Loran - Smith

Loran

Since the fall of 1956, it has been my good fortune to have missed only one Georgia home game between the hedges—and that was owing to military duty in 1962. If your favorite team is a member of the Southeastern Conference and you have a coaching staff that is adept at recruiting and coaching, you are likely to witness the best in competition on your home turf. The first game in Sanford Stadium was a memorable event for anchoring one of the South’s leading programs. The Bulldogs took down mighty Yale, “the scourge of the East,” 15-0, dedicating the South’s prettiest and classiest stadium, Oct. 12, 1929.

Since that dedicatory outing, big games became commonplace between the hedges over the years. There has been heartbreak a time or two, but for the most part the Bulldogs have prevailed, creating an illustrious portfolio of bragging rights for UGA partisans, the latest being last week’s 35-33 triumph over Ole Miss.

For me, it all began with the sensational victory over Auburn November 14, 1959, when Francis Asbury Tarkenton thew a 13-yard touchdown pass to Bill Heron to upset the War Eagles and win the Southeastern Conference championship, 14-13, Coach Wallace Butts’s fourth.

That may well be the all-time great serendipitous moment in Sanford Stadium’s illustrious history. The fifties were not good for Butts— “down times” were never so prevalent— but that victory brought him back to exalted status on the gridiron.

I accompanied the legendary Bud Wilkinson to the sideline when the famous flea-flicker pass—Moore to Hodgson to Taylor—led to the 18-17 upset of Bear Bryant and the defending national champions in 1965.

Tie games are no more, which most would agree is a good thing. However, there was the greatest continued from page

emotion when Jim Mc-Cullough kicked a 38yard field goal with 12 seconds left in 1968 over Houston—not to win, but not to lose—for a 1010 tie that felt like a victory.

It was emotionally rewarding to see Herschel Walker outduel George Rogers in 1980, 13-10, the team leaving everything on the field. (That brought about an off day in Jacksonville the next week, but “Belue to Scott” enabled UGA to play for the national championship.)

I saw Kevin Butler’s record-setting 60-yard field goal to take down Clemson, 26-23, in 1984. I witnessed Boss Bailey’s blocking of a Tennessee field goal attempt in 2002, one of the most individual athletic plays in Sanford Stadium history, leading the ‘Dawgs to an 18-13 win. Then there was Matthew Stafford’s four-yard pass to Mohammed Massaquoi to edge Georgia Tech, 1512, in 2006, followed by the blackout game over Auburn, 45-20, in 2007 and Aaron Murray’s 25yard pass to Justin Scott-Wesley to defeat LSU, 44-41, in 2013.

One of the most emotionally rewarding victories came in 2022 when Tennessee, ranked No. 1, came to Athens with a high-powered offense, which the Bulldogs shut down in a 27-13 victory that was complete domination by the home team. That was a fulfilling and sensational highlight in a championship season. There have been some gratifying moments for UGA in its annual battle with crossstate rival Georgia Tech, but nothing can compare to last year’s eight-overtime victory over the Yellow Jackets, 44-42.

Great plays become greater when they lead to a championship or impact a trend, but for singular excitement in a regular-season game, it would be difficult to recall when two evenly matched teams have rendered peak performances for three quarters, as it was with Ole Miss and Georgia last Saturday. It was like an arm-wrestling match between two super studs, with neither competitor flinching for the longest time. Finally, one gets that clinching rush.

All during the game, there was worry that Ole Miss was a team that Georgia could not afford to get behind by two touchdowns. This was complimentary football at its best, although everyone would like to see the defense become more dominant. In time, perhaps, that will come about.

High praise is in order for Ole Miss—the Rebels are Damn Good on offense. That is why Mike Bobo’s contribution should be given unending applause. The Bobos—father and son—know the inside story, which the rest of us do not. Elementary things such as who has a nagging injury, who had a bad week of practice, who has a challenge with an opponent’s defensive scheme.

That is why seeing them embrace outside the locker room at the end of the Ole Miss game was a touching emotional moment. There is nothing like winning to bring about love and laughter to the post-game scene.

Kirby Smart may be doing the best coaching job of his career at this juncture. Big moments have become commonplace in his career, which is why his record as the winningest coach in collegiate history for the first ten years resonates so glowingly.