One Old Dawg on Tumbling Tech

Lots of preparations going on here at One Old Dawg’s house as he does much of the cooking at Thanksgiving. For that, One Old Dawg’s wife is SO grateful. He smokes the turkey and makes the dressing to the delight of his whole family. So good!!

 

Wearing his Georgia apron, he takes a break from chopping onions, green peppers, and celery for the dressing to talk about the Georgia Tech game―both this weekend’s and the one in 1965.

 

“I said this last year and I’ll say again, I can’t believe football season is over, it seems like it just started. But here we are getting ready for the last game of the season against that North Avenue Trade School.  Last year we were both 9-2 so a lot was riding on the outcome besides state bragging rights, like priority bowl games and national rankings. It would seem the game would not be such a big deal this year since they are 3-8 and we are 8-3. But folks, Tech is always a big game regardless of records and rankings. They embarrassed us last year by squeaking out an overtime win between the hedges 30-24; it’s time for payback.

 “In 1965 it was a bit different. We were a disappointing 5-4 and our bowl hopes were gone; but we sure wanted to end with a winning season. They were 6-2-1 and desperate for a seventh win which would land them in a decent bowl game. Tech was gunning for us because we messed up their season the previous year by clipping their wings for a 7-0 win between the hedges. That loss left them a respectable 7-3 season but they still did not go to a bowl game, which they surely would have, had we not beat them.  Did I mention they were gunning for us?’

 When doing the research for this article, we found One Old Dawg’s mama did not save many newspaper clippings from the last games of the 1965 season. Her son was sidelined for many of those games with a back injury. You know how Mama’s are, if her baby wasn’t playing, she wasn’t as interested. One Old Dawg continues.

 “I only have part of one article about the Tech game by Atlanta Journal Sports Editor, Furman Bisher.

 

 

 

"But thanks to my friend Mark Maxwell, who does a lot of archiving for the UGA Athletic Department, I have a written play by play which helped me remember.

“Turnovers were the difference in the game.

“On the first possession of the game we recovered a Tech fumble on their thirty-two. Georgia only took seven plays to cross the goal line and it was 7-0 Dawgs. Early in the second quarter, Lynn Hughes (All SEC, All American) intercepted a Tech pass at our forty and returned it the Tech twenty-five. We couldn’t move the ball so Bobby Etter (Atlanta Flacons, Memphis Southmen)  booted a forty-yard field goal, 10-0 Dawgs at the half. Being a defensive player I can’t help mention that according to the play by play, Tech had zero net yards rushing and forty-nine yards passing at the first half – Glory to Ole Georgia. Erk (Defensive Coordinator, later head coach at Georgia Southern) was surely proud.

“Ridlehuber (Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders,Buffalo Bills, New York Jets) returned the second half kickoff to the Georgia thirty-nine. Ten plays later he scored from the five; 17-0 Dawgs.

“I’m really having fun remembering all of this. Tech was able to mount a drive at the end of the third quarter and scored with thirteen minutes left in the game. Tech launched two more drives. The first ended with a Joe Burson interception at our forty-five. The second ended on the Georgia eleven when Marvin Tootle tackled Lenny Snow for a three yard loss on fourth down. Georgia took over with forty five seconds left to play and ran out the clock for 17-7 victory, how sweet it was.

“After the 1965 season, we were disappointed and felt a bit cheated. We did not receive a bowl invitation yet we had beaten two teams that did, including the reigning national champion that repeated as champion that year. Auburn had a worse recorded than Georgia but they played Ole Miss in the Liberty Bowl. The Sun Bowl picked TCU over us, and they got whipped by Texas-El Paso. Then there was the Tangerine Bowl that picked Maine to play East Carolina. Maine? They were in the Yankee Conference. Ever heard of it? That was their only bowl appearance in history, and they lost 31-0.  We were mad.

“I wish I had known the truth the Apostle Paul discovered and wrote about in Philippians 4:12, ‘I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.’ His context was material provision but the principle has universal application. Our discontent over how the season turned out did not change anything and it kept us from fully enjoying what we had accomplished that year.

“We were only sixteen points short of being 9-1. We were the only team to beat the national champion, Alabama. The nationally televised victory over Alabama together with the well-publicized victory over defending Big-Ten champion, Michigan, in Ann Arbor, reestablished Georgia as a national championship contender. Instead of being disappointed, we should have been content, enjoyed our successes and looked forward to the next year, for which we had established a good foundation. Besides that, I went to the Orange Bowl and saw Alabama beat undefeated Nebraska for the national championship and that was pretty cool for a small town boy.

