Georgia Football: 10 Best Bowl Game Victories in School History

On Jan. 2, the Georgia Bulldogs will look to earn another bowl win as they face the Michigan State Spartans in the Outback Bowl.

Winning bowl games is nothing new for the Bulldogs because they have done it 26 times in school history.

But what are some of the best bowl wins in the Bulldogs' history? What are the 10 bowl wins that either were history making, groundbreaking or just exciting?

Here's a look at the 10 best bowl wins in UGA history.

No. 10: 2004 Capital One Bowl

This win came after a tough loss to LSU in the SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs went up against a Purdue team that was the Big Ten runner-up, and the Bulldogs jumped to a 24-0 lead.

After scoring unanswered points, Kyle Orton led the Boilermakers to a score to tie the game at 27 with seven minutes remaining, and it would stay tied at the end of regulation.

The Bulldogs got the ball first in overtime and Kregg Lumpkin scored on a 4th-and-1 call.

When Purdue got the ball, Orton threw a pass on 4th-and-3 and it was picked off by Tony Taylor.

The win gave the Bulldogs their 10th win of the year and they finished No. 11 in the final AP poll.

No. 9: 1989 Gator Bowl

This win was one of the best because it was Vince Dooley's final game as the head coach for the Bulldogs.

Michigan State was the opponent, and with the Bulldogs winning a close one (the final score was 34-27), it overshadowed Spartans wide receiver Andre Rison's performance (192 receiving yards).

Bulldog quarterback Wayne Johnson was named MVP for the winning team while Rison was named MVP for the losing team.

No. 8: 1998 Peach Bowl

This was another game with a wild finish.

The Bulldogs faced the Virginia Cavaliers and were down 21-0 in the second quarter.

But under the leadership of quarterback Quincy Carter, the Bulldogs fought their way back into the game—it was tied at 21 in the third quarter.

Virginia scored late in the the third to break the tie, but missed the extra point. That would prove costly because Olandis Gary would score on a two-yard run to give the Bulldogs the 28-27 lead.

Carter would score on a one-yard run in the fourth to increase the lead to eight.

But the Cavs would not go away. Quarterback Aaron Brooks scored on a 30-yard run to cut the lead back to two (they missed the two-point conversion).

The Cavs would then recover an onside kick but missed a a field goal with seconds left—the Bulldogs would get their ninth win of the year.

No. 7: 2005 Outback Bowl

Both Georgia and Wisconsin would come in to the game with identical records (9-2) and both wanted to get their 10th win of the year.

After leading 10-6 at the half, the Bulldogs were able to break the game open, as David Greene threw a touchdown pass to Jeremy Thomas and Thomas Brown scored on a 29-yard run.

Wisconsin would scored 15 unanswered and the Greene was able to run out the clock.

It was the 42nd win for Greene—a NCAA record at the time, and David Pollack was named MVP. This game also marked the final one for Greene and Pollack who would move on the NFL.

No. 6: 2006 Chick-Fil-a Bowl

Yet again, this was a bowl game where the Bulldogs had to fight back in the second half and steal a victory from the jaws of defeat.

After trailing to Virginia Tech 21-3 at the half, the Bulldogs came out swinging and came away with a 31-24 win over the Hokies.

Matthew Stafford was named Offensive MVP, while Tony Taylor was named Defensive MVP.

The Bulldogs would finish the year at 9-4 and they gave the Hokies their third loss of the year.

No. 5: 1942 Orange Bowl

This game could be called the Frank Sinkwich show because he racked up 382 yards of total offense to lead the Bulldogs over TCU 40-26.

This was the first Bowl win for the Bulldogs as well as their first bowl appearance. The win also marked the first bowl win for head coach Wally Butts. 

No. 4: 2000 Outback Bowl

Out of all the comebacks the Bulldogs made in bowl history, this one was the biggest and greatest.

Under the leadership of Drew Brees, the Boilermakers led by as much as 25 points.

But the Bulldogs were able to score 28 unanswered points to come away with the 28-25 win, thanks to two Quincy Carter touchdown passes, a Terrence Edwards touchdown run and a Hap Hines last second field goal.

One of the most memorable moments was when Hines kicked the field goal and the Bulldog nation celebrated on the field.

No. 3: 2003 Sugar Bowl

This was not a close game by any means, but when the Bulldogs defeated Florida State in the 2003 Sugar Bowl, it showed the Bulldogs are back as being one of the top teams in the SEC.

Thanks to players like David Greene, D.J. Shockley and Terrence Edwards, the Bulldogs dominated the Seminoles 26-13 and finished No. 2 in the AP polls with a 13-1 record.

It was the first time in 20 years the Bulldogs won the Sugar Bowl, and to say it was a sweet victory would be an understatement.

No. 2: 1984 Cotton Bowl

The reason this game was a big win for the Bulldogs: They came into the game as  huge underdogs to the undefeated Texas Longhorns.

It looked as if Texas was going to secure a win, leading 9-3 with four minutes left in the game. But the Longhorns muffed a punt and that led to a Georgia score. The Bulldogs would win 10-9 and would finish No. 4 in the final AP poll.

No. 1: 1981 Sugar Bowl

It is no surprise this is the top bowl win in Bulldogs history.

The undefeated Bulldogs took on the seventh ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and with the help of Herschel Walker, the Bulldogs won 17-10 and win the second consensus national title. 

Walker, a freshman at the time, would score the teams two touchdowns and was named MVP. That win not only marked a national title for the Bulldogs, it also showed the birth of a legend in Walker.