Georgia Bulldogs vs. Tennessee Volunteers – video reveals battles for young hearts

For 30 years, 1937 – 1967, the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers did not play a single football game.

Legendary Tennessee coach General Neyland penned his Seven Maxims with the benefit of a mere two games against the Bulldogs (both Volunteer wins.)

While Georgia and Tennessee share a border, their flagship universities share a measely 43 game gridiron history.

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With SEC Eastern Division membership thrust upon both teams and both fan bases sharing annual championship aspirations, the game is now critical for the once reluctant rivals.

Still, Tennessee vs. Georgia is not so much a rivalry.  It is a competition between rivals – rivals for the hearts of Georgia high school football players.

Willie Gault, Jamal Lewis, Deon Grant, Eric Berry, Chip Kell, Cosey Coleman, Dale Carter – the names of great Georgia high school football players dapple the rosters of great Tennessee football teams. In Knoxville, championship war begins with the battle for Georgia high school talent.

Consider – of the Rivals national top 250 players of 2103, 2014, and 2015, 23 are from Tennessee and 61 are from Georgia.

And of the 23 top players in Tennessee, more than half played high school ball over two and half hours away in and beyond Nashville, home of Tennessee arch rival Vanderbilt.  Nearly a third played high school ball in distant Memphis, over five hours away – an hour closer to Fayetteville, AR, than Knoxville.

Equally troublesome for the Volunteers, the states bordering Tennessee, excluding Georgia and Alabama, have only 59 of the 2013 – 2015 top national 250 players combined.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, find over half of Georgia’s plentiful national 250 talent in Atlanta, a mere hour away from the Bulldog campus.

But, the Tennessee football quandary is deeper still. The Georgia Bulldogs backyard is not only the nearest source for UT talent. The Dawg’s backyard is also the nearest source of talent for South Carolina, Clemson, Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Georgia Tech.

To satisfy the Volunteer championship sweet tooth, the Volunteers must beat the Bulldogs and the Bulldog’s neighbors in Atlanta living rooms.

Georgia talent is key to Tennessee national power. Tennessee is bound to defeat the Bulldogs on the gridiron if it is to compete in Georgia’s talent rich territory. Such has been the case for half a century and the on field battles, though rare at times past, have produced battles royal and moments memorable.

1968

It is remarkable that the dramatic ending of the 1968 Georgia –Tennessee football game surpassed the drama leading to it.

In 1968, Tennessee and Georgia had not played in 31 years. Tennessee had installed artificial turf and the game would be the first artificial turf game in the deep south. Georgia claimed the turf installation was kept a secret. Georgia was the 1966 SEC Champ, Tennesse the 1967 Champ. Tennessee end Lester McClain was making his début as the first African-American to play for either school. Both coaches were in year five of their tenure, were the same age, and all children of both coaches names began with D – no kidding.

The game was a superb contest featuring an 80 yard run by Georgia fullback Bruce Kemp and a spectacular interception and a scintillating 85 yard punt return by Georgia’s Jake Scott. The game ended with Tennessee quarterback Bubba Wyche throwing to Gary Kreis in the end zone to make the score Tennessee 15 – Georgia 17 with no time on the clock. Wyche then completed a pass to Ken DeLong in the end zone for the two point conversion and a tie.

That was not the end of the drama.

Video reviews the next day revealed DeLong did not catch the game ending touchdown pass. The ball fell to the new artificial turf and bounced into DeLong‘s hands. Fortunately, the internet did not exist.

1973

In 1973, two of the greatest athletes to play quarterback in the SEC, Georgia quarterback Andy Johnson and Tennessee quarterback Condredge Holloway, dueled in Knoxville.

Late in the fourth quarter, a resurgent Georgia defense forced a fourth down and Tennessee attempted a fake punt from deep in its own territory. Georgia diagnosed the fourth and dumb play and took over on downs. With Georgia at the Tennessee eight yard line trailing 28 – 31, Johnson tried to hand off to tailback Glynn Harrison. The ball was fumbled, but the quick footed – sure handed Johnson scooped the ball and raced to the end zone for an unlikely win over the the Artful Dodger, Condredge Holloway.

The video will bring back great memories for old-timers.  More memorable to Bulldogs who listened live, it was the moment Larry Munson and the Bulldog Nation fell in love.

1980

The most famous play by the most famous Bulldog took place in Knoxville on a hot, humid opening night in September 1980.

“My God a freshman.”

 2001

In 2001, a young Florida State assistant coach took over a floundering Georgia program. The season was progressing well, but the Bulldog Nation was waiting for Mark Richt to close the deal and own the Georgia program.  After a long catch and run gave Tennessee the lead with under a minute to play, “hear we go again” swept through the minds of the Georgia faithful. With one snap of David Greene’s wrist, Finish the Drill was immortalized and the Bulldog Nation yelled, “Sold!”

Georgia Bulldogs vs. Tennessee Volunteers: the urgency of this Saturday’s game could not be greater. With an extra week to prepare for Georgia, the Volunteers will give the Bulldogs all – or more – than they can handle. If the Dawgs are ringing the Chapel Bell at 3:30 Saturday afternoon, there will be many Bulldog heroes to thank.

Expect of another dramatic classic.