ATHENS — Georgia’s Bacarri Rambo almost didn’t make the trip to Ole Miss this past Friday. No one would have blamed him if he didn’t.
Only a day earlier, Rambo learned he had lost his unborn son. Braylin A. Rambo died Thursday because of late-pregnancy complications. He was laid to rest Monday in Seminole County. Rambo was there for the funeral.
In between all that, Rambo played a football game. He played very well, in fact. He had two interceptions, a pass breakup and four tackles in the Bulldogs’ 27-13 victory over the Rebels.
It seemed such a big deal at the time. We realize now that scoring an SEC victory for Georgia was not foremost on Rambo’s mind.
“It was very emotional, a tough time for me,” said Rambo, who was named National Defensive Back of the Week by the College Football Performance Award. “I just said a little prayer every time before I went on the field. And I could hear his voice say, ‘I’m watching you, Daddy. Go Daddy. Make me proud.’ It just motivated me.”
Rambo decided to play only after discussing the situation with team chaplain Thomas Settles — whom he calls “T-Set” — and his father, Danny Rambo.
“I told him he should play,” said Danny Rambo, a volunteer assistant coach at Seminole County High. “I told him to use that as a motivator. I told him, ‘Dedicate the rest of the season to your son. He’s looking down on you now. So go out and make him proud.”
It has been a kind of fire-and-ice season for Rambo. Tremendous highs on the football field have been counter-balanced by tremendous lows off it.
The junior free safety from Donalsonville entered the season knowing he wasn’t going to be able to play in the Bulldogs’ highly anticipated opener against Boise State. He was suspended for a “team rules violation” that neither he nor members of the football program would elaborate on. Having to sit out, Rambo said, “was awful.”
“It just really changed me as a person,” Rambo said. “I knew I had let a lot of people down for that first game. I knew I had to come back better and be more of a leader.”
Georgia downplayed Rambo’s absence, but in the weeks since that 35-21 loss, it has been vividly apparent that the Bulldogs don’t have another player like him in the secondary.
Rambo has since registered four interceptions in three games. His 1.33 interceptions per game average leads the nation. He also has three pass breakups and 14 tackles.
“I think it’s a familiarity with what we’re doing, and that’s a credit to him,” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “He’s worked very hard to improve his game in areas we’ve talked about with him. He’s a prideful guy and a guy who can understand concepts and what’s happening out there. Obviously he has some vision on the field, and he’s been able to apply all that.”
Rambo has always been a fan favorite, from his catchy name to his Kamikaze playing style. His most famous play as a Bulldog came as a freshman in 2009 when he was knocked out making a game-saving play. His hit on Auburn’s Mario Fannin at the goal line knocked the ball loose with a minute left and preserved a 31-24 victory, but also left him unconscious on the field. To this day all Rambo says all he can remember is “Georgia won.”
“It was a very scary moment,” he said. “I thought I wasn’t going to be able to play football anymore. I just thank God that he allowed me to keep playing and protects me from harm and danger out there.”
Rambo spends a lot of time talking about divine intervention. But considering the events of his young life, it’s understandable.
“I’ve cried for days,” he said of his son’s death. “But it just makes my relationship with God even stronger because I know [Braylin] is in a better place. He’s my little guardian angel now.
“I wish he could have been here, but God doesn’t make mistakes. Everything happens for a reason and I know he’s in a better place and will never have to go through pain.”
