I arrived at Faurot Field a few hours before kickoff to visit with tailgaters and the general consensus among Georgia fans is that Columbia and the University of Missouri campus is pretty cool. For the most part, Mizzou fans have shown the visitors great hospitality. I heard from a couple of different parties who said they were “flipped off,” while driving down the interstate, but other than that, everyone has been welcoming.
I talked with two Georgia fans, Jason Jobe and Nathan Wise, from Augusta, GA. They had their own tailgate party set up with a great spread of food and 12-15 of their fans. They travel to most Bulldog road games and said Missouri still had a way to go when it comes to tailgating. Nathan said on a scale of 1-10, he’d give Tiger fans a five. “Once they come to Athens and see how we tailgate in the SEC, they’ll learn how to do it up right.”
AUDIO Georgia fans talk about their time in Columbia (2:00)
Georgia fans certainly have a lot of pride in their team and their conference, but they welcome the Tigers and now consider Mizzou a part of the SEC family. So much so that after I shut off my recorder and finished the interview, I got a tap on the back from one Georgia fan who said, “Hey, buddy, you want something to eat? C’mon on sit down with us.”
I think I’m going to like the SEC.