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PAGE 8B
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016
Much-needed win
for Smart, Bulldogs
For any first-year head
coach, especially in the
SEC. there's always the
talk of a “signature win"
— a jumping-off point
for greater things in the
future.
Georgia won’t be win
ning anything of major
significance this sea
son under rookie coach
Kirby Smart. But if the
Bulldogs do go on to ful
fill their biggest dreams
under him in future years,
Saturday’s 13-7 upset of
No. 8 Auburn at Sanford
Stadium may definitely
be viewed as Smart’s sig
nature win — one I was
there in person to witness.
The majority of Geor
gia fans, even most of
those on the pessimis
tic end of the spectrum,
would have likely pen
ciled in Kentucky and
Auburn as wins during
the preseason. But the last
two weeks have breathed
life back into a team
whose season got off to
a promising start before
largely giving way to set
backs and disappointing
losses or performances —
some expected (Ole Miss
on the road, a stout Flor
ida defense), some unex
pected (the devastating
manner of the Tennessee
loss), some inexplicable
(Vanderbilt at a home and
a near catastrophe against
FCS opponent Nicholls).
All of a sudden, Geor
gia is 6-4 and, for the
moment, has staved off
what could have been
a disastrous finish and
become the program’s
worst season in 20 years
or longer.
The Bulldogs, who
have now clinched a bowl
bid for the 20th consec
utive season, still have
business to take care of
against Louisiana-La-
fayette and rival Georgia
Tech, but the prospect of
a nine-win season is sud
denly not far-fetched at
all.
It’s not where the pro
gram wants to be under
Smart.
Georgia fired its all-
time wins leader in Mark
Richt because merely
being a consistently good,
occasionally very good
team was no longer sat
isfactory.
Smart, a disciple of
arguably the best head
coach in college football
history, is the man who
is tasked with taking the
program to greatness, and
for the first time since
the season-opening win
over North Carolina —
whether fully earned or
not — there’s optimism
that it will one day hap
pen, perhaps sooner rath
er than later.
And most of that redis
covered faith is ground
ed in the defensive per
formance Georgia gave
Saturday against a red-
hot Auburn team that
had been rolling since a
change in its offensive
play calling and had aver
aged more than 40 points
in its previous five out
ings.
Auburn was without
star tailback Kamryn
Pettway, but that doesn’t
take away from the effort
of the Bulldogs, who held
the vaunted Tigers to 164
yards of offense, includ
ing only 32 yards and no
first downs in the second
half.
When Maurice Smith
intercepted an errant pass
early in the third quarter
and returned it 34 yards
for a score to tie the game,
the stadium erupted into
the loudest roar I’ve heard
in quite some time.
And for the first time in
what seemed like ages, I
was confident Georgia
would win a game.
Smith’s pick-six accen
tuated the kind of defen
sive performance we’ve
all been waiting on from a
team led by Nick Saban’s
former national champi
onship defensive coor
dinator. Georgia played
with swagger and inten
sity.
A unit, which had
played inconsistent
ly most of the season
because of its inability to
generate an effective pass
rush, was dominant for
all but the Tigers’ 15-play
scoring drive in the first
quarter.
But the performance
from a well-rested, fresh
defense was also keyed
by a suddenly balanced
and efficient offense that
consumed nearly two-
thirds of the game clock.
While the offensive line
issues continued to be
present, Nick Chubb ran
for 101 yards and Jacob
Eason threw for 208
yards on 20-of-31 pass
ing, distributing the ball to
eight different receivers.
A special-teams unit
that has been abysmal this
fall got two field goals
that proved to be the dif
ference from Rodrigo
Blankenship a week after
the newborn hipster hero
delivered the game winner
at Kentucky. Isaiah McK
enzie had a key 20-yard
punt return, and Georgia’s
special teams finally got
through a game without
a mind-numbingly dumb
mistake.
There is still plenty of
room for caution, though.
Georgia has already prov
en it’s not above laying a
massive egg and a loss to
UL-Lafayette or Georgia
Tech could completely
erode the good will and
positive vibes of the past
two weeks.
But for right now,
things feel like they’re
back on track.
Let’s hope they stay on
track and that this is the
start of a great leap for
ward.
Scott Thompson is
the editor of the Barrow
News-Journal. He can be
reached at sthompson@
barrowjoumal. com.
Remembering Bill Stanfield
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ALBANY - Bill Stanfill’s team
mates were a heterogeneous group
when they arrived on campus a half
century ago, but the sameness that
made them champions was reflected
in their collective presence at the
First Methodist Church of Albany
on Monday where they convened to
say farewell to one of the truly great
football players of our time.
Teammates, especially those who
bring about championships, are unal
terably connected with bonding that
leads to unforgettable moments from
which they will never emotionally
retreat.
All who knew Stanfill didn’t show
up, although it looked as they did, as
they took up a sizable section of the
church.
Among those who came—
all imbued with deep and abiding
respect—were Billy Payne whose
affiliations make his name household
in the game of golf across the globe.
Then there were Jerry Varnado. an
on-the-field overachiever, who once
enjoyed a brush with hell-raisin’, but
segued, owing to tragedy, into becom
ing a man of the cloth; Mike Cavan.
