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Published Jul 25, 2019
Greatest Plays in UGA Football History (Round 2, Matchup #7)
Patrick Garbin and Dave McMahon
Staff

Moving onto Round 2 of the "Greatest Plays in UGA Football History" Tournament, UGASports.com wants its subscribers to decide the program's greatest play. Three times a week you can vote in a bracket-style tournament—and the play that gets the most votes moves onto the next round.

As subscribers, your vote is important. VOTE HERE.

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#1 seed—“My God, a Freshman!” (1980 vs. Tennessee)

Late in the third quarter of Georgia’s 1980 season opener at Tennessee, the Volunteers held a 15-2 advantage, but the Bulldogs had possession on the Volunteers’ 16-yard line. Quarterback Buck Belue turned and handed the ball to true freshman tailback Herschel Walker.

The freshman phenom started to his left, broke a tackle at the 15-yard line, and then faced safety Bill Bates, who was squared up and ready to take down the tailback. The powerful Walker ran smack into Bates at the eight-yard line. Herschel’s legs continued to churn as he literally bulled over Tennessee’s safety-man.

Two other Volunteer defenders converged on Walker inside the five-yard line, but he split the two would-be tacklers, leaving one, lineman Mike Casteel, lying on the turf in pain. Walker strolled the last two or so yards into the end zone for his first collegiate score—a touchdown such as few had seen before and, more importantly, a scoring run that had put the Bulldogs back into the game.

Walker scored again with 11:16 left in the contest on a nine-yard touchdown run. His second score was seemingly executed a lot easier than the first as Herschel tip-toed at left end through falling defenders and ran untouched into the end zone for the touchdown.

The Dogs built a one-point advantage, 16-15, and held onto it for the upset victory.

Georgia’s win over Tennessee in 1980 is memorable in many ways. Most significantly, the game introduced freshman tailback Herschel Walker—a budding superstar who, in running over Bill Bates and into the end zone, signaled he was destined to become one of college football’s best.

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#5 seed—Bobo to Allen to Overtime (1996 vs. Auburn)

Played in 1996, the 100th meeting between Georgia and Auburn featured the Tigers jumping out to a 28-7 lead, including scoring a touchdown in which Uga V nearly did some damage of his own. Under first-year head coach Jim Donnan, the Bulldogs fought back and found themselves down by just one touchdown, 28-21, with 1:07 remaining in the contest. From his own 18-yard line, Georgia quarterback Mike Bobo connected with Hines Ward, Robert Edwards, Matt Dickson, Corey Allen, and then Ward again. However, with time running out, Bobo was sacked. The officials stopped the clock briefly to set the ball, and then Bobo spiked the pigskin with just one second remaining.

Georgia had just one shot to tie the game—and the Bulldogs would have to try to tie things up from Auburn’s 30-yard line. Bobo took the snap from shotgun and moved around in the pocket, feeling the pressure, and heaved the ball around the goal line. Allen leaped up, caught the ball, stretched out, and scored a touchdown with no time remaining in regulation. After the extra point, Georgia had sent the game into overtime—the first overtime affair in SEC history—whereby the Bulldogs eventually won in four overtime periods, 56-49.

Your vote is important in deciding the Bulldogs’ greatest play of all time by the end of the summer. VOTE HERE.

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