1979 Georgia Bulldogs football team

1979 Georgia Bulldogs football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	6–5 (5–1 SEC)
Head coach	Vince Dooley (16th season)
Defensive coordinator	Erk Russell (16th season)
Base defense	4–4
Home stadium	Sanford Stadium
Seasons ←  1978 1980  →

1979 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Alabama $	6	–	0	–	0			12	–	0	–	0
Georgia	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
No. 16 Auburn	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
LSU	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Tennessee	3	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Kentucky	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Ole Miss	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Mississippi State	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Florida	0	–	6	–	0			0	–	10	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 16th-year head coach Vince Dooley, the Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 6–5, with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, and finished second in the SEC. ^[1]

The Bulldogs would have earned the SEC's automatic berth in the Sugar Bowl had Auburn defeated Alabama in the Iron Bowl despite Georgia's 6-5 overall record. An Auburn win would have created a three-way tie between the Bulldogs, Tigers and Crimson Tide for the conference championship, which meant the team which had gone the longest without appearing in the Sugar Bowl would go to New Orleans. Auburn had not been to the Sugar Bowl since after the 1971 season, compared to 1976 for Georgia and 1978 for Alabama, but since the Tigers were banned from bowl games due to NCAA probation, the Bulldogs would have received the nod in that situation. Alabama defeated Auburn 25-18 to win the SEC outright, then toppled Arkansas 24-9 in the Sugar Bowl for the consensus national championship.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	Wake Forest *	No. 12	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA		L 21–22	57,500	[2]
September 22	at Clemson *		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)		L 7–12	63,573	[3] [4]
September 29	South Carolina *		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)		L 20–27	60,100	[5]
October 6	at Ole Miss		Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS		W 24–21	35,912	[6]
October 13	No. 13 LSU		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA		W 21–14	61,000	[7]
October 20	at Vanderbilt		Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)		W 31–10	24,700	[8]
October 27	Kentucky		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA		W 20–6	60,300	[9]
November 3	Virginia *		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA		L 0–31	59,100	[10]
November 10	vs. Florida		Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry)	ABC	W 33–10	68,148	[11]
November 17	Auburn		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)		L 13–33	63,000	[12]
November 24	Georgia Tech *		Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	ABC	W 16–3	48,781	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1979 Georgia Bulldogs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 82 Anthony Arnold QB 8 Buck Belue So TE 88 Norris Brown Fr C 53 Ray Donaldson Sr RB Carnie Norris WR Carmon Prince WR 24 Lindsay Scott So RB 11 Matt Simon	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 49 Jeff Hipp DL Jimmy Payne DB 19 Scott Woerner Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 6 Rex Robinson Jr P Mike Garrett Sr	Head coach Vince Dooley Coordinators/assistant coaches Erk Russell Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "1979 Georgia Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
2. "Devilish Demon Deacons bump big, bad Bulldogs". The News and Observer. September 16, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Clemson gains revenge, dumps Georgia". The Times and Democrat. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1980". Clemson University. 1980. p. 2. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
5. "Gamecocks rally to drop Georgia, 27–20". Anderson Independent/Daily Mail. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Georgia handles Ole Miss". The Clarion-Ledger. October 7, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
7. "'Real' Dogs stand up, whip LSU". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Georgia kicks Vandy, 31–10". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Georgia wins again in SEC". Tallahassee Democrat. October 28, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Virginia shocks Vince Dooley's Bulldogs 31–0". The Roanoke Times. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Georgia tramples winless UF, 33–10, eyes Sugar Bowl". The Miami Herald. November 11, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Cribbs, Brooks smash 'Dogs". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 18, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Dogs whip Georgia Tech in rain 16–3". The Sunday Ledger-Enquirer. November 25, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.