Richt Has Grasp On Gettin' After Tech's (you know what)

Richt's Dogs won't be overlooking Johnson's Jackets

Yesterday, I heard a talk-radio host speculate if the Bulldogs might be overlooking Georgia Tech this Saturday for their game against Alabama the following week...

 

Yeah, yeah, we've all heard it before, particularly from the wishful-thinking North Avenue Nerds.

 

You may doubt Coach Richt on a number of things, which many of us have done the last several seasons, but something that can hardly be questioned is his success against the Eternal Enemy.  Richt has a spectacular 10-1 record versus the Yellow Jackets after head coaches Goff and Donnan combined to go 7-5 against them.

 

What's more, Richt's teams normally play even better against Tech than the so-called experts forecast, covering the spread in 8 of the 11 contests.

 

And, as far as the same situation as this upcoming Saturday -- Georgia facing the despised Jackets after having already clinched the SEC East with the conference title game still looming -- Richt's Bulldogs have been perfect in four attempts, exhibiting no signs of "overlooking" Georgia Tech whatsoever: 

 

2002: 51-7 win as a 8.5-point favorite

2003: 34-17 win as a 10-point favorite

2005: 14-7 win as a 5-point favorite

2011: 31-17 win as a 4.5-point favorite

 

That's 4-0 with three games being won with little difficulty and relatively easy covers.  In all, it's four victories by an average of nearly three touchdowns and an average cover of a whopping 13 points.

 

If the past is any indicator for the upcoming game against the Jackets, I think Richt will undoubtedly have his troops focused on Georgia Tech and, speaking of 13 points, Georgia's 13-point spread for this Saturday is destined to be covered. 

Unfolding of the UGA-GSU "Rivalry"

In 1981, Erk Russell started to build the GSU
football program from the ground up – literally.

Under head coach Vince Dooley, the Georgia football team first began facing I-AA competition in the mid-1980s.  It started with a game against Richmond in 1986 and William & Mary followed two years later.  Around the same time, three and a half hours southeast from Athens, Georgia Southern had been quickly transformed by former Bulldog defensive coordinator Erk Russell from a school which didn't even have a football program at the start of the 1980s to a I-AA national power. 

Nearing the end of the decade, GSU seemed like a logical choice as an upcoming lower-division foe for Georgia.

 

In 1988, two old friends – Dooley and Russell – reached a verbal agreement for the two schools from Georgia to square off.  Dooley thought it would create a lot of interest around the state while assisting a fellow state school without conflicting recruiting interests.  Erk believed the meeting could further the growth of his GSU program even more while opening the door "for competition with other large in-state institutions," according to Russell (which could have only meant Georgia Tech).  Nearly an entire decade removed from facing the Yellow Jackets, Erk evidently still wanted to G.A.T.A., or get after Tech's ass (Tech wouldn't schedule a meeting with the Eagles until 2009 to be played in 2015).

 

Soon after the agreement between coaches, the planned game was dealt a twist of irony.  In mid-December of 1988, Dooley resigned as the Bulldogs' head coach after 25 years at the helm and Russell appeared to be his logical replacement.  Dooley even recommended Russell for the post to an eight-man committee assembled to select Georgia's next head coach.  The committee pondered over a list of candidates, including NC State's Dick Sheridan and Arkansas' Ken Hatfield, but there seemed to be only one man perfectly fit for the job.

 

The day after Dooley's resignation, the committee recommended Russell to UGA President Charles Knapp.  Believing Russell would accept the position, the committee reportedly even sent champagne and flowers to Erk's hotel room in Montgomery, Ala., where he was preparing to coach in the Blue-Gray All-Star game on Christmas Day.

 

Here's where the details become a little fuzzy...  What is known is that Russell told the media the job was offered to him but he turned it down.  This claim was denied by Knapp and committee chairman and Athens banker Bob Bishop, indicating the job wasn't offered to Russell in the first place.  Knapp would later say it was a "misunderstanding," while Erk said the denials made him look "stupid."

 

Regardless, a temporary rift resulted between Russell and the UGA administration, Ray Goff was eventually named Georgia's head coach, and even today there are many Bulldog boosters who haven't gotten over what Knapp did to Erk.  Still, the show must go on, and in March of 1989 the first Georgia-GSU football game was officially scheduled for October of 1992.

