Gator Hatin' Herschel

It's Gator hatin' week... And, there has never been a Bulldog better at hatin', or dominatin' Florida than the legendary Herschel Walker.

Herschel was at his best when facing the Gators. His 649 combined rushing yards in three games versus Florida (1980-1982) was the most Walker gained against the eight common opponents he faced during his tenure at Georgia. Herschel averaged 5.5 yards per carry against the Gators, and also scored eight touchdowns.

The 48 points Herschel scored against Florida remains tied with Georgia's Charley Trippi (1942, 1945-1946) for the most points scored all time in this series, ranking just ahead of Florida's Tim Tebow, who scored 42 from 2006 through 2009.

Speaking of Herschel's career Cocktail Party points, in order, here's every Gator-hatin' 48 of them:  

Forgotten Gators

The "truth" there was a Georgia-
Florida game in 1904. But, apparently,
the Gators can't handle the truth!

An edited re-post of mine from several years ago regarding an era of Florida football which has been disregarded and forgotten by the Gators...

I'm sure like many of you, I've known for quite some time that there is a discrepancy between Georgia and Florida regarding the series record; the Bulldogs declare they have a 50-41-2 advantage while the Gators claim to trail 41-49-2.  The one meeting in dispute was played in 1904 in Macon by a Florida squad, which evidently is not acknowledged by the school as a "true" Gators team. 

Simply, the University of Florida does not recognize any football results prior to the school's move  to Gainesville from Lake City beginning with the 1906-07 academic year.  This means the five Florida football teams from 1901 to 1905, all located in Lake City, are disregarded in the team's history.

Although, just prior to the 1903 football season, the school at Lake City began referring to itself as the "University of Florida," and so the press did as well from that point going forward.  That year, the Florida football team won one of three games. The next season in 1904, the school recorded likely one of the worst campaigns in the history of southern football, losing all five of its contests by a combined 225-to-0 score. That's no typo you see; that's an average loss by a score of 45 to zilch.

To illustrate how bad the 1904 University of Florida football team must have been, it was defeated by Georgia 52-0 in the series' first game and the Red and Black's season opener.  That dismal Georgia squad, who absolutely routed Florida, would play five more games the rest of the year, and lose them all by a combined 68-to-16 score. 

Florida also lost to Alabama 29-0 and Georgia Tech 77-0 in 1904 as well. For what it's worth, both the Crimson Tide and Yellow Jackets, like Georgia, recognize the games in their records, while the University of Florida (at Gainesville) does not. 

In 1905, Florida played just one game—a 6-0 victory over "Julian Landon," whomever they, he, or she may have been.  Upon the relocation to Gainesville the following year, the Gators finally began acknowledging their football history, and thus what Georgia claims is the rivalry's second game—a 37-0 win in 1915 and another blowout over Florida—is what the Gators actually believe to be the first.

In 1941, Jacksonville's The Florida Times-Union identified the 1904 Georgia-Florida game as "the No. 1 game in the famous series."  In addition, Tom McEwen, a Florida graduate and then-sports editor of the Tampa Tribune, wrote in 1974 the book, "The Gators: A Story of Florida Football." For years, McEwen's book was considered the "bible" of the school's football history.  In the back pages, under "Florida's Past Scores," listed are the team's historical results and included are the games from, you guessed it, 1903 to 1905 (and 1901-1902 as well).

Let me add, I have a suspicion that if the University of Florida football team, whether located in Lake City, Gainesville, or any other place for that matter, had achieved, let's say, a 7-2 mark instead of its actual 2-7 record from 1903 to 1905, the results might be counted by the school, including the 1904 Georgia game.  However, since it's somewhat of a gray area and those early Florida teams were absolutely dreadful, the Gators have picked and chosen what to recognize and what not to recognize.

Personally, and I might be somewhat bias, but I side with the late, great Dan Magill when, in acknowledging Georgia's win in 1904, said, "That's where Florida was back then.  We can't help it if they got run out of [Lake City]."

Furthermore, although the Florida players and coaches from 1903 to 1905 have long past away, I'm sure they would want their efforts (or lack thereof) to be recognized.  These men sweated and bled while playing under the "University of Florida" name, so their games should be counted by the school instead of merely dismissed.

