For the Seniors

 On Sunday,  at a team meeting, Kirby Smart asked for any player in the room who had beaten Florida to stand up. No one did.

That is how you set the tone for the week. Yes, Georgia is undefeated and the third ranked team in the country, but on the field in Jacksonville, they have to prove they can get the job done.

For the past three years, Georgia has come up short against the Gators after winning three straight from 2011-2013.

For any fan, we have to remind ourselves that fan is short for fanatic, but as much as we care about the team's results, the players and coaches care more.

I want this season to keep heading down the magical road we have been on. I want it for the me, and for the rest of the Bulldog Nation. But more than anyone else, I want it for our 5 seniors who came back this year to do something special.

Lorenzo Carter, Davin Bellamy, Dominick Sanders, Sony Michel, and Nick Chubb.

Carter and Bellamy have led a defense that is the backbone of the team. Sanders has been a constant at safety since his freshman season. He is a ball-hawk. Sony Michel may end up being a better pro than a college player, but Sony has been a rock for this team and he is the vocal leader that this team needs.

Then there is Chubb. I'm going to be honest and tell you that I get a little emotional when I think about Nick Chubb.

When Chubb committed, I watched a few of his high school videos online and I immediately fell in love. I remember showing my brother those videos and telling him that this was going to be a guy we were going to love. He never went down from just one tackler and he kept his legs moving.

Little did I know that his play on the field would be the second most lovable thing about Nick Chubb. In 2014, when Todd Gurley was suspended, the quite freshman stepped up. After an amazing performance on the road at Missouri, they interviewed Chubb on the field. He was soft spoken, unassuming, and seemingly ego-less. He credited the offensive line, and his entire team around him.

I loved Gurley, but with Todd out because he signed autographs for money, here was a 19 year old kid, putting his teammates first.

After the horrific injury that Chubb suffered in Knoxville in 2015, he returned in 2016 with a solid, but not Chubb-like season. There was no reason for him to come back this season. No, he wouldn't have been a first round pick, but even still, the life of a running back is shorter than any other position in football. Chubb probably cost himself at least 1/2 million dollars returning to Georgia for his senior season.

So why did he do it? Why did any of these guys come back?

For today. For week 2 against Notre Dame. For what could happen over the next 5 weeks. These five seniors believed in this team, believed in this coaching staff, and delayed their own dreams of playing in the NFL for one more shot to bring Glory to Georgia.

Today isn't "win one for the Gipper." It should be win one for the seniors. They believed first. A top 5 recruiting class believed second, and now we are all believers.

Georgia wins big today. I hope each of those 5 seniors gets a special moment this afternoon on the banks of the St. Johns river. They deserve this moment, and our unending gratitude for restoring not only our hope, but more importantly our pride in the Red and Black.

Georgia 48.  Florida 13

Go Dawgs