Reflector Sports Editor, R.J. Morgan, is rating the road trip experiences for all away games this season in hopes of providing readers with a reference point for future trips. Trips will be graded on a 10-point scale in 10 categories and then given a cumulative score.
1. Ease of Travel-Navigating your way to Athens is no easy task: Starkville to Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa to Birmingham, Birmingham to Atlanta, Atlanta to Athens. Almost all of the roads are 4-laned, but changing highways and interstates that many times can get challenging, so watch the road signs closely. Actually though, once I got past Atlanta I just followed people with UGA flags on their cars and that worked fine too. (7 points)
2. Parking-The Athens campus is huge, and this worried me. But to my surprise, as soon I entered campus there was an event staff member directing me to a five-story parking garage. I parked on the top level, rode an elevator to the groud floor, stepped off the elevator and right onto a shuttle bus that took me right up to the stadium entrance. After the game, the same shuttle service deposited me right back at the garage with no hassle. In all my travels, this is by far the most impressive display of game day management I’ve ever seen. Hats off! (10 points)
3. Game Day Atmosphere-The sprawling mass of land that makes up Georgia’s campus is a beautiful sight. The streets were flooded with red, and almost every building I saw looked new and modern. Perhaps it was just that their team was coming off back-ro-back home losses, but the crowd was not a rowdy as the one at LSU, but a loss to Vandy would do that to just about anyone. (7 points)
4. Stadium-Sanford Stadium is a great place to watch a game. The hedges lining the sidelines and endzones add a feeling of both comfort and prestige that most stadiums can’t offer. The stadium itself is neither as modern nor as historical as Tiger Stadium, but still has its own style that is truly enjoyable. (8 points)
5. Fan Knowledge-Georgia fans are extremely dedicated to their beloved Bulldogs. Before the game, there was a ceremony honoring the Bulldogs’ live mascot, Uga, who has been the school’s symbol for 50 years. There was even a video monage of all the Ugas, past and present. The crowd went nuts. It is amazing the regard they hold for that animal. (9 points)
6. Friendliness of Fans-I spent the night in Atlanta Friday night, and met a University of Georgia graduate at a bar in Buckhead. When I told her I was going to the game, she floored me with details and suggestions about how early to get there, what Georgia’s chances were, etc. I was pretty impressed that a random girl in a random bar knew that much about football. All the fans that I talked to at the game were very helpful and friendly. True southern hospitality. (9 points)
7. Concessions-Standard menu, plus a few extras like bratwurst and Dip-‘n’-Dots, but major originality points here for serving Red Baron Pizzas-red… like the school color. Corny, but pretty original. (10 points)
8. Band-The Redcoat Band, as they’re called, couldn’t seem to make up its mind whether it was trying to impersonate the British Redcoats or some civil war era soldier band. Their halftime show was uninspiring, but their saving grace was their game-opening rendition of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” with a lone horn bellowing from the upper desk, and then joined by the rest of the band below. I got chills. (8 points)
9. Local Scene-Athens is a great college town with plenty of bars. Also, laying over in Atlanta like I did offers a pretty good selection of nightlife and drink specials. Options abound in both towns for all tastes and preferences. (10 points)
10. Wildcard-Other than the long drive and the disappointing nature of the actual game, I find little to complain about from my trip to Athens. It is metropolitan enough to offer a variety of options, yet is far enough removed from the urban muck of Atlanta to still have a large amount of genteel Southern atmosphere. (9 points)
Score-87