Bulldogs Have Their Thrills (And Some Scares) Before Getting Off Bus At Sanford Stadium Athens-Banner Herald By Marc Weiszer Published on Sept. 23, 2015 ATHENS --- Before Georgia rolled over South Carolina last Saturday, the Bulldogs rocked the buses that brought them over to Sanford Stadium. Back and forth. Swaying from side to side. Helping get the emotions sky high, but a little bit too close to the ground for some. Until the players unload for the Dawg Walk, the buses are jumping. “It’s a crazy atmosphere,” cornerback Malkom Parrish said. “Everybody’s getting riled up for the game. We’re just having fun while it lasts.” It might seem like a ride at a theme park. Cornerback Aaron Davis said the thrill has had him on edge before. “Especially last year versus Auburn,” he said of a November night game. “I thought for sure we were going down. Before the Dawg Walk, I was prepared for it to flip over and crawl through an emergency exit. I’m not going to lie. I do get a little scared of that.” The players ride to the stadium on standard 40-foot transit buses built for “heavy duty service,” according to Ron Hamlin, transit manager for University of Georgia’s Campus Transit. “They’re the ones we run every day,” Hamlin said. “They are built for the weight; that’s not a problem. There’s a possibility that it could ruin the game day if the bus went too far. That’s for sure.” He laughed a little, but then added: “There is a little concern about it. I know it’s helping them get pumped up for the game, which is a good thing, but on the other side we’d hate to ruin the whole game day if something disastrous were to happen. …We don’t want to push it too far to the limits.” The first two of the three buses the team uses were shaking Saturday, according to video. Offensive tackle John Theus didn’t sound too sympathetic for those that may feel a little too close
for comfort: “The goal is to tip it over.” Senior offensive tackle Kolton Houston heard Theus say that: “I don’t partake in that. I sort of sit back. I sit there.” Joked Theus: “We’re going to have to kick him off the bus.” Houston, who is playing after getting a sixth year of eligibility, said the rocking of the buses has been going on ever since he’s been on the team. The lead bus now typically is a 2015 New Flyer, Hamlin said. “I think the buses have new shock systems because it definitely goes (down) more than it used to,” Houston said. The buses, which also may include a model made by Orion, can seat 43, but of course that is for regular size students. “On the inside of the bus are those (hand) rails, those have been broken off a few times,” center Hunter Long said. “Not this season, but my first few years they got snapped off and stuff.” John Atkins, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle, says he’s one of the main ones bouncing the bus and sounded ready to do it again before Saturday’s home game against Southern. “It’s real fun,” he said. “It gets you pumped. You’re ready to go then.”
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