UGASports.com’s Greatest Plays in UGA Football History (Match-up 4)
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 onto the next round.
Your vote is important. VOTE HERE.
#2 The Flea Flicker (1965 vs. Alabama)
After Alabama quarterback Steve Sloan scored a touchdown to put the Crimson Tide up 17-10 over Georgia in Athens in 1965, the Bulldogs had possession at their own 27-yard line with only 3:14 left in the game. Kirby Moore took the snap from center Ken Davis and rolled slightly to his left. As Alabama’s Tom Somerville closed in on the sophomore quarterback, Moore threw and completed a short pass to end Pat Hodgson at the 35-yard line. Just as Hodgson began to drop to a knee, he smoothly lateraled the ball to the left of Alabama’s Frank Canterbury into the hands of trailing teammate Bob Taylor. Taylor out-sped linebacker Paul Crane to the sideline and then took off down the left side, completing a 73-yard flea flicker touchdown play with 2:08 remaining in the ballgame and Georgia trailing by a single point.
The flea-flicker play had only been put in Georgia’s practice regimen the week of the Alabama game, after head coach Vince Dooley, a former Auburn assistant coach, remembered it was previously used by Georgia Tech against the Tigers. Dooley called the play at the perfect time, following Sloan’s apparent game-clinching touchdown, and as many Bulldog fans were leaving Sanford Stadium, conceding a loss. Following the play, Georgia successfully made a two-point attempt. That conversion, and the proceeding flea flicker touchdown, ultimately defeated the seemingly invincible Crimson Tide, 18-17.
#7 Witherspoon’s Two-Point Tip Away (1999 vs. LSU)
Head coach Jim Donnan’s 1999 tenth-ranked Georgia team was looking to improve to 4-0 on the season when they hosted LSU. The Bulldogs led by seven points, 23-16, in the fourth quarter when Tiger quarterback Josh Booty was picked off by Georgia’s Cory Robinson in the end zone with 1:55 left to play. The Bulldogs failed to run out the clock, and the Tigers had one more chance. On fourth down and with just 18 seconds remaining, Booty passed for a touchdown to close the gap to a single point.
LSU head coach Gerry DiNardo never considered overtime and decided to go for the win. On the two-point conversion, Booty started to scramble to his right to avoid the rush. He had two teammates’ open in the end zone and decided to throw. Booty threw across his body, and it appeared to be a successful conversion; however, out of nowhere, Bulldog linebacker Will Witherspoon knocked down the pass, clinching a 23-22 victory for Georgia.
Your vote is important in deciding the Bulldogs’ greatest play of all time by the end of the summer. VOTE HERE.