Best passing plays in Georgia football history: the 'Hobnail Boot'
DawgsHQ wants to take a look at the best passing plays in Georgia football history, and none of these lists are complete without the Hobnail Boot.
We all have our favorites, or at the very least, we all have a play that immediately comes to mind.
*** Previous entries in this series: ***
David Greene to Michael Johnson at Auburn in 2002
Jake Fromm to Terry Godwin at Notre Dame in 2017
Today, we’ll revisit a play that set the stage for Georgia football to enter the modern era under Mark Richt.
Mark Richt didn’t know what he didn’t know
Obviously, Richt knew about Tennessee’s 90’s aura.
But this was his first game as a head coach at Neyland Stadium, let alone his first season as a head coach, period.
It may be hard to believe given Tennessee’s recent down seasons. But Knoxville used to be a nearly impenetrable SEC road destination for visiting teams.
When Mark Richt led the first edition of his Georgia Bulldogs into Knoxville, Tennessee had a home-game win streak against Georgia dating back to 1980.
Between Herschel Walker running over Bill Bates, and the Hobnail Boot, Georgia never won on Rocky Top.
I know, I didn’t believe it either. Part of the equation is that Georgia and Tennessee didn’t play each other every year in the 1980’s like they do now.
The other part is, these two teams shared little to no common ground, program-wise, in the 90’s.
Tennessee went 107-26-1 from 1990 through 2000. The Volunteers won three SEC Championships during that stretch under Phillip Fulmer.
Georgia, meanwhile, went 80-47-1. SEC Championships under Ray Goff and Jim Donnan? Didn’t happen.
The Dawgs upset Tennessee in 2000 Between the Hedges in Jim Donnan’s final season, but there was no indication that the win could be anything but a fluke.
Then the Hobnail Boot happened
Georgia trailed the Vols 26-24 with 10 seconds left.
The Dawgs had the ball near Tennesse’s goal line.
On first and six, Mark Richt told every SEC competitor that he meant business in this league.
Freshman David Greene executed a flawless play action hand-off, just to turn around and see his fullback, Verron Haynes, standing right in the middle of the Tennessee checkerboards.
I’m not sure he needed to jump, but Haynes left the ground to haul in a little flick of Greene’s wrist.
Neither player could have possibly matched the excitement in Larry Munson’s booth.
What is a hobnail boot, anyway?
As far as I know, a hobnail boot is a work boot that has metal studs spaced out evenly on the sole.
Tennessee had it laced up against Georgia and many other SEC teams for years.
David Greene and Verron Haynes untied it. Then, they slipped it on to the Bulldogs’ proverbial foot with the execution of play call P-44 Haynes.
Was it a deep bomb, or an example of tremendous individual effort?
No, and not necessarily.
But it gave the Dawgs the ‘dub, and it gave Larry Munson one of the most memorable calls in sports radio history:
Most importantly, it galvanized Mark Richt’s first team at Georgia.
Most of those recruits showed up to play for Jim Donnan, not him.
Richt really could have used a big win against any of his competitive SEC opponents to prove that his program was on the right track.
The Dawgs got the biggest one they possibly could have, in the most dramatic fashion possible.
Tennessee’s gotten a few wins in the series since.
But Knoxville’s nose still hasn’t fully healed.
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