The dime is the smallest bit of coinage we have here in the United States. That’s where we get the phrase “Life can turn on a dime.”

I couldn’t help but think of that phrase this past Saturday night when I was looking at the Georgia-Tennessee football game. There are far more Georgia fans in Bainbridge than there are Tennessee fans, but I know a few who pull for the Volunteers. We both had experiences of life turning on a dime.

Although the Bulldogs had prevailed for most of the game, those Volunteer fans had to have been breathing a sigh of relief with just under three minutes to play. Georgia rookie quarterback Jacob Eason had been sacked in his own end zone, but before going down, the football popped out and a Tennessee player fell of the ball for a touchdown. That was the first turning of the dime.

Tennessee had finally pulled ahead. So far as this Georgia fan was concerned, that was the ballgame. Faithless, I left the television to go and finish the work I had yet to do for Sunday.

A few minutes later, I heard a ruckus on the television and left my office and walked back into the den where the game showed all this red and black jumping for joy. Just because I had not believed that Georgia could come back did not mean that the rookie quarterback had no faith. He showed great poise and talent as he threw a 50 yard bomb to a streaking Georgia wide receiver and, lo and behold, I could swear that I heard the late, great Larry Munson broadcasting from heaven about another “hobnail boot and stepped on faces.”

The cameras gave views of lots of young people in Tennessee orange. Their mouths were wide-open and their hands were on top of their heads and it looked like they were trying to keep their brains inside.

Since I had been so faithless and not even seen the miracle throw and catch, I was dumbfounded and asked, “What happened?” Life had turned on a second and beautiful dime for everything Georgia Bulldog. We had stuck a dagger in the heart of Ole Smokey and UGA Whatever Number was waddling around as if to say, “Gimme some Alpo; it’s time to celebrate.”

There were only ten seconds left in the game and I felt that there was not even a dime’s worth of hope left for the “Vowels.” All the Dawgs had to do was kick the ball off the tee and down the field far enough so that Tennessee wouldn’t have a prayer or a Hail Mary.

As it turned out, a few Georgia players had brain lapses and gave the visitors a little bit of a break. Still, the game was ours to win and surely the dimes had been spent for this game.

Tennessee had a pretty good return. No big deal. They were still a long way from pay dirt. Their quarterback took the snap and most of the players from both teams headed for the end zone. How so many people could gather in that tight space, I don’t know, but it seemed like all of Athens had congregated within those ten yards.

The quarterback heaved the ball. It made it to the end zone and a mass of huge men dressed in orange and red jumped up. You know the rest. Orange won and life, for this Bulldog, had, once again, turned on yet another dime. I guess there are a lot of dimes out there!