 

Immediately following the scheduling of the game, the Bulldogs' new, young head coach said that he didn't necessarily believe in a nothing-to-gain/everything-to-lose scenario by facing Georgia Southern.  "I say that's the case every Saturday," said Goff at the time.  However, three and a half years later, the Georgia head coach had changed his tune somewhat:

 

"We're in a no-win situation," said Goff the week of the GSU contest in '92, "This is probably the most difficult game I've ever been involved in."

 

The I-AA Eagles had proved to be a difficult opponent for upper-tier opposition.  In capturing four national titles by 1990, GSU had gone 0-3 versus East Carolina, but had a losing average margin of just four points against the Pirates.  Two years after dropping their season opener of 1986 to 13th-ranked Florida by a respectable 38-14 score, the Eagles led 6th-ranked Florida State 10-7 midway through the fourth quarter before the Seminoles rallied for a victory.  In 1991, under head coach Tim Stowers (Russell retired following the '89 season), GSU jumped out on 17th-ranked Auburn 17-0 and led by two touchdowns at halftime before the Tigers came back in the second half for a win.



Twenty years ago, UGA combated a stellar GSU ground 
game with 173 yards and two TDs from Garrison Hearst.

"This is a game I've been dreading for four years," declared Goff just days before the highly-anticipated meeting.  As for Erk Russell, the former GSU head man actually couldn't make the game because he was to undergo hip surgery.  In true Erk fashion, the most popular Eagle of all time said of his surgery, "I wish I had the damn thing done six months ago, so I wouldn't have to miss [the game]."  

For the game, GSU brought 10,000 loyal and rowdy fans into Sanford Stadium.  Georgia would hand the Eagles a $140,000 check for their efforts and the Bulldogs would hand over a quick 7-0 lead, allowing GSU quarterback Charles Bostick to rush for a 40-yard score on 4th and 1.  The Eagles would finish the contest with 232 rushing yards against an excellent Bulldog defense, but fumbled twice inside Georgia's 10-yard line and eventually lost, 34-7.

In fact,  GSU has been a pesky opponent for the Bulldogs in all four of their meetings (1992, 2000, 2004, 2008).  Against Georgia teams that entered with an average AP national ranking of sixth, the Eagles have averaged 205 rushing yards, nearly a 4.0 yards-per-carry average, while the average final score has been only 39 to 16 in favor of the Bulldogs in a game which was initially recognized by Erk Russell as "big" for both schools.

"It's big.  It's real big," Russell said to a newspaper writer from his home phone 20 years ago just prior to the first UGA-GSU game.  "It must be big.  You're about the sixth person to call me."

They Make Wonderful Thanksgiving Gifts...

I wanted to pass along information regarding a couple of events going on this weekend at UGA's main bookstore.  On Friday from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the bookstore will be hosting Alumni Night at the Bookstore, where UGA alumni will receive 20 percent off all purchases.  Uga IX, Hairy Dawg, and several Bulldog authors, including yours truly, will be in attendance signing their books.  On Saturday from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, I'll be at the bookstore as well, along with Coach Dooley and Charley Trippi, signing books.

If you're in the area on Friday and/or Saturday, please stop by. I certainly welcome any opportunity to meet with readers of this blog and talk about the Dawgs.

Former Bulldog Tim Worley was originally scheduled to sign with me.  Tim wrote the foreword to I Love Georgia/I Hate Florida, and rightfully so.  He was the ultimate Gator killer, rushing for a combined 239 yards, three TDs, while having an 8.2 yards-per-carry average in two games against Florida (1985, 1988).  In 2007, Tim was inducted into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame for his two performances against the Gators:

 

Unfortunately, Tim had to recently cancel for this weekend because of a family emergency.  He'll certainly be missed.  Still, there will be plenty of goings-on for visitors to the bookstore on Friday and Saturday. 

 

Have your picture taken with Uga IX, talk with legends Dooley and Trippi about great Bulldog teams from yesteryear, ask Loran Smith Whatcha' got?, and there will be a number of excellent books on UGA football readily available for purchase. 

 

Personally, I recommend the ones by the author with the last name of "Garbin"...   

DSOR Has Come A Long Way (for the most part)

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Historical Society believed to be
taken from the 1892 Georgia-Auburn game at Piedmont Park

Tomorrow's game between Georgia and Auburn marks the 116th meeting in the 120 years of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.  In 1892, the schools faced off for the first time pitting a couple of doctors against one another as head coaches (Dr. Charles Herty of Georgia, Dr. George Petrie of Auburn).  It was only Georgia's second game ever in its brief football history; merely Auburn's first.  Other commonly known details from the initial meeting include the game took place at Piedmont Park in Atlanta and the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama was victorious, 10-0. 

