Some SEC wrap-up
Just a couple of things to touch on before Georgia goes into a mini-hibernation before taking on West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl:
• The Bulldogs landed eight - eight - members of its squad on the Associated Press's All-SEC First Team, including the three of the four slots in the secondary. DeMario Minter and Greg Blue were no-brainers, but Tim Jennings was a bit of a surprise. Not that he isn't a solid cornerback, but you'd think one of Florida's guys would jump out.
• Speaking of Minter, has anyone on that team come up more huge than him? It's like all of a sudden, prior to the Georgia Tech game, he just decided to become the best lock-down corner in the country.
• D.J. Shockley was robbed of the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Jay Cutler? Really? Vanderbilt still went 5-6 and beat no one of note, and that includes the win over a down Tennessee team. When you start out 3-0 and then go 2-6 the rest of the way in your conference slate - and throw a pivotal pick that cost you in a winnable game at Florida - you shouldn't be the SEC's top offensive player. Shockley goes 10-1 as a starter, leads the conference in passing efficiency and is arguably the most dangerous weapon in the SEC. If you're a defensive coordinator, who would you rather face - Jay Cutler or D.J. Shockley?
• Going pro from Georgia? I call Leonard Pope with Quentin Moses coming back to be the senior leader of the defense in 2006.
• After attending the beautiful event that was the 2005 SEC Championship Game, I've modified my personal 'Seven Greatest Georgia Moments in History' ... mind you this includes things I remember experiencing or witnessing:
1. Robert Edwards' touchdown jaunt down the sideline in the fourth quarter against Florida, all but sealing the Bulldogs' 37-17 win over the Gators in 1997. I was in the end zone that Edwards was running at, and that was the first time it hit me - and probably everyone in the stadium - that Georgia was actually going to win that game. Seriously, chills thinking about it right now.
2. Michael Johnson's leap in the end zone to snag the winning touchdown on fourth down against Auburn in 2002, sending Georgia to its first SEC Championship Game. Just moments before it happened, Scott looks at me and says 'I am sick of Georgia always losing games like this.
3. Eric Zeier's brilliant performance as a freshman against a Top Five Clemson team in 1991, leading Georgia to a 27-12 win over the Tigers. This was when Clemson had owned the Bulldogs for about a decade and was always ranked in the Top 10 in the country (a pre-Florida State ACC mind you), and I had an irrational disdain for the Tigers at the time.
4. Mike Bobo-to-Corey Allen against Georgia Tech in 1997. Count me as one of the few remaining Georgia fans who consider the Tech game the biggest one on the schedule each year. To thoroughly crush their dreams in their stadium was excellent.
5. David Greene-to-Verron Haynes against Tennessee in 2001. Just moments before it happened, Scott looks at me and says 'I am sick of Georgia always losing games like this.
6. Tim Jennings' pick-six against LSU in the 2005 SEC Championship Game ... I was convinced LSU was going to come back in the fourth quarter, even with a back-up quarterback. Jennings' slow jog to the end zone - right in front of the LSU fans - helped me finally realize Georgia was going to win the game.
7. DeCory Bryant's punt block in the 2002 SEC Championship Game against Arkansas. The Razorbacks never recovered, and the Bulldogs rolled to their first title in 20 years.
What are your favorite moments?
• The Bulldogs landed eight - eight - members of its squad on the Associated Press's All-SEC First Team, including the three of the four slots in the secondary. DeMario Minter and Greg Blue were no-brainers, but Tim Jennings was a bit of a surprise. Not that he isn't a solid cornerback, but you'd think one of Florida's guys would jump out.
• Speaking of Minter, has anyone on that team come up more huge than him? It's like all of a sudden, prior to the Georgia Tech game, he just decided to become the best lock-down corner in the country.
• D.J. Shockley was robbed of the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Jay Cutler? Really? Vanderbilt still went 5-6 and beat no one of note, and that includes the win over a down Tennessee team. When you start out 3-0 and then go 2-6 the rest of the way in your conference slate - and throw a pivotal pick that cost you in a winnable game at Florida - you shouldn't be the SEC's top offensive player. Shockley goes 10-1 as a starter, leads the conference in passing efficiency and is arguably the most dangerous weapon in the SEC. If you're a defensive coordinator, who would you rather face - Jay Cutler or D.J. Shockley?
• Going pro from Georgia? I call Leonard Pope with Quentin Moses coming back to be the senior leader of the defense in 2006.
