There’s no question that when it comes to Ole Miss football, its greatest era came in the 1950s and 1960s, when the Rebels were a combined 157-46-11, a span of time that toward the back end included Archie Manning.
But when it came to the 1968, Georgia, as well as Mike Cavan owned the day against Mississippi as he led the Bulldogs to a pair of fourth-quarter drives in a 21-7 win.
That victory was the first ranked win for Georgia that year which tied Tennessee to start the year and would go on to beat
two more ranked foes that year – Houston and Auburn on the way to a No. 4 ranking and the SEC title.
Both teams headed into Athens that day with high hopes. Georgia was unbeaten coming away from wins against and Clemson and South Carolina with the Rebels riding high after beating Alabama the week prior.
By the time it all ended, the Bulldogs had made a statement when it came to both Cavan and Georgia’s season. Cavan would go on to be the SEC’s sophomore of the year, and the Bulldogs ended up in the Sugar Bowl, back when it was still played at Tulane Stadium.
For Cavan, his story didn’t end there with the Bulldogs. Even when his career at Georgia ended as a player, he’d eventually end up back in Athens as an assistant coach in what ended up being one of the most important roles in program history by leading the recruitment of Herschel Walker.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Go Dawgs!
