Counting the Days – Day 2

Welcome to our countdown, and we down to the final two days before Georgia’s 2016 season kicks off! Each day leading up to the season opener, Patrick Garbin and I will show three unique and creative ways why we think that number is special to the Dawgs. Sometimes when nature calls, you have to go, and sometimes it is in a public place. In 1997, Austin Powers was in a public restroom, and wanted to find out “Who does ‘Number 2’ work for?” The International Man of Mystery would later find out… as you are about to find out about these great Georgia football moments in regards to “Number 2”:

By Dave McMahon—Twitter @dave_mc_stats

3 – A trivia question: Who scored Georgia’s first-ever touchdown in a bowl game? The answer is Waukesha, Wisconsin’s own Ken Keuper. Against TCU in the 1942 Orange Bowl, future Heisman Trophy-winner Frank Sinkwich was the star of the game, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another. But, it was Keuper who scored first, running for a 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter to give the Dawgs an early lead. TCU would soon tie the game, but then it was mostly all-Georgia they rest of the way in a 40-26 victory.

2 – No matter what you say or think in regards to Greyson Lambert, he did a great job last season of avoiding throwing interceptions. Perhaps he was often lucky, but that’s part of the game. In 2015, Lambert threw just 2 interceptions in 256 pass attempts—a 0.78 interception percentage which is a single-season Bulldog record (min. 200 pass attempts). The career record at Georgia for lowest interception percentage (min. 600 pass attempts) is held by David Greene, who was picked off just 32 times in 1,440 attempts, or a 2.22222 percentage (now, that is taking “2” to a new level).

1 – One of the greatest moments in Bulldogs history came in the 1978 classic against Georgia Tech.Georgia trailed 20-0 in the second quarter, but started to come back after freshman quarterback Buck Belue came off the bench. The Dawgs soon trailed by only six points, 20-14, when Scott Woerner, Woerner, Woerner, Woerner, Woerner, Woerner returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Rex Robinson’s extra point gave Georgia the lead, but the Jackets’ Drew Hill then returned the kickoff 100 yards. Hill’s touchdown followed by a successful two-point conversion gave Georgia Tech a 28-21 advantage. The Bulldogs got the ball back deep in their own territory with only 5:52 remaining. Taking 3:37 off the clock, Belue led the Dawgs on a nine-play, 84 yard-drive capped by a fourth-down, 42-yard touchdown pass to Amp Arnold with 2:24 left. Instead of settling for a tie, the Wonderdogs went for a 2-point conversion, and the lead. They failed at first, but a flag was called on Tech (lots of flags), and Georgia tried again. This time, they converted the 2-point conversion on a pitch from Belue to Arnold, and the Bulldogs had regained the lead, 29-28. Saved by a late interception, it was a lead Georgia wouldn’t relinquish…

By Patrick Garbin—Twitter @PGarbinDT

3—If “one” is the loneliest number, “two”—at least when it comes to Georgia football—is seemingly the number no one wanted… The last of the single-digit jersey numbers worn by a Bulldog player upon numbers one through nine being re-introduced in the late 1960s, No. 2 was not donned until 1976 by punter Mike Garrett, who would eventually switch to jersey-number 6. In 1978, sophomore punter Mark Malkiewicz assumed No. 2 and patiently waited behind Garrett, attempting just one varsity punt in two seasons. Finally, as a senior in 1980, Malkiewicz was named Georgia’s No. 1 punter for what would shape up to be a championship campaign. However, the week of the season opener, he injured his shoulder and missed the first four games. Reclaiming the starting job in mid-October, Malkiewicz was the Bulldogs’ sole punter the final eight games of the year. Besides the fact he was Georgia’s primary punter during what remains the program’s lone undisputed national championship season, and perhaps the honor of being named the Bulldogs’ “Top Dog” on special teams for an excellent punting performance against Florida, Malkiewicz’s 1980 season, and his 37.9 punting average (including the 1981 Sugar Bowl) remains rather obscure. However, I’d like to acknowledge two particular punts by this No. 2 occurring during Georgia’s critical win over South Carolina… The first punt traveled only 16 yards, but it should have resulted in a fumble recovery by the Gamecocks’ Emanuel Weaver; whereas the second punt was nearly blocked by Weaver but, instead, resulted in a roughing-the-punter penalty, giving Georgia a first down, whereupon the Bulldogs ran out the clock for a thrilling 13-10 victory:

2—Upon its inception in 1958, Georgia took full advantage of the 2-point conversion rule/option following touchdowns, beginning with the first time the Bulldogs crossed the opposing goal line that season. Fran Tarkenton’s successful two-point pass to Aaron Box in a 13-8 loss to Texas was the first of what would be 10 successful two-point attempts by the Bulldogs that year. Since then, Georgia has executed two-point plays which proved to be game-winners (e.g., Kirby Moore-to-Pat Hodgson vs. Alabama in 1965, and Dave’s aforementioned run by Amp Arnold vs. Georgia Tech in 1978), led the Bulldogs to eventual wins (e.g., Larry Ware-to-Chris Broom vs. Alabama in 1990, and Hines Ward-to-Brice Hunter vs. Georgia Tech in 1995) and, whether by design or not, were just plain unusual (e.g., Quincy Carter-to-Travis Stroud, a defensive lineman vs. Kent in 1998, and Kirby Moore-to-Sandy Johnson vs. Kentucky in 1966 after Georgia’s Kent Lawrence ran onto the field with the two-point play literally drawn up on a piece of paper). Historically speaking, some two-point facts: Since the Bulldogs successfully converted 10 two-pointers in 1958, they have only twice (four in 1970, five in 1987) in 57 seasons successfully made more than three. Georgia has converted 66 two-point conversions—52 passing, 14 rushing—in 656 games, or approximately one two-pointer every 10 games. Since the school began releasing the number of two-point attempts (besides successful two-pointers made) in 1986, the Bulldogs have converted 31 of 64 attempts (25 of 50 passing, 6 of 14 rushing), or a notable 48.4 success rate, whereas all of Division I-A/FBS football during the same period (1986-2015) had a success rate of 41.8 percent. And finally, Bill Brice is Georgia’s all-time career leader in two-point conversions with four, all receptions, followed by several players who each had two. Remarkably, Brice—a tight end from 1968 and 1970-1971—scored more points as a Bulldog via the two-point play (8 points) than he did otherwise (Brice scored one touchdown during his career).

1—The 2016 season will mark the 40th anniversary since Georgia’s nickname of “Dogs” underwent a two-letter adjustment to be more commonly known as “Dawgs.” And, who or what was responsible for the historical change in spelling? Simply, it was “ole Blue.” Blue, the nickname for Gene Robbins, was not a Georgia player, trainer, manager, cheerleader, etc., nor was he even a Georgia student or Athens native. In fact, he was from Cambridge, Maryland, who, after a mere visit to UGA, became instantly intrigued with Georgia football, eventually becoming the greatest "team follower" in the history of the program. The “Dawgs” spelling was initiated when Blue, declaring, "Go Dogs!” in his Mid-Atlantic accent, would prolong "Dogs," mimicking a southern drawl, sounded more like "D-awwwww-gs." GO HERE for more details regarding the “Dawg” named Blue…