Nice vacation for the most part, spending the first five days on the beach at Garden City, South Carolina, and then driving to Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic. Lots of beach time after the remnants of Hurricane Erika subsided.

A major downer during the week was those first 30 minutes against Auburn. The nightmare scenario. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong during that first half. Echoes from yesteryear, of opposing teams ramming the ball down our throats, of fumbles, interceptions, bobbles and uncertainties, wondering just how badly UofL would be demolished.

atlanta 75That was second only to the Atlanta traffic, especially going north on I-75 to the game, looking for the right exit, with nine or 10 lanes of traffic in each direction, everybody seemingly driving 85-to-90 miles per hour, even in the “slow” lanes. Having to forego help from the Google Map app, running out of data time on the I-phone. Pretty intimidating, missing the exit, finding it much easier to get there on the surface streets.

I-75 is either a speedway or a parking lot, depending on the time of day. No in-betweens.

What is it with every other driver exceeding 80 miles per hour plus these days? Even on these long, winding mountain roads through the Smokies around Knoxville. Not smart, guys.

Since we had driven to Garden City a week before the game, we missed the Cardinal caravan coming south from Louisville. But upon returning from Atlanta, every 10th car adorned with a UofL license plate. Many of them unable to resist the Pecans and Peaches billboards, congregating at roadside stops in south Tennessee. But $45 for a potato bag of pecans seemed a little steep, settling for chunks of divinity or pecan bars.

Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson

Despite the loss, most UofL fans glad they made the trip. That UofL comeback in the second half, with Lamar Jackson leading the charge, was something to behold. A positive finish against a top-10 team providing lots of reasons to be optimistic about the remainder of the season. UofL has had more than its share of exceptional quarterbacks but few with his speed and escapability.

The Lamar Jackson show alone was well worth the price of admission, capping off a near perfect vacation.

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.

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