In the final 30 seconds of Georgia's 28-14 win at South Carolina last Sunday afternoon, Bulldogs linebacker Chuks Amaechi sacked South Carolina quarterback Perry Orth.
It was the first full collegiate sack for the 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior, who was credited with half a sack last year at Vanderbilt.
"I was probably the happiest that I've been since I came to Athens," Amaechi said. "It came so easy, but when I looked at it on film, it looked harder than it was."
If only he could share the joy with his parents.
Amaechi is a bit different from other Georgia linebackers such as Davin Bellamy, Lorenzo Carter, Reggie Carter, Natrez Patrick and D'Andre Walker. Those players are from the Atlanta area, so their family members are able to attend each game with ease.
Hailing from the Phoenix suburb of Avondale, Amaechi has played in front of his parents just four times since signing with the Bulldogs in 2015 out of Arizona Western College. They were able to attend two games last season and have been able to watch the North Carolina and Tennessee contests so far this season.
"It's definitely hard to know that they're not watching you in person," Amaechi said, "but it's almost easier to watch on TV because you get the replays and you get to see things from different angles. My mom is not really that big into football, so she doesn't always know how to watch it when she's at a game, so being able to watch it on TV helps her catch the moments a little better."
After Georgia's loss to Tennessee on Oct. 1, Amaechi's parents flew back to their home country, Nigeria, where they visit once every other year. They are not scheduled back in the United States until next month, when they will attend Georgia home games against Auburn and Georgia Tech, when Amaechi and other seniors will be recognized.
Because he doesn't have a calling card to contact them, Amaechi will have to wait a bit before informing his folks about Sunday's sack.
Amaechi's first name is pronounced "Chukes," and it is short for Chukwu-ma. His name means "only God knows," and it was given to him after he was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck four times.
As a Southeastern Conference rookie last season, Amaechi tallied five tackles, and he has 12 stops through Georgia's 4-2 start heading into Saturday's visit from Vanderbilt.
"He's very flexible," Bulldogs first-year head coach Kirby Smart said. "He can play the defensive end spot. He can pass rush. He can stand up and play inside linebacker. He's very intelligent, and his biggest quality has been on special teams, because he's been able to help us on punt and kickoff coverage.
"He's kind of a Jack-of-all-trades, I would say, and I'm very thankful we've got him. He's also one of our few seniors who's a leader."
Amaechi signed with North Dakota State in 2012 and redshirted that season before transferring to Arizona Western. When asked about his biggest adjustment since arriving in the SEC, he said, "Playing with a bunch of players at my caliber or even a little better. It has made me up my game every day."
Leonard Floyd of the Chicago Bears and Jordan Jenkins of the New York Jets were Georgia's starting outside linebackers last year and helped Amaechi in his new surroundings. Amaechi has kept in touch with Floyd and Jenkins, so it's not like he hasn't had anyone to celebrate his first sack with the Bulldogs.
"I felt like it was taking a while, but they've said not to worry about it and that when the sacks come, they will come in bunches," Amaechi said. "I'm ready to start racking up on that stat column."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.