• After attending the beautiful event that was the 2005 SEC Championship Game, I've modified my personal 'Seven Greatest Georgia Moments in History' ... mind you this includes things I remember experiencing or witnessing:
1. Robert Edwards' touchdown jaunt down the sideline in the fourth quarter against Florida, all but sealing the Bulldogs' 37-17 win over the Gators in 1997. I was in the end zone that Edwards was running at, and that was the first time it hit me - and probably everyone in the stadium - that Georgia was actually going to win that game. Seriously, chills thinking about it right now.
2. Michael Johnson's leap in the end zone to snag the winning touchdown on fourth down against Auburn in 2002, sending Georgia to its first SEC Championship Game. Just moments before it happened, Scott looks at me and says 'I am sick of Georgia always losing games like this.
3. Eric Zeier's brilliant performance as a freshman against a Top Five Clemson team in 1991, leading Georgia to a 27-12 win over the Tigers. This was when Clemson had owned the Bulldogs for about a decade and was always ranked in the Top 10 in the country (a pre-Florida State ACC mind you), and I had an irrational disdain for the Tigers at the time.
4. Mike Bobo-to-Corey Allen against Georgia Tech in 1997. Count me as one of the few remaining Georgia fans who consider the Tech game the biggest one on the schedule each year. To thoroughly crush their dreams in their stadium was excellent.
5. David Greene-to-Verron Haynes against Tennessee in 2001. Just moments before it happened, Scott looks at me and says 'I am sick of Georgia always losing games like this.
6. Tim Jennings' pick-six against LSU in the 2005 SEC Championship Game ... I was convinced LSU was going to come back in the fourth quarter, even with a back-up quarterback. Jennings' slow jog to the end zone - right in front of the LSU fans - helped me finally realize Georgia was going to win the game.
7. DeCory Bryant's punt block in the 2002 SEC Championship Game against Arkansas. The Razorbacks never recovered, and the Bulldogs rolled to their first title in 20 years.
What are your favorite moments?
posted by Jmac at 8:37 AM
11 Comments:
My favorite moment was dancing around the GDBF's kitchen singing, "Glory, Glory to Old Georgia." He's a UT grad, ya understand.
Your #2 is my #1. I actually had to go outside and holler.
Pollack's fumble TD's still pretty great too.
I like that you have to foil against Scott's pessimism.
Bearing in mind my Georgia fandom began in 1998...
1. Greene-to-Haynes. For the I'm sick of always losing this game factor. And for the roller coaster of the final minute of that game, from "we're gonna beat Tennessee" to "F***in Travis Stephens" to "Oh my crap." I went outside and hollered after that one.
2. Greene-to-Johnson. For sheer improbability. I could have gone outside and hollered then too, but I was living in the woods and would have scared the deer.
3. The Bryant punt block in '02. I jumped so high that I fell down a row of seats in the Dome and nearly crashed into two people. They stared. I didn't care.
4. Tim Wansley's pick-six against Tech in '01. Again, my Georgia fandom began when I enrolled in '98, so I was 0-for-3 at that point. Like the Jennings pick in the title game, that was the moment that it became a reality. Don't forget, Georgia only had one touchdown to that point, because that was the ridiculous Billy Bennett six-field-goal game.
5. Oddly, the long touchdown scored by I don't remember who for Tennessee against Georgia in the 2000 goalpost game. I just remember seeing the play unfold (it gave Tennessee a 10-7 lead) and saying to the people around me "It's OK, we'll get it back, don't worry." It was this bizarre feeling of optimism against Tennessee, something I wasn't used to feeling.
-- Lovie
How about Bobo's 26-28 performance in the 98 Outback Bowl. Not the most exciting game, but impressive.
- Bryan
I'm glad someone else is giving the Bryant punt block some love. That thing was huge as far as momentum goes in that game.
What's funny about Scott's pessimism is that typically I'm the one with the pessimism. Case in point is Saturday's game, where even with Georgia up 27-7 in the third quarter, I keep telling Matt that's only three touchdowns. That's why the Jennings interception was so big, I guess.
The Bobo game against Wisconsin was pretty impressive. I thought about including that, primarily because it silenced all of those Big Ten fans.
I also wavered over Ray Goff's final regular season game, a win over Georgia Tech, right after he had learned he wouldn't be keeping his job. I just remember Georgia kicking a field goal to go up by three, and then the defense holding the Yellow Jackets after that. The scene that stands out to me is Goff grabbing Mitch Davis' face mask and jumping up and down with him after a third down stop on that final drive. It was awesome.
