1. 1982 – In the first nationally televised game from Starkville, it was an instant classic between Georgia and Mississippi State. Vince Dooley’s Bulldogs defeated Mississippi State 29-22 at Davis Wade Stadium, improving to 4-0 en route to an 11-0 regular season and third straight SEC Championship. Herschel Walker had a tremendous performance, healthy after the injured thumb, and instantly moved right back into the thick of the race for the Heisman Trophy, which he would go on to win. The two quarterbacks John Lastinger and John Bond, both Valdosta High School Wildcats, had excellent games. Terry Hoage was a big play maker, Jimmy Harrell had a huge punt return, and Kevin Butler was clutch. Down seven, MSU was on the move, then inside the Georgia 20, Bond fumbled, and Kevin “Catfish” Jackson recovered for the Dawgs. It was one special Saturday.
2. 2017 – The Flea Flicker set the tone. Jake Fromm handed to Nick Chubb, who flipped the football back to Fromm, who hit Terry Godwin on the run for a 55 (double check yardage) yard touchdown strike. After a defensive stop to start the game, this was Georgia’s first offensive play from scrimmage. It was 7-0 Georgia, and the Bulldogs were on the way. Both teams came in undefeated at 3-0. Kirby Smart’s Dawgs beat Notre Dame in the second game of the year. Mississippi State was coming off a 37-7 win over LSU. I remember that night, the famed AJC writer Mark Bradley said to me, I think your Dawgs are going 11-1 at worst. Of course, my inner Vince Dooley / Larry Munson came through, and I said, oh there’s a long way to go, and the schedule is tough. Well, sure enough, the Bulldogs went 11-1, then beat Auburn for the SEC Championship to earn a College Football Playoff berth. That year was the beginning of the Kirby Smart dynasty, and that 31-3 victory over MSU was a good early indicator that these Bulldogs were on their way.
3. 2022 – It was a frigid night in Starkville, and top-ranked, 9-0, reigning national champion Georgia was on upset alert. Mississippi State was talented and hungry for a huge win under the watch of the Pirate, Mike Leach, who soon after sadly passed away. Stetson Bennett, Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey highlighted a 45-19 victory. State returned a punt for a touchdown on the final play of the first half – Georgia stymied the two-pointer – and it was 17-12 Georgia at intermission. The Dawgs struck on the first possession of the second half, as McConkey went 70 yards on a reverse to create some distance. State would get no closer the rest of the night. The victory clinched the SEC East title, as Georgia made it 10-0 en route to a perfect 15-0 campaign and second straight national championship.
4. Ron Polk – The legend, The Godfather of Southeastern Conference baseball, built Mississippi State into a national powerhouse and made the sport a huge deal. In between his two stints at MSU, Polk coached Georgia in 2000 and 2001. The Bulldogs of 2001, led by All-American Jeff Keppinger, went to the College World Series for the third time in program history (1987 and 1990) and won the SEC championship for the first time since 1954. The coaching carousel began on our ride back to Athens from Omaha. Pat McMahon, Polk’s successor at MSU was bound for Florida. Polk’s top assistant David Perno became Georgia’s new head coach and led the Bulldogs to three College World Series (2004, 2006 and 2008) and a pair of SEC titles (04, 08). Perno is one of many Polk disciples who enjoyed stellar careers. Ron Polk made College Baseball in the SEC popular and profitable. He is a great man who loves his cigars and his thousand of friends, of which I’m proud to call myself one.
5. Where to eat – Lunch at The Little Dooey is a must. It is a tremendous BBQ restaurant with all kinds of great choices. Coach Polk is a regular by the way. Dinner at Harvey’s, where back in the late 1990s, I dined on all three nights of our baseball road trip to MSU. It’s one of the SEC’s best one-two eating punches.