You might think Georgia’s first appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game — a 35-21 loss to Boise State in 2011 — would have soured the Bulldogs on playing in Atlanta’s season-opening event.
But it did not.
Peach Bowl Inc. president and CEO Gary Stokan, who runs the game, said UGA athletic director Greg McGarity and then-coach Mark Richt told him after the 2011 event that the Bulldogs had “a great experience” despite the score.
“They said for recruiting purposes, we want to be in your game every four years,” Stokan said.
Because of scheduling reasons, it took one year longer than that between appearances in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff for Georgia, which will face North Carolina at the Georgia Dome on Saturday.
The Tar Heels also are making their second appearance in the event, having lost to LSU 30-24 in the 2010 game.
Stokan said Larry Fedora, the Tar Heels’ coach since 2012, “likes a challenge and knew to get North Carolina back to where it needed to get to in football, you needed to play in these sort of games.”
The Georgia-North Carolina matchup came together because both programs’ schedules were conducive to a “Kickoff” game this season.
“You’ve got to talk to a lot of people, see what fits,” Stokan said.
Saturday’s game will be the last Chick-fil-A Kickoff in the Georgia Dome. The event will move to the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is slated to open next year.
