Today in College Football History: Kevin Butler Goes Long to Beat Clemson
By Kyle Kensing
Larry Munson: known for his fan-like approach to calling Georgia football on the radio and his exuberance in close, late game situations.
Kevin Butler: known for the single bar facemask he wore, and the powerful leg with which he kicked.
On Sept. 22, 1984, the two combined for the above memorable moment as Georgia took down second ranked Clemson, 26-23.
Munson’s description of the waning seconds leading up to Butler’s 60-yard attempt capture the anguish many fans feel as their teams squander precious ticks late in a game. Back in 1984, this was of particular significance as overtime was still about a decade away, so the Bulldogs weren’t playing conservative with an opportunity to win it in extra frames. A Butler miss would have resulted in the dreaded notch under T of UGa’s records.
And though Butler is now renowned as one of the great kickers of all time, this was still 60 yards. Sixty! Many kickers have nailed attempts from there or further, but increasingly few after the 1978 rule change disallowing use of a wore ball on field goal attempts. Thus, Vince Dooley’s decision to attempt a kick was a gutsy one.
But as he had throughout the Georgia-Clemson rivalry, Butler was clutch. His kick sailed between the uprights, eliminating the Tigers from the ranks of the unbeaten. Those three points were a drop in the bucket of what he scored in four games against Clemson.
Bulldog fans voted the game the best in Sanford Stadium history, and in 2013 the rivalry will begin adding installments when it is renewed.
Other Miles on September 22
Per
the College Football Hall of Fame
, Illinois running back and current Big Ten Network analyst Howard Griffith ran wild on Southern Illinois to the tune of eight touchdowns. Take a moment to let that synch in: eight touchdowns. By comparison, the current Bowl Subdivision leader for rushing touchdowns is San Diego State’s Ronnie Hillman, who has eight through three games.