“Back to those Atlanta Insects.  I hope this doesn’t make anyone mad at me, but I don’t hate Tech like many Georgia fans. It is a State of Georgia institution and a number of my good friends from Valdosta played there. I always pull for Tech except for one game every year. However, because of my friendships, I want you to understand that I really enjoy beating them.  So hunker down you Red Clay Hounds and swat those Jackets. Make them what they sing about - rambling wrecks from Georgia Tech. Sick ‘em dawgs.”

From everyone here at One Old Dawg, we wish you a very blessed Thanksgiving. Go Dawgs!

 

Go Dawgs!

Since there was no 1965 game this week in the season, One Old Dawg is taking a break. But he’ll be back next week for the last regular season game to talk about the 1965 Georgia Tech victory. It was a doozy!

Meanwhile, he’s getting ready to go to the Georgia-Georgia Southern game this weekend, and he’s sure his team is going to defeat those Eagles.

Until next week, Go Dawgs!

One Old Dawg on a collage of feline hides

One Old Dawg couldn’t stop smiling during the Kentucky game. The win was a balm for his Bulldog soul.

 

As he takes a break from watching the SEC network tonight, he turns his thoughts toward the Auburn game this weekend as well as his memories of the 1965 Auburn game. “Well, we had a good, solid game against Kentucky. Is it weird that we beat them by the same score Florida beat us? Anyway, it felt good to get another W but we can’t waste much time patting ourselves on the back; we have a big game in front of us―another Tiger. You might be thinking, what’s the big deal? Both teams are already out of the SEC and national playoff pictures.  Auburn vs. Georgia is the longest rivalry in the South and the fifth longest in the nation. We’ve played Auburn every year since1892 except for five years: 1893, 1897, 1917-18 due to WWI and 1943 due to WWII. That’s 118 games in the last 123 years and its all tied up 55-55-8. There’s more than one year of bragging rights at stake on this game.

 

“It was also a big game in 1965 not even considering the long-standing rivalry. Our head coach was the head freshman coach at Auburn just two years before and he and several of our assistant coaches played at Auburn. We were 5-3, 3-2 SEC, and Auburn was 4-3-1 but leading the conference at 3-0-1. Keep in mind there were only nine bowl games available in those days so another loss would pretty much end our hopes of playing in one of them. This was a big game and we felt we had the edge since we were playing between the hedges.

 

“The teams seemed evenly matched, and that is the way the game played out. Auburn scored a touchdown in every quarter except the fourth and we scored a touchdown in every quarter except the third. Auburn had blocked the extra point kick on our first touchdown forcing us to go for a two-point conversion on the second touchdown, which failed. We got a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and made the PAT to make the score 21-19. We held Auburn on their next possession but they punted us down to our own sixteen yard-line. However, our offense blasted off with a forty-five yard run from Preston Ridlehuber (Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets).

 

Preston Ridlehuber, George Nowicki, Jerry Varnado, Pat Hodgson

“Then, Kirby Moore threw a twenty-two yard pass to Frank Richter (Denver Broncos) . Some tough running got us down to the three yard-line. We were just a heartbeat away from victory but it ended in heartbreak. Our great fullback Ronnie Jenkins was hit hard at the goal line, the ball came loose and Auburn recovered. We did get the ball back with a couple of minutes left in the game but were not able to mount another drive and the game ended 21-19.

 
 “Heart break hotel.”
 

As always, One Old Dawg looks for the greater lesson in his football experience. “I wish I had been walking with Jesus in those days so I would have known Psalm 55:22, “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”  I know football is just a game but try to tell that to a twenty-one year old who had already pictured himself playing in a bowl game on national television. That was a big deal in 1965. In two years, only two of our games were televised, the Sun Bowl and Alabama of that year. This was a bitter pill to swallow. I was discouraged and felt like we had failed.

 

“When I looked through my Biblical Cyclopedic Index this week, I saw a list of causes of discouragement. One caught my eye: apparent failure. Something that looks like failure but really isn’t. That reminded me of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God will turn any supposed failure into something good, if we’ll let Him. Yes, we had lost four games and it appeared our season was for naught. But that was not reality.

 

“We had beaten the national champion on national TV and the Big Ten Champion in their own backyard. Before injuries riddled our team, we were ranked number four in the nation. In just two years, we had elevated the Dawgs from the SEC cellar to the hallowed halls of title contender and a significant player on the national stage of college football. Failure? Depends on how you look at it. We learned and grew through the heartache and the core of this team returned in 1966 to become SEC champions and number four in the nation.”

           

One Old Dawg casts his prediction for this weekend’s game. “Here we are fifty years later loading up the bus to make the trek to Auburn, Alabama. Statistics indicate we should beat them, but for this game, you can throw statistics and records in the trash, they do not mean a thing. The Tigers will be growling Saturday looking to have Bulldawg for lunch; we best be ready for a fight. As I mentioned last week we are doing well against felines this year, having already skinned a Jaguar, a Tiger and a Wildcat.  Hunker down folks; Uga needs one more tiger skin to finish his collage of feline hides for his Dawghouse rug.  Sic ‘em Dawgs.”

