This holiday week is a time for reflection. About a lot of things that mean the world to all of us in our lives.
With the DawgNation crew, it is also a great time to reflect on the storybook 2024 season up to this point. The Bulldogs have had a championship season, no matter what happens over the next 31 days.
That was accomplished when the Dawgs earned their third SEC championship of Kirby Smart’s time in Athens.
They’ve beaten Bevo and Texas twice. Toppled Tech in eight overtimes at home. That extended the robust win streak at Sanford Stadium to 31 games.
Georgia leaned on Carson Beck at times and then saw him work his way out of what seemed like a month-long slump.
They’ve won the SEC title with a backup quarterback finishing the game. Georgia has won games without their No. 1 tailback in key stretches. There has been the hope that the Bulldogs would add a receiver back to the lineup after some off-the-field issues. It looked promising.
Until it did not.
What was the best moment of the 2025 season? Well, the DawgNation crew has their own thoughts about that one.
What was the best moment of the 2024 season (so far)?
Brandon Adams: The win at Texas in October
Why: “Georgia desperately needed that win after losing at Alabama. But more importantly, the win in Austin signified that, no matter how much fanfare accompanied the Longhorns’ entrance to the SEC, UGA was still the top brand in the conference.”
Mike Griffith: The Carson Beck scramble on the first play of the second quarter against Tennessee
Why: “Beck’s scramble, and subsequent first down, was a turning point for Beck individually, for Georgia in the game, and for the Bulldogs as a whole as the team felt truly “together” for the first time all season. Close second: Dan Jackson’s fumble-inducing hit in the fourth quarter against Tech.”
Kaylee Mansell: The overtime win against Texas
Why: “No season has been filled with more adversity than this one for the Dawgs under Smart. After losing two games on the road, fans wondered if this was truly a UGA team that could get it done. But against all odds, with their backs against the wall, UGA was able to pull off an SEC Championship that solidified their place in the college football playoffs.
Connor Riley: Gunner Stockton getting jacked up against Texas
Why: “It was a brutal hit. Stockton was fortunate to not be hurt and hold on to the ball. Yet Stockton got up, this Georgia team kept fighting and on the next play, the Bulldogs won the SEC Championship. It was perfectly emblematic of everything this team has been. Far from pretty yet, Georgia found a way to keep going.”
Jeff Sentell: When “Dirty Dan” jacked up Georgia Tech
Why: “This season doesn’t feel the same without that effort play. The national perception of the team would shift. We love it for everything it means. This had been a year of offensive uncertainty and unpredictability, but Georgia turned a game it had no business winning with its defense. The defensive hero was a walk-on who hung around for another season because of the strong culture of the Georgia locker room. Georgia’s defense and its culture have been the bedrocks of the nation’s best program under Kirby Smart.”
Do you have an opinion on this one? DawgNation welcomes you to join our huddle in the comments section below.
DAWGNATION HUDDLE THIS WEEK:
-- Which Bulldog has been the biggest surprise of the 2024 season?
-- Which UGA assistant has done the best coaching job so far this season?
-- Who has been the Georgia football MVP for the 2024 season?
