At this point, I'm pretty much ranking every player and every game in University of Georgia football history from best to worst, which should be a sufficiently extensive undertaking to get me through the offseason.
Sure, he slew the Lernean Hydra and cleaned King Augeas's stables. . . but did he ever list the individual and collective achievements of his favorite college football team in order from first to last?
Having recently presented Five More of the Best Team Performances in Georgia Football History, I believe it is only right that I follow it up with Five More of the Best Individual Performances in Georgia Football History. These are they:
Mike Cavan v. Florida (November 9, 1968)---This edition of the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will always hold a special place in my heart, since it took place six days after I was born. The way I figure it, when your team beats an arch-rival 51-0 the Saturday after you come into the world, that's a pretty good sign. A lot of factors contributed to the Bulldogs' rout of a Gator squad that had been ranked as high as No. 4 at one point in the season. For one thing, Florida coach Ray Graves, looking to shake things up after an 0-2-1 run, made the bizarre decision to have his offensive and defensive coordinators trade jobs the week prior to the trip to Jacksonville. That gambit didn't work. A driving rain didn't help matters for the Gators, nor did the fact that, after the Orange and Blue failed to earn a first down on the opening drive of the contest, the ensuing punt was returned 59 yards for a touchdown by the Red and Black's Jake Scott. When Georgia quarterback Mike Cavan finally took the field, though, he did his part to turn a seven-point lead into a 51-point blowout. Although Georgia's sophomore signal caller was yanked from the game with 28 minutes and 57 seconds remaining in the second half, Cavan led the 'Dawgs to a 35-0 lead at intermission, completing 10 of his 12 pass attempts for 160 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 30 minutes' worth of work. He also rushed for a first-half T.D. and directed a short touchdown drive at the start of the third quarter before becoming a spectator. When the Bulldogs' starting quarterback grabs some pine early in the third quarter because Georgia holds a 41-0 lead on the Gators, he's had a good day.
Buck Belue v. Georgia Tech (December 2, 1978)---Statistically, Buck Belue had a bad day in the Sugar Bowl game against Notre Dame on New Year's Day 1981. Belue's 93-yard touchdown pass to Lindsay Scott to beat the Gators in 1980 was crucial to Georgia's national championship run, but one cannot overlook the contributions of Herschel Walker, who carried the ball 37 times for 238 yards, 11 first downs, and a touchdown in that year's Cocktail Party. Belue's best day, though, came against the Yellow Jackets at the end of his freshman season, when the Ramblin' Wreck built up a 20-0 lead in Sanford Stadium with a little under five minutes to go until halftime. That was when Vince Dooley benched starter Jeff Pyburn and handed the reins to the rookie Q.B. from Valdosta. Belue proceeded to direct a 55-yard, nine-play touchdown drive to cut the lead to 20-7 with 38 seconds remaining before intermission. During the course of the drive, Belue completed three passes for 29 yards and kept the ball himself for 14 more on three rushes. Following a wild third quarter, the Bulldogs had the ball at their own 16 yard line with just under six minutes left in the contest and the Yellow Jackets holding a 28-21 lead. Belue gained six yards on a fourth down run to keep the drive alive, then, on another fourth down play, Belue completed a 43-yard touchdown pass to Amp Arnold under extreme duress. This cut the Georgia Tech lead to 28-27 and, on the two-point conversion play, Belue found himself under even greater pressure from the Yellow Jacket defenders, yet still he found Arnold for a successful score on a broken play to give the 'Dawgs a 29-28 lead that they would not relinquish. The 1978 "Wonderdogs" had come from behind yet again, getting the better of their in-state rivals thanks to the heroics of a freshman backup quarterback who had taken his dramatic first steps on the road to becoming a Bulldog legend.
Buck Belue: the man, the myth, the coiffure.
Keith Henderson and Tim Worley v. Florida (November 9, 1985)---17 years to the day after Mike Cavan's stellar performance against the Gators, Keith Henderson and Tim Worley combined to put on an equally impressive show against the same opponent on the same field. The Orange and Blue were ranked No. 1 in the polls for the first time in school history and they came into the game having allowed just two 100-yard rushers in the previous two years. Henderson and Worley each broke the century mark over the course of the afternoon and each came close to covering the length of the football field in a single scamper. Following a Bulldog fumble and a missed Florida field goal attempt, Henderson carried the ball up the middle and did not stop running until he reached the end zone 76 yards later. In the fourth quarter, following a Gator fumble deep in Bulldog territory, Worley took the handoff and ran 89 yards for the touchdown that gave the Red and Black a 24-3 lead. Henderson finished the day with 145 rushing yards to Worley's 104, but, between them, the Bulldog backs provided the fireworks that enabled 17th-ranked Georgia to post what remains to this day the Red and Black's only victory over a team ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Mike Bobo v. Wisconsin (January 1, 1998)---The Bulldogs' resurgent 1997 campaign was capped off by an Outback Bowl shellacking of Wisconsin. The Badgers fell by a final margin of 33-6, but the game wasn't as close as the score indicated, as several 'Dawgs had record-setting days. Hines Ward set Outback Bowl records for receptions (12) and receiving yards (122). Robert Edwards set Outback Bowl records for rushing touchdowns (3) and points scored (18). As a team, the Red and Black set Outback Bowl records for most rushing touchdowns (4) and fewest yards allowed (234). The game's most valuable player, though, was senior quarterback Mike Bobo, who began the game with 19 consecutive completions, connected on 92.8 per cent of his passes (26 for 28), and threw for 235 yards and a touchdown in the rout. It must have been the black pants.
Victoria Loe Hicks claims, "Bobos talk like hippies but walk like yuppies, decrying materialism while indulging in all manner of luxuries." Yeah, whatever, as long as they win 10 games a year, they can do whatever they want.
Alas, my latest Google image search for Orson Swindle's and my favorite member of the "Twin Peaks" cast yielded only pictures which were too large to use or which, having been taken from motion picture screen captures or magazine photo layouts, crossed the line for a family-friendly weblog such as Dawg Sports, so it is with profound regret that I present what probably is destined to be your final moment of Fenn:
Go 'Dawgs!