Top 10 Florida-Georgia Football Moments

No. 5 Dickey’s 4th Down Decision (1976)

Winning Streak Prior to Game: Georgia (two)

Effect on SEC Race: Huge

Effect on National Landscape: None

What Happened:

This meeting between Florida and Georgia featured a Top-10 matchup between one-loss teams. The Gators (6-1) were ranked tenth and the Bulldogs (7-1) were above them at seventh.

Florida took a 27-13 lead into the half, but in the third quarter began to unravel. After a Georgia score cut it to 27-20, Florida head coach Doug Dickey thought it’d be a strategically good move to go for it on fourth down and one from his own 29-yard line. He called an option play that the Bulldogs snuffed out, and the momentum shifted.

Georgia scored on their ensuing drive, and ultimately won the game 41-27. Dickey’s decision became forever known as “fourth and dumb”. The loss would have a profound effect on Florida. They finished the season 8-4 with a 23-point loss in the Sun Bowl.

As for Georgia, they won the SEC and made it all the way to the National Championship at 10-2. There they would fall to Pittsburgh by a score of 27-3.

Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC