The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game isn’t until Saturday night, but the first wave of the Bulldog Nation began invading the parking lots surrounding the Georgia Dome on Thursday afternoon.
That’s when Craig Crawford and his father arrived to set up the two recreational vehicles that make up their tailgating compound.
By Friday morning, there were a couple dozen campers, all flying the red and black, in the Dome’s main RV lot a couple of blocks away on Ivan Allen Boulevard.
Crawford said that he and his dad have been tailgating in similar fashion for about 12 years at all home games and most road games.
“You get hooked,” he said.
He said that the farthest they have driven their RVs for a game was Oklahoma State.
This time, they only had to drive a couple of hours down the road from their home in Fort Oglethorpe, in the northwest corner of the state.
“We went to the Falcons last night, we’re going to the Braves tonight, and taking in the Dogs on Saturday,” Crawford said.
By Saturday afternoon, about 25 friends will be joining them for tailgating festivities.
As for Saturday night’s game, Crawford predicted a close one, with Georgia coming out on top.
“That’s what I’m hoping,” he said. “We’ve been looking forward to this game since New Years when we got beat by Central Florida.”
Noticeably absent were RV’s flying the colors of Georgia’s opponent, Boise State.
But then, it is a 2,173-mile drive from Boise to Atlanta.
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