This Georgia Bulldogs senior class will be remembered for its mission.
“I need to win something, man,” said linebacker Lorenzo Carter, one of four who passed on millions to return to UGA, before the season. “I finished high school with four rings. Coming here to Georgia and having the legacy of the ‘G,’ it’s been a minute. It’s been a minute since Athens has had something to celebrate. So that’s it, trying to come back and give people a reason to be happy.”
The “unfinished business” refrain has echoed through Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall all season. It’s what urged linebacker Davin Bellamy and running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to also turn down the pros.
Their final time playing in front of the home crowd comes Saturday when the Bulldogs host Kentucky.
“Our seniors, we have senior day, and it’s the last home game for them, a group of guys who’ve been very special to me and certainly special to dawg nation in the legacy they leave behind,” coach Kirby Smart said. “A lot of them had opportunities to come out (for the NFL draft), and this’ll be their last chance. Really want to challenge our fan base to come out and support these guys to end it right at home.”
The seniors will get their first taste of the SEC Championship game in a few weeks. The Bulldogs haven’t captured the conference crown since 2005, and haven’t participated in the title game since Aaron Murray’s comeback fell just short against the Crimson Tide in 2012.
With 37 wins and counting since the start of the 2014 season, this senior class is one of the more successful in school history. They’re a win away from three 10-win campaigns; an extremely difficult milestone at any program, but especially one that switched coaches in the middle of their tenures.
“We play for one another, and I think that's what makes this team special,” senior tight end Jeb Blazevich said.
As hard as it is to believe, this group debuted in Todd Gurley’s final season in the red and black. Gurley has since won NFL Rookie of the Year, seen his Rams relocate from St. Louis to Los Angeles and propelled a once afterthought into Super Bowl contention.
And that’s all while Carter, Chubb and Michel were leading UGA’s own transformation under Smart, sacrificing personal accolades in the process.
“It’s fun to win games,” Michel said. “You’re not worried about rushing for such-and-such amount of yards or scoring such-and-such amount of touchdowns. The ultimate goal is just to win the games. That’s what the other guys in the room, myself included, are here for.”
Winning was the theme for nine games before Auburn put it to a screeching halt. The Tigers tore into the Bulldogs 40-17 on Saturday, potentially ruining the Dogs’ playoff bid.
"Everything means more, man," Carter said after the game. "It's senior year, the last campaign. Everything's just amplified, the importance of it."
If it’s important, UGA will correct its mistakes. The Auburn game was full of rare miscues and self-inflicted wounds that the Bulldogs had avoided.
A loss in the SEC Championship game to Alabama or Auburn wouldn’t have spelled an end to Georgia’s playoff hopes. But paired with the recent blowout loss, UGA no longer has any wiggle room.
That means it’s do-or-die for the seniors.
“Everything we want to accomplish is in front of us,” the always level-headed Blazevich said. “One loss doesn't define our season, and everything is still out there for us. We're still trying to write our legacy and determine, 'What can I do this Monday that will help achieve that?'”
The next few games could define this group. Win out, and they’re a playoff lock. They’ve put themselves in position to compete for the grand prize.
That’s why they’re still in Athens. That’s been the mission.
What’s unknown is how it will end.
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