Vince Dooley reflects on Texas A&M's last trip to Athens in 1980

Key notes from Vince Dooley interview

• It has been too long since A&M came. Once they come, it’s going to be a long time before they do again. I hope they somehow change some things so we can rotate within the conference more.
   
• Athens has changed a lot since then. In a lot of ways, though, maybe not. It is still a college town and will always be that. Since those days, the stadium has grown even more. I remember A&M coming. It was our second game of the season, I believe. I don’t remember a lot about the game except that we won handily. There was this anticipation of Herschel making a long run, and before the game was over, he did make a long run, and that excited all the Georgia people as you can imagine.
   
• Herschel had a great year as a freshman. He had three great years. As a freshman, he broke Tony Dorsett’s rushing record in the final game of the year against Georgia Tech. He had a great year. He was the missing piece of the puzzle. We had a good reliable football team overall. We lacked that one great tailback. He won the job in the second half in Knoxville and then started for the next three years. He was the missing piece of the puzzle for us to have a great team and to be undefeated.
   
• You could make an argument for him earning the Heisman. Back in those days, you were judged over a period of time, and they did not give it to freshman. That particular year they had George Rogers at South Carolina. There was a great game between South Carolina and Georgia that year. Herschel had a great game on that day. But George Rogers had been consistently good, so he won it.
   
• Well, it’s true. We had a complete team. What you’re talking about, after coming off South Carolina, which was a tight ball game, we had to go play Florida. They were well prepared. It’s tough to play big rivals back to back. Florida had the lead, and it was about a minute to play, we were backed up, and it looked like our winning streak was over.
   
• Our quarterback, Buck Belue, could play. He ran about 75 yards for a touchdown to win the game. It wasn't all Herschel. Herschel was the primary person, but we had a great quarterback and great receiver and an excellent safety who just went in the HoF in Scott Woerner. Woerner won the game against Clemson. He intercepted a pass and ran 99 yards to the one-yard line and then returned a punt for a touchdown. Those were the two touchdowns we had to win that ballgame. It was just an example that while Herschel was the primary guy, but there were lots of great players that made great plays throughout the season.
   
• This is the third year in a row that Smart has won the East and clinched it against Auburn in a tight football game. Georgia is in that same situation. They’re coming off a really tough game and now having to play A&M. You concern yourself about an emotional letdown, and that’s going to be a challenge because A&M has gotten better and better. I have great respect for Jimbo Fisher. I've known him since back when he was at Auburn and back when he was at LSU. They have played such a tough schedule. They have a great balance in their football team. Their offense has gotten better. They have great receivers, the quarterback we know about, their defense is solid and their kicking game too. In every category, they’re in the upper echelon. Georgia better be ready to play because it’s going to be an incredible challenge. 
   
•  I think Jimbo was a tremendous selection for A&M's head coach. He's better compensated. My wife- every time she reads the salaries- gets mad all over again for me, leaving just when I was making money. I think he’ll prove worth it. I’ve seen Jimbo and watched him at LSU, and my son was there and seen what he has done at Florida. He knows what football is all about. I have no doubt there will be a championship at A&M in the future.
   
• I strongly believe in running the football. I know that you need to be balanced more so than we were, even when we had Herschel. You have to be balanced. I always believe in a strong running game and playing defense. The defense is extremely quick, tackle very well, and they are in the top 3-4 in the category in the nation in rushing defense and total defense. Defensively, you have to be good every week, and this will be a challenge against the A&M team that is ready and anxious to have an opportunity to play a team like Georgia who is ranked number four in the nation.
   
• That’s the great thing about living around a university. If you’re curious about anything, you can satisfy it. I’ve always enjoyed auditing courses, particularly in history, which I got my masters in. There are other opportunities, and I thought I’d take one course, and one course led to another. So I’m an inspiration to anybody who wants to be a garden late in life.
   
• The hedges are very sacred. They are well-kept and have been a great tradition. To be in the Olympics and host the final four in soccer, we had to remove them. One of our plant pathologists found that the hedges have nematodes. It ended up being a blessing in disguise. We took cuttings from the hedges and planted them in other places and then replaced them with sons and daughters of the original plants. Georgia people accepted that.