Finally, it wasn't too long ago when the Gators were enjoying a one-sided 18-3 run against Georgia. It was then Florida followers were often quick to instruct Bulldog enthusiasts to stop living in the past.  

Nevertheless, apparently for University of Florida football, part of its past actually never occurred.

Blowing It

In no attempt to "pile on" with the Mark Richt naysayers, I want to post a portion of my "Daily Dawg Caller" at UGASports.com from yesterday. 

For "Pat's Weekly Stat (You Won't Find Anywhere Else)," I hated to bring up the debacle from Saturday afternoon in Knoxville. But, beginning late in the second quarter, Georgia enthusiasts began to witness a historical milestone unfold right before their very eyes—not historically good, but historically bad.

The Bulldogs’ 21-point blown lead marked the second-largest lead in the history of UGA football which resulted in an eventual loss—and, we’re talking a lot of history. In 122 seasons of football and 1,251 games, including 413 losses, Georgia has lost just nine games in its history when it led by at least 14 points during the game:

22—1978 Bluebonnet Bowl (vs. Stanford): led 22-0 in 3Q, lost 25-22

21—2015 vs. Tennessee: led 24-3 in 2Q, lost 38-31

17—2006 vs. Tennessee: led 24-7 in 2Q, lost 51-33

16—2008 vs. Georgia Tech: led 28-12 in 3Q, lost 45-42

16—2012 Outback Bowl (vs. Michigan State): led 16-0 in 3Q, lost 33-30

14—1967 vs. Houston: led 14-0 in 4Q, lost 15-14

14—1991 vs. Vanderbilt: led 17-3 in 2Q, lost 27-25

14—1994 vs. Alabama: led 21-7 in 2Q, lost 29-28

14—2009 vs. Kentucky: led 20-6 in 3Q, lost 34-27

Notably, five of Georgia’s nine blown leads of two touchdowns or more, which are in bold, have resulted during the Coach Richt era. Granted, an argument could be made that teams seemingly score more points nowadays than before, thus it’s easier for a team to allow its opponent to rally from a large deficit. And, indeed, scoring in major college football in 2015 is up more than 15% from 20 years ago in 1995, roughly 45% from 1975, and more than 80% than 1945.

However, another argument could be made that if it’s easier to score nowadays, and a team is more susceptible in allowing points, it should have an easier time counteracting its opponents’ scores by scoring points of its own. More so, whether it’s 2015, 1945, or 1895, routinely blowing a big lead when it rarely occurred in the past is head-scratching, and perhaps inexcusable.

Although A Loss Is A Loss, Two In A Row Renders A Season Lost

From DAWGTIME.com: Athens, Ga.—Following the Bulldogs’ 38-10 thumping they received from Alabama at Sanford Stadium, and with a road date against Tennessee looming this Saturday, it seemed wherever I turned this week, I heard or read—ad nauseam—a similar statement I recall from last year following Georgia’s 18-point loss to Florida, and maybe even in 2013 after its 15-point setback to Missouri: Beginning in 2006, for 10 years now in a row, Coach Richt has lost at least one game each season by more than 14 points.

Ugh, I say!

The annual-lopsided-loss statement was even directed at Richt this week during one of his press conferences, and the head coach responded rightfully so: a loss is a loss, no matter how big the loss.

“Well, I think that the good news is [the Alabama game] only counted as one loss,” Richt said. “I mean that was enough of a game where it could have counted as two. But, it was one loss.”

I’ll admit I’m one of the first people to point out flaws in the Georgia football program over the last decade—and, there have been plenty of them. However, I believe the big-loss-every-year assertion is just another, convenient way for an unsatisfied fan base to “pile on” its head coach without having enough knowledge to fully support the statement. In other words, by doing a little research, you can find that Richt’s lopsided losing tendency is not all that unique.

What other football coach suffered at least one lopsided loss on an annual basis?

There have been plenty of them, like nearly the entirety of the two coaching regimes at Georgia prior to Richt. Under Ray Goff and Jim Donnan for 11 seasons from 1989 through 1999, the Bulldogs lost at least one game, and more so two games, by more than 14 points every year except one (1992).

For all 22 seasons of the Wally Butts era (1939-1960), besides the undefeated season of 1946, Georgia lost at least one game by at least 13 points. And, Coach Butts is in the College Football Hall of Fame; there’s even a building on campus named after him.