The 2000 UT win was fun because I was living in Kentucky, and was actually driving home to Lexington from Ashland (where I had been visiting my fiancee). The only broadcast I could get was UT announcers. "And, well, it looks like Georgia is actually going to beat the Volunteers for the first time in..." Sort of sarcastic defiance on their part, sort of stilted disbelief.
Greene-Haynes. I was living in Lexington, KY. Married a month and a half. My wife is sleeping on the couch beside me. When Stephens ran that screen pass in I just put my head in my hands and said "How long, O Lord, until the Dawgs can win a dramatic to-the-finish game against someone other than Tech or Kentucky?" And then Greene executed that beautiful fake handoff, and threw the pass to a wide-open Haynes, and I pumped my fist and squealed like a girl. My wife, woke up with a start and looked at me annoyedly. I just said, "I told you!" (she had not taken my claim to love college football very seriously up to that point). She rolled her eyes and went back to sleep.
But really the Johnson catch against Auburn was bestest ever. That play meant the world to us, and after he caught it I screamed "Yes!" and fell to the ground, pawing at the carpet. I believe Russ and Bly (and my father from Texas) were all there in our living room. But I definitely made the most noise (surprise surprise).
As far as a game that was fun to be at, the LSU game last season was as good as it gets. The place was LOUD (I was in the upper level, and I felt like I was inside a drum), and the Dawgs just kept pouring on one big play after another (Boise St was similarly good this year, but the fans weren't quite as out-of-their-mind juiced). After the game, as we were all bottlenecking out of the stadium, thousands of people were singing "Glory Glory" and waving to the LSU fans coming down from the highest level. Priceless.
I think that play might have been the loudest I've ever heard any stadium, anywhere. All the Georgia fans (and they almost all were Georgia fans) were just waiting for an excuse to go nuts, and it came just minutes in. A decade of frustration came out in that moment, and you knew, just knew, Arkansas was getting buried.
OK, so you knew that before...but still.
Here is something to jog your memories:
- Bryan
Nothing to start a good chat going like a top UGA moments list....as for the All-SEC teams, I agree with you 100% about Minter, I mean he was good but what he did to Calvin "Best Receiver in College Football but I single handedly blow the NC State game and have 2 catches against our in state rival" Johnson and then again in the SECCG was staggering. The pass break up he made in the 1st quarter of the SECCG was fantastic.
On another note...for those who diddn't see it, the USA Today printed the final rankings of all the coaches who voted in the coaches poll, Frank Solich had us 15th and LSU 5th...the F? And no longer can I EVER support the Bowdens...they both had us 12th?! 12th! Way to sell out your protege you delusional bastard.
As for top moments, I do have a ton. But easily #1 is MJ's catch at Auburn. Being there certainly helped its ranking at #1 for me but notwithstanding that fact, that play took our program to the next level and helped us become the Bulldogs we are today. A close second was pretty much the entire SECCG last Saturday. I was nowhere near as worried as Johnathan, in fact I was breathing easy after DJ's 2nd quarter RIDICULOUS scamper. The Jennings TD was just icing on the cake. The whole game was just soooo sweet that I have not stopped smiling. And finally, I am with on the Robert Edwards TD at Florida Johnathan. I was already a fan but being at that game turned me into the raving, rabid, ridiculous, Georgia rapscallion (couldn't think of another "r" word) that you know and love.
Yeah, the coaches' votes were absurd. Frank Solich is either completely unfit to be anywhere near a football program or had been asleep for the entire college football season. Ranking Georgia 15th is absurd, but leaving LSU at No. 5 is even more absurd. The Tigers barely got by all year long, and then got exploited by Georgia.
Folks also were bashing the SMU coach for having Oregon ranked like 15th or something ... and I say good for that guy. The Ducks haven't beaten anyone ... their only significant game was a 32-point-loss to Notre Dame. Please, spare me the sob stories.
I still stand by the 1997 Edwards run. Like I said, I was in that end zone - right on the dividing line of the stadium between Florida and Georgia fans - and it was tremendous. Some guy had a massive Georgia flag a few rows ahead of us and, on cue, that sucker unfurled out fully as Edwards hit the end zone. If you watch the highlight tape, you can see it clearly throughout the shots in the fourth quarter. That scene is just frozen in time for me ... seriously, chills again.
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