Georgia Football countdown to kickoff: 88 days to go

The 2018 Georgia football season begins in 88 days.

For most of its existence, Georgia football wasn’t known for wide receivers. The Bulldogs had Lindsay Scott and Amp Arnold. But under Vince Dooley, the running game was the first and second priority. And under the passing visionary Wally Butts, the wide receiver wasn’t commonly used yet.

In the early 1990’s, under head coach Ray Goff, that began to change with the emergence of quarterback Eric Zeier and wide out Andre Hastings. After Hastings left for the NFL in 1993, the Bulldog Nation didn’t wait long for the next great receiver. With 88 days left until kickoff, it’s about time Dawn of the Dawg looked back on career of the legend, no. 88 Brice Hunter.

His arrival in Athens was quiet. In 1992, he waited behind Hastings and a group of other solid receivers that included Hason Graham, Brian Bohannon and Shannon Mitchell. Hunter caught only three passes that year for 30 yards.

Hunter surpassed all of them to be the star to take Hastings place in 1993 however. That year he immediately broke Hastings school records for catches and receiving yards. He caught 76 passes for an astonishing 970 yards along with nine touchdowns. In fact, those 76 catches are still a school record. And only one player has passed his 970 yards mark.

He continued to lead the team in 1994 with 59 catches. He also had 799 yards with seven scores. Deep ball specialist Hason Graham passed him with 881 yards and nine scores that year. But Hunter earned his second All-SEC selection that year, cementing him as one of the best to ever play at Georgia.

One of the biggest touchdown passes of the 1994 season went to Hunter. He caught a strike over the middle from Zeier for a three-yard touchdown to tie the undefeated Auburn Tigers. The score and the 23-23 result ended up as the catalyst of Auburn’s decline in the mid-to-late 1990’s

But outside of his highlights and stats, Hunter is often a forgotten player and one that is rarely talked about today. That’s because despite his best and record setting efforts, Georgia didn’t win with him.

The Bulldogs didn’t have a great defense while he was here. Georgia finished 5-6 in 1993, they allowed an average of 31.2 points in those six losses. The 1994 team was stacked on offense with Zeier, Graham, Juan Daniels, and Terrell Davis. But mismanagement of Terrell Davis’ health and even more struggles on defense led to a disappointing 6-4-1 campaign. Georgia’s opponents averaged 42.25 points in those four losses.

Hunter’s Bulldog career was dealt another blow in his last year when starting quarterback Mike Bobo succumbed to an injury. As did starting tailback Robert Edwards and several other Bulldogs that year. That ended any chances the 1995 team had at being successful. Georgia finished 6-6 with Hunter catching 44 passes for 574 yards with three touchdowns.

But the overall lack of success of a team shouldn’t overshadow the success of one of its biggest stars. Brice Hunter was a superstar at Georgia. His 182 career receptions are still second in school history. His 2,373 yards are fifth all-time and his 19 touchdowns are sixth.

Even after the likes of Hines Ward, A.J. Green, Tavarres King, Malcolm Mitchell and numerous other great receivers coming through Athens who all received season stats for more games. Hunter is still near the top of most statistical categories at Georgia. He’s a Bulldog legend.

The great receivers that followed him are his legacy. Hastings might have been Georgia’s first truly great wide receiver. But Hunter helped make Georgia a place receivers will want to go to. His spot at the top of the stats show that he’s the measuring stick between a great Georgia receiver and a good one.

Sadly, Georgia can’t bring back Hunter to “Call the Dawgs” before kickoff. Media can’t interview him for his thoughts on the current Georgia teams coached by his teammate Kirby Smart. Hunter passed away back in 2004 by what police in Chicago deemed a justifiable homicide.

13 years after his passing, his Bulldog legacy grew. His son, Jaden Hunter committed to G on January 25, 2017. The young Hunter left Westlake High School in Atlanta as the no. 13 player in the state of Georgia, no. 9 outside linebacker and the no. 187 player overall. 247 Sports gave him a composite score of 0.9379.

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He appeared in two ball games as a freshman and he recorded two tackles in this year’s G-Day Game. His mother, former Georgia basketball player Brandi Decker, says Jaden is a lot like Brice. From his look, to his laugh, to his mannerisms, and of course, his athleticism. With a breakout year in 2018, Hunter can continue his father’s legacy of greatness in Athens.

Yes indeed, Brice Hunter was a Damn Good Dawg. As was Decker for the Lady Dawgs. And I expect to say the same very soon about Jaden Hunter.