Vince Dooley's fourth season in Athens was met with high expectations. The Dawgs opened the season at #5 in the polls and was one of four teams featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in their college football preview issue. The team was lead by standouts Bill Stanfill and Jake Scott and rose to #3 in the ratings. But a loss to Ole Miss in October (29-20) followed by losses to Houston and Florida resulted in a disappointing 7-3 season.
The Dawgs accepted a bid to take on North Carolina State from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Wolfpack had finished the season 8-2 and had climbed to number 1 in the ranking following an upset victory over Houston. But a loss to Clemson late in the season cost them an ACC Championship. They were lead by their defense, known as the "White Shoes Defense" and by ACC player of the year, quarterback Jim Donnan. The same Jim Donnan who would later become coach of the Georgia Bulldogs.
On December 16, 1967, the Dawgs took the field against the Wolfpack in front of 35,054 fans at the Liberty Bowl stadium in Memphis. Donnan gave NC State the first lead of the game, ending a long drive with a touchdown pass. Georgia was able to tie the score at 7 before the end of the first half, after marching 68 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Corey Moore completed four passes to set up a one yard score by Ronnie Jenkins.
The second half continued to be a defensive battle. NC State took the lead early in the fourth quarter, but Georgia got the ball back near its own goal line with a chance to go the length of the field for the tie. After driving 96 yards, the Dawgs were faced with a fourth and goal at the NC state 3. Corey Moore pitched the ball to Lawrence, who was stopped at the 1 yard line. NC State held on for the 14-7 victory in a game in which Georgia outgained NC State 276 to 207. Georgia finished the year at 7-4.
FINAL SCORE: NC State 14, Georgia 7
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Charter buses to the game: http://independence.bowlbus.com/
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