20 college football moments that deserve to be made into movies
By John Buhler
8. My God, a Freshman
There are few players in college football lore that were almost mythical in their dominance. One of those players was former Georgia Bulldogs running back Herschel Walker. As a true freshman in 1980, he was primarily the reason Georgia was able to win its most recent national title to date.
Sure, the Bulldogs had a great Erk Russell defense and the iconic Vince Dooley as head coach, but this Georgia team doesn’t win the national title without Walker in the backfield. He would be a Heisman finalist in 1980, ultimately losing out to South Carolina’s George Rogers that December.
Walker did things on the ground that few have ever replicated. His most notable touchdown of his career was also his first. In an early September game against the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, Walker took a handoff from quarterback Buck Belue and simply steamrolled All-SEC defensive back Bill Bates to find pay dirt.
It was like he ran through a tree. Bates could not have been in better position to bring down Walker, but this is where the legend began for the iconic Georgia running back. Georgia would catch a few breaks that season, including a Rogers fumble at the goal line against South Carolina and something about Lindsay Scott down in Jacksonville. Poor Cris Collinsworth had to watch that from the Florida sidelines.
This run by Walker is only elevated by the great “My God, a freshman” call by Georgia play-by-play announcer Larry Munson. Munson would call games for Georgia for decades. The Walker steamrolling of Bates in Knoxville is a top-five one in Munson’s radio career.