1971 Gator Bowl (December)
The 1971 Gator Bowl (December) was a college football postseason bowl game that featured the Georgia Bulldogs and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Background
In the battle between the Dooley brothers was a finely balanced match up of an Atlantic Coast Conference champion that hadn't lost a conference game and a team that had only lost one game (#7 Auburn) which had cost them a Southeastern Conference title. This was Georgia's first Gator Bowl since 1948 and North Carolina's first since 1963.
Game summary
The third quarter proved to be the most crucial part of a game dominated by defese. The Tar Heels took the lead on a Craven 35 yard field goal with nine minutes left in the quarter. But the Bulldogs drove 80 yards down the field on the following possession, culminated with a 25-yard run by Jimmy Poulos with 1:39 left in the quarter to give Georgia the go-ahead touchdown. Poulus went for 161 yards on 20 carries, in an MVP effort. North Carolina was limited to under 200 yards.[1]
Aftermath
The Tar Heels would win the ACC title the following year, advancing to the Sun Bowl. They returned to the Gator Bowl in 1979. Georgia returned in 1989.
Statistics
| Statistics | North Carolina | Georgia |
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| First Downs | 9 | 13 |
| Rushing Yards | 115 | 228 |
| Passing Yards | 66 | 84 |
| Total Yards | 181 | 312 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 1 | 0 |
| Return Yardage | 51 | 61 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2/1 | 2/1 |
| Punts-Average | 10-46.6 | 10-34.8 |
| Yards Penalized | 3-15 | 5-29 |
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References
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| | Notes |
- There was a Gator Bowl in January and December in 1954, 1960, 1965, 1971, 1989, and 1991.
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