 

The game also transpired when a football field was 110 yards long, there were only three downs, no passing was allowed, and the play resembled more of a rugby-like scrum than what we commonly know as football.  Divided into only two halves, games were much shorter back then, as well.  The meeting at Piedmont Park, for example, started at 3:30 PM and ended just past 5:00 PM. 

 

Most notably for many Georgia followers, the team was represented by a goat as a mascot.  As for Auburn, legend has it an eagle broke loose from a faculty member during the game, circled the field, eventually fell to the ground dead, and thus the "War Eagle" battle cry.

 

Notwithstanding, there are several details of the 1892 Georgia-Auburn affair which are unfamiliar to most; some remaining hardly spoken perhaps by design.  Still, such details undoubtedly indicate the rivalry has come a long way in 120 years.

 

It was said that "thousands of men, women, and children flocked to Piedmont Park" in "vast armies" for an estimated game attendance of 3,000 spectators.  However, a grandstand had been erected at the field to hold 10,000 people and organizers expected nearly every seat to be filled.  Bad weather of dark clouds and a steady rain kept a few people away – like 70 percent of what was expected – and the thousands of dollars of anticipated gate receipts resulted in only $800.  

 

Sketch of first mascots - Sir William 
& Dabble - from Atlanta Constitution

What would be unheard of today, 150 Georgia Tech students were not only part of the attendance, but they actually rooted for Georgia while wearing their neighbor's school colors of "black and crimson."  Not surprising, however, during the game the Techies began loudly and curiously singing, "I love codfish, I love codfish, I love codfish balls."

 

Although Tech students nowadays wouldn't be caught dead at a Georgia game (they hardly go to their own team's games), they evidently were as strange and as big of nerds 120 years ago as they are today.

 

As mentioned, Georgia trotted out its acclaimed goat, Sir William owned by Bob Gantt, who was greeted with shouts of "Shoot the Billy goat!" from the Auburn faithful.  But prior to the contest, it had been strongly suggested (as you can read at my UGA Nickname & Mascot History page) that 79-year-old Old Tub, a blind black man, be the school's mascot for the game instead of a goat.

 

On the other hand, Auburn did indeed feature an African American as its mascot for the meeting in Atlanta.  Before any tiger, eagle, or cry of "War Eagle," the school had Dabble, "the negro boy," who was greeted with cries of "And take the negro out!" from the Red and Black rooters.  But Dabble, as it was reported, ignored the shouts and "walked on calmly...across the field to his place near the judges' stand."

 

Over the span of 120 years, things have certainly been transformed in the Georgia-Auburn rivalry, the sport of football in general, and in our nation's Deep South, and thank goodness for those changes. 

 

However, in my research of the series' first game, I discovered a few details which show some  other aspects of the Georgia-Auburn rivalry have actually changed very little since 1892.

How things have changed...  This week a
black man was elected President for his second
term; in 1892, the first Georgia-Auburn game 
endured shouts of And take the negro out!

Over the years, we've all known the die-hard UGA football eternal optimists; some of us may be one of them.  The very first of these assured individuals was quoted just prior to his team's 10-0 setback: "Why, our Athens men can beat anything on earth playing football," declared an old gray-haired man from Athens.  "We can beat Yale, Harvard, Princeton or what not, and I'd bet my last nickel on it!"

 

Auburn halfback Rufus "Dutch" Dorsey, a Georgia native, scored the game's first touchdown (thus, tallying the Auburn program's first-ever points) on a rush from less than a yard out, and then followed it up with another touchdown, which covered 40 yards.  After the game, a disgruntled Red and Black player proclaimed to the Auburn team: "Well, you Alabama folks can't crow over Georgia, for you owe your victory to a Georgia boy."  Unfortunately for us UGA fans, a Georgia boy playing for Auburn and being an integral part of a victory over our team would become a recurring trend during the long-standing rivalry.

 

Finally, leading up to the game, there was some controversy brewing in regards to Auburn's practice sessions: "They say Auburn has had a professional training their men down there," declared a newspaper.  Therefore, whether 120 years ago using a professional trainer, two years ago featuring a professional-like, 180,000-dollar pay-to-play quarterback, and several others utilized in between, Auburn just can't help itself from cheating throughout the long history of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

Famed PBU on the Plains

...and the Dawgs broke it up!  They broke it up!
Ronnie Harris and Jeff Sanchez got up in the air!

