ATHENS — The site of this year’s Georgia-Notre Dame game has brought a lot of heartache to the family of Georgia running back Trevor Etienne.
As a sophomore, Etienne lost a state championship game 51-14 in what is now the Caesars Superdome. His older brother Travis went 0-3 in the building in college at Clemson, losing as a freshman, a junior and in what was his final college game as a senior. The junior season defeat came in the national championship game as well.
Trevor, who is from Jennings, La., hopes to have much better success with the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday.
“Words can’t describe how excited I am to be back home, playing in New Orleans, playing in Louisiana,” Etienne said. “But I actually don’t have that good of a history with games in that stadium. I lost in the state championship. It was terrible. My brother lost in college, I believe twice, in that stadium. But his last game there, he won. So I can say we’re on the upside of what we call ‘the dome curse.’ So man, it’s going to be electric. I can’t wait. I’m excited about it.”
He’s a big reason the Bulldogs were able to find themselves in this game. After transferring from Florida this offseason, Etienne rushed for 571 yards and 9 touchdowns for the Bulldogs.
The stats don’t tell the full story, with Etienne missing three games due to a rib injury. Those three missed games though, made a difference for Etienne. He ran for a season-high 94 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns in a win over Texas.
In two games against Texas this season, Etienne accounted for all five of Georgia’s touchdowns. And thanks to that second win for Georgia, Etienne got some extra time for his ribs to heal.
“These three weeks have been huge, just giving my body time to rest and recover,” Etienne said.
This will be Etienne’s first College Football Playoff game, which is a departure from most of Etienne’s veteran teammates. Senior offensive lineman Tate Ratledge has won two national championships with the Bulldogs, by comparison. Yet offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has been very impressed with how easily Etienne fits with the Georgia team.
“The thing about Trevor that I love ... obviously he’s just been here one year, but he’s came in here with the right mindset,” Bobo said. “He’s embraced the team. He’s embraced whatever coach Smart’s asked him to do, He plays, and he plays for his teammates, which he just got to know his teammates, you know, six or seven months ago, and you can’t say enough about what a young man he is.”
“I think that part obviously is a great talent that can run and catch out of the backfield and can be explosive for us. But I think how he held himself and how he integrated into this culture ... says more about him and his impact on our football team than anything.”
With Gunner Stockton taking over for Carson Beck at quarterback, Georgia is going to have to rely more on its rushing attack. In the win over Texas, Etienne had only 4 rushing yards in the first half. He finished with 94 yards on the ground, including a 47-yard run to set up a Georgia score.
Tight end Oscar Delp wasn’t surprised to see Etienne make a play like that. And he knows that Etienne and the Georgia ground game will have to take on a larger role.
“He’s someone I really consider a brother, and I know the offense loves him,” Delp said. “Everyone on the team loves him. He’s a great leader, a great person. And, you know, just to have him have that moment and me getting to be there with him was really special. And, I mean, he deserves it.”
A big reason Etienne came to Georgia was to play in games like this. He showed that in the win over Texas, his first win in a championship-style game.
Now he’ll hope to pick up a win in a stadium that means a great deal to the Louisiana native.
“This is the game that every college player wants to be part of at the end of the year,” Etienne said. “This is the reason we go through the offseason training, and we put all the hard work in, to be able to get a shot at the title. And this is, you know, a step along that road. So it’s just really a blessing and a great feeling to be a part of something that’s special.”
SUGAR BOWL
College Football Playoff quarterfinal
No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame at New Orleans, Wednesday, 8:45 p.m., ESPN, 750 AM, 95.5 FM
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