I was a bit under the weather last night and headed to bed pretty quickly after Air Force knocked off Georgia Tech 14-7 in the Independence Bowl, so I wasn't aware of the tremendous show of respect the Yellow Jackets gave the Falcons until I read about it on SportsByBrooks.com this afternoon.
After the game, the Tech players and coaches, in defeat, went and stood behind Air Force as its alma mater was played.
"I told our guys they needed to go down there and honor them by standing there for their alma mater," said Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, who coached at Navy prior to arriving in Atlanta. "You got to have a lot of respect for what they do. They’re going to serve and protect our country.
"It’s disappointing that we lost the game, but it was the right thing to do.”
As many of you probably know, USC will host Navy this coming September at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks should at the least do exactly as Tech did and show support and respect to the Midshipmen after the game, win or lose. In fact, I think USC should go further and do what Ohio State did in 2009 when Navy played in Columbus, and run out onto the field at the same time with the Midshipmen.
When the game rolls around, it will undoubtedly invoke a lot of unpleasant memories for Gamecock fans due to what happened in 1984. That being said, USC has a golden opportunity to do something special when the Middies come to Columbia, and whatever it is it does (and I'm confident it will do something appropriate), Georgia Tech's example should be strongly taken into account.
There are games when competition and the natural animosities of two teams playing a game are transcended. This will be one of them.