Florida-Georgia

What is your best memory of the Dawgs-Gators series?
Mine has to be 1997. It was the first time I had seen the Florida-Georgia game, and the good guys put a whoopin on the favored Gators.
Of course Belue to Scott is the best moment ever, but I was not born yet, so it's not quite fair to call that a memory!

1980 was the greatest win, but my favorite was 1983. We were behind all afternoon, but the gators had scored only 3 FGs. We had an awsome defense that year, but Herschel had just left UGA, so we didnt have the overpowering rushing attack we had in the past. We did just enough to win games that year, finishing 10-1-1, with a loss to AU, and a tie with Vandy, which had a really good team that year. It was the last time they had a bowl team. Anyway, we were behind in the 4th qtr, 9-3, when all of the sudden, we began to move the ball on a long drive. The gator defense had finally begun to wear down....if memory serves, we scores the winning TD in the final minute to win, 10-9. That was also the final score in the 1984 Cotton Bowl, when we won over #1 ranked and unbeaten Texas pretty much the same way. They were leading in the 4th qtr 9-3, having kicked nothing but FGs all day. A mistake in the kicking game (fumbled punt) allowed us a prime opportunity to score, and it turned out to be the only good opportunity we got all day. We scored, took a 10-9 lead, and held on for the final minute and a half for the win....also one of my favorite UGA wins ever. The team of 1983 was one of the best ever on defense.

Well if you're a Gator fan ....
Mine is from 2002. First year the Gators were under Zook. Lost 5 games and were unranked for the first time in 13 straight years!
The Bulldogs were undefeated and ranked 4th and highly favored.
I watched the game but fully expected the Dawg's wrath and revenge.
The Gators still won 20-13 and handed UGA it's only loss of the season.
So sweet!!

That loss was one of the most frustrating AND gut wrenching I have ever witnessed. Terrence Edwards wide open with a blown Gator coverage, David Greene hits him in stride with the winning TD pass, the nearest Gator player was in another zip code, and Edwards, to nobody's surprise, but to everybody's anger, drops the pass. That was as bad to me as the loss was, I am sure to you, in 1985, when UF was ranked #1 for the first time ever, the Dawgs weren't ranked, and were having a so-so year (finished 8-4) and still blew the Gators away. I still haven't figured out, over 20 years later, what Coach Dooley said to those players over the week before to motivate them like he did. As I sed in response to your other post, Coach Richt just cant seem to convince his players that they CAN win over UF. He did it at FSU, so why not at UGA??????

Well, as a Dawgs fan who really came of age in the 1990s and who didn't watch during the Donnan years, 2004 was the absolute best. The game wasn't really as close as the score, so it wasn't really a nailbiter, but my wife, nine months pregnant with our first child, walks into the room and I'm on my knees weeping during our last possession while David Greene is taking a knee. She asks me what's wrong and I say, "We're going to win the game." Still the most emotional I've been for a Georgia game, followed closely by the 2002 Auburn game. You really have to understand: I had NEVER SEEN GEORGIA BEAT FLORIDA, at least not as an aware adult. I get choked up thinking about that game writing this right now. Gator fans can make fun of me all they want, and say we never beat them, but I'm saying it right now: we NEVER beat them, and to beat them at all was incredible. It was okay that we didn't go to the SEC championship game that year. Florida was it, for me.

I remember the play well but the pass did not hit Edwards "in stride" as he had to jump for it but he was as you say. "wide open". The Dawgs had one more possesion after that with 1 minute to go and the plays were:
Incomplete Pass
Incomplete Pass
Sack
Incomplete Pass (turned over on downs)

The Dawgs ran the ball well that night but Greene struggled a bit and it didn't help that Richt tried to bring in Shockley for several plays which only messed up Greene's rhythm even more.

As for 1985, I was more into Pro Football back then and do not recall. I became a big Gator fan in 1987 when Emmitt Smith started playing there. I played on the same field as Emmit in 1985 in Niceville, FL and followed his entire career.