History was made by Georgia with its 1997 win over Mississippi State.
The 47-0 victory was its first SEC shutout since 1982, and it also still stands as the largest margin of victory in series history.
The Dawgs indeed had a big day, as Mike Bobo passed for 257 yards and Robert Edwards rushed for 102.
But when you think back to the 1997 season, this win is more recalled not for what happened during the game, but rather a few days prior.
Earlier in the week, then-Georgia head coach Jim Donnan came up with one of the greatest motivational stunts in college football history. In seeking to encourage Georgia to be the steamroller instead of the pavement, Donnan borrowed an actual steamroller to begin practice.
As Donnan told Dawg Nation in a 2020 interview, seeing that steamroller parked nearby was all the impetus he needed.
Donnan had good reason to be wary going into this game. Joe Lee Dunn’s MSU defense, with its varied looks, had a knack for giving even the best offenses fits, and the Bizzaro Dogs were 3-1. All of that went out the window, thanks to Donnan’s motivational tactic in a game that saw Georgia outgain State 495-200.
“This guy was on the steamroller, and I said , ‘Look, about 3:15 today, can you drive that thing up there to that field right over there and just park it there, and show me how to drive it?’ I’ll only drive it about 30 yards, and I’m not going to tear anything down. Fortunately for me, he was a Georgia fan. I told the coaches when I got back, ‘I know this is kind of hokey, but I’m going to drive that damn steamroller into practice,’ ”
Georgia would go 10-2 that season, routing Wisconsin and Ron Dayne in the Outback Bowl. It was part of a season where you saw the Dawgs be on the cusp of a breakthrough, only to not harness the prosperity. The win of MSU was followed a week later by a 38-13 loss to Tennessee. Later that season, a droght-breaking win against Florida was followed by a 45-34 loss to Auburn.
But in a season of ups and downs, 1997 provided a legendary motivational move, one that worked brilliantly.
Go Dawgs!
