“To be the man you have to beat the man.” — Ric Flair

11:42 p.m., January 10, 2022. Remember where you were and who you were with, so you can tell your grandchildren about it.

To heck with “2nd and 26” — let’s talk about “The Pick Six.”

It is a moment that will be forever etched on the heart of the state of Georgia, for it was at that precise moment that demons that had haunted the souls of Georgians for four decades were once and for all finally exorcised and sent back to their rightful place in the nether regions, otherwise known as Alabama. 

It was at that moment when freshman defensive back Kellee Ringo intercepted a pass from the quarterback of the University of Alabama and returned it 79-yards for a touchdown that secured the national championship for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Yes, that University of Alabama, the one Georgia “could never” beat. Yes, that quarterback, the one that won the Heisman, beat the Bulldogs just five weeks previous, and said of Georgia after “they ain’t (slang word for manure).”

And yes, those Georgia Bulldogs, the ones that hadn’t won a national title since “Let’s Get Physical” was the #1 song in America.

In that singular moment, decades of near misses and abject frustration were wiped clean and flushed from the collective spirits of the Dawgnation. And that it happened against Alabama — yes, defending national champion Alabama — made the exorcism ritual all the more sweeter.

As the cheers of joyful elation from that moment were released, you could almost hear the red & black clad player/coach/fan congregation say in one unified heavenly chorus:

“Not today Saban — not today.”

Now, don’t tell anybody I told you this, but I didn’t think Georgia had it in them to beat Alabama. After all, the Crimson Tide almost always wins this kind of game and Georgia almost never does.

I guess “almost” really does only count in horseshoes and hand grenades.

I watched the game with my usual crew (former UGA cheerleader Barbara Dixon calls us “The Georgia Boys”) that has gathered to watch games over most of those 40-plus years, and to be sure, there was much gnashing of teeth and bone all the way until “THE Pick Six” occurred.

At that point, every single one of us was overcome with emotion, realizing that this was actually, finally happening. I’m not too proud to say we all hugged, and yes, even got misty-eyed. There was a lot of baggage to unpack in that moment, and it wasn’t lost on any of us.

Making the story all the more remarkable, consider just two of the players leading this Georgia team. Zamir White, born with numerous birth defects and given two weeks to live, grew up to become “Zeus,” a powerfully-made power running back who scored Georgia’s first touchdown.

And then, the college football story written by the Hallmark Channel, one Stetson Bennett, “The Little QB Who Could.” A 5-foot-9, 180-pound no-star walk-on from Pierce County recruited by nobody, everybody in the world doubted Stetson Bennett — everyone, that is, except Stetson Bennett.

All he did was keep on saying “I think I can, I think I can…” Now he can grin at the world and simply say “I know I did.”

Afterward, it was all about giving the Dawgs a bone, albeit one shaped like a national championship trophy. Every member of the team and coaching staff got to give it a nibble. Make no mistake, under Kirby Smart it’s a flavor they’ll enjoy again, and sooner than later. 

For 40+ years, all us Georgia people have heard is “1980” over and over again from every fan base around us, referencing the last time the Bulldogs won the national championship. There have been so many “almosts” over the years where the Dawgs “almost” won it, and with each “almost” there was even more ribbing from everyone else about how Georgia just “couldn’t win the big one.”

So, as a friendly reminder to my Gator, Seminole, War Eagle, Tiger, Gamecock, Hurricane, Volunteer, and Yellow Jacket friends, it has now been exactly zero years since Georgia won the national championship. You are welcome to ask any Alabama fan if you need confirmation. Heck, go ahead and ask them anyway. They need to be reminded of it, and often.

You ask any old school Dawg who Buck Belue, Lindsay Scott, Rex Robinson, Scott Woerner and Herschel Walker are, and immediately they will tell you those names were legendary parts of the story of that amazing 1980 team. Now you can add Jordan Davis, George Pickens, James Cook, Nakobe Dean and Brock Bowers from this amazing 2021 team to those hallowed levels of immortality.

The legendary voice of the Georgia Bulldogs, Larry Munson, used to talk about “old Lady Luck” smiling down on the Dawgs whenever they’d win a big hard-fought game over a rival. For 40-plus years it seemed like she had not only moved past Georgia, it felt like she had deleted our number out of her phone.

Well, Monday night she showed up dressed to the hilt in a red party dress with black heels on, and not only did she offer a toothy grin in the direction of the Dawgs, she winked at them and beckoned them with her index finger.

Even better? She meant it. 

And, at 11:42, with a little matchmaking from Kelee Ringo the long-overdue relationship was officially consummated again.