Even Vince Dooley suffered at least one loss by 14 or more points 11 of 12 seasons from 1968 through 1979, including nine in a row (1971-1979). And, Coach Dooley is a legend, regarded as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the SEC.

Speaking of the SEC, from 2006 to the present, other schools in the same boat as Georgia is Auburn, which has won a national championship and played for another the last decade. The Tigers have lost a game by more than 14 points in nine of 10 seasons with the one exception being their undefeated national title team of 2010. South Carolina which, overall, has done rather well since Steve Spurrier’s arrival in 2005, has also endured a lopsided loss every season except one during the same time period. And then, there’s Missouri, a program which has nearly the exact same winning percentage as Georgia since the start of the 2006 season… As far as the Tigers’ consecutive seasons of losing at least one game by at least two touchdowns, I started counting backwards beginning with last year, got to 20 straight seasons, and decided to quit counting.

During his press conference, Richt added that even with a loss—no matter the margin—a lot can be accomplished by his team.

“How many SEC teams have won the league undefeated in the last 10 years?” Richt asked. “I mean, that would be a good stat to check out. Not many. Not many. It's just hard to go undefeated in our league, for sure.”

I decided to check out that stat as well, and discovered the head coach was indeed correct.

In the previous 10 seasons (2005-2014), only three times did an SEC team win the league undefeated, whereas it resulted on just four occasions the previous 16 years.

Despite the four-touchdown loss to Alabama, Georgia has a lot to play for. The Bulldogs still control their own destiny of possibly winning the SEC, and earning a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff. And, it all begins with a victory over Tennessee in Knoxville.

“We feel like we have to take advantage of this week,” offensive lineman Hunter Long said on Monday. “We have to come out and show that last week [against Alabama] was not us, and we have to show the country what we’re really about.”

What the Bulldogs absolutely cannot be “about” is suffering a defeat to the Volunteers. With another loss, any hope for a conference championship this season is likely dashed, while a possible spot in the playoffs assuredly disappears. And, with another loss, a portion of the Bulldog Nation, many of which are those I described earlier—those that have already began to “pile on” Richt—will simply jump ship.

Therefore, the question arises, considering the magnitude of this Saturday—a game which is actually more significant than last week’s meeting with the Crimson Tide—is Georgia’s preparation this week more intensified than before? Has the coaching staff demonstrated an increased sense of urgency?

“It’s just like every other week,” offensive tackle John Theus claimed. “The guys give it their all, and the coaches have been equally as intense.” Defensive tackle James DeLoach agreed with his fellow senior teammate: “Our coaches come hard each and every day, and I don’t think there was a difference compared to previous weeks,” he said.

With Georgia facing a must-win following a loss—no matter how lopsided—it was evidently business as usual this week in regards to its on-field preparation. However, as far as their off-the-field, or mental preparation for Tennessee, the same cannot necessarily be said; the Bulldogs fully realize back-to-back setbacks would devastate what was a promising 2015 season.

“Although I don’t think [preparation has been] amplified, we do know the importance of this game,” Theus added. “We are fully aware of that.” 

Visit DAWGTIME.com.

Beating ‘Bama: Pulpwood Should Know

BROXTON, Ga.—With one of the most anticipated Georgia football games in recent memory looming against Alabama, I decided to take a different approach from the customary “beat story.” I reached out to a true rarity—an individual who not only could provide insight on a much-heralded game pitting Georgia and Alabama, but someone familiar with the series firsthand, having produced one of the greatest offensive outings ever by a Bulldog against the Crimson Tide.

“Where I’m from, playing a rival like the Florida Gators is a really big deal,” Andre “Pulpwood” Smith informed me from his home in Broxton, a small town in South Georgia located just outside of his hometown of Douglas. “As far as Alabama, I respected them, but never looked at them as a rivalry of Georgia. So, when we were about to play Alabama in ’84, I didn’t see it as a big-time game.” READ THE REST OF THIS DAWGTIME.com STORY...

Calling the Dawg...

I recently joined UGASports.com and will be dropping news, notes, stats, historical tidbits, and the like at the acclaimed Dawgvent daily under "The Daily Dawg Caller." 

