Colleges: Florida-Georgia

A dawg gone good play

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published October 25, 2005

Sure, if you're a Florida-Georgia fan you know about Buck Belue and Lindsay Scott. You're well acquainted with Herschel Walker.

But do you know Arlen Jumper, the man who inadvertently helped change the course of the game in 1952?

The Gators had lost to Vanderbilt the week before the Georgia game and came in as heavy underdogs.

Georgia had touted quarterback Zeke Bratkowski and his star receiver Harry Babcock.

The Gators had ... well, pride.

On the opening kickoff, Jumper, a Florida linebacker, ran down the field and attacked Babcock - who was on the kickoff return team. Babcock retaliated.

Both were thrown out of the game, leaving the Bulldogs without their best receiver, and essentially no offense.

The Gators won 30-0, which was the biggest UF win in the history of the series up to that point. The victory propelled Florida to its first bowl in school history, the Gator Bowl.

Friends often teased Jumper, who played in 1951 and 1952, that it was the best play he made in his Gator career.

[Last modified October 25, 2005, 06:29:02]