Here’s a nice Bill Connelly write up of the 1980 Georgia-South Carolina game.
I’m still amazed every time I watch that Herschel Walker long touchdown run that drove Larry Munson to new heights of ecstasy… but not as amazed as that last Gamecock defender (who knew he had the angle) was watching Walker fly by him.
Get The Picture 
#24 for South Carolina in the video was one of my oldest son’s football coaches in high school at Thomas Co. Central from 2009-2012. The players loved to rag him about that particular run. He always said that they didn’t think Herschel looked that fast on film, but he just kicked it into another gear and ran right past them.
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That may have been Herschel’s best run of his career, all things considered. That said, how sad is it Georgia fans are still stuck talking about a season from 37 years ago?
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Can’t speak for anyone else, but I’d still talk about that run if the current Georgia team was coming off a national title.
How sad is it that some Georgia fans can’t celebrate greatness without whining about the current state of the program?
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Well played, Senator
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Bingo Senator
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I said it was his best run, that’s pretty high praise.
Keep watching those 37 year old highlights, I’m sure it makes sending in that check every year easier. I’ll stick with it being sadder that a good portion of the fan base is living off of memories of a team that probably has a good number of grandfathers on it now.
Maybe we can dig up some old film of the ’42 team? That should help boost the giving.
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Moving on from one straw man to the next, I see. As long as you can feel superior, be my guest.
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The greatest college football player ever played for my team. I’ll never not be proud of that nor will I cease to be amazed at how incredible he was.
Fwiw whenever this guys name comes up I talk about this no matter how many years go by: http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/0/v33627735/kc-sea-bo-jackson-s-cannon-gets-reynolds-at-home. Despite his being a barner, the guy is probably the best athlete of my lifetime and there’s no shame in giving him his due.
Whether it’s Tiger woods winning the US Open by 15 or Secretariat winning the Belmont by a mile, if you’re a sports fan and you can’t appreciate a sort of special that is timeless, I don’t know why you’re watching in the first place.
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I love the Herschel-Bo debate. Both were other world athletes. For me, it distills down to which one I would want running the ball for my team. That’s where it’s not even close. #34
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Agreed, the other guy couldn’t hold a candle to ol’ #34.
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Herschel was the much better college back. What is it 5280 in 3 years vs. 4100 in 4? 18-0 in sec play and a national title vs. not sure but I know there were several losses and no national titles? No, that’s not close.
However, if you say who were the best athletes (meaning strictly talent and ability and not accomplishment) of the 20th century, you’d be hard pressed to put Bo out of the #1 spot. Carl Lewis, Deion Sanders are up there but I still have to go with Bo.
The thing people forget is that Herschel wasn’t born with it like Bo. Bo rolled out of bed a Greek god. Herschel did that to himself. He turned a fat, out of shape 8th grader into Superman. That to me is the most amazing part of his story.
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Where the story takes a turn, for me, is the Auburn-Florida game in ’85, I think. Bo took himself out of the game and didn’t return due to a deep thigh bruise. I’m sure they’re painful, maybe debilitating, but in the days of the triumvirate of UGA, AU and UF playing each other back to back, always with conference championship considerations, you stay in and play. Just my two cents…
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Yep…..remember when he did and I always say the same, it was the day that I lost respect for him. Pretty sure it was the UT game though in Knoxville. They were lighting him up, he took himself out as you mentioned. That was the day I lost my respect for him, more concerned about his upcoming pro career imo.
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Actually you’re both right:
http://articles.latimes.com/1985-09-29/sports/sp-18869_1_coach-pat-dye
http://articles.latimes.com/1985-11-03/sports/sp-4096_1_bo-jackson
He took himself out of two games in the same season.
Bo Jackson was no Herschel Walker….
“[Herschel] has never taken an aspirin, and he had his wisdom teeth pulled without using a pain killer.”
Herschel Walker called Chuck Norris a wimp and Chuck said, “I know I am, sir.”
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A friend of mine made the comment after Bo won his Heisman that he’d probably have Brent Fullwood sub in to pick it up for him.
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Box score says field goals of 57 and 51 yards. And only 4 total penalties; 2 on each team. I guess the last one was roughing the punter on USC.
