Throwback Thursday - UGA vs Bama

This weekend’s contest between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs could play a large part in determining the SEC Eastern and Western Division champions. Alabama ( 3 - 1 ) travels to Athens ranked 13th, while the hosting Bulldogs ( 4 - 0 ) are ranked 8th. The game will be televised on CBS with kickoff scheduled at 3:30PM.

The 2015 game will be the 66th meeting between these neighboring rivals dating back to November 2, 1895. Georgia beat Alabama 30-6 in the inaugural matchup played in Columbus, GA. The two teams were regular opponents prior to the divisional alignments within the conference in 1992, however, they have only met seven times in the past 23 years. Their last meeting came in the 2012 SEC Championship game which Alabama won 32-28. The Tide also have the lead in the overall series 37-25-4.

The rivalry is highlighted by controversial play that occurred in the 1965 game which led to the upset of the defending National Champion, Alabama – ranked 5th at the time playing a Bulldog team coming off a 7-3-1 season. The game was low scoring and came down to the wire. Georgia was driving and with a play almost dead, went for the “hook and lateral” that resulted in the game winning score for the Bulldogs. Second-year coach, Vince Dooley, was carried to mid-field on the shoulders of his jubilant players where he shook hands with the legendary Bear Bryant. The controversy came the next day as newspaper photos captured what the officials missed… the fact that the Georgia player’s knee was down before he lateraled the ball.

Here’s to an equally drama-filled yet non-controversial matchup this week!