COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Georgia Bulldogs have been playing football since 1892.
They finally have played a regular-season game on every day of the week.
The Bulldogs made the most of their first Sunday experience, downing South Carolina 28-14 at Williams-Brice Stadium. The game had to be moved from Saturday night due to the threat of Hurricane Matthew, with the Columbia area experiencing its heaviest rain from the storm Friday night and Saturday morning.
"Both teams had to adjust, and their team probably had to deal with more than ours with their families being involved in such a tough situation," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "It really wasn't that much different for our guys, to be honest. The biggest difference was the extra day and how they managed that."
Georgia has played three bowl games on a Sunday, with its 37-14 win over Virginia in the 2000 O'ahu Bowl the most recent.
The Bulldogs had played nothing but regular-season Saturday games for more than 20 years. Georgia's most recent weekday contest occurred in 1995, when Georgia toppled Georgia Tech 18-17 in Atlanta.
"It was a little different, but once you strap on the pads, it's game time," junior tailback Sony Michel said after rushing for 133 yards. "You forget if it's a Saturday or a Sunday."
Said sophomore inside linebacker Natrez Patrick: "I kind of enjoyed it. It's everyone's dream to play on a Sunday, so we got a little early peak at it."
Sunday's game also resulted in the sixth different starting time for the Bulldogs through six games when factoring the time zone in which they've played. Georgia faced Ole Miss at 11 a.m., Nicholls State at noon, South Carolina at 2:30, Tennessee at 3:30, North Carolina at 5:30 and Missouri at 6:30.
Smart realizes his Bulldogs play when they're told, so he doesn't let the variety of kickoff times bother him.
"As long as both teams have got to play at the same time, what does it matter?" Smart said. "It doesn't affect us. I do like routine where you have the Friday and Saturday routine the same, and that's changed a lot, but it is what it is.
"It's what helps give our conference money. It helps make us one of the wealthiest conferences because of the TV. You can't have it on one end and not on the other."
The later the game, the longer the players have to sit around, but a lot of the Bulldogs prefer evening starts.
"I like 7:30, because I like it a little cooler," senior guard Greg Pyke said. "The weather is getting a little cooler now, and I like that. It's been pretty hot this whole summer, and it's still pretty hot now, but playing a 7:30 game under the lights is a pretty cool experience."
Said senior center Brandon Kublanow: "At the beginning of the year, I'll take a 7:30 game because it's not going to be as hot. In the middle of the year, I'll take 3:30, but either one works. Noon games are, you know, they're noon games."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.