If you're a subscriber to UGASports.com, come check my stuff out. If you're not a subscriber, it is definitely worth the meager cost (and, then come check my stuff out...).

A taste of today's Daily Dawg Caller:

...and Georgia is currently a 2-point favorite, the Bulldogs would extend their own streak of being favored to 21 consecutive games which would rank as the second-longest streak in the nation in “giving points” behind... 

...on this date 59 years ago in 1956, a young couple—the Seilers—had no intention of taking their bulldog puppy to Georgia’s first home game of the season vs. Florida State, but were talked into it and ultimately did so for their “own...

The Perfect Bulldog Honored In the Perfect Bulldog Town

During the lead-up to the South Carolina game, a prestigious honor was bestowed involving another Georgia rival, which kind of got lost in the hoopla of last week.

UGA football greats, Rex Robinson, a placekicker from 1977-1980, and Richard Seymour, a defensive tackle from 1997-2000, were inducted into the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame. For Robinson, although he was certainly pleased to be honored, the announcement was rather surprising.

“It really blew me away…I was truly, and seriously surprised,” Robinson admitted. “I’ve always been happy for all the guys...READ THE REST at DAWGTIME.com. 

When Carolina Called It Quits

The 1900 UGA football team... you won't find
any quitters (or, babies) in this group!

When the Bulldogs' season opener against ULM was called with nearly 10 minutes remaining in the game, someone turned to me in the press box and asked when was the last time a Georgia football game ended "significantly" prematurely (i.e., with more than just mere seconds remaining)...

Around the turn of the century and prior to lighting being installed at football fields in the South, Georgia had a number of games called early because of darkness. Yet, around the same time, there was also a game involving the Red and Black which ended prematurely while having nothing to do with visibility, nor the weather, but when UGA's visitors simply couldn't play "good, clean football," as it was reported, nor take "decisions like men." 

In 1900, American football was relatively new and a much different sport than it is 115 years later. The field was 110 yards long, touchdowns were each worth five points, and it would not be until 1906 until forward passing was permitted. In addition, only five yards were needed for a first down, yet with the game resembling more of a rugby scrum than what we know as football, first downs and yardage were actually hard to come by. 

Such was the case on October 20, 1900, when a 1-0 Georgia team, which had opened its campaign with a victory over Georgia Tech, hosted a South Carolina squad, playing in its season opener, at Herty Field in Athens. 

With less than five minutes remaining in a game consisting of two 25-minute halves, which had been agreed upon by the two programs prior to the contest, Georgia and South Carolina were tied, 5-5. The two teams had combined to gain 238 yards of offense on 73 plays (for the "sake" of the post, admittedly, I hand tallied the game's statistics), each scoring a touchdown and missing the extra-point attempt. With 13 minutes remaining in the opening half, Georgia fullback Samuel Hewlett scored the Red and Black's touchdown, which was answered by Carolina's right halfback and team captain, Joe Bell, early in the second half.

Already, the contest had experienced some controversy just before the first half ended. Trailing 5-0, Carolina had the ball only two feet from Georgia's goal. Two rushing attempts moved the ball just inches away from a touchdown. Just before the ball was snapped for a third try, the game's referee, a Rowbotham, whistled that the half had ended, negating the ensuing touchdown plunge by a South Carolina player. 

But, even more controversy was to follow. 

During the 1900 football season, a student's
depiction of a UGA football game. 

With the score knotted at five towards the end of the game, a series of lost fumbles capped the contest's final few possessions, the last of which causing quite a stir: Carolina fumbled while possessing the ball near its own goal line. When Rowbotham unpiled the mass of players, "hugging the ball for dear life" at the bottom of the pile was Georgia right end Julian Baxter. 

As the Red and Black lined up at Carolina's 5-yard line in attempt to drive for the game-winning score, they realized there was no defense to oppose them. Captain Bell had ordered his team off the field, charging the officials with “robbery” and indicating the game could be given to Georgia.

Carolina's Bell, who rushed for a game-high 70 yards on 16 carries, was beyond irate with Rowbotham—an esteemed referee at the time who, along with the length of the halves, had been previously agreed upon by both schools to be one of the game's two officials. Before Bell ended the game by charging off the field with his team, according to The Atlanta Constitution, he had already claimed the officials were,  "incompetent, dishonest, and determined to defeat his team" after Rowbotham had ended the first half just prior to Carolina's apparent touchdown.

