[JRL]

Out-of-state players quickly learn importance of beating in-state rival Georgia Tech

BY DAVID CHING - dching@ledger-enquirer.com --


ATHENS, Ga. --

Geography is often the most important factor in what constitutes a rivalry.

Ask Bruce Figgins and Chester Adams, a pair of Georgia players who grew up closer to Auburn and therefore assumed that the Tigers -- not Georgia Tech -- were the Bulldogs' biggest rival.
"In Columbus, you see more Auburn flags than you do sometimes for Georgia," said Shaw High grad Figgins, a freshman tight end who will get his first taste of the Georgia-Georgia Tech series on Saturday. "Always seeing Georgia and Auburn, I guess I always felt that way."
Adams, a senior offensive tackle who is the only Alabama native on Georgia's roster, tells a similar story. It wasn't until his first Tech week arrived that he began to understand the magnitude of the Tech rivalry for a player who grew up around the series.
"I didn't really hear about any in-state rivalry until I got here," Adams said. "My freshman year everybody was jacked up about Tech week, so I realized then it's a big game, it's a big rivalry."

The Rivalry

[garron]

I agree that the part of state you're in weighs on who you "hate" the most. I used to live in Columbus GA right after I graduated and that city is full of Auburn fans. The writers for that paper (ledger enquirer) were AU grads (like Ching). Everything was pro-Auburn and anti-GA in their paper. Let UGA do something and it rated a small article. Let Auburn do something - even if it was spitting a wad of tobacco - it made the front page in 4" letters. The fans there that I came across were obnoxious and most of them didn't even go to Auburn. Anytime Auburn would lose some of them would call in sick that Monday, some would tell me they didn't even watch the game so didn't know they lost, and the ones who did show up at work were ready to fight you in the parking lot. If you dared to rag on them they pouted like a bunch of 5th graders and wouldn't speak to you for days on end. By the time I moved out of that city, I absolutely despised everything related to Auburn. And I did not feel that way at all towards Auburn while in college. Now I live close to the GA/SC state line and the rivalry is "beat SC". However, there are very, very few SC fans around here where I live and fortunately the ones I do come across have not been obnoxious clowns. But the overall feeling amongst all fans/alums that I come across is the universal feelling of "hate fl" and "hate GT".

Now all that rivaly stuff aside...this is a big game IMO because of the recruiting impact to instate kids.