Georgia football countdown to kickoff: 80 days to go
The 2018 Georgia football season begins in 80 days
20 days have passed on our countdown to the 2018 Georgia football season. Just 80 days left until we’re back in Sanford Stadium cheering on the Dawgs to victory against Austin-Peay.
80 is a very significant number for Georgia football. Because in 1980, UGA fielded likely the best team in program history. The 1980 Bulldogs who swept the regular season to win the SEC Championship and defeated Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl to claim their first undisputed National Championship.
For their being 80 days left until kickoff, lets look back at the 1980 season and countdown the five best players from that team. Excluding Herschel Walker. He’s the best on that team. And with this countdown to kickoff, There will be plenty or opportunities to talk about him.
Best players of 1980
As promised, here is my list of the best players from the 1980 season excluding Herschel Walker:
5. Amp Arnold
Walker reached the end zone 15 times in 1980, Belue reached it five times. Who ranked after them? Obviously it was Amp Arnold who scored four touchdowns in 1980. That year, he caught 20 passes for 357 yards. Together with Lindsay Scott, they accounted for almost half of Georgia’s 1,452 receiving yards.
4. Lindsay Scott
Scott scored the biggest touchdown in school history and did so in dramatic and exciting fashion. That play alone earns him a spot on this list. Surprisingly, that was Scott’s only touchdown that year. But he did catch 19 passes for 374 yards.
3. Buck Belue
Belue is the most underrated player in school history. Sure, handing the ball ball off to Walker is an easy job and he doesn’t help his case by saying that. But go back and watch highlights from 1980. Of from 1978-to-1981 in general. Belue was a leader and a great passer. In 1980, he had 1,314 passing yards with 11 touchdowns. He also scored five touchdowns on the ground.
2. Jeff Hipp
Hipp led the Bulldogs with eight interceptions in 1980. Besides Scott Woerner, he was the biggest star on a defense that never allowed any team to score more than 21 points and held eight opponents below 20 points.
1. Scott Woerner
Who else besides the other College Football Hall of Famer on that team. Woerner was one of the best athletes to ever play for Georgia. he intercepted five passes and had 129 return yards in 1980. He also had 31 punt returns for 468 yards with a touchdown. What Walker brought to the team on offense, Woerner replicated that one defense and special teams.