After Carolina called it quits, Rowbotham waited a few minutes, and then had no choice but to call the game, awarding Georgia a 5-0 forfeited victory per Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association rules.

But, the peculiarity of this very old-school football game had just started, demonstrating that the battle between Georgia and Carolina extended beyond the gridiron, but in the press, as well.

An entire three days after the game, The State (Columbia, S.C.) finally ran a story detailing the Georgia-Carolina meeting. The newspaper first claimed that their story was late printing (three days late?) because a Western Union telegraph office in Athens purposely closed early on Carolina's team manager, L.C. Crawford, keeping him from sending his report of the game to the newspaper.

The State also claimed Rowbotham was a "referee on the steal," "Carolina was cheated out of a touchdown" right before halftime, and Carolina quarterback Harry Withers, and not Georgia's Baxter, recovered the fumble at the end of the game. In addition, the newspaper declared that even if Georgia rightfully recovered the fumble, there wasn't enough time to "have scored again" anyway (even though possessing the ball on Carolina's 5-yard line with nearly five minutes remaining).

The Athens Banner promptly fired back at the "babyish" report, or "tale of woe," by The State, declaring "the strangest baby tale" was "not authentic which, by the way, is a mild way of putting it."

For the only game I can think of in UGA football history called prematurely, while having nothing to do with visibility or the weather, the 'Cocks' take-my-ball-and-go-home attitude is only a small blemish on an otherwise proud tradition of USC football. So proud, surely if Joe Bell would have known that USC football would have been mired in mediocrity for over a century, while having a non-winning all-time record as late as the end of the 2009 season, the Carolina captain would have stuck it out with more of a winning attitude, and not simply satisfied with defeat.

Here's to "New" Beginnings

With the appearances made by Virginia-transfer Greyson Lambert and UAB-transfer Jake Ganus last Saturday, a historical milestone was reached in UGA football history. 

Lambert became only the second Bulldog starting quarterback in history who had previously played at another Division I program, and the first to throw a touchdown. Ganus, who is the first Georgia player to have transferred from a defunct program since Terrell Davis left Long Beach State for Athens following the 1991 season, started Saturday at one of the inside linebacker positions.

So, when was the last time the Bulldogs had two transfers arrive from other programs the same year while making immediate impact like Ganus and Lambert? 

Never—nothing even close has ever occurred in the annals of UGA football.  

A little more than four years ago, I posted Georgia's All-Time Transfers, or one-time Bulldogs who left the program for other schools. On the contrary, in the spirit of new beginnings for Ganus and Lambert, here's the Bulldogs' All-Time Arrivals team (11 position players + a kicker + some reserves + a pair of ironic honorable mentions, while excluding players from JUCOs, prep schools, and those pre-WWI players who played football at UGA while attending, say, law school after being an undergrad somewhere else):

Back- STEVE ROGERS (1977): Hailing from Jacksonville, Fla., Rogers transferred to UGA following a freshman season at the Naval Academy in 1975. As a reserve for the Midshipmen, the dual-threat quarterback was responsible for a couple of touchdowns, and was even the team's primary kick returner in the Army-Navy game—"the greatest experience of my life," according to Rogers after his transfer. Following a couple of unfortunate scrapes with the law while sitting out a season in Athens, Rogers was tangled in a quarterback competition in 1977 even more complicated than the Bulldogs' three-way race in 2015.









Rogers is one of the few Georgia players who had a newspaper article dedicated to him written by the late, great Lewis Grizzard—"The Legend of Steve Alan Rogers," which forecasted him being named the Bulldogs' starting quarterback a little over a week prior to the start of the season. In the end, Rogers was the team's second-stringer, but made starts against Alabama and Auburn before ending the '77 campaign sidelined with an injury. After a move to defensive back, Rogers returned to Coach Dooley's doghouse after another disciplinary issue, and was dismissed from the program. 
• Reserve Back: safety Chip Miller (Appalachian State '71-'73, Georgia '74-'75)

