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May 20, 2010

Look at the Sugar Falling Out of the Sky!

Although the call by Bill Hartman, Butch Clifton, and Buck Belue isn't quite as good as Munson's, one thing the television trio and the acclaimed play-by-play man agreed on: it was Sugar Time.

4th and 17, I know I'm asking a lot you guys, but hunker it down one more time!

One of the great moments in Georgia football history was brought to you by Atlanta's WAGA-TV and its "Bulldog Television Network," I'm assuming on a tape-delayed basis because (although it's been nearly 30 years) I distinctly remember only listening to this game on the radio (and wildly jumping around the house as Munson declared the Dawgs broke it up!  They broke it up!

This win clinched Georgia's third consecutive SEC title.  If you would have told me then it would be 20 years before we'd get another, I would have called you crazy.

After Herschel Walker scored a touchdown, Georgia couldn't convert a two-point conversion, and a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, Auburn took over on its own 20-yard line with just under nine minutes remaining in the game, trailing 19-14.

The Tigers slowly but steadily drove the field, covering 66 yards in 12 plays (only one of which was a pass - a 13-yard completion) and nearly six minutes of game clock.  With three minutes left and counting, Auburn had a 1st and 10 on the Bulldogs' 14-yard line.

Then, as it had done all season, the Georgia defense stiffened.

The Tigers committed a five-yard penalty, Bo Jackson was dropped for a two-yard loss by cornerback Tony Flack, and quarterback Randy Campbell was sacked by Dale Carver back on the 30-yard line.

On 3rd and 26, Campbell completed a nine-yard pass to tight end Ed West, who, if he hadn't slipped on the grass, might have scored.  There wasn't a single Bulldog defender near West when he made the catch.

Prior to Campbell's last-ditch throw in the end zone, he had remarkably completed 12 of 15 passes, running out of the wishbone offense and against an outstanding Georgia pass defense that allowed only a 50.6 completion percentage all season. 

However, Campbell couldn't complete his most important pass attempt of the year.

The intended receiver, Mike Edwards, said after the game he never even saw the ball in the end zone, only two Bulldogs leaping in front of him, knocking it down.  One of those Bulldogs, cornerback Ronnie Harris, would say, "We had our backs to the wall, and we had to stand up and fight."

And fight they did, all the way to New Orleans...

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