UGA's Spike Squad frantically fundraising to send 16 seniors to Indianapolis

Near the conclusion of Georgia's 34-11 Orange Bowl victory over Michigan, the television cameras panned toward the UGA Spike Squad decked out in its usual getup of body paint, spiked shoulder pads and unparalleled red and black attire.

A few of the members hoisted a large sign that read 'See Y'all in Indy' while another, Caroline Bufano, held a candid sign that said 'We need Natty tickets' with the squad's Venmo username at the bottom, proving they're not too proud to beg.

The Spike Squad, a UGA student organization, has raised more than $11,000, as of Wednesday afternoon, through the money sharing app as it attempts to send its 16 senior members to Indianapolis for Monday's 8 p.m. national title matchup between the Bulldogs and Alabama.

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Three seniors have received tickets through UGA's student lottery while 13 others are scrambling to find their way into Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Spike Squad has a couple deals in place with UGA students who were awarded tickets but will not be able to make the trip to Indianapolis, and they'll turn to fundraising and the secondary market to find more tickets, where prices started at $469 Tuesday morning on Stubub.

Spike Squad president Noah White said on Wednesday that the group has raised enough money now, the concern is the amount of student tickets available to buy.

"Nerve-racking is definitely a good way to describe it," said White, a senior from Loganville majoring in Management Information Systems. "Also, because of the game, it’s the biggest game, I would say, since the last time we were here. The last few days have just been a whirlwind trying to plan all of this. I’m trying to take it one day at a time, me and the rest of the executive board, we’re trying to get this accomplished."

The student organization's venmo and cashapp — ugaspikesquad — accounts have erupted with donations since ESPN showed them on television.

They've also received numerous messages through their Twitter and Facebook accounts from potential contributors attempting to send money in other manners.

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"Our financial director gave us a call after the game and said that his phone was blowing up non-stop with payment donations and 3 cents here, $2 here, $10 here, it really was incredible," White said. "It’s been really crazy to me to see how willing Dawg nation and college football fans are to help us out."

The Spike Squad sent seven members to the Orange Bowl in a similarly hectic fashion, although the urgency wasn't as chaotic as having 10 days to find national championship tickets.

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White is one of the 13 Spike Squad seniors in search of tickets, but he's confident that he'll get in the stadium Monday night. If not with a ticket before arriving in Indianapolis, he said that, if necessary, he'll find one on the streets.

"I'll be going — regardless I'll be going," White said.

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But it's likely that one of Georgia's loyal fans will come to the rescue before White has to stand outside of Lucas Oil Stadium trying to negotiate for a ticket. And then he hopes and prays that in his final season as a student, after four years as a member of the Spike Squad, the Bulldogs will return to Athens with a national title.

"It would mean everything as a senior and being there," White said. "My first season was 2018 and we had three underwhelming years based on what happened in 2017. To be able to say we made it to the national championship my senior year, we won it and I was there; that would be the crowning moment for my time as a student."

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football Spike Squad fundraising for national title tickets