In honor of the 80 days to college football, here’s a clip of a famous 80 yarder from 1975.
From UGA Sports:
On a wet and heavy Gator Bowl surface late in the game, Florida drove to Georgia’s 38-yard line with a 7-3 lead but was forced to punt. Tom Dolfi’s kick went into the end zone and was brought out to the Bulldogs’ 20-yard line with 3:24 left in the game. At that point in the game, the stagnant Georgia offense had completed just 2-of-9 passes for 29 yards with two interceptions.
The Play
Eighty yards from paydirt, Georgia quarterback Matt Robinson took the snap on first down and faced his left. Senior Richard Appleby, as he had done several times during the season, ran an end-around from his left to right, and was handed the football by Robinson. From his tight end position, Appleby carried the football six times in 1975, but on this particular play, he would suddenly stop and plant his feet into the rain-soaked turf.
Appleby arched back his right arm and threw a long, wobbly spiral nearly 50 yards in the air. Flanker Gene Washington, left all alone by an unsuspecting Gator secondary, caught the ball in stride around Florida’s 35-yard line and easily strolled untouched into the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown, waving the football in the air in celebration.
Following the Appleby-to-Washington touchdown play, Florida still had possession twice more in the game’s final three minutes. However, the Gators first lost a fumble. They then missed what would have been a game-tying field goal, as the Bulldogs held on for a 10-7 upset victory.
Go Dawgs!
Absolutely one of Munson’s finest calls. “Thinking of Montreal and the olympics”
It’s not the same without the Snow Tire ad in the middle.
I was watching this live as a high-schooler and remember during that time reading that the noise the crowd made during this play was one of the loudest recorded at the time. Set off seismographs & stuff. Can’t find a contemporary link, unfortunately.
Was there. One of my favorite times in Jax. We had run that play several times that same day. I saw it developing and l couldn’t believe we ran it again. Just setting up! One of best calls in a timely situation. Anyway, crowd did go wild and all was right with the world!! We had a ball “I’ve been told”!!
Since Bobo wasn’t around, did the crowd yell “Dammit Vince!”
“The girders are bending!”
Exactly. You must’ve been sitting near me. We were in the right corner behind the offense on the play. A FU fan who’d been mouthy all day said “I wanna see Georgia throw the ball” (fair statement at that moment). Then Dooley runs that damned end around again, except……
FU fan was seen leaving before we kicked the extra point if I recall correctly.
“Loran, whattya got?”
“Well, Larry, Alan Leavitt has an ingrown nail in his big toe and is walking around in a wide circle but Dr. Butch Mulherin says he should be ok for Auburn.”