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Robinson hit those two long ones, but missed a 20 yarder. I remember it like it was yesterday.
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Great write up by Bill. Didn’t know he did this, but I’ll have to read some of the others.
I was at that game and was amazed that he outran the defender. However, the game that originally wowed me was when we stomped A&M and Herschel had those long runs. Couldn’t believe a guy that big could run that fast.
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Bill’s new book is definitely worth a read.
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Bill Connelly’s SEC commentary is the only reason to keep Missouri in the conference.
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That Herschel, Bo and Marcus Dupree showed up in about a 4 season span, and nothing approaching them has appeared again, has always amazed me. Three guys over 6 feet and over 215 and all were the fastest guy on the field when 220 was the average size of a NFL LB at that time is just incredible.
In order to replicate that today you’d have to have a guy around 245 running a 4.0 40. Guys like Chubb and Gurley can replicate a lot of what those guys could do…until it’s a foot race. Then there’s just no comparison.
However, no one who has ever played TB has been as strong as #34. Nobody. The guy ran through all-americans, as a freshman. The bates thing was bad ass. Re-watch what he did to ND’s all-American LB. He took him for a ride and then cast him off like a flea. GOAT!!!
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One of my favorites was reading the quote from Pitt linebacker Sal Sunseri about how he dreamed about stepping into the hole and meeting Walker one-on-one. Well, it happened during the game and Herschel steamrolled him right onto his back. Then f’n Marino hit that last pass….
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Don’t forget Eric Dickerson and Marcus Allen were big guys playing RB at that same time. There was just an insane collection of RB talent in CFB from ’79-’85.
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Great backs. Better pros than any of the three I mentioned, but Dickerson never had that top end speed and Allen wasn’t that big.
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So fast. 2 Guys had an angle. Just incredible.
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An AJC writer, whose name I can’t remember, had the most memorable line to me. I’m paraphrasing here: “In the third quarter Herschel Walker outran geometry.”
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That sounds like something Lewis Gizzard would say. lol
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“Grizzard”… (dang spell check) forgive me Lord.
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Really beautiful play.
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Derek, you’re comment about Bo being born with it and Herschel making himself what he is physically is the most accurate statement I’ve seen in this three decades long argument.
I went to West Ga. with that SC safety’s little brother. We laughed about it like everyone else.
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I still miss sitting on the tracks.
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I remember as a freshamn leaving a sun-soaked Sanford that afternoon emotionally drained by what I had just witnessed and thinking to myself, If I’m this tired, imagine how the team must feel…and began to fret over the following weekend’s match-up in Jacksonville.
Turns out, that game was a piece of cake.</sarcasm font>
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Paul, I envy you for having had that experience. That game and tech were the last hurrah for you guys.
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Well, they got their title and we lost our inspiration: http://www.theantiorangepage.com/bulldoglore/erks-1980-letter-to-the-junkyard-dawgs/
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We usually arrived late on Friday and stayed most if not all night. It wasn’t unusual for Erk to show up at some point during the evening to smoke a cigar and have a beer with us. Fun times.
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HW was and always will be the best player in college sports history, imo.
But I do think George Rogers is quite under-rated when talking about All-Time RB’s and that is hard for me to say.
But he had some ridiculously great games for a team that is atrocious throughout its history.
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Kind of a dorky comment, but is the whole box score Connelly prints on the UGA-USC game backwards? It accounts for 1 fumble lost and we know who fumbled it — not UGA.
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No one at any level ran the ball as. Hershel did when he was a freshman, I repeat NO ONE!!
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Herschel = GOAT. Of course, the runs like this one are the ones everyone remembers. Herschel’s calling card was the 5-15 yard runs that would just wear a defense out. That 99(?)-yard drive against Florida in 1981 was Herschel left, Herschel right and Herschel up the gut. The Gators knew what was coming and couldn’t stop it. I think he eventually went over the top for the winning score. Bo never took over games like Herschel did.
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No team rode a great player to a National Championship like UGA did Herschel. Dooley’s offense was all Herschel all the time. 150 yards rushing against the Irish, who had not given up a single 100 yard rushing game to anybody and with a dislocated shoulder. GOAT college player.
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