As a Georgia fan, the mention of Verron Haynes is likely to first bring up the legendary P-44 Haynes play call.
And why shouldn’t it? It was a defining early win for head coach Mark Richt at Georgia, and it turned the tide of the Tennessee rivalry.
But as glorious as that moment was, not to be forgotten is the way that Haynes picked up steam near the end of the 2001 season. As the season grew later, Georgia not only focused more on the run game, but Haynes as well as being a key part.
Both paid off, and that span began in November of that year in a 35-15 road win over the Rebels. It was a big bounce-back win for Georgia, which had lost two in a row, the second being 24-17 in a goalline heartbreaker to Auburn, proof that the law of averages does catch up to you eventually.
Before that game, Haynes in 2001 had not carried the ball more than ten times in a game other than 14 times for 86 yards against Kentucky. That all changed against Ole Miss, and it began a run in which leaning on Haynes to anchor the run game.
The Rebels had little answer for Haynes, who that day rushed 26 times for 192 yards. Haynes would rush for more than 100 yards in four of Georgia’s final games to end 2001, including a staggering 207 a week later in a drought-breaking win against Georgia Tech.
As for the Ole Miss win, Haynes got Georgia going early on a 13-yard run and 7-0 lead before the Dawgs trailed 9-7 at the half. Georgia gradually wrested control, leading 14-9 on a short Jasper Sanks touchdown run before a pass from David Greene to Terrence Edwards followed by an 82-yard pick six by Jermaine Phillips padded the lead before the late dagger of a fourth-quarter score by Haynes.
The road win set the tone going ahead for Georgia, which a game later got the first of very many wins under Richt at Bobby Dodd Stadium, aka Historic Mark Richt Field.
Go Dawgs!
