Georgia football: Three former Dawgs fans wished stayed another year
Herschel Walker
Of course Herschel Walker is on this list. Georgia missed out on perhaps a second National Championship in four years. They definitely missed out on their fourth straight SEC Championship.
Walker’s record speaks for himself, but if you’re not familiar here’s some numbers and facts for you to get you up to speed on the greatest running back in college football history.
- 1980 Heisman – Third place in voting
- 1981 Heisman – Runner Up
- 1982 Heisman Trophy Winner
- 5,259 career rushing yards
- 1,616 rushing yards in 1980
- 1,891 rushing yards in 1981
- 1,752 rushing yards in 1982
- 49 touchdowns
- 5.3 yards per carry
- Three time SEC Player of the Year
- Three time All-SEC
- Three time First-team All-American
Just try to say that Georgia can’t break a 16-16 tie with Clemson or score seven more points to beat Auburn 14-13 with Walker in 1983. You can’t do so with a straight face. It’s laughable. With Walker in 1983, the Dawgs cruise to their fourth-straight SEC Championship and they enter the Sugar Bowl 12-0 and no. 1 in the nation.
This time, they play no. 8 Michigan. Their weakest of all the teams they played in the Sugar Bowl at that time. The Wolverines could barely score a touchdown against Auburn whose defense averaged two more points per game than Georgia’s.
Georgia ran the ball decently in 1983, but no one stood out. Keith Montgomery, Barry Young and David McCluskey combined for 1,653 yards. Quarterback John Lastinger added another 330 yards. The four of them scored 18 touchdowns on the ground. The Dawgs also found rushing help in Tron Jackson and Todd Williams.
Walker would have eclipsed them all. But imagine Montgomery, Young or McCluskey relieving Walker. That 1983 team could have been Vince Dooley’s highest scoring bunch.
Next. Georgia should make Atlanta their second home. dark
Hopefully the 2018 Bulldogs don’t end up missing Roquan Smith the way past teams missed players like Walker, Smith and Jones. These are just three players that Georgia severely missed after they left early. Many more players come to mind such as Garrison Hearst, A.J. Green, Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and Champ Bailey. Which player that left school early did you miss the most?