One Old Dawg on the 1966 Kentucky game and sinking the Commodores

One Old Dawg had to leave midway through the Georgia game on Sunday to attend an event. He texted family and friends and told them not to let him know how the game was going as he intended to watch the recording when he returned. However, at the end of the event the person on the platform said, “You don’t have to be in a hurry to get home―Georgia won.”

One Old Dawg gave him the death stare.

However, it turned out fine. He watched the entire second half with a big smile on his face because he knew Georgia was going to win.

He says, “Glory to Old Georgia! It sure is good to be back in the win column! Can you believe 326 yards rushing! Chubb and Michel both had one hundred plus, and Herrin had eighty-two with only nine carries. The passing game never got off the ground but let’s cut our young quarterback some slack. He is coming along. It won’t be long now until that rifle arm of his is zeroed in and steady, and if that running game is still clicking, the Dawgs will be a sight to see. Good game Dawgs, umm… that fried Gamecock sure was good. But there’s not much time to soak it in, a naval battle is looming on the horizon, the Vanderbilt Commodores are on the way to town, and it’s Homecoming.

"Homecoming in 1966 was after the Miami game. There was no team vote or discussion about it, but I think individually we decided to put the loss to Miami behind us. The fans had shown they believed in us by standing in the rain to welcome us home after the loss, and the least we could do is believe in ourselves. It was homecoming and the Bulldawg nation was counting on us. The Cats were 2-3 and desperately needed another W to stop the stop their downward spiral. I’m a South Georgia boy and know something about Wildcats. They are a bit shy, but when cornered they are very dangerous. These Cats were in a corner, and I felt sure we would have our hands full and that proved to be correct.”

In the Atlanta paper, Jesse Outlar put it this way: “In one of the zaniest and most exciting football games played in Sanford or any other stadium, Georgia’s bulldogs scored every way possible Saturday afternoon and still had to rally for 13 points in the last quarter to repel underdog Kentucky, 27-15.”

One Old Dawg explains, “What Outlar meant by ‘every way possible’ was we scored three touchdowns, made two PATs, one two-point conversion, one field goal and one safety. I know you can score by returning a blocked extra point but it is called a safety. The same with returning a failed field goal attempt. So Outlar was correct, we had scored every way possible, but that doesn’t mean it was an easy win. This was a cornered wildcat fighting for its life.

“It was an in the trenches, dog and cat fight in the first quarter, which ended in a zero-zero draw. Then the Cats shocked us all by scoring seven points late in the second quarter. However, an incident on the ensuing kickoff got us in high gear. Steve Woodward returned the kick some forty yards before being driven out of bounds into the Kentucky bench. Apparently, someone on the bench took a cheap shot at Steve and a riot ensued. Order was restored and Georgia, of all things, was assessed fifteen yards for a personal foul. Then the Cats learned an important lesson―don’t poke a Dawg in his own house. With only four minutes to go in the half, the riled-up Dawgs scored two touchdowns and took a seven-point lead into half time, but there was still a lot of football to play.

Early in the third quarter, the Dawgs were intent on putting the cats away. A Dawg touchdown was called back for holding, so Bobby Etter (Atlanta Falcons, Memphis Southmen) came in to kick a field goal, which was blocked, picked up by Kentucky and returned to our five-yard line. The Cats scored, went for two, and suddenly they had a one-point lead, 15-14.

Photos from the 1966 SEC Championship yearbook:

“Georgia players and fans alike looked at the scoreboard in stunned unbelief. However, we weren’t about to let Kentucky spoil our homecoming. We mounted a sixty-six-yard touchdown drive, made a two-point conversion to take back the lead 22-15. With thirteen minutes left, Kentucky, showing how desperate they were for a win, went for it on fourth down and inches at their own thirty-six and came up short.

“Etter connected on a thirty-four yard field goal that made it 25-15, and Happy Dicks (All SEC, All American) sacked the quarterback for a safety, thereby completing the Dawgs scoring ‘every way possible,” 27-15. We had made a big step in regaining our confidence and hopes for a championship season. The only downside of the day is that our quarterback, Kirby Moore, got hurt late in the third quarter, and we were not sure how long he might be out. But Lynn Hughes (All SEC, All American,New York Giants, Coaching positions Georgia and Vanderbilt) came in from the safety position and demonstrated what we already knew, he is as good a quarterback as he is a safety.

“As an encouragement to a good King, God spoke these words to him through a prophet: ‘But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded’ (2 Chronicles 15:7). I believe that to be a foundational truth about life. It’s not true because it is in the Bible; it’s in the Bible because it’s true. We had worked hard, we did not give up and our work was being rewarded. We were 5-1 so far but 4-0 in the conference, tied with Alabama and Florida for the SEC lead. Alabama was not on our schedule that year, but we had Florida in two weeks.”

One Old Dawg switches gears to talk about the Homecoming game with Vanderbilt this weekend. “Now about those commodores. As has been the case in recent years the Commodore’s ship has a serious leak, and we should have no trouble helping her along to Davy Jones locker, if we play as if we are capable of playing. However, I feel I must remind us of Proverbs 16:18: ‘Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.’  We ought to beat Vandy, but we still have to take care of business. So arm the torpedoes Dawgs, full steam ahead, sink ‘em!”

Sink ‘em indeed. The Bulldogs have a bye next week, so One Old Dawg will be taking the week off as well. But be sure to join us the following week as One Old Dawg weighs in on Florida games, the one in 1966, which proved to be a turning point leading to the SEC championship, as well as this year’s battle with the gators.

Until then, as always, Go Dogs!