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The Kenerly family’s sunny smiles brightened Saturday’s halftime of a rain-soaked SEC matchup between Georgia and Alabama. Georgia may have lost, but it was a winning day for Adeline Kenerly, third from left, who was crowned Miss Georgia. Smiling with her are parents Dr. Lex Kenerly and Joy Kenerly, along with her sister, Jameson, far right, who is one of the UGA Redcoat Band’s feature twirlers. Oh, yes. Miss Georgia is from my hometown, too, and her boyfriend is Bulldog quarterback Greyson Lambert. Adeline was Miss UGA in 2014, and her mother, Joy, wore that crown in 1981. In 2012, Jameson was Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen. Her father, Lex, played for UGA football coach Vince Dooley in the late 1970s. He is now an orthopedic surgeon in Jesup.
(Photo by Sam Denty)
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When the final seconds of Sanford Stadium’s clock dripped away, the Bulldog Nation’s boisterous bark was a waterlogged whimper. Alabama’s Crimson Tide had turned into a monsoon of superior plays that swamped Georgia’s hopes of an undefeated season.
Of the 38-10 beat-down, UGA Coach Mark Richt offered this explanation to the Athens Banner-Herald: “They certainly whipped us pretty good. We really didn’t have that many counterpunches for them. Just got outcoached and outplayed today.”
Saturday night, I stood watching what looked like 1 million marbles pelting the puddles in the yard. So much for the hype. So much for the hope. As my breath fogged the windowpane, my thoughts were about as clouded with disappointment as the glass touching the tip of my nose. I was determined not to let frustration overpower my words, just as the “Tide-al” wave did to the Dawgs.
That’s when I remembered The Mama Rule: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
Ummmm.
What could I say nice about last Saturday, beyond Glenn Welch’s getting his first Bulldog start?
Both quarterback Greyson Lambert and fullback Glenn Welch are from my hometown of Jesup.
Oh, yes. Mama, here is something really nice:
“Didn’t Adeline Kenerly look beautiful when she was crowned Miss Georgia?”
dnesmith@cninewspapers.com
