Dooley Gets a Winning Send-Off in Gator Bowl : Bulldogs Hold Off Michigan State, 34-27, in Retiring Coach’s Final Game

Wayne Johnson threw 3 touchdown passes and Rodney Hampton ran for 109 yards and scored 3 times as No. 19-ranked Georgia gave Coach Vince Dooley a Gator Bowl victory over Michigan State, 34-27, in his final game Sunday night.

At the end of the game, Dooley’s players gave him a ride on their shoulders as the crowd stayed on and cheered.

Dooley, 56, said before the game the impact of ending 25 years as Georgia’s head coach hadn’t really sunk in.

“I think it will in spring practice in April,” he said, “It will get in then. It will get in even more next fall when I’m not out there.”

“I’m just happy and proud I’ve been part of it for 25 years.”

The Georgia victory spoiled a record-setting performance by Michigan State’s Andre Rison, who caught 9 passes for 252 yards, breaking the former Gator Bowl mark of 192 receiving yards by Florida State’s Fred Biletnikoff in 1965.

Rison caught scoring passes from Bobby McAllister on plays covering 4, 55 and 50 yards. He also caught a pass for a 51-yard gain to set up Blake Ezor’s 3-yard touchdown run, bringing Michigan State to within 7 points, 27-20, in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

But the Spartans couldn’t overcome an early 17-0 deficit.

Johnson, a senior who passed for only 945 yards and 4 touchdowns during the season, connected with Hampton on first-half scoring pass plays covering 6 and 30 yards, and Steve Crumley kicked 1 of his 2 field goals to help give Georgia a 17-7 lead.

Georgia finished its season with a 9-3 record. Michigan State, which came into the Gator Bowl with a 6-game winning streak, fell to 6-5-1.

Georgia’s lead reached 17-0 lead when Johnson threw for 66 yards on a 5-play, 74-yard scoring march culminated by a 30-yard touchdown pass play to Hampton, who also made a 22-yard catch on the drive.

Hampton opened the scoring with on a 6-yard pass pass to help Georgia go ahead, 7-0, in the final second of the first quarter.

Johnson’s 21-yard pass to Sean Hummings on a first and 15 from midfield was the key play in the opening scoring drive.

On its next offensive series, Georgia took advantage of a short punt and grabbed a 10-0 lead on Crumley’s 39-yard field goal. Crumley also kicked a 36-yard field goal that gave the Bulldogs a 27-13 lead after the third period.

Michigan State, sparked by McAllister’s 41-yard pass to Rison, marched 80 yards for its first touchdown when Rison scored with 2:55 left in the half on a 4-yard pass.

Johnson, who passed for a career-high 227 yards, teamed with tight end Kirk Warner on an 18-yard touchdown pass midway through the third period as Georgia took a 24-7 lead.

Hampton, a sophomore, also scored on a 32-yard run in the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs a 34-20 lead.

The 25 years Dooley spent at Georgia are a record among active coaches for length of stay at one school. He had only one losing season, in 1977. His record with the Bulldogs is 201-77-10, including Sunday’s victory, the first meeting between these universities.

Dooley finished with an 8-10-2 bowl record, including a 17-10 defeat of Notre Dame in the 1981 Sugar Bowl to secure the 1980 national championship for the Bulldogs.

Herschel Walker, now a running back for the Dallas Cowboys, won the 1982 Heisman Trophy while playing at Georgia.

“It’s going to feel different without him. You think of the ‘Dogs and you think of Dooley. He’s a great coach and a great man,” Walker said. “Everyone is going to miss him.

“He has earned his right to be among the heroes of Georgia.”