Thanksgiving celebrations are frequently overstuffed affairs. Get-togethers involve guests traveling from distances both long and short. There is food, excitement, togetherness, music, and drama. Lots of drama.
But even by those standards, Friday, Nov. 29, at Sanford Stadium was a table-flipper for all time.
The Redcoat Alumni Band’s day started at 9 a.m. Under the direction of alumni drum major John Mote, more than 400 Redcoat alumni lined up on the practice field. (Photo by Chamberlain Smith/UGA)
As is tradition, UGA’s Thanksgiving included a healthy dose of Clean Old-Fashioned Hate, with Georgia Tech coming to Athens to close out the 2024 college football regular season.
New guests included the more than 400 Redcoat alumni participating in the Redcoat Alumni Band’s 50th anniversary celebration. Typically, the Redcoat alumni reunite on Homecoming weekend. But for their silver anniversary, the rendezvous shifted to the Tech game.
Tom Jackson (right), voice for the Redcoats for 50 years and former UGA vice president for public affairs, was honored at halftime for his service to the band and the university. Brett Bawcum, director of athletic bands, presented Jackson with an official red coat. (Photo by Chamberlain Smith/UGA)
Redcoat majorette alumnae came ready to twirl. (Photo by Chamberlain Smith/UGA)
The alumni band’s halftime performance capped a day that started with a 9 a.m. practice. If there was a letdown following a sluggish first half that saw the Bulldogs trailing 17-0, it was impossible to tell.
As the temperature in Athens dropped into the 30s, UGA’s fortunes rose dramatically. The Bulldogs overcame that three-score deficit to tie the game at 27 as the fourth quarter ended.
Eight overtimes later—the second longest FBS game since OT was instituted in 1996—Georgia triumphed 44-42.
The win kept Georgia in the top 10 and, coupled with a victory over Texas in the SEC title game, propelled the Bulldogs into the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. The victory was Georgia’s seventh straight over Tech, and the Bulldogs now hold a 72-41-5 advantage over their in-state rivals.
With more than 960 yards of offense from both teams combined, Sanford Stadium saw a lot of fireworks. (Photo by Chamberlain Smith/UGA)