Thirty years ago, the Georgia football team journey to Auburn under similar circumstances as this Saturday, facing the Tigers on the Plains with the possibility of an SEC championship at stake.  The end result for the Bulldogs in 1982 was a 19-14 victory over the Tigers and a third consecutive conference title courtesy of the greatest PBU, or pass broken up in UGA football history.

 

Trailing 14-13, Herschel Walker had scored a touchdown with 8:42 left in the game, giving the Bulldogs a lead.  After Georgia couldn't convert a two-point conversion and a touchback resulted on the ensuing kickoff, Auburn took over on its own 20-yard line trailing by five points.

 

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

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

 

The Tigers committed a five-yard penalty and Bo Jackson was dropped for a two-yard loss by cornerback Tony Flack on first down.  On second down, quarterback Randy Campbell was sacked by Dale Carver back on the 30-yard line.  On 3rd and 26, Campbell completed a pass to Ed West, who slipped on the grass following a nine-yard gain.  Many say if West hadn't slipped on the Plains, he might still be running.   There wasn't a single Bulldog defender near the tight end after he made his catch.

 

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

Nevertheless, Campbell couldn't connect on his most important pass attempt of the year.

 

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

And fight they did... to the team's third SEC title in as many years.

 

Although the television call by Bill Hartman isn't quite as celebrated or moving as the great Larry Munson's radio call, one thing both play-by-play men agreed on: it was Sugar time!

King Conquered Rebs



Against Ole Miss in '74, Horace King had a game of his life
by scoring three first-half touchdowns on short runs...

A few days ago, I tuned into ESPN's 30 for 30 "Ghosts of Ole Miss" – a captivating story of violence interrupting at Ole Miss because of the integration of the school in 1962 while the Rebel football team was experiencing an unbeaten season at the same time.  Somewhat fittingly for me, earlier that evening on the phone, I just so happened to speak to Horace King – one of the first black football players to play at Georgia, who ran wild against the Rebels in his hometown of Athens during his final season as a Bulldog.

Because of what he stood for and what he endured while becoming one of Georgia's best backs of the 1970s, I've always been fond of King and have mentioned him a number of times on this blog.  Therefore, it was truly an honor when he agreed to participate in the current book project my father and I am undertaking.

After speaking with the Bulldog great and watching "Ghosts of Ole Miss," all while thinking of Georgia's upcoming game at Sanford Stadium versus the Rebels, I thought it might be rather appropriate to recall arguably King's greatest game in a Bulldog uniform.

In early October 1974, both Georgia and Ole Miss entered their meeting at Sanford Stadium with identical 2-2 records.  The Bulldogs had been disappointing, losing to Miss. State and Clemson in what were considered upset defeats.  The Rebels, on the other hand, had began their season under first-year head coach Ken Cooper by upsetting 18th-ranked Missouri and nearly did the same three weeks later against 3rd-ranked Alabama. 

Coach Cooper had played at Georgia during the 1950s, was then a Bulldog assistant for nearly an entire decade, and later an Ole Miss assistant for three seasons before being chosen to replace legendary Johnny Vaught.  On the head coach's 38th birthday, Cooper's Rebels ventured to Athens recognized as only four-point underdogs.

By game's end, the Rebels had rushed for 228 yards, had a 21-16 advantage over the Bulldogs in first downs, and had totaled nearly 30 more offensive plays than Georgia (85 to 57, including 55-14 in the second half).  Yet, in spoiling Cooper's birthday and his return trip to Athens, the Bulldogs held the most important of advantages over the Rebels – the final score.  In a shocking 49-0 rout, Georgia handed Ole Miss its worst defeat since 44 years earlier in 1930.

Thanks to King, sophomore quarterback Matt Robinson, and an Erk Russell defense that bent the entire contest but never broke, the Bulldogs played what would turn out to be their very best game of the season.

...and added a fourth score on a long 79-yarder.

King scored the game's first three touchdowns, all resulting in the first half and coming on short runs of 1, 1, and 4 yards.  In the third quarter, Robinson connected with Gene Washington for a 74-yard bomb, giving Georgia a 28-0 lead.   King followed the scoring pass with a long touchdown of his own, running 79 yards to paydirt.  At the time, King's long jaunt ranked in Georgia's top 10 all time in longest rushing touchdowns, while his fourth touchdown tied a single-game modern-day school record.

