Georgia football: The Bulldogs top-5 games played in the Georgia Dome

4. 1995 Peach Bowl vs. Virginia

Georgia’s first trip to the Georgia Dome came just two years after it opened in December 1995 for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. And to say the result was a disappointment is an understatement. Virginia dominated Georgia for most of the first half on route to a 24-6 advantage.

The 1995 Georgia football team is known as one of the more snake-bit groups in program history. Robert Edwards and Mike Bobo both suffered season ending injuries. The Bulldogs turned to Hines Ward to take over at quarterback.

Which Ward was an exceptional quarterback in high school and many major programs recruited him to play quarterback. However, moving Ward to quarterback meant that Ward couldn’t catch passes or receive hand-offs. Essentially taking a skill player away for last half of the season.

But Ward, sparked Georgia’s comeback in the Peach Bowl with a one-yard touchdown run with just 19 seconds left in the first half. Ward added two more points with a pass to Brice Hunter which cut the deficit to 24-14.

Both teams traded field goals in the third quarter put the score at 27-17. Georgia’s offense wouldn’t score again, but the defense did however. What felt like forever after Kanon Parkman’s field goal early in the fourth quarter, Jason Ferguson returned a fumble 10-yards to the end zone to tie the game with just over a minute left in the game.

But Virginia’s Pete Allen but a dagger in Georgia’s heart with an 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to give them a 34-27 lead with just 57 seconds left. Georgia was unable to answer.

The loss in the Peach Bowl came in spite of Georgia outgaining Virginia 525-256. Settling for field goals, three inside the redzone, and one from the three-yard line ended up being the difference in the game.

This game did however begin a trend for Georgia in the Peach Bowl that the Bulldogs would benefit from in their next two visits.