While some SEC teams opt out of spring games, UGA fans appreciate the sneak peek

ATHENS — Georgia football fans showed up and the Bulldogs showed out amid a sun-splashed afternoon at Sanford Stadium.

Attendance was the lowest it has been since 2008 — not counting an COVID-limited attendance in 2021 — for the annual tradition of providing fans with a peek of what’s to come with Georgia football, which is expected to compete to defend its back-to-back SEC championships and make the 12-team College Football Playoff field.

Coach Kirby Smart and UGA opted to host a spring game this year, while four other SEC schools declined to hold a public scrimmage: Missouri, Ole Miss, LSU and South Carolina.

Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer cited stadium renovations as part of the reason South Carolina didn’t hold a spring game, as did Missouri.

LSU coach Lane Kiffin explained to his new fans in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, why he has departed from the tradition of a spring game going back to his previous coaching stop at Ole Miss.

“One, because at one point, it was on TV and giving your opponent information, and then there was a (second transfer) portal window coming,” Kiffin said. “So you were giving people an evaluation of your players. And then there’s the financial piece of how much you’re investing in the players now.

“Looking at the big picture of injury, just feel like it’s not worth it — just like the NFL in the spring doesn’t have a tackling scrimmage.”

Dave Piper, the owner and general manager of WTGA radio in Thomaston, Georgia, is of the same mindset as Kiffin.

“The more I think about it, the more I think we should just eliminate it. It’s an opportunity for injuries,” Piper said. “We just had our top transfer edge rusher (Amaris Williams) go down with an ACL. He’s now gone for the year. So we need that personnel.”

New Idea?

Smart, asked about recent talk about teams playing one another in spring games — Colorado’s Deion Sanders and Syracuse coach Fran Brown have been denied a waiver to scrimmage one another’s teams the past two seasons — noted there would be complications.

“I think there’s an inherent cost in that, and it’s like, OK, who’s traveling? Who’s paying for that travel? Are we selling tickets?” Smart said on his 680 The Fan interview last week.

“Are we trying to turn it into a money stream, a stream of revenue, which every athletic department needs right now more than ever? I think all that’s coming to a head.

“It worries me. I am a college sports enthusiast. I love going to a tennis match, a baseball game, a softball game and seeing those. I don’t want those sports hindered by the inability to have revenue because of spending in other areas.”

Smart, aware of the risk of injuries a spring game presents, limited the number of snaps his starting players were in the game on Saturday.

Sneak Preview

But that was OK for Georgia fans like Mike Williams.

“I want to see Ryan Montgomery and all the players that don’t normally get on the field and all the freshmen, kind of get a preview of what’s to come for the program,” said Williams, who drove up from Panama City, Florida.

“I don’t mind paying to get into the game,” said Williams, shrugging off the $10 admission charge. “You want to support the program, and the more we can contribute, the better players we can sign for the team.”

UGA has had fans pay to attend as far back as 2002, according to a school spokesperson.

While Williams was interested in seeing how Montgomery — the third-string quarterback — fared, others were excited to see star quarterback Gunner Stockton.

Indeed, there were plenty of Georgia jerseys with “Stockton” being sold at a jam-packed University of Georgia Bookstore across the street from Sanford Stadium.

“Gunner is the man. I liked him way back when he took off his no-contact jersey for practices before the (2022) championship game,” said Andrew Sisson, who drove to Athens from Marietta to attend the game.

“He’s a Stetson Bennett in training, but better, and our receivers will take care of themselves, and the tight ends will be sneaky good.”

There was some tailgating outside the stadium, to be sure, but nothing like the Bulldogs’ regular-season home games when the campus is filled with red-and-black-clad revelers.

Trained Eyes

Many of the fans and reporters who spent their Saturday watching football were passionately dialed in for details.

“I think the focus this spring is explosive plays on offense and the edge rush on defense, so you want to see (sophomore Talyn) Taylor make some plays, (tailback Dwight) Phillips get the ball, as he’s replacing Cash Jones as the third-down back, and he has explosive plays,” said Buck Belue, who lead UGA to the 1980 national title as quarterback and now works as a talk-show host on 680 The Fan.

“Isaiah Gibson is the guy on defense everyone wants to see rushing the passer. He was recruited to be the next big thing.”

Belue, who played with the original big thing — Heisman Trophy winner and all-time great Herschel Walker — said he couldn’t give a personal account of what the spring game was like during his era.

“I was always playing baseball,” said Belue, the 1982 SEC athlete of the year, having earned All-SEC honors in baseball in addition to his football accolades.

“But first thing I’d do after baseball was come over and watch the film of the spring game — I wanted to see what the other quarterbacks did. I think Herschel might have carried the ball two or three times in those games.”

Former UGA quarterback Jake Fromm explained how much of the game is scripted, with coaches wanting to see certain things from certain players.

That’s why Fromm said he focuses as much on the game plan as the players when he reviews UGA spring games.

“I’m going to try to figure out what the intent of the spring game is. You know it’s a dumbed down offensive scheme and defensive scheme,” Fromm said on the DawgNation Daily Podcast.