Robinson added another long scoring pass in the fourth quarter – an 86-yarder to Richard Appleby – and finished with a staggering 241 passing yards on just 6 of 9 passing.  One year prior to being known as the "Junkyard Dogs," Georgia's defense performed as such, forcing six turnovers, and although it allowed the Rebels to march up and down the field, the defense never allowed them to cross the goal line.   

In rushing for 129 yards and four touchdowns, King would be recognized as the UPI's national back of the week.  Following his record-setting performance, he might have been a tad camera shy as well, but the unselfish back wanted to give credit where credit was due.  

"I just wish I had some offensive linemen here with me," a lonesome King said as he looked around for someone in Georgia's locker room to share in his limelight.  "That's where the games are won or lost."

As I mentioned the other day in my phone conversation, part of the process in writing this book is for each former Georgia great to first come up with, as the book is appropriately titled, a "game of their life" while playing for the Bulldogs.  For the humble Horace King, I perhaps should have added that if he can't come up with a game, I certainly know of a good one I could suggest. 

Curse Lifted?

 In a 17-9 momentous victory over Florida, Georgia's defensive unit finally flexed its collective muscle for an entire contest.  But, it was only a matter of time, right?  With all the talent on that side of the ball, some of us Dawg fans insisted the defense would eventually show up at some point this season.  

 

From midway through the second quarter of the Tennessee game through last week's disappointing defensive showing in Lexington, the Bulldog defense yielded 13 touchdowns in the opposition's last 31 offensive possessions (not interrupted by halftime or a game's end).  That's allowing a touchdown 42 percent of the time the opponent possesses the ball – a downright dismal defensive rate.  However, on Saturday, Georgia defenders stepped up to hold the Gators completely out of the end zone in 13 possessions. 

 

Still, the primary manner, and particularly the number of them, in which the Bulldogs defeated the Gators was unforeseen by all; a defensive output not generated by a Georgia team in quite some time.

 

It was rather clear Georgia would have to force a few Florida turnovers if it had any chance for a win.  Still, no one could have predicted the Bulldogs would gather six (or likely even half that amount) by the end of the game... Not this Bulldog defense, against that Gator offense.

 

Consider how far fetched it was for Georgia to force six turnovers from Florida, four of which came via fumbles:

 

You don't have to go back too terribly far – "only" five years – to find the last time Georgia gained as many turnovers as it did in Jacksonville.  In the Bulldogs' 41-10 rout over Hawaii in the 2008 Sugar Bowl, the Warriors also committed six turnovers.  However, as far as the last time the Bulldogs recovered as many fumbles, I had to go way back, like more than 20 years ago to discover Georgia recovered five fumbles in a 56-0 win over Cal State Fullerton in 1992. 

 

Here's the thing, though: that CSF squad fumbled a lot, against every opponent, setting a single-season Division I-A record with 41 lost fumbles during the year.  On the contrary, Florida ventured to Jacksonville as a team not to turn the ball over, and especially when facing a defense like Georgia's.

 

The 2nd-ranked Gators entered the game ranked ninth in the country in turnover margin, having committed just four turnovers in seven games.  Only one of the other 119 FBS schools (Ohio) entered Saturday having committed less turnovers.

 

On the other hand, Georgia had forced just 10 turnovers in seven games this year.  In recent seasons, the Bulldogs especially had a difficult time forcing fumbles.  Since the '08 Sugar Bowl, Georgia had recovered only 34 opposing fumbles in 60 games, including just two the entire 2009 season.  

 

What might be difficult to comprehend can be recognized as a miracle, as well.  Against a team that hardly loses a turnover, the Dogs recovered twice as many fumbles in a game as they did during an entire 13-game season in, by the way, a series in which Georgia had forced just three combined turnovers in the previous four meetings (2008-2011).

 

Finally, in a rivalry in which Georgia has been said to be cursed or suffering from a "Jacksonville Jinx" over the last two-plus decades, not only does it appear the curse has been lifted, but inflicted upon the opposing school. 

Turnovers the Key to a Tall Order

In 1974, Georgia was a touchdown underdog in
Jacksonville, and would be outgained 420-263 by the
Gators. However, the Dogs did not lose the turnover
battle, and thus celebrated in the end.  

I received an email yesterday from a reader, asking when was the last time Georgia had defeated Florida – if ever – when the Bulldogs entered as big as an underdog as they will be tomorrow.