John Kasay, Charley Whittimore and
Steve Greer who coached for alma
mater; Hugh Nall, local and latent
friend, another of the whistle and
stopwatch society who had to switch
loyalties but later moved into business
and reaffirmed his unimpeachable
commitment to the “G,” Sandy John
son. whose international business
success remains under the radar but
was extraordinarily signature; George
Patton, the other tackle who, with
Stanfill, formed an unbeatable tan
dem, perhaps, the best there has ever
been at Georgia; a lawyer (Lee Dan
iel), a doctor (Tommy Lawhome), a
fireman (Tim Crowe), a head hunter.
(Wayne Ingle), a bear of a man who
dabbed his eyes frequently during
the service, a career military offi
cer, the pint sized lineman. Anthony
Dennard: an egg man (Jack Davis),
a woodsman (Ronnie Jenkins) who
lost his teeth to a forearm long ago
but is something of a mascot with his
blue-collar, down home vernacular,
one who would forever get your ox
out of the ditch.
His adoring coach Vince Dooley
was there which struck a somber
note in that life has no defined order.
In a perfect world, the coach lives
long and abundantly, advancing into
old age, crosses the river-of-the-un-
known, to be followed afterwards
by his charges from those joyful and
celebrated days of yore.
All during the uplifting service
there was the reminder that success
ful teammates truly love each other.
In Bill Stanfill’s time, there were
big guys and little guys, some with
special talents,
others who got
by on energy and
heart with prior
ity always, “The
team. The team.”
Say it after me,
“The Team. The
team.”
They gave
of themselves.
They were good
at playing the
game. They were
great at winning.
Accomplished and everyday men
filled up six pews at the church where
a man of the soil, a rurally influenced
but gifted athlete, was eulogized in a
genial and spiritually elevated atmo
sphere. There is nothing like foot
ball to take a modestly raised coun
try boy—with superior skills—to
honor, headline, titles, championship
rings and fame—only exceeded by
the recipient’s modesty, deflection of
praise, forever engendering goodwill
and harmony to those less successful
but were always welcomed in his
sphere and in his heart. Any who
wore the Red and Black could always
sup with Bill. They could always pull
up a chair to his table.
This was a man who epitomized the
long time National Football League
adage, “You gotta play hurt.”
His inventory of breaks and struc
tural assaults included, but not limited
to: broken left forearm, every finger
and thumb on each hand except his
ring finger, multiple cracked ribs, two
hip replacements, uncountable knee
and ankle sprains, back and neck
injuries which led to four vertebrae
fusions in three different operations.
A lacerated kidney one long ago
Sunday sent him to the hospital for
a week. However, he was cleared to
play the next weelend.
He played half the snaps, bringing
about this interesting episode. After
undressing to shower, he noticed
he still had on his hospital bracelet
which the team doctor refused to cut
off, saying, “You probably ought to
check back into the hospital tonight.”
That is yesterday’s NFL, no med
ical personnel who stood up to own
ership and ownership which treated,
even its top players, as a piece of
meat.
A couple of years ago. we quail
hunted one sunny January day. It
was to be a morning followed by
lunch and an afternoon return to the
fields. There was hardly anything
Stanfill enjoyed more than knocking
down a couple of quail on a covey rise
which he did as I watched admiringly.
After an hour, he put his 410 away
and said, “I’m done.” At lunch, he
repaired to his pickup and took his
pain wracked body to a comforting
recliner. That was the after football
life he lived.
On another day, we sat in his office
at the Merry Acres Motel in which
he had ownership participation with
his wife’s family and talked about the
licks and sprains and bruises. His
Outland trophy was nowhere to be
found. There were no All-America
certificates on the wall—no artifacts
from a Hall of Fame career.
There was an oil painting of him
sacking the great John Unitas in
the latter’s declining years, but the
essence of Bill Stanfill, the man and
the athlete was embodied in a mayon
naise jar which contained the original
hip joints, which were replaced. He
pointed to the jar and said with humil
ity and pride, “If I had it to do over
again, I’d do the same thing.” No
man ever loved the game of football
more even with living his life in con
stant pain.
Everybody ought to have a funer
al like Bill. The Reverend Thad
Haygood officiated, beginning by
“calling the Dawgs,” followed by a
soloist singing one of Bill’s favorite
songs by Bobby Bare, “Drop kick
me Jesus through the goal posts of
life.” Haygood noted Bill’s lengthy
list of accomplishments which were
hallmarks across the board.
Then the associate pastor, Scott
Stanfill. the son of the great cham
pion eulogized his father—a most
insightful and touching tribute. It was
worthy of bronzing.
Scott’s message was discerning,
cogent and penetrating, laced with
humor—like the time a water mocca
sin shimmed up Scott’s boat paddle,
seeking respite in Bill’s fishing boat.
“That,” said his bemused father, “is
the only time I ever heard a preacher
cuss.”
Scott spoke with such poignancy,
a virtuoso delivery without pause,
stumble or quivering voice. His trib
ute was the oratorical equal of his
dad’s performance in his prime, help
ing the Miami Dolphins to an unde
feated season. All who knew Bill
Stanfill loved him. Scott made us
love him more.
His last words, speaking for his
siblings. Kristin, Jake and Stan, was
to convert the acronym DGD, which
stands for “Damn Good Dawgs,” to
“Damn Good Dad.”
Fittingly, the organ played “Glory
to Ole Georgia” as the church tearful
ly emptied.
Under my breath, I felt biblical and
whispered, “Selah!”
Loran Smith is a sports columnist
for the Barrow News-Journal. He is
co-host of the University of Georgia
football radio pre-game show.
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