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Who’s the Top Dawg in Liberty-Frogs Affairs?

Whether against TCU or in the Liberty Bowl, Georgia has featured some notable performers, like (L to R) PAT McSHEA in 1980, RICHARD TARDITS in 1988, and JAMES JACKSON in postseason play in 1987. Still, who is the "Top Dawg" of them all?
Whether against TCU or in the Liberty Bowl, Georgia has featured some notable performers, like (L to R) PAT McSHEA in 1980, RICHARD TARDITS in 1988, and JAMES JACKSON in postseason play in 1987. Still, who is the "Top Dawg" of them all?

Entering this Friday’s postseason contest with TCU, Georgia has faced the Horned Frogs just three times—a victory in the 1942 Orange Bowl, and regular-season wins in 1980 and 1988—and played in the Liberty Bowl on only three occasions—losses in 1967 and 2010, and a victory in 1987. Still, the Bulldogs have featured several notable performances in the six combined games.

My opinion of Georgia’s all-time top five individual outings in Liberty-Frogs affairs:

5) TIM WORLEY (1988 vs. TCU): Coming off the bench behind Rodney Hampton, Worley rushed for 128 yards, including a 77-yard fourth-quarter scoring jaunt, on only 13 carries in a 38-10 win over TCU in 1988. The junior tailback also proved his passing prowess against the Frogs by tossing a 9-yard second-quarter touchdown on a halfback pass to tight end Troy Sadowski.

4) PAT McSHEA (1980 vs. TCU): Spearheaded by Pat McShea, Georgia yielded only 99 yards of total offense—one of only two instances to date since 1968 that the Bulldogs allowed an opponent less than 100 total yards—in a 34-3 victory over TCU in 1980. For the game, the senior defensive end totaled five tackles for loss, including two sacks, three broken up passes, and a fumble recovery. What’s more, the three sacks and two other tackles for loss recorded by McShea, who would finish the year as Georgia’s sixth-leading tackler, would be all five of the tackles for loss he totaled for the entire season.

3) JAMES JACKSON (1987 Liberty Bowl): Playing his final game at Georgia, James Jackson completed 15-of-25 passes for a game-high 148 yards against Arkansas in the 1987 Liberty Bowl. Trailing 17-7 in the fourth quarter, the senior quarterback rallied the Bulldogs to 13 unanswered points. In the 20-17 win over the Hogs, Jackson also rushed 10 times for a team-high 72 yards and a touchdown, and was named the bowl’s Most Valuable Offensive Player.

2) RICHARD TARDITS (1988 vs. TCU): While Worley was getting it done on the offensive end against the Frogs in ’88, senior outside linebacker Richard Tardits was doing so defensively—and, good thing he did. Despite holding TCU to 10 points, Georgia’s defense had a difficult time stopping the Horned Frogs’ confusing triple-option attack which emphasized the run. TCU’s running backs rushed for nearly 250 yards, averaged more than five yards per carry, and put their offense in good position to score on several occasions. However, whenever the Frogs “knocked on the door” and/or took to the air, it seemed “Le Sack,” or the “Biarritz Blitz,” was there to stop the threat. Nearly 30 years following the game, Tardits’ four sacks against TCU remain the second-most in a single game in the recorded history of UGA football.

1) FRANK SINKWICH (1942 vs. TCU): Besides topping this list, Frank Sinkwich’s one-man show against TCU in the 1942 Orange Bowl is not only arguably the greatest individual performance in the school’s bowl history, but also one of the Bulldogs’ best individual outings ever for any type of game. In the 40-26 victory on January 1, 1942, the junior halfback rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. In addition, he completed 9-of-13 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. And, a little known fact regarding Sinkwich’s postseason performance—one you won’t see printed in many bowl-game recaps—is that he actually completed every single one of his 13 pass attempts, considering all four of his incompletions were interceptions made by Horned Frog defenders.

***Consider this a special mention, of sorts, which, more so than a top individual performance in the Liberty Bowl or against TCU, is more like Georgia’s greatest “one-play wonder” in the school’s postseason history: Despite what the announcer says, hailing from the other Los Angeles—the one in California—CARVER RUSSAW attended Glendale Community College before transferring in 1986 to Georgia, whereby he was redshirted. In 1987, after recording only one tackle the entire regular season, the junior third-string cornerback was inserted in the Liberty Bowl against Arkansas with less than a minute remaining of a tied game, and with the Hogs looking to pass against the Bulldogs’ "Cover 8" defense…

On his interception, Russaw jammed receiver Tim Horton toward linebacker Terrie Webster, whose tip of Thomas’ pass fell into awaiting arms. The memorable pick by the little-known defensive back, who later was declared academically ineligible prior to his senior season of 1988, set up Georgia’s winning field goal, and would turn out to be Russaw’s final play in a Bulldog uniform.

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