9-4.

Georgia Tech 3, LSU 38.

I feel it my duty to acknowledge that this happened. I thought that letting weeks pass before posting would calm the pain, but no such luck. I am fully aware of the details of this game, as I regretfully was in attendance. Actually, scratch that - no regrets - I was able to see my boys and celebrate New Year's Eve the way I always dreamed: by consuming 5 Chick-Fil-A sandwiches in a 3-quarter period at a bowl game.

So - Tech's year ends differently than we thought and hoped. ("We are who we thought we were?") The good news is that all signs point to a better team next year - Paul Johnson has restored the excitement in midtown.

The best part about attending the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, however, came after the game. That's when we found the Georgia High School Association football helmet display. When Lee and I turned the corner and saw all those shiny domes on the wall, we went NUTSO.

First things first: Locate the Brunswick High School helmet.
Second: Freak out, force other friends who are anxious to leave stadium to take photos of you pointing to helmet.
Third: Belt out the BHS fight song in the Georgia Dome concourse.
Fourth: Start chanting "Beat Lowndes!", referencing the losses to Lowndes County High School in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Fifth: Engage in a verbal debate with an innocent Lowndes alum who happened to walk by during Step 4.

(that verbal debate went something like this:
Lee and Scotty, the BHS alums: "...we will stand and fight for victory...now and evermore! Beat Lowndes! Beat Lowndes! Beat Lowndes!"
Innocent Lowndes Alum: Whayt y'all say?
LASTBHSA: Beat Lowndes.
ILA: Beat Lowndes?! Whayerre yawl from?
LASTBHSA: We from DA WICK!
ILA: The Weeyuck? Whayerre's thayt?
LASTBHSA: DA WICK!
ILA: Pscht, I ain never heardathayt.
LASTBHSA: Ahem, we're from Brunswick.
ILA: OH! Y'all frum Brunsweeyuck? Thayt's cauws yawl SUCK!)

And that was the last thing I remember from 2008.


Pre-kickoff at the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, notice the high spirits.


The aforementioned high point of entering the Georgia Dome.


Getting all pep rally with it (FFF went to Brookwood, so he just yelled animal and/or siren sounds while we sang).


The aforementioned Lowndes alum who got schooled.


Happy New Year. In his defense, the French New Year happened some 6 hours before, so it was a long day. Picture was taken at a bar in downtown Atlanta sometime before 1:00 AM on 1/1/09.