Georgia football countdown to kickoff: 48 days to go
The 2018 Georgia football season begins in 48 days.
Can you believe if Georgia fans. There are less than seven weeks remaining until the 2018 season begins. Seven weeks until Georgia football begins their SEC Championship defense. The Bulldogs could be well on their way to a dynasty within the SEC. 70 years ago, the Bulldogs captured the SEC Championship and completed a SEC dynasty in the 1940’s.
The 1948 Georgia Bulldogs, led by legendary head coach Wally Butts and gun-slinging quarterback John Rauch, swept a six-game SEC schedule to win the conference title for the third time in the 1940’s. The championship was the second with Rauch as the starting quarterback.
The 1948 team was an impressive bunch. Gone were the superstars of the early and mid-1940’s. Rauch was the lone star from that era. Yet Georgia dominated the SEC that year beating Kentucky, LSU, Alabama, Florida, Auburn and Georgia Tech. Georgia outscored their SEC foes 175-51 with shutout victories over Alabama and LSU.
The only blemishes on the schedule were a loss to North Carolina in the second week of the season, and a loss to Texas in the Orange Bowl. Despite the two set backs, Georgia finished no. 8 in the Associated Press Poll.
The stats of 1948
Rauch led the Dawgs with 1,307 passing yards on a 71-to-141 completion ratio, He added five touchdown passes. Joe Geri, an understudy to Charley Trippi in his younger years on campus, rushed for 583 yards on 118 carries. He also caught 12 passes for 133 yards. Floyd Reid added 321 rushing yards and 84 receiving yards.
Bob Walston and Gene Lorendo were Rauch’s favorite targets in the passing game. Walston caught 25 passes for 525 yards. Lorendo caught 22 for 440 yards.
18 ball carries racked up 1,791 rushing yards. 10 receivers combined for 1,506 with six different players attempting at least one pass.
Next: Georgia, Auburn and the college football Mecca of Atlanta
Hopefully Georgia can repeat history by winning the program’s 14th SEC Championship 70 years after winning their third. Less than seven weeks separated us from watching the Dawgs play live again.