Georgia Bulldogs: The Buster Effect

By W. Michael Lawson, [email protected]

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”   – Nelson Mandela  

February 11, 1990. What a time. The beginning of the end. The beginning of the 1990s; a decade that seemed like the last quasi-innocent one, in retrospect, and the end of the 20^th century. Cheers, The Cosby Show, and Roseanne dominated TV. The number one movie was a Steven Seagal vehicle. Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract” dominated the music airwaves and MTV. The video featured a cartoon character. Can you imagine that today?  People were tight-rolling their jeans, buttoning their baggy shirts all the way to the top, with basically everyone looking like they stepped out of an episode of “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose”.  Grunge was right around the corner. It was a different time.  

February 11, 1990 was the day that Nelson Mandela was released from prison after spending 27 years locked up. This writer was young, but it was a memorable day. One that history marked as transformative. Something else happened that day, too: James “Buster”  Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson to become World’s Heavyweight Champion of boxing. It was the biggest sports upset in a century.  

Douglas came into that fight as a 42-1 underdog. He was a talented but inconsistent journeyman who had trouble putting the Krispy Kreme and chocolate cake down during training camp. In fact, he was labeled with the dreaded “no heart” stamp. That’s the biggest insult a boxer can get.  

Tyson, on the other hand, was invincible. Dude was a menace. Tyson was so feared that other boxers couldn’t or wouldn’t look him the eyes during pre-fight instructions. Nobody on the planet had a chance in the ring with him. Certainly not “Buster” Douglas and his pre diabetes, sugar-laced training camp.  

Until February 11, 1990, when he shocked the world.  

As we head into this Saturday’s matchup between our beloved reigning SEC Champion  Georgia Bulldogs and the Sooners of Oklahoma, the national sports media is hitting all the same notes. It’s like they all got one sheet of music, and they have an instrument that can only play one note.  

The Dawgs are, as of this writing, a (14.5) point favorite in this game. The oƯense has scored more points in the first three games of the season since the Calvin Coolidge administration. The first-team defense hasn’t allowed more than 10 points in a game, and  Special Teams has blocked a kick and run a kick back for a touchdown. Pistons are firing.  

Oklahoma, on the other hand, have been so underwhelming that their fans are calling for the Offensive Coordinator to be canned after three games. They scored 51 points against  UTEP to begin the season, but have subsequently scored 10 points and 14 points against  Michigan and New Mexico, respectively. I have my gripes about Coach Bobo, but sheesh.  

You see, dear reader, where we are going with this. Georgia comes into this game looking like a legitimate National Title contender, and Oklahoma struggled to run the ball on the  Lobos of New Mexico. Poor lil’ Tink Tink.  

I hate to do it, but I am going full Larry Munson on you. The Oklahoma Sooners are a proud team, with dudes all over the roster that Coach Smart and company recruited out of high school. David Stone (who might be injured, it turns out) might be the best defensive lineman in the conference. They made the playoffs last year and I can promise you they have not forgotten how to play football since then.  

And there are some troubling things that persist with our Bulldogs. The QB position still seems to struggle to find open receivers at times. Our Offensive Line has struggled a bit in pass protection. The 2^nd and 3^rd units on defense have given up 24 points in the last two games combined. To Western Kentucky and Arkansas. Not good.  

Still, UGA should come out of this game in Athens Saturday with a win. If, for some reason,  the Dawgs lose, it will be because Oklahoma played their best game of the year and Georgia read all of their press clippings anointing them the next Mike Tyson.  

When Douglas stepped into that ring with Tyson in Japan on February 11, 1990, the world assumed Tyson would make short work of the undisciplined Douglas. What we didn’t know is that Douglas’ mom had been sick and died about three weeks before the fight. He dedicated his work to her honor and showed up in the best shape of his life. That night he knocked Tyson’s mouthpiece out, destroyed an idol, and took the crown.  

Our champion Georgia Bulldogs should absolutely win this game. If the offense works efficiently, and the defense strikes with discipline and intentional strain, Georgia should  absolutely win this game. But they can’t sleep on an opponent that looks wobbly coming into this. It will be a heavyweight fight between the hedges this Saturday. Mark that down.  

Just like the legendary Larry Munson once exclaimed, “That’s why they play the game, folks!  The good Lord is smiling down on Athens.”  

 Let’s hope the good guys are smiling Saturday.