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Counting the Days – Day 98

98 is for (L to R) the Demon, Davis, and Tereshinski (No. 89) and McLee (No. 39) vs. Alabama '76
98 is for (L to R) the Demon, Davis, and Tereshinski (No. 89) and McLee (No. 39) vs. Alabama '76

Dave McMahon and Patrick Garbin

Welcome to our daily countdown! Our countdown to the Bulldogs’ opening game began recently and, today, we’re at 98. In 98 days, Georgia will be facing North Carolina at the Georgia Dome. Each day leading up to the season opener, Patrick Garbin and I will show three unique and creative ways that we hope will relive memories of why that particular number is special to the Dawgs. As Michael Hutchence of INXS said in Mediate, “At ninety-eight, we all rotate”—not sure what he meant by that, but it is a good way to introduce the number. So, sit back and enjoy the ones we came up with for “98,” and if there are others that you can think of please mention them at The Dawgvent.

98 – by Dave McMahon

3 – 98 were the amount of times Charley Trippi ran the ball during the 1942 season. Teammate Frank Sinkwich won the Heisman Trophy that year, but Trippi was terrific, as well. Trippi rushed for 672 yards on those 98 attempts for an average of 6.9 yards per rush. Eight of those 98 attempts went for touchdowns, while his longest rush that season was 86 yards.

2 – Since Georgia did not play ball in the year 98, I will take liberty and jump forward to 1998, especially since a strange thing happened that year: Georgia won two bowl games. The Bulldogs were 9-2 in the 1997 regular season and rewarded with an appearance in the Outback Bowl to be played on January 1st against Wisconsin. I remember that game for three reasons. One is realizing how difficult it is to make 11 a.m. games on New Year’s Day. The other two are football related: Mike Bobo threw 19 consecutive completions, and went 26-for-28 passing overall. Also in that same game, future Heisman Trophy-winner Ron Dayne had his second-worst game of his Wisconsin career in terms of single-game rushing yardage (36), and the worst in terms of rushing yards per attempt (2.6). Georgia won 33-6.

In the 1998 season, Georgia finished 8-3 and was rewarded to play in the Peach Bowl to be played on December 31st against Virginia. The Bulldogs trailed the Cavaliers 21-0 late in the second quarter and 27-21 after three quarters of play. Georgia was led by Quincy Carter, Olandis Gary and Champ Bailey, and the Dawgs came back and won, 35-33. Carter had two touchdown passes, Gary had three touchdown runs and, as you know, Champ Bailey did everything. It also turned out to be Champ’s last game as a Bulldog as he left for the NFL soon afterwards.

1 – Unfortunately, many Georgia fans remember Reggie Davis only for his drop against Tennessee last season. That play hurt a lot, but there is another play in which he will be remembered. During his freshman season of 2013, Davis caught an Aaron Murray pass and scored on a play covering 98 yards against the North Texas Mean Green. It signified the longest pass play in school history, eclipsing three 93-yard plays (one of them being Belue-to-Scott). The pass play was also Davis’s first reception of his collegiate career, and Murray’s 100th career passing touchdown.

98 – by Patrick Garbin

3 – 98 is for No. 98 defensive lineman Josh “the Demon” Mallard (1998-2001), arguably the greatest pass-rushing specialist in UGA football history (relative to his amount of playing time). After totaling a state-record 36 sacks as a senior at Benedictine High School in Savannah, Mallard had 3½ sacks for the Bulldogs against Kent State in the 1998 season opener—by far, a single-game school record for someone appearing in their first game. It was then head coach Jim Donnan declared that he wouldn’t allow the backup nose guard to go against Georgia’s first-team offense in practice because “he makes me mad…You can't block him,” and nicknamed him “the Demon.” By the end of his career, Mallard had totaled 74 tackles, 27 sacks, nine other tackles for loss, 28 quarterback hurries, and five forced fumbles, despite often battling injuries and starting only seven games his entire career. A seventh-round selection of the 2002 NFL Draft, he played in the league for seven seasons with six different teams, and was still playing pro ball as recently as 2013 in the Arena Football League.

2 – Dave mentioned how, “At ninety-eight, we all rotate.” Well, 98 is for Wally Tereshinski, who originally wore jersey No. 98 as a sophomore linebacker in 1975, before he decided to “rotate” the numerals to No. 89, which he donned his final two seasons as a tight end. Tereshinski, a starter in 1976 as strictly a “blocking” tight end, is the son of the late Joe Tereshinski Sr. (1942, 1945-1946), younger brother of former Georgia player and long-time staffer Joe Tereshinski Jr., and uncle of former Bulldogs starting quarterback (2005-2006) and current Charlotte 49ers assistant Joe Tereshinski, III.

1 – 98 were the number of rushing yards on 22 carries junior halfback Kevin McLee gained in what some still maintain as Georgia’s greatest victory ever in Sanford Stadium: the 21-0 triumph by the Bulldogs over Alabama in 1976. The Crimson Tide entered the game with the SEC’s leading rushing defense, allowing just 99 yards per game and 2.3 yards per rush, and were touchdown favorites to defeat Georgia on the road. Nevertheless, the Junkyard Dogs prevailed led by McLee; backs Al Pollard and Rayfield Williams, who combined to rush for 86 yards on 19 carries; quarterback Matt Robinson, who rushed and passed for touchdowns; and a stingy “Runts” defense, which yielded only 190 yards of total offense to the Tide.

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