 

Currently, Georgia is a 7-point underdog, and unless the line drops by more than a point, it'll mark the 18th time over the last 40 meetings Florida entered the game favored by 6 points or higher.  Of these 18, notably, nine came consecutively from 1993 through 2001, or nearly the entire time Spurrier was the Ole Ball Coach at Florida.

 

To answer the emailer, not long ago – it was just five seasons ago when the Bulldogs upset Tim Tebow and the Gators 42-30 as 7.5-point underdogs.  However, Georgia's upset victory in 2007 marked somewhat of a rare occurrence in the series.  Entering tomorrow, of the 17 meetings the Bulldogs were 6-point underdogs or more to Florida, only four times did they come away with a win:

 

1974: WON 17-16 as a 6.5-point underdog

1975: WON 10-7 as a 10.5-point underdog

1997: WON 37-17 as a 20.5-point underdog

2007: WON 42-30 as a 7.5-point underdog

 

Each of Georgia's upset victories certainly has its memorable moment(s): Florida's incomplete pass on a two-point conversion attempt and a try for victory in '74, Appleby to Washington the following year, Robert Edwards running wild against the Gators in '97, and Knowshon Moreno doing the same a decade later.  However, besides the games all being played in Jacksonville, there was hardly any other similarity I could find amongst the four Bulldog upsets.

 

Searching for a historical statistical trend, so to speak, I dug deep into the 17 times the Bulldogs have previously faced Florida as big dogs, looking at yardage totals, first downs, time of possession, and even examined if those "nasty" winds in Jacksonville were a factor in the outcome.  I found nothing, that is, until there it was as obvious as spotting a cocktail at the WLOCP – perhaps, the most important of all statistics; one a team tries to force, yet not commit: TURNOVERS.

 

Of the 17 times the Bulldogs have entered Georgia-Florida as a significant underdog, just ONCE (Florida in 2001) did the winner of the game commit more turnovers than the opponent. 

 

I've heard it all week from the pundits: If Georgia has any chance for a victory tomorrow, its defense will need to play up to its talent level, the offense will need to somehow establish a running game, our kicking game cannot fail, and/or the Bulldogs' special teams cannot yield good field position.  I agree with them all to some degree, but believe there's a more important component.

 

If history has a way of repeating itself, and it evidently and continuously has in this series, the winner of the turnover battle tomorrow will almost assuredly win the game.  If the Bulldogs can do more forcing in Jacksonville than committing, expect a fifth game to be added to their short list of entering The Cocktail Party as a big dog, but leaving as prevailing Dawgs.

A Ringing Endorsement

It just wouldn't be proper for a blog focused on the history of UGA football not to mention the Belue-to-Scott pass play during the week of Georgia-Florida.  Besides being aware of the obvious – it's the greatest play in Bulldog history and there's no national title in 1980 without it – I assumed I had either read or heard most every experience or account from those involved in the 93-yard miracle or were only yards away when the play unfolded.  That is, until I recently watched filmmaker Lenny Daniel's "1980 Dawgs: The Inside Story of the National Championship Season." 

 

The DVD set, which was released more than a year ago, is a documentary I thought I'd eventually get around to watching, but was in no hurry to do so.  I, like maybe some of you, have gathered numerous books and videos over the years, describing the 1980 season in full, including a detailed account of the Belue-to-Scott touchdown.

 

However, when I recently sat down to watch 1980 Dawgs, I honestly couldn't break away from the video until I had consumed all 3½ hours of footage.  The documentary is a thorough and excellent narrative regarding Georgia's greatest football season told by those who experienced it first hand.   

 

Take it from someone who thought he had seen or heard it all about the national championship campaign prior to watching the documentary.  There are many fascinating anecdotes and memories from former 1980 Bulldog players and coaches that were once untold, but now can be shared.

When the thought of UF beating UGA was laughable...

 From a 1919 newspaper article previewing the Georgia-Florida game being played at Tampa's Plant Field:

 

A Tampa sports writer goes out on a limb and predicts the Gators will defeat the Red and Black, and then expects all readers to laugh.  Unfortunately for the writer, his fearless forecast would prove faulty as Georgia defeated Florida 16-0 in the rivalry's lone meeting in Cigar City.

 

This Saturday, the Gators might be laughing at the Bulldogs by game's end; however, there was a time (albeit more than 90 years ago and when the rivalry was played in front of 2,800 spectators) when everyone laughed at the mere thought of Florida beating Georgia.