UGA field damaged

Athens residents woke up last Friday morning to find that the field of Sanford Stadium, home of University of Georgia Bulldogs football and site of Tech's 21-19 victory last year, was covered with tire tracks that pulled up grass and dirt.

Grounds crews worked Friday to cover up the damage and repair what they could for Saturday's LSU game, but the damage was still visible to spectators.

The vandalism occurred around 4 a.m. Friday when someone drove a vehicle onto the field. The lock securing the entrance was broken with a bolt cutter.

"It certainly was a dastardly thing to do," UGA Athletic Director Vince Dooley declared.

Damages are estimated to initially be $10,000, with final repair costs exceeding $100,000.

Tech's damage to the hedges last fall after their victory over the Bulldogs was thought to total into the thousands as well.

Some reports indicated that the tire tracks loosely spell LSU, who Georgia narrowly defeated 23-22 on Saturday. While authorities have not identified possible suspects or a motive, some UGA officials speculate that a rival school may be to blame.

UGA Police Chief Chuck Horton said, "Those that are great Georgia supporters will probably view it as some type of sacrilege.''