 

At the Kentucky game, we sat behind sports agent, Tommy Sims, who was there looking at a few of our players. A South Georgia native, he started at defensive back for the University of Tennessee, and co-captained both the 1985 SEC championship game and the 1986 Sugar Bowl Game. We’ll forgive him all his Rocky Top ways, because he’s Dad to the gorgeous and brilliant, Camille Sims, Miss Fulton County and runner up in this year’s Miss Georgia Pageant (That Miss Georgia went on to be Miss America, and of course we crowned another at a Georgia game a few weeks back). We just love the folks we meet at UGA games.

 

Until next week, Go Dawgs!

One Old Dawg and what he thinks about naysayers

It's been a long time since we've seen One Old Dawg like this. As he takes off his Georgia logo jacket and settles into his desk chair, he declares, "We’re playing Kentucky Saturday and I already talked about the 1965 Kentucky game back in October (One Old Dawg and No Time for a Pity Party October 7, 2015). It was not a pleasant experience and I don’t care to talk about it anymore. But there is one thing I do want to talk about.
 

"Negativity!
 

"People are bad-mouthing our coaches and our players because we’ve lost three football games? I understand that some who call themselves Bulldawgs are joining the chorus.
 

"My daddy used to say: 'If you can’t say something nice about someone, you ought to keep your mouth closed.' Can I get a witness?  I hate losing as much as anyone but this is not the end of life as we know it. Must I remind us all that College Football is a game played by eighteen to twenty-two year old young men? Keep it in proper perspective!

 

"Since I might run into you somewhere, there is something you need to know. As you might guess, I’m Georgia through and through; I’m a supporter, not a critic. This is my school, my coaches and my players, and my goal is to support my Dawgs any way I can, win or lose. I don’t cuss, criticize, or knock them in any form or fashion, and I’m not interested in listening to anyone else do it. Everybody at this house is a Bulldog fan.

"If you don’t feel the same you ought to turn in your Bulldawg Nation citizenship card before it gets revoked."

It's true that One Old Dawg's pup, Lucy, is a staunch Bulldog supporter. If he's watching a game at home, she's right there with him. It's thought she even wags her tail at a Georgia touchdown. One Old Dawg narrows his eyes and grows even more intense as he continues.

"Fire Mark Richt?! Have you lost your mind? Who under the sun would you get to replace him? His winning percentage ranks seventh among active coaches in the five, so called, power conferences and sixteenth among division 1-A active coaches (which is significant considering that Nick Saban is twelfth).  Six of the fifteen above him have been head coaches for only five years or less. As Tom Fornelli (CBS sportswriter) put it: 'When it comes to Richt, people spend too much time focusing on what he hasn't done rather than what he has. The man has coached 184 games with the Bulldogs and he has won 136 (seventy-four percent) of them. He has won two SEC titles (the only two Georgia has won in the past thirty-two years) and six SEC East crowns. The only thing he has been guilty of has been coaching in a conference that has been the home of some of the best coaches and teams in the country the past twenty years.'

"Can anyone say amen?

"That’s not even counting the fact that Mark Richt has also initiated many improvements in our athletic facilities and has consistently modeled honesty and integrity to our young people, the state and nation. If you are a true Dawg you’ll get behind our team and coaches, support them and pray for them that they will be able to face and overcome our present challenges and make the best they can of the rest of this season."

As always, One Old Dawg draws a spiritual parallel to the situation. "This brings to mind something Jesus said when he was accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul (prince of demons or the devil) in Matthew 12:25-26:  "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?”  If some of us are berating players, trying to run off coaches and playing the blame game, it accomplishes nothing and divides us, making us more vulnerable. The Dawgs need our support not our criticism.  If you must continue your negativism and naysaying please do the Bulldawg Nation a favor and become a Tech fan.

"We do have a game this Saturday, the Kentucky Wildcats – between the hedges. Record wise they are 4-4 and we are 5-3. We both beat South Carolina and Missouri and we both lost to Florida and Tennessee. Georgia is favored by fourteen, but it seems a pretty even matchup to me. I’ve watched Kentucky play in two or three games and in my opinion, the Dawgs will need all the help they can get. This will be a sure enough Dawg-Cat fight. We are doing well against felines this year; we have taken down a Jaguar and a Tiger to date, and I’m confident we will turn these Wildcats into housecats come Saturday.  Sick ‘em Dawgs."

Okay, so tell us what you really think, One Old Dawg. You can always count on him to be crystal clear about where his allegiances are.

He'll be back here again next week for the Auburn game with more mostly true Bulldog lore.