Georgia Football countdown to kickoff: 82 days to go
84: UGA offense goes 84 yards to beat Tech in 1978
We’ve talked about two great Buck Belue moments in this countdown already, how about a third one? On day 93, I wrote about Belue-to-Scott to beat Florida. And on day 81, I wrote about Belue-to-Amp Arnold against Kentucky.
A few years before Buck Belue’s heroic effort jolted the Bulldogs to a no. 1 ranking, as a freshman he led an 84-yard drive to defeat Georgia Tech in Athens. That drive ended with a deep pass to Arnold for a touchdown and a pitch to Arnold for a two-point conversion. The Dawgs won 29-28 because of that drive. Belue refers to that drive and that game as his favorite.
“I think every player really likes to look back at that first game where they had an opportunity to play in. And for me it was the Georgia Tech game in 1978,” he said in a video about the greatest moments and games in UGA history. “I hadn’t played in four or five weeks, and I had no reason to think I’d play that week. But we fell down 20-0 and coach Dooley looked at me and said, ‘Buck, get in there.’ I had to find my helmet.”
The game
Many believe it was the greatest game in the history of the Georgia vs. Georgia Tech rivalry. And it’s hard to argue against that if you’re a Georgia fan. The Yellow Jackets, led by running back Eddie Lee Ivery, smacked Georgia around in the first half. Ivery scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to take an early 14-0 lead.
The Dawgs defense improved after that, but not enough to keep the Jackets from scoring. With around seven minutes left in the second quarter, Georgia trailed 20-0 after surrendering two field goals.
Then, Vince Dooley made the difficult decision to bench quarterback Jeff Pyburn in favor of freshman Buck Belue who hadn’t appeared since earlier in the season. Belue, along with star tailback Willie McClendon led a great drive to end the first half. McClendon dove over a pile of bodies for a short touchdown just 38 seconds before halftime.
McClendon completely turned the momentum in Georgia’s favor early in the third quarter with another short touchdown run. That cut the lead to just 20-14. Georgia’s defense smothered the Tech offense and forced a punt. Scott Woerner caught the ball on his own 28-yard line and found a lane in the middle of the field. He broke several tackles and out ran the rest of the Tech’s coverage team to the end zone.
“Woerner, Woerner, Woerner, Woerner, Woerner,” Larry Munson said as “Woerner the Returner” found open field against Tech’s punt team. Georgia took a 21-20 with that run. But it was short lived. Tech’s Drew Hill ran 103 yards on the ensuing kickoff to put the Jackets back in front. A two-point conversion gave Georgia Tech a 28-20 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Momentum was back on Tech’s side as Georgia’s offense became stagnant in the fourth quarter. But Georgia’s defense had already found the formula for stopping Tech’s offense. Both teams battled to a stalemate in the final quarter until Georgia took possession on their own 16-yard line with 4:42 left in the game.
The drive
Belue engineered a drive that even the students of the engineering school couldn’t fathom. He moved the ball downfield with handoffs, passes and even with some QB runs out of the option. He converted a fourth and long with his legs just to continue the drive.
Belue was just too quick for the Tech’s pass rush. But more importantly, he was quick and decisive with his decision-making which gave Georgia the edge against an aggressive Tech defense. Those traits were well on display in the biggest play of Belue’s short Georgia football career.
The plays
On another fourth and 10, with just 2:24 left on the clock, Belue ran a bootleg to his right. No one was open so he kept running to the sideline. He eventually turned up field which drew Tech defenders towards him. He ran into his own man which could have been disastrous, instead it kept him from getting sacked.
At that moment, he spotted Arnold all by himself on the sideline. He tossed it and Arnold caught the ball at the 22-yard line. He could have walked into the end zone. Belue and Arnold brought discouraged crowd in Athens back to life. An extra point would have tied the game.
But Dooley’s Junkyard Dawgs wanted to win. Dooley dialed up a two-point conversion pass for Belue. He dropped back and threw the ball to the end zone. But it fell incomplete. Then multiple flags hit the field. The referees penalized Tech with pass interference, giving the Dawgs one more chance.
This time, Dooley called for a fake-option out of the I-formation. Instead of a fake to the fullback, Belue faked to McClendon and ran the option with Arnold. But a Tech defender broke free and hit Belue in the backfield. No one covered Arnold however, and before Belue’s knees hit the ground, he pitched to Arnold.
Arnold could have walked in again. With no one close to hitting him, Arnold put his hand in the air as he ran into the end zone. With less than 2:20 left on the clock, Georgia had a 29-28 lead. But Tech still had time.
“How do you describe it,” Belue said. “As a freshman, you never expect these things to happen. Just pure joy. I didn’t know how to react as a freshman. Gosh.”
The one-hit-wonder
The 1980’s hadn’t yet begun, but Georgia had a one-hit-wonder that night against Tech. The Yellow jackets began driving for a game-winning touchdown of their own. In just five plays, Tech’s freshman quarterback Mike Kelly got his offense just outside of field goal range.
Of all the guys to play the role of hero that day for Georgia. College Football Hall of Famer Scott Woerner, the underrated-yet-beloved Buck Belue, and the amply named Amp Arnold. The last hero of that game was David Archer who intercepted Kelly’s pass at the 28-yard line to finish off the Tech offense.
Archer, another freshman, was only on the field for the second time all season. He almost never played after that. In fact, he didn’t even stick around for the Dawgs 1980 National Championship season. Archer transferred to West Georgia to help reform their football program in 1980. In 1982, Archer led West Georgia to a NCAA Division III National Championship.