College students live for the weekends, and that’s no secret. The thing about Sundays is that Monday is right around the corner, and after a weekend like this past one, it’s hard to prepare yourself for reality.

The weekend of the Georgia game was one for the books, to put it mildly. The Gamecocks went head to head with the Bulldogs in one of the most nerve-racking games of my entire college career.

As a Georgia-girl-turned-Gamecock, that particular game is always extra close to my heart. My best friends from home are all die-hard Georgia fans, and eight of them made the three-hour journey from Athens to Columbia to stay with my roommates and me. We made sure to implement a strict no trash-talking rule, no matter the outcome of the game.     

After our disappointing loss against Texas A&M, I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little uneasy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m Gamecock loyal until the day I die, but I definitely had my fair share of doubts.     

After a few hours of showing the Dawgs how we tailgate in the City of Dreams, we made our way into Williams Brice alongside the other 80,000 fans. A short rain delay had no effect on the student section’s usual rowdiness. The crowd was wild.     

The game progressed, and I’m almost positive I have never heard our stadium so loud. There’s just something about yelling Eminem’s, “Lose Yourself,” at the top of your lungs in a sold-out stadium. The Gamecocks held strong all the way through, and the game ended after a couple of close calls with a 38-35 victory over top-10 ranked Georgia.     

The crowd was deafening, the stadium was rocking, and the rally towels were flying as Sandstorm erupted and Georgia fans filed out as quickly as possible. It’s safe to say that this was one of my favorite moments as a USC student -- not sure if it can be topped.      

Todd Gurley said it best: “this place is unbelievable and has one of the most crazy environments I’ve ever been in.”

I’m so proud to be a Gamecock and if there’s one thing I learned this weekend, it’s to never lose faith in your team. We were the underdogs, but we managed to pull out a win and take back our spot as a contender in the SEC East race.     

Next weekend, we travel to Nashville to take on the Commodores. Get ready, Vandy -- we’re comin’ for ya.