Georgia football countdown to kickoff: 66 days to go
The 2018 Georgia football season begins in 66 days
Only 66 days left until Jake Fromm and the 2018 Georgia football squad opens the 2018 season in Sanford Stadium against Austin-Peay. The Bulldogs are coming off one of the best seasons of all time. A 13-2 record with a SEC Championship and a national runner-up finish.
Back in 1966, Georgia football had another great season. In Vince Dooley’s third year as head coach, Georgia finished 10-1 and shared the SEC Championship with Alabama. A 7-6 loss to Miami kept Georgia from claiming a National Championship.
Dooley’s great third-year was the latest in a stretch that still continues today of Georgia football coaches having a great, near National Championship season within their first three years. W.A. Cunningham’s 1911 team finished 7-1-1, H.J. Stegman won the SIAA Championship with an 8-0-1 record his first year, Georgia finished 9-1-1 in Wally Butts’ third season before winning a National Title a year later. Dooley continued that trend in 1966.
The 1965 season wasn’t great, but 1966 did warrant excitement because of it. Georgia upset no. 5 Alabama and no. 7 Michigan early in the year and were really only eight points from winning the SEC Championship with close late losses to Florida and Auburn. 15 starters on the 1965 were juniors and sophomores, but they also had a great freshman class that couldn’t play because of the NCAA’s rules against freshmen playing varsity ball.
That meant that Georgia entered 1966 with one of the strongest teams in the nation. Frank Richter, John Kasay, Jack Davis, Don Hayes and Ken Pillsbury returned the build an powerful offensive line, but Edgar Chandler at right tackle proved to be a valuable addition. Behind them was an all-new wing-T backfield.
Kirby Moore inherited the starting quarterback job while continuing on as punter. Behind him was Ronnie Jenkins, a fullback who rushed for 669 yards. Kent Lawrence lined up beside Jenkins. He rushed for 304 yards. Dooley later moved Lawrence to wide receiver, the position he’s most known for. At wingback was Hardy King.
Eight starters returned on defense, including five on the defensive line. Jerry Varnado, Jimmy Cooley, Dickie Phillips and Larry Kohn already formed a good line together. “General” George Patton’s return made that line great, while the addition of sophomore Bill Stanfill made it legendary.
Behind them, Steve Neuhaus, Tommy Lawhorne, Mark Holmes, Terry Sellers and Lynn Hughes flew around the field to stop players in the rare instance that they advanced past the defensive line. And those instances were very rare. The 1966 defense allowed an average of 104 rushing yards and 115 passing yards per game.
No one scored more than 17 points on Georgia. Only five teams could get past 10 points. Even in the game Georgia lost, they only allowed one touchdown. That defense only allowed an average of 8.9 points per game.
Dooley’s Dawgs won four-straight to start the season. But they couldn’t produce much on offense in the Orange Bowl against Miami and lost that game 7-6. Georgia wouldn’t lose again after that. They avenged their 1965 loss to Kentucky a week later and slapped around North Carolina to enter Jacksonville 6-1.
But the Florida Gators were one of the hottest teams in the nation at that time. Led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier, the Gators were 7-0 and ranked no. 7 in the nation. Florida was a scoring machine, averaging 28.9 points per game. This was Florida’s SEC finale. Beat Georgia and they win their first ever SEC Championship.
But that didn’t happen. Instead, after scoring on their first drive, Patton, Stanfill and company abused Spurrier. Georgia and Florida entered the fourth quarter tied 10-10, but the Dawgs slapped 17 points to the scoreboard in the fourth quarter to beat the Gators 27-10.
Georgia climbed into the top-10 with that victory and defeated Auburn the following weekend to win the SEC Championship. The Dawgs still had one huge game remaining. At no. 7 in the AP poll, they hosted no. 5 Georgia Tech who had a 9-0 record. The winner was going to have a good shot at winning a National Title with enough help in the bowl games. The Georgia defense was just too stout for Tech’s offense and the Dawgs won 23-14.
Georgia ended the season on December 31 in the Cotton Bowl against SMU. The location made the game essentially a home game for the no. 10 Mustangs. But it didn’t play out that way. The no. 4 Bulldogs railroaded SMU 24-9 to win their 10th game of the season. 1966 was just the fourth-time in school history that Georgia won 10 games, and the 13th with no more than one loss.
Unfortunately, Georgia didn’t receive any help in the post season. No. 1 Notre Dame turned down an invite to play in a bowl game for the 42nd-straight year. No. 2 Michigan State didn’t play in a bowl game either. The Spartans battled Notre Dame to a tie in the regular season finale. No. 3 Alabama crushed Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl to hold on to their ranking.
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Still, the 1966 team is one of the best in school history. Possessing one of the best and more star-studded defenses with an offense that find ways to outscore opponents, they captured Georgia’s fifth SEC Championship and the first of five for Dooley. Seven players made All-SEC teams while Patton, Chandler and Hughes earned All-American honors. Stanfill later became an All-American as a senior.