The 2019 Georgia football season is almost here, and UGASports.com wants its subscribers to decide the greatest play in UGA football history. We selected 32 plays throughout history that we deemed worthy of nomination. Three times a week, you can vote in a bracket-style tournament—and the play that gets the most votes moves on to the next round.
Your vote is important. VOTE HERE.
No. 1—“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.
No. 8—Zo’s Rose Bowl block (2018 vs. Oklahoma)
The 2018 Rose Bowl is one of the greatest games ever played—and not just in Georgia football history, but in college football history, as well. The Bulldogs’ game against Oklahoma had memorable plays on offense, a few on defense—and even some on special teams.
Trailing by 17 points just prior to halftime, Georgia’s Tae Crowder came up big when he recovered a Sooner onside kickoff, which set up a Rose Bowl-record and career-long field goal by Rodrigo Blankenship to pull the Bulldogs within 14 points. Yet, the most notable special teams play of the game had yet to occur.
With Georgia and Oklahoma tied at 48-48 in the second overtime, Sooners’ placekicker Austin Seibert was set to attempt a 27-yard field goal to give the Big XII champs a three-point advantage. Seibert had been 17-of-20 on field-goal attempts that season, and had not missed from that short of a distance all year.
But that was before Bulldog senior Lorenzo Carter took a few steps upon the snap and leaped up, deflecting Seibert’s kick, which fell short of the goal posts. After the blocked field goal, Georgia gained possession and, two plays later, running back Sony Michel rushed for a touchdown giving the Bulldogs a 54-48 victory en route to a birth in the National Championship Game.
Your vote is important in deciding the Bulldogs’ greatest play of all time by the end of the summer. VOTE HERE.
