This Date in College Football Belt History – November 12

Casey — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:10:26 +0000

For the 3^rd week in a row, Auburn faced a top-ten team with The Belt on the line. Coach Vince Dooley’s 4^th ranked, 8-0-1 Georgia Bulldogs welcomed coach Pat Dye’s 3^rd ranked, 8-1 Auburn Tigers. Auburn’s RB Lionel James rushed for the Tigers’ only touchdown while PK Al Del Greco kicked 2 field goals & the defense held Georgia to just 51 yards rushing while the offense held the ball for 38:59 in a 13-7 Auburn victory. Using their wishbone rushing attack, QB Randy Campbell the Tigers drove to the Georgia 35-yard line before Del Greco just missed a 52-yard field goal attempt. Auburn got the first break of the game when Tigers’ DT Doug Smith stripped Georgia’s QB John Lastinger of the ball on an option play. The fumble was recovered for the Tigers by DE Quency Williams at the Georgia 23-yard line. Auburn drove the 23 yards in 5 plays with James scoring the touchdown when he carried 4 yards around right end with 4:34 left in the 1^st quarter. The highlight of the drive was a punishing 10-yard run by Tigers’ All-American RB Bo Jackson to the Georgia 4-yard line as he broke the tackles of 4 Bulldogs’ defenders before being brought down. Del Greco’s field goals came in the 2^nd quarter when he hit from 21 & 41 yards giving Auburn a 13-0 halftime lead. Jackson nearly gave the Tigers another score when he broke a 28-yard run around left end from the Auburn 3-yard line. Jackson stepped out of bounds at the Auburn 31-yard line but would have gone the distance for the score without the misstep. Both defenses dominated the 2^ndhalf as neither team was able to mount a scoring challenge in the 3^rdquarter. Del Greco could have put the game out of reach with two 30-yard field goal attempts but both of his kicks from the center of the field sailed wide to the left. The Bulldogs only touchdown came with 2:11 left in the game after an 87-yard drive when Lastinger, who completed 7 of 8 pass attempts on the drive, threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to WR Herman Archie. The highlight of the drive was a 23-yard gain on a pass from Lastinger to WR Fred Lane. Georgia recovered the on-side kick at their own 45-yard line but they were still unable to move against the suffocating Auburn defense as Tigers’ CB Jimmie Warren broke up the final pass attempt. Campbell threw for 95 yards completing 12 of 15 pass attempts while Jackson added 115 yards rushing for the Tigers. Lastinger threw for 110 yards with a touchdown while the Bulldogs were held to just 51 yards rushing & 117 yards passing in the loss. Auburn finished the season 11-1; SEC Champions, ranked 3^rd nationally while the Bulldogs finished 10-1-1 & ranked 4^th nationally. Georgia would play for The Belt again in 1987.

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This Date in College Football Belt History – October 29

Casey — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:50:43 +0000

Coach Pat Dye’s Auburn Tigers were 6-1, ranked 4^th nationally as the prepared to host 5^th ranked, 6-0-1 Florida Gators of coach Charley Pell for The Belt. Auburn’s All-American RB Bo Jackson rushed for 2 touchdowns on runs of 55 & 80 yards as the Tigers withstood a furious comeback by the Gators to claim The Belt for the first time with a 28-21 victory. Auburn scored on their opening drive when Jackson broke loose for his 55-yard touchdown run. Late in the 1^st quarter, the Tigers drove 57 yards in 7 plays with QB Randy Campbell scoring on a 4-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing drive, Florida’s QB Wayne Peace found WR Ricky Nattiel open for a 41-yard touchdown pass making the score Auburn 14 Florida 7. The Tigers extended the lead with another 80-yard drive with RB Lionel James scoring on a 17-yard touchdown run for the 21-7 halftime edge. The Gators appeared to score in the 3^rd quarter when RB Neal Anderson carried in from 8 yards but on the play, the ball was knocked loose & rolled out of the end zone. The officials ruled that the fumble occurred prior to Anderson crossing the goal line & awarded the ball to the Tigers. On the next snap, Jackson raced 80 yards for his second touchdown giving Auburn a 28-7 advantage. Florida’s RB John L. Williams scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:18 left in the game. The Gators got their final score on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Peace to WR Dwayne Dixon with 2:54 to play. Florida recovered the on-side kick but was unable to move for the tying score as Auburn sacked Peace on the Gators’ final offensive play. Jackson finished with 196 yards rushing with his 2 touchdowns while the Auburn defense held Florida to just 74 yards rushing. Peace threw for 336 yards with 2 touchdowns & Dixon had 9 catches for 123 yards with his touchdown in the losing effort. The Gators finished the season 9-2-1; ranked 6^th nationally while the Tigers finished 11-1, SEC Champions & ranked 3^rd nationally. Florida would play for The Belt again in 1984.

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Pickin' Splinters » Bo Jackson

This Date in College Football Belt History – November 12

This Date in College Football Belt History – October 29