Back- TERRELL DAVIS (1992-1994): Prior to the 49ers dropping football, Davis rushed for 262 yards in just five games as a freshman at LBSU in 1991. For three years at Georgia, despite playing behind Garrison Hearst for a season, at times being injured, and perhaps underused, Davis rushed for 1,657 yards, averaged 5.2 yards per carry, had five 100-yard rushing games, caught 46 passes, and scored 18 touchdowns. A mere seven-season NFL career which is borderline Pro Football Hall of Fame-worthy, Davis' 7,607 rushing yards for an NFL career by a former Bulldog is second only behind Herschel Walker; his three AP first-team All-NFL selections is tied for the most with Champ Bailey and Richard Seymour.
• Reserve Back: tailback Olandis Gary (Marshall '94-'95, Georgia '97-'98)

Back- VERRON HAYNES (1999-2001): Arriving from the Bronx, Haynes rushed for over 300 yards at Western Kentucky as a true freshman in 1997. After transferring to Georgia and sitting out the '98 season, the fullback seldom carried the ball, but instead blocked for those that did, during the final two years of the Coach Donnan era. However, with the start of the Coach Richt regime, Haynes' role in the offense increased to where he averaged 163 rushing yards per game as the 2001 team's starting tailback the final four contests of the season. As a senior, including Georgia's bowl appearance, Haynes rushed for a team-high 823 yards, caught 20 passes and scored 10 touchdowns, including the historical "Hobnail Boot" reception, upsetting Tennessee in Knoxville.

Back- MARK VINCENT (1987): When the SMU football program was dealt the "death penalty" by the NCAA in 1986, about 50 Mustangs on scholarship found new homes, including Vincent and Shelly Anderson (see below) at Georgia. Vincent, a Texas native and two-year starter at cornerback for SMU, immediately made an impact in 1987 as a standout in the Bulldogs' secondary. In what would be his lone season at Georgia, Vincent intercepted three passes in his first five games (after intercepting just one pass in three seasons at SMU), and was honored as a member of the defense's distinguished "Junkyard Dog Club" by the fourth game of the year. Starting every game for the Bulldogs at right cornerback, Vincent finished his senior campaign with 59 tackles, including three for loss, and four PBUs. 

Notably, while transitioning from SMU to UGA in early August of 1987, Vincent said, "I'm still 100 percent SMU, but I had to find a new place to play until things get settled down [at SMU]. ... I plan on going down there [after one year at UGA] and helping get the [football] program back on its feet the right way." Only two months later, Vincent had already experienced a "slight" change of heart, demonstrating that attending the University of Georgia sure does seem to have an effect on people: "...my No. 1 choice for law school is Georgia. I love it here. I don't even think about SMU now. It's gone better than anything I could have expected. I wish I would have been here the whole time."

• Reserve Back: cornerback Dale Williams (The Citadel '77, Georgia '79-'81)

Receiver- JIMMY ORR (1955-1957): Orr started off at Wake Forest before transferring to Clemson to play basketball, In the spring of 1955, the speedster from Seneca, S.C. decided he wanted to play football, so he transferred again—this time, to Georgia. In three seasons as a Bulldog, despite playing halfback (and catching just 42 career passes for 701 yards and 5 touchdowns), Orr remarkably led the SEC in receiving as both a sophomore and senior. From 1955-1957, he also rushed for nearly 300 yards, averaged more than 22 yards per kickoff return and 18 yards per punt return (and a touchdown), intercepted a pass on defense, and averaged more than 37 yards per punt on 75 career kicks. 

The 291st pick of the 1957 NFL Draft, Orr was the 1958 NFL Rookie of the Year as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and one of Johnny Unitas' favorite targets as a standout end for the Baltimore Colts during the 1960s. Orr was essentially tops in all career receiving marks for an NFL career by a former Bulldog before being surpassed by Hines Ward.

End- BEN WATSON (2001-2003): Watson transferred to Georgia after catching 8 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown for Duke in 1999. As a member of Coach Richt's first three Bulldog teams, the Rock Hill, S.C. native made a combined 65 receptions for 852 yards and 6 touchdowns. After earning All-SEC honors as a senior in 2003, Watson was a first-round selection of the New England Patriots. Appearing in his 12th year in the league, and the third with the New Orleans Saints, Watson enters the 2015 season with the fifth-most catches (360) and fifth-most  touchdown receptions (32) in an NFL career by a former Bulldog.

