For Bulldog fans around the nation, Monday night was a devastating conclusion to an otherwise fairytale season. I remember entering the season with trepidation for a football program that had let me down the last two years during my time at the University of Georgia. We had suffered tough losses, including the last two games against Tennessee and the 2015 matchup with Alabama (a miserably rainy affair).

And then, the first game of the 2017 season started with an injury. Our quarterback, Jacob Eason, was down and out. It’s over, I thought. We’re done. There goes our season.

As it turns out, I was wrong.

We had victory that first game, with a new quarterback and seniors who were hungry for success. It gave me a small grain of hope. Maybe we could salvage the season, generate a few good wins. That would satisfy me.

Then there was Norte Dame. Samford. Mississippi State. And the sweet, sweet revenge against Tennessee, the first blowout for that program on their home turf since 1994. I was personally there to witness that brutal beating.

It didn’t take me long to realize: this wasn’t a season of “a few good wins”. This was something more, something greater than Bulldog fans had experienced in years. This was a season of so many highs, so many victories. Walking around campus, I never felt more unified with a group of people in my life.

I know what you’re thinking: But all that, and it wasn’t enough.

While the heartbreak is fresh coming off of the loss of the National Championship, we cannot forget what this season means for the future of the Georgia Bulldogs. This season, we shattered expectations. We won the title of SEC Champions, when most thought we could not. And, when those same people said we could not become Rose Bowl Champions…

Well. Just ask Baker Mayfield how that went.

We regained the respect the Bulldog Nation deserves. We triumphed this season, even if we are not National Champions. The loss hurts, probably more than anyone expected after such an amazing season. My heart goes out to our seniors especially, who gave so much for this team, and could not be rewarded with the ultimate victory.

It was a harsh blow. And yet, a new season is ahead of us, and with it comes a top recruiting class and a team of players hungry for a second chance, for revenge.

To my fellow Dawg fans, have hope. Because we’re just getting started.