score 21-6 and Fromm ended the game with a 57 yard TD pass in the fourth quarter. When it was all said and done, the Black squad pulled off a 21-13 victory.
G-Day was the second-highest attended Spring game for the 2018 season, falling short of Nebraska’s show out of 92,000+. The 82,184 that attended G-Day was also the second largest in UGA’s history, despite 10,000 seats being made unavailable due to scoreboard renovation. The “game between the hedges” showed a promising Georgia Dawgs team lead by Kirby Smart who plan to make another run at the College Football Playoff.
Stadium Grade: B+
Atmosphere: B
Tradition: A
Capacity: 92,746
Attendance: 82,184