Counting the Days – Day 17

Welcome to our countdown, and we are less than three weeks away from game one! Each day leading up to the season opener, Patrick Garbin and I will each show three unique and creative ways why we think that number is special to the Dawgs. A song by the late, great Prince not many people are familiar with, “17 Days” was released as a B-side to the famous “When Doves Cry.” For all the young people who have no idea what I mean by B-side, you should look it up. Anyway, Prince provided a lot of great memories to many of us with his music. Hopefully, the following Georgia football moments in regards to “17” will stir up great memories for many of you:

By Dave McMahon—Twitter @dave_mc_stats

3 – In a 1998 battle in Baton Rouge, Georgia defeated sixth-ranked LSU, 28-27, led by quarterback No. 17 Quincy Carter. The freshman signal-caller passed for two touchdowns: the first to Champ Bailey in the opening minutes of the game to give the Dawgs a 7-0 lead, followed by a third-quarter scoring toss to Tony Small, breaking a tie and giving Georgia a 28-21 lead. Both of Carter’s touchdowns covered 17 yards. After the Carter-to-Small 17-yarder, the Bulldogs gave up two field goals in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough as they went on to win. For their careers, Carter officially passed for 35 touchdowns, Bailey made five touchdown receptions, and Small had four touchdown catches.

2 – One player Dawg fans like to mention from time-to-time is No. 17 Greg Blue, a hard-hitting safety who often made opponents black and blue. Blue ended his career at Georgia with 260 tackles, including a team-leading 96 during the 2005 season. That season, he was named All-SEC, as well as the team’s permanent co-captain on defense. As a senior, Blue was also a semi-finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.

1 – In December of this year, Scott Woerner will be the 17th individual with Georgia ties, including 13 players, to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The last Bulldog player to be inducted was Jake Scott in 2011, whereas the first individual to be inducted was Coach Glenn “Pop” Warner in 1951. The only year in which Georgia had two people inducted into the hall of fame was 1954, when former players Bob McWhorter and Frank Sinkwich were enshrined. Located near Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park, World of Coca-Cola, and the Georgia Aquarium, if you have yet to visit the College Football Hall of Fame, you should.

By Patrick Garbin—Twitter @PGarbinDT

3—As a young Bulldog enthusiast during the mid-1980s, I was intrigued for about three years in a row with an unusual fact listed among stats, records, and tidbits in the notes of the annual Georgia football media guide: “Georgia center Keith Johnson wears a size 17 ring.” Regarding the late Johnson, who hailed from Ocilla, Ga., and was the Bulldogs’ starting center in 1983 and 1984 despite an injury-riddled career, I recall wondering, Is a size 17 ring really that big? Well, I have since discovered that it is not only big, but extraordinarily big, considering most men wear anywhere from a size 8 to 10½, while most jewelry stores carry sizes up to 14, and no bigger.

2—The Georgia career of flanker No. 17 Carmon Prince was far from spectacular. In three seasons from 1977 to 1979, he was considered a starter for a single year while making 20 career receptions (which, actually, was the third-most of all Bulldog wide receivers during that time, only trailing notables Lindsay Scott and Amp Arnold). Still, Prince had a knack of finding the end zone when he was on the receiving end of a pass. Of his 20 receptions, five, or 25 percent, were for touchdowns. To date, of all Georgia players with at least 15 career receptions, Prince’s 25% touchdown percentage ranks tied for second all time, behind only Aron White, who scored 10 touchdowns on 34 career receptions (29.4 percent). Yet, Prince is actually Georgia’s unofficial touchdown-to-reception leader. In his one bowl appearance—the 1978 Bluebonnet Bowl vs. Stanford, and a game whose stats are not included in annual/career totals—Prince made two receptions for 30 yards, a 22-yard catch, followed by an eight-yarder. And, for each of his receptions, you’d never guess the end result:

1—Erk Russell and his esteemed 17-season career as Georgia’s defensive coordinator has been mentioned a couple of times already on this countdown. Here’s one more… Perhaps one way to measure the late Russell’s tenure from 1964 through 1980 is to compare what his defenses yielded on average to that of all major-college teams during the same 17-year period. Take notice of that comparison below, especially the points allowed per game: