Ranking the Top 10 Georgia Games Since 2005
For the Georgia Football faithful, singular moments that happen on Saturdays in the fall are carried on through legend for years to come. But, for years, the fanbase has been left wondering “what if?” as the Georgia Bulldogs football program came so close to achieving the ultimate prize repeatedly.
As the confetti fell on January 10, 2022, and Kirby Smart’s team was rid of the demons that haunted previous generations of Dawgs, fans could finally reminisce on the memories of the past pain-free.
With the 2022 college football season kicking off this weekend, we compiled a list of the top ten UGA football moments since 2005. (the start of our cognitive memory) Plenty of discussions went into which moments belonged and where they should be ranked, and all those conversations can be heard on the latest episode of the Baxter Street Boys.
10. Clemson @ Georgia, 2014
Fresh after a classic in Death Valley the previous year, the Dawgs sought revenge on Dabo Swinney’s led Tigers Between the Hedges. Among one of the best environments Sanford Stadium has seen, the Dawgs were successful as they routed Clemson 45-21. Todd Gurley put on a show as he rushed for 198 yards, three touchdowns, and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Dawgs fans were also introduced to a true freshman sensation named Nick Chubb, who scored the first touchdown of his career, despite losing his shoe during the run.
9. SEC Championship 2005: Georgia vs. LSU
Georgia’s last SEC Championship victory in the old Georgia Dome was memorable, as QB DJ Shockley led the Bulldogs to an upset victory 34-14 over the LSU Tigers. Tim Jennings' pick-six to seal the victory is a replay that is shown often in Sanford Stadium and capped one of the biggest wins of the 2000s for the Dawgs.
8. Auburn @ Georgia, 2014: The Blackout
After Head Coach Mark Richt encouraged fans to blackout Sanford Stadium, he followed up on his request as the team ran out in black uniforms for the first time ever, sending the crowd of 92,000 into pandemonium. That excitement and energy from the fans propelled the team into a 45-21 victory over the Auburn Tigers. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno stole the show, including Moreno inspiring CBS commentators Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson “cranking that Souja Boy” on live TV.
7. Georgia vs. Florida, 2007
When RB Knowshon Moreno crossed the goal line for the game’s first score, the entirety of the UGA roster rushed out onto the field to celebrate on the goal line. If Gary Danielson’s “THAT WAS PLANNED!” didn’t give away that this stunt was preconceived, Mark Richt’s famous smirk definitely did. Moreno ran for 188 yards and three touchdowns, while Matthew Stafford added three more to propel the Dawgs to a 42-30 win over the Tim Tebow led 11th ranked Florida Gators.
6. LSU @ Georgia, 2013
A large portion of the fanbase will tell you this game was the loudest game in Sanford Stadium history, and we agree. It’s rare to see a conference shootout between the hedges, but that is exactly what ensued. Former Bulldog Zach Mettenberger put on a show as the signal caller for the Tigers, with 372 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough as Aaron Murray and Bulldogs outlasted LSU in the high-flying affair. One of Murray’s many highlights as a Dawg came when he connected with Justin Scott-Wesley for a touchdown with 1:44 left to seal the 44-41 victory for UGA.
5. Georgia @ Notre Dame, 2017
Dawgnation showed up in full force as the Georgia Bulldogs traveled north to South Bend, Indiana, for a showdown with top-ten ranked Notre Dame. Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm was making his first start in one of the most storied stadiums in college football. With about 40,000 Georgia fans making the trip with him. Fromm did enough to give the Dawgs a chance to win, and the defense closed the game out on a Davin Bellamy strip-sack of Brandon Wimbush en route to a 20-19 victory. Cole Wilcox describes this game on the podcast as “the game the fans knew that times were changing.”
4. Orange Bowl 2021: Georgia vs. Michigan
The build-up to the Orange Bowl Playoff game was the anticipation of an old-school trenches slugfest. Michigan boasted the nation’s best offensive line, while Georgia claimed the nation’s best defensive line. It was power vs. power, but former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett is who came out firing. While the Dawg’s #1 defense came more than ready to play, Bennett threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns which earned him the game’s offensive MVP trophy. Michigan rushed for less than 100 yards as UGA’s 34-11 win propelled them into the national championship game.
3. SEC Championship 2017: Georgia vs. Auburn
The only thing between Georgia and the program’s first SEC title since 2005 was the team responsible for their only loss, the Auburn Tigers. Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn was caught on camera exclaiming, “we whipped the dog crap out of them,” after ending UGA’s perfect season two weeks earlier. Georgia came out inspired by aspirations of revenge and earned it by outplaying Auburn in all facets of the game, leading to a 35-7 victory. Freshman Deandre Swift put the nail in Auburn’s coffin with a 64-yard TD to send Georgia to their first-ever College Football Playoff
2. The Rose Bowl 2018: Georgia vs. Oklahoma
Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners opened the game on fire, scoring 31 points in the first half to take a 14-point lead into the locker room. The Georgia defense, lead by Roquan Smith, stepped up in the second half and allowed the legendary UGA RB duo Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to bring the score back to even at the end of regulation. In the double overtime, senior LB Lorenzo Carter blocked the Sooner’s field goal attempt to give the ball back to the Georgia offense. It only took two plays for Michel to take a direct snap to the endzone and earn the Bulldogs their first trip to the National Championship game since the early 80s.
1. The National Championship 2022: Georgia vs. Alabama
This game needs no introduction. Alabama, the team who had caused so much pain to the Bulldog’s team and fans alike, was the last obstacle to hoisting the trophy. After the Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs in Atlanta 41-24, the Dawgs got the last laugh as Kelee Ringo’s 79-yard pick-six sent the demons packing. The Georgia Bulldogs were national champions for the first time since 1980, easily being the best UGA football moment this century.
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