Welcome to the Morning Memory, in which we take a brief stroll down Bulldog memory lane to look back at a special moment from UGA football history.
I think I could make a compelling argument that the 2018 Rose Bowl against Oklahoma was no lower than the third most memorable Georgia football game of the Kirby Smart era, perhaps even the twenty-first century. It was just an evening when all the elements aligned to create pure magic. The scenery was spectacular. The stakes were high. The opponent was formidable. The outcome? Absolutely one for the ages.
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And there were certainly a ton of memorable moments in the game. Baker Mayfield’s “It’s over!” exclamation that turned out to be far from the truth. A clutch Rodrigo Blankenship field goal. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel running like Clydesdales. Lorenzo Carter soaring for a critical blocked field goal. And of course Sony rocketing around right end to put the game away in overtime. Again, an instant classic.
But one aspect of that game that bears remembering but seems to have been a bit lost with time? Roquan Smith’s trail of Sooner carnage.
Fresh off winning the Butkus Award as the nation’s top defender the Montezuma Missile bullied Oklahoma ball carriers all night, finishing with a team-leading 11 tackles, including 4 solo stops. It’s no stretch to say that a couple of those arrested Oklahoma’s momentum at times when failing to do so may have been the end for the Bulldogs. The Smart era has produced some of the best linebackers in recent college football history. But there will only ever be one Roquan.
Go ‘Dawgs!!!
