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NCAA Football Recap (Georgia-Virginia)
Posted: Fri January 1, 1999 at 3:13 a.m EST ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Georgia cornerback Champ Bailey may have been the nation's best defensive player this year. But Adrian Hollingshed and brother Boss Bailey made the three biggest plays of the season for the Bulldogs. Hollingshed made two consecutive big plays in the final seconds to push Virginia just out of Todd Braverman's field-goal range as Georgia held on for a 35-33 victory over Virginia in a thrilling Peach Bowl. Aaron Brooks scored on a spectacular 30-yard touchdown run with 1:34 left and the Cavaliers (9-3) lined up for the tying two-point conversion. But Boss Bailey chased Brooks out of the pocket and a pass to Terrence Wilkins never reached the end zone. Virginia was given new life moments later when defensive back Devon Simmons recovered the ensuing onside kickoff and Brooks' 26-yard run moved the ball to the Georgia 27-yard line. That set up a 44-yard field goal attempt. But Hollingshed tackled Thomas Jones in the backfield on consecutive plays and Braverman was forced to try a 48-yarder, which he pushed just right. Braverman's career-long was a 47-yarder. Ironically, he missed an extra point earlier in the game that forced the Cavaliers to go for two following Brooks' TD run. The dramatic contest brought back memories of the 1995 Peach Bowl between the schools. Virginia recorded a 34-27 victory that year when Demetrius Allen scored on an 83-yard kickoff return with 57 seconds remaining. Freshmen quarterback Quincy Carter accounted for three touchdowns and Olandis Gary ran for 110 yards and two scores for the Bulldogs (9-3), who rallied from a 21-0 second-quarter deficit. "I thought that was a tremendous win for Georgia and a tough loss for Virginia, especially after the way they dominated us in the second quarter," Georgia coach Jim Donnan said. "I'm glad we got a win in the fourth quarter. I thought we showed a lot by coming back and doing what we had to do." Carter was intercepted three times in the second quarter, with Georgia scoring a touchdown after each turnover. But the Bulldogs rallied and tied it, 21-21, when Gary burst through the line and went 15 yards for a touchdown with 5:50 left in the third quarter. Virginia answered on the next possession when Wilkins turned in the game's most exhilarating play. Brooks hit Wilkins, who had beaten Champ Bailey, over the middle at midfield. The 5-9 wideout faked out Larry Mann and slipped from the grasp of Kirby Smart before sprinting for a 67-yard TD. But Braverman pushed the conversion right, leaving Virginia with a 27-21 lead. "Champ was on me, bump and run," said Wilkins. "I just released outside and went back in. Brooks just put it there and I caught it. They kept going for the ball and while they were doing that, I just kept moving my legs. I turned around and nobody was there, so I just kept running." Wilkins hauled in six passes for 161 yards, seven short of his career high. Jones carried 23 times for 96 yards for the Cavaliers, who racked up 198 yards on the ground. Brooks was 12-for-32 for 226 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. "I just told the team after the game they had a heck of a year," said Cavaliers coach George Welsh. "I'm not going to feel too badly since we lost a bowl game. It would have been nice to get 10 wins. That was a big incentive for them." Both teams went three-and-out on their next possessions, but Gary scored on a two-yard run with 12:52 to play and Hap Hines' extra point put the Bulldogs ahead by one. A diving 52-yard reception by Michael Greer helped set up Carter's one-yard TD just under six minutes later as Georgia went on top 35-27. Brooks was picked off in the end zone by cornerback Cory Robinson with four minutes left, but the Cavaliers got back the ball at their own 41 with 2:59 to play. Jones broke free for a 29-yard gain to the Georgia 25 and Brooks' 30-yard TD scamper set up the final tense moments. Linebacker Wali Rainer, safety Adrian Burmin and cornerback Tim Spruill picked off Carter in the second quarter to set up Virginia's first three scores. Anthony Southern plowed his way for a two-yard TD and Brooks hit Wilkins and Jones for scores of 43 and 24 yards, respectively. "(Getting down early) was adversity for the whole team," said Donnan. "We were just trying to stop the bleeding. By the end of the game, more good things had happened than bad. The best thing was that missed field goal. With time winding down in the first half, Mann deflected Donnie Scott's punt, putting the Bulldogs at the Virginia 49. Six plays later, Carter hit Tony Small with a 14-yard score to put Georgia back in the contest. "There were a lot of momentum shifts along the way," said Gary. "When we scored that touchdown right before halftime, we felt like we had it. There was not crying or bickering in the locker room at halftime. We just stayed together. "We just wanted to make sure when we went back out (after halftime) that we just stay pumped and stay focused," added Wilkins. "I don't think that touchdown before the half really hurt us." The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 21-14 early in the third quarter when Carter and Champ Bailey hooked up on a 14-yard touchdown. Bailey led Georgia during the regular season with 744 receiving yards and was second on the team with 47 receptions. "I was hoping they wouldn't get 35 points," Welsh said. "We came out and got backed up and couldn't make some plays and got really backed up. That's when it really changed, the first seven or eight minutes of the third quarter. I don't think there was any one turning point." Carter was 18-of-33 for 222 yards while adding 33 yards on 14 carries. Small caught five passes for 28 yards and Bailey racked up 73 yards on three receptions. The victory was Georgia's fourth in its last five bowl appearances and improved their postseason record to 17-14-3. Virginia suffered its second striaght bowl loss and saw its overall victory fall to 4-6. All 10 of the Cavaliers' bowl appearances have come since George Welsh took over as coach in 1982.© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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