![]() ![]() The ringing sound of the bagpipes in “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys overtook Notre Dame stadium when the Fighting Irish took the field to play us on their turf for only the second time in history. However, one of my favorite experiences took place in South Bend, Indiana. And as always, the intense rivalry that takes place each year in Jacksonville, Florida at the annual Georgia-Florida game (Florida-Georgia Line is a band, y’all). In a more humbling experience, I’ll never forget the crowd in Death Valley chanting “Neck” to us as LSU gave us a beat-down on their home turf. Another moment took place in Knoxville, Tennessee, where the sold-out crowd of Volunteer faithful checkered out Neyland Stadium– only to be beat 41-0 by Georgia in the end. I still think about the atmosphere in Lexington, Kentucky, where the fans, all decked in blue, went absolutely wild when their team ran out to a hype video of a horse in the Kentucky Derby leading the football team. The 2015 Georgia-Auburn game at Jordan-Hare Stadium was the first time I experienced Nova, or War Eagle VII, flying from the upper deck in a pre-game tradition, and it sent chills down my spine. ![]() ![]() Though what was most memorable wasn’t always the wins, or even the inevitable camaraderie between us “band nerds” and our fellow football fans, but experiencing other schools’ traditions too. Coach Kirby Smart even surprised us with a visit at one of our practices to express the team’s unwavering appreciation for us. Larry Munson said it best when he described the Redcoat Band as the “heartbeat of the Bulldog nation,” and we sometimes felt like we were a part of the team because of it. People would ask for pictures with us and their children, and they would high-five every one of us just for being one of their own. When I walked into the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at UGA as an 18-year-old straight out of Rome High School, and for the very first time as a Redcoat, I had no idea what was in store for me.Įach Saturday we were treated like celebrities within our fan base. Each week I was awe-struck by something new. Though the Rose Bowl win is at the top of my list of incredible moments I was lucky enough to experience while in the Redcoat Band, the special thing about being in an SEC band is that there are many of these moments. Sony Michel’s run into the endzone in double overtime was like something out of a movie that we could’ve never imagined would happen to us. We were all too overcome with emotion to play our horns at that moment. Our directors would admit that the “Glory” played after the Rose Bowl was one of the worst, if not the worst, one in recent Georgia history. It was following the 2018 Rose Bowl – and between shedding tears, jumping up and down and embracing every friend and stranger sitting around me, I physically couldn’t play my trumpet (believe me, I tried). Georgia’s entire team and coaching staff are all showing up to Auburn on Saturday hungry and ready to give another statement to the college football world.There was only one occasion in my time with the University of Georgia Redcoat Band that I didn’t play “Glory” after a game. ![]() That line tells you this team is doing nothing but focusing on themselves. One of the best lines from the video is when he says, “when you hear the loudest noise they got, that is when it’s the most quiet.” This week Massaquoi talked about the rivalry and how deep it hits the Bulldog nation. Mohamed Massaquoi is the latest Georgia alumni to voice these videos, and he could have done the best job yet.Įach week the team taps into another emotion that sends chills over the body in just 1:23 videos. With it being at Jordan-Hare Stadium on the Plains, the Dawgs have to come out with the hunger and tenacity they have the first five weeks. Georgia is having a remarkable season, and the Auburn Tigers want to spoil that. The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is in its 126th year of the event, and it is just as important as ever. Georgia football continues to release incredible hype videos week after week, and the one they did for the Auburn game was no different. ![]()
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