It felt different. If you were in Athens during the late summer of 2017, you could smell it in the air—and I’m not just talking about the smell of bourbon and boiled peanuts on Lumpkin Street. There was this weird, vibrating energy. Kirby Smart was entering his second year, and while the 8-5 debut in 2016 was "okay," it wasn't what people expected from a Nick Saban disciple.
Then, the Appalachian State game happened.
Jacob Eason, the golden-boy quarterback with the NFL arm, goes down with a knee injury in the first quarter. Enter Jake Fromm. A true freshman from Warner Robins who looked like he should be auditioning for a country music video rather than leading a blue-blood program. Most fans thought the season was over before it started. We were wrong.
That 2017 Georgia Bulldogs football season didn't just end a drought; it fundamentally shifted the DNA of the program.
The night in South Bend changed the trajectory
You can't talk about Georgia Bulldogs football 2017 without talking about the sea of red in South Bend, Indiana. It was Week 2. Georgia traveled to Notre Dame Stadium for the first time ever. Honestly, it was a logistical takeover. Reports at the time suggested nearly half the stadium was filled with UGA fans who had paid astronomical prices on the secondary market just to see if Fromm was the real deal.
The game was ugly. It was physical. It was exactly what Kirby Smart wanted.
When Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy started screaming off the edges, you realized this wasn't the "soft" Georgia of the early 2010s. That 20-19 win was the catalyst. It gave a young team the permission to believe they were elite. Bellamy’s strip-sack on Brandon Wimbush to seal the game remains one of the most iconic defensive plays in modern Georgia history. It proved that the "Junkyard Dawg" mentality wasn't just a marketing slogan anymore.
Why the "Thunder and Lightning" backfield worked
We might never see another duo like Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Think about it. Both of these guys could have gone to the NFL after 2016. They chose to come back.
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Chubb was the soul. After that horrific leg injury in Tennessee back in 2015, nobody knew if he’d ever be the same. He wasn't quite as explosive in 2017, but he was a bowling ball. He'd hit a hole, take three guys with him, and fall forward for six yards. Every single time.
Michel was the home-run hitter. He had this specific way of pressing the line of scrimmage, making a linebacker blink, and then vanishing into the secondary. In 2017, they combined for over 2,500 rushing yards. That's absurd. They complemented each other because they weren't selfish. You’d see Sony lead-blocking for Nick, and Nick celebrating harder for Sony’s touchdowns than his own.
That weird mid-season stumble in Auburn
Everything was perfect until it wasn't. Georgia was ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings. They rolled into Jordan-Hare Stadium in November and got absolutely punched in the mouth.
Auburn won 40-17. It wasn't even that close.
Kerryon Johnson shredded the Georgia defense. The offensive line couldn't protect Fromm. It was a reality check that almost derailed the dream. But looking back, that loss was probably the best thing that happened to them. It stripped away the ego. Kirby used it to remind them that they hadn't actually won anything yet.
The rematch in the SEC Championship was a different story altogether. A 28-7 demolition of the Tigers in Atlanta. D'Andre Swift—then just a freshman—iced the game with a 64-yard touchdown run that made the Mercedes-Benz Stadium crowd sound like a jet engine. Georgia was headed to the Rose Bowl.
The Rose Bowl: A game that defied physics
If you didn't watch the 2018 Rose Bowl (which was the culmination of the 2017 season), I don't know what to tell you. It was the greatest college football game I've ever seen.
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Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma were carving Georgia up in the first half. The Dawgs were down 31-14. It looked like the Big 12's high-flying offense was simply too much for the SEC's "pro-style" defense. But then, a squib kick happened. Right before halftime, Oklahoma tried a weird kickoff, Georgia recovered, kicked a field goal, and the momentum shifted.
The second half was a heavyweight fight.
- Roquan Smith started playing like he was controlled by a video game joystick.
- Nick Chubb took a direct snap for a crucial touchdown.
- Sony Michel fumbled late, and it looked like he’d be the goat (the bad kind).
Then came overtime. The first overtime in Rose Bowl history. Rodrigo Blankenship—the guy with the thick glasses and the legendary leg—nailed a field goal. In the second OT, Lorenzo Carter leapt into the air and blocked an Oklahoma field goal attempt.
Sony Michel took the handoff on the next possession and sprinted 27 yards into the corner of the end zone. Walk-off. 54-48. I remember the silence of the Oklahoma fans and the absolute delirium of the Georgia faithful. It felt like destiny.
The heartbreak and the 2nd-and-26 reality
We have to talk about it. The National Championship. Georgia vs. Alabama.
Georgia led 13-0 at halftime. Nick Saban made the gutsy move to bench Jalen Hurts for a freshman named Tua Tagovailoa. The rest is painful history for Georgia fans. The game went to overtime. Georgia settled for a field goal. Then, Alabama faced a 2nd-and-26 after a massive sack.
Tua looked off the safety. DeVonta Smith streaked down the sideline. Touchdown.
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It was a gut punch. To be that close to the first national title since 1980 and have it snatched away by a freshman quarterback was cruel. But that loss actually set the stage for 2021 and 2022. It established that Georgia was no longer a "sleeping giant." They were awake.
What we can learn from the 2017 roster construction
The 2017 Georgia Bulldogs football team was built on three specific pillars that any student of the game should study.
First, they had veteran leadership in the backfield that sacrificed personal stats for team goals. Chubb and Michel could have been 1,500-yard rushers individually on other teams.
Second, they had a generational linebacker in Roquan Smith. He won the Butkus Award for a reason. He covered sideline to sideline in a way that modern defenses require. If you're building a defense today, you're looking for a 2017 Roquan Smith.
Third, they had "Special Teams U" status. Rodrigo Blankenship and punter Cameron Nizialek flipped the field constantly. In close games against Notre Dame and Oklahoma, special teams were the literal difference between winning and losing.
How to appreciate the 2017 season today
If you want to truly understand why Georgia became a powerhouse, go back and watch the 2017 SEC Championship highlights. Look at the sideline. Look at the intensity Kirby Smart brought to every single play, even when they were up by three scores.
Next Steps for Fans and Analysts:
- Watch the Rose Bowl "All-22" film: If you can find it, watch the defensive adjustments Georgia made at halftime to stop Lincoln Riley's offense. It's a masterclass in coaching.
- Track the 2017 NFL Draft class: Look at how many players from that specific roster are still starters in the NFL today. It’s a staggering number that proves the "eye for talent" Kirby had early on.
- Visit the Sanford Stadium West End Zone: This renovation was fueled by the excitement of the 2017 run. Go see the "Dawg Walk" area to feel the physical legacy of that season.
The 2017 season didn't end with a trophy, but it ended the era of Georgia being "almost" great. It made them inevitable.