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Senior Day: Clean, Old Fashioned Hate Edition

Once again we’ve reached that most bittersweet of home games: senior day. While it is a wonderful thing to watch the guys who’ve given so much to UGA take the field and get the recognition they so rightly deserve, one can’t help but also feel a little sad that it will be the last time they do so.

Twenty-seven seniors will grace the field in Sanford Stadium against Georgia Tech. From starters to contributors to lesser known names, they’ve all played a vital role. Despite being faced with a litany of injuries and a head coach who was on the hot seat when they arrived on campus, this year’s senior class has been a successful one. In four years they have:

-won 39 games (so far)

-posted two 10+ win seasons (with a chance at a third)

-won two SEC eastern division titles (also with a chance at a third)

-gone 4-0 vs Tennessee, 3-1 vs Auburn, 3-1 vs Florida, and 3-0 (so far) vs Georgia Tech.

Of course, it hasn’t all been roses. There have definitely been some tough times as well. But for one moment, let us all think only of the good times as we say goodbye to some DGDs. Here they are:

David Andrews C
Trisen Askew CB
Mark Beard OT
Michael Bennett WR
Chris Conley WR
Watts Dantzler OG
Ray Drew DE
Zach DeBell OT
Michael Erdman WR
Adam Erickson P
Merritt Hall FB
Amarlo Herrera ILB
Kolton Houston OT
Toby Johnson DT
Kyle Karempelis RB
Jack Loonam TE
Hutson Mason QB
Taylor Maxey FB
AJ McDonald ILB
Corey Moore S
Lucas Redd S
Jonathan Rumph WR
Damian Swann CB
Mike Thornton DT
Kosta Vavlas ILB
Xzavier Ward OL
Ramik Wilson LB

Some of the names jump off the page at you right away. Like Chris Conley and Michael Bennett, who have been the very definition of steady during their time in Athens. Bennett (132 catches, 1584 yards, 17 TD’s) and Conley (110, 1813, 19) have been especially good over the past two seasons, as Malcolm Mitchell, Justin Scott-Wesley and Jonathan Rumph struggled with injuries.

I’ll never forget Bennett’s fourth down touchdown catch to help bring us back from a 17-3 deficit in Jacksonville in 2011, or Conley’s catch later in the same game to keep an eventual clock-killing drive alive. There have been plenty of other memorable moments for the pair, but nothing ever topped that game for me.

I remember sitting in Sanford Stadium late in the Georgia-Mississippi State game in 2010 and hearing someone ask "Why are we playing our backup receiver’s. We’ve got Bennett and #31, who I’ve never even heard of, in the game." Three and a half seasons later, I guess maybe everyone has heard of him now. Besides, what other Bulldog ever made a Star Wars film?

Hutson Mason, who sat behind Aaron Murray for nearly three full seasons before finally getting his chance late in 2013, hasn’t been the most dazzling quarterback, but he’s been pretty darn efficient. After leading the Dawgs to a win over the Jackets last season, all he’s done this year is complete 68% of his passes, throw 19 touchdown passes vs only 3 interceptions, and guide one of the top scoring offenses in the country.

While these three have been instrumental to Georgia’s offensive success, the true MVP of the offense may well be David "Boss" Andrews. He is the unquestioned heart and soul of this team, and the leader of an offensive line that blocked for a Heisman Trophy candidate for half a season, then helped his replacement be just as dominant.

On the defensive side of the ball, the only place to begin is with tackling machines Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson. Over the past two seasons, the two have combined for 421 tackles. They have been the heart of a Georgia defense that has improved significantly over the course of 2014. Though outside linebackers Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd get the headlines, Wilson and Herrera are the anchors.

After a tough 2013 season, Damian Swann has emerged once again as the leader of the secondary. His 52 tackles and 3 interceptions only tell part of the story, as his leadership of a young and inexperienced defensive backfield spoke volumes in the win over Auburn.

Finally, you can’t overlook the contributions of special-teamers Kosta Vavlas and Adam Erickson. Vavlas has long been the leader of Georgia’s kick coverage teams, and Erickson has excelled as our "pooch" punter, consistently pinning the ball inside the twenty yard line and helping the Dawgs win the field position battle.

To be sure, everyone on this list has contributed to Georgia’s success over the past four seasons. Nothing would send them out in style like a win over the one team I detest over all others. The way I see it, a loss to Tech cancels out anything good that may have happened previously. Let’s finish the drill and show the Yellow Jackets that even during one of their better seasons, we run this state.

Go Dawgs! And to hell with Georgia Tech!

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