• Reserve End: tight end Jermaine Wiggins (Marshall '94-'95, Georgia '97-'98)

Lineman- ALEC MILLEN (1991-1992): Signing with North Carolina out of the Marist School in Atlanta, the 6-foot-7 Millen was a member of consecutive 1-10 Tar Heel teams (1988-1989), starting at left guard in '89. Transferring and then sitting out Georgia's lowly 4-7 campaign of '90, he was a starting offensive tackle for Bulldog teams in 1991-1992 which, ironically for Millen, had a combined 19-5 record. After earning first-team All-SEC recognition as a senior, he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers early in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, but would never see the field in a regular-season game. Today, Millen is an associate pastor at a church in Pennsylvania.

Lineman- DAVE LLOYD (1957-1958): A center for Texas Tech in 1955, Lloyd was lured to Georgia by line coach Wyatt Posey, who had coached the big Texan in Lubbock before accepting an assistant job in Athens. After being a member of the Bulldogs' B-team (i.e., redshirted) for a year, Lloyd was arguably Georgia's most valuable player during the 1957-1958 seasons, often playing nearly entire games as the team's starting center, linebacker, and the kicker on kickoffs. In a time when collegiate athletes could leave school before their final year if selected in the NFL Draft following their fourth season, Lloyd decided to forego his senior campaign at Georgia after being picked 47th overall in the draft by Cleveland. Playing for the Browns, Eagles, and Lions, the Red Raider-turned-Bulldog had a successful 12-season career in the NFL.

Lineman- SHELLY ANDERSON (1987-1988): In three consecutive seasons at two schools, lineman Anderson started at three positions along the offensive line, but never at two different ones the same year. Prior to transferring to Georgia along with Vincent, Anderson started two games for SMU at right guard in 1986 after solely playing a reserve role as a freshman. As a Bulldog, he started one game at left tackle in 1987 before starting every game as a senior the next season at left guard.  

Lineman- AL FRANCIS (1957): A reserve center for Notre Dame in 1955, Francis, along with teammate halfback/end Dick Wilkins, decided to leave the Fighting Irish for Athens. After sitting out a season, Francis served as the Bulldogs' backup center in 1957 behind Dave Lloyd.

• Reserve Lineman: OL George Mrvos (Penn State '84, Georgia '87)

End- RUSTY RUSSELL (1973-1975): The son of legendary UGA defensive coordinator Erk Russell, Rusty began his collegiate career at Florida State, where he was a linebacker for the Seminoles in 1972, but did not letter. Walking on at Georgia, Russell was one of the Bulldogs' leading tacklers in each of his three seasons in Athens, while starting at three different positions: DT in '73, DE in '74, and returning to linebacker in '75. As a member of his father's "Junkyard Dogs" defensive unit as a senior, Russell was third on the squad with 90 tackles.

• Reserve End: Dick Wilkins (Notre Dame '55, Georgia '57)

Kicker- TODD PETERSON (1991-1992): The Valdosta native was used sparingly as a placekicker at the Naval Academy in 1988-1989. After transferring to Georgia and sitting out a season, Peterson missed five of his first eight field goal attempts as a Bulldog, and was benched. Regardless, his senior campaign of 1992 jump-started a brilliant placekicking career. After making 13 of 16 field goals in his final year at Georgia, Peterson kicked for six different teams in a dozen seasons in the NFL, which resulted in him being one of currently only three ex-Bulldogs to score 1,000+ career points in the league.

HONORABLE MENTION: In early January of 1987, just after Wichita State had dropped its football program, former-Shocker players defensive back Derrick Richey and fullback Eric Gilstrap drove 850 miles to Athens after being lured by the Bulldogs to transfer. However, upon their arrival to UGA after the rather lengthy trip, the two players were denied admission because of a problem with their transferable hours.

"We're going to take steps to see something like that never happens again," said Coach Dooley after the players were turned away, prompting Richey to declare, "Georgia should have checked that out before recruiting us."

Follow that Dawg!

Follow the Dawgs in 2015 on Twitter @PGarbinDT.

Reporting from the press box this season for DAWGTIME.com, FOLLOW ME @PGarbinDT for my insight and perspective (for what that's worth...) of each game this season, beginning today when the Bulldogs tangle with the ULM Warhawks.