From Hobnailed Boots to Hail Mary's. God all mighty it's Tennessee week
Rooted in the souls of most Georgia fans is the voice of Larry Munson. Some of his most memorable quotes came to life in this classic SEC east showdown. I can hear Munson's dramatics as I type this.
Let's travel back to Sept 6, 1980. The beginning of a national championship run and also the debut of the one and only Herschel Walker. "We hand it off to Herschel there's a hole, 5, 10, 12, oh he's running ohhh you Herschel Walker. My God all mighty he ran through 2 men. Herschel ran right over 2 men. They had him dead-away inside the 9. Herschel Walker went 16 yards. He drove right over orange shirts, just driving and running with those big thighs. My God, a freshman!”
I can't stop there. Munson would continue to provide. This time it's Oct 6, 2001. "Gahh ten seconds, we are on their six. Michael Johnson turned around asked the bench something. And now Greene makes him line up on the right slot, we have three receivers. Tennessee playing what amounts to a four-four. Fake, and there's a touchdown. My God a touchdown. We threw it to Haynes. We just stomped them with five seconds left. My God Almighty did you see what he did? David Greene just straightened up and we snuck the fullback over, Haynes is keeping the ball, Haynes has come running all the way across to the bench. We just dumped it over to 26-24. We just stepped on their face with a hobnailed boot and broke their nose. We just crushed their face"
Could you imagine the roller coaster Larry would have provided in 2016? With less than 3 minutes to play QB, Jacob Eason found Riley Ridley streaking down the sideline for a TD and a 3 point lead in a game we were picked to lose. However, Tennessee didn't relent. Josh Dobbs and company found themselves on the Georgia 43 with only 10 seconds remaining. What happened next is misery. A hail mary that found its mark and a gut-wrenching loss for the Georgia Bulldogs. I'd venture to bet Larry would have provided some life long memories in that one too.
Since the heartbreak of the hail mary, we haven't had to stomach the back and forth, up and down emotions of years past. That doesn't mean that Munson wouldn't have delivered. What could he do with a 41 point shut out in Knoxville? The opportunities would have been endless. How about a 38-12 trashing of the Vols last year in Athens? He certainly would have provided like only he could do.
What will 2019 provide? It's impossible to tell but I have confidence that whatever it is, it would have been a lot a bit better having heard it described by Larry. He was truly magic on the mic.
God Almighty it's Tennessee week. See you guys in Knoxville and as always, Go Dawgs!
