Spring Break
Tarkenton shares memories, says UGA tops Bama by 10
JASON BUTT
Issue date: 9/26/08 Section: Sports
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Tarkenton recently has started a blog at www.frantarkenton.com and the site is accompanied by a YouTube channel.
With Saturday's top 10 duel between Georgia and Alabama, he had a lot of things about the game to talk about, including Matthew Stafford, his playing days and his 20-year-old daughter Hayley who attends Alabama.
Q: With Georgia and Alabama both in the top 10, what are your thoughts on this game?
A: Well to start, when I was a junior in 1959 we won the SEC Championship and went to the Orange Bowl and finished No. 3 in the nation. Our season was triggered because we opened our season in Athens and beat the legendary Bear Bryant and Alabama (17-3). This triggered our great year, the greatest year we had in about a 15-year span. Now, we have Alabama this year and this will be our biggest test so far. I think our team is prepared to start our run to the championship. To me, this is where it starts. Not to demean the other teams because South Carolina was a tough team but this is the best team we've faced so far. We have a good offense, great depth and a great defense. We have the skill guys that can make a difference. A.J. Green is a special, special player. Our other players are good but when you have a player like that, it can make the whole game different.
Q: How would you assess the talent Georgia has at the skill positions this year?
A: You've got two people and these are superstar people at skill positions. We have a quarterback that's been a two-year starter and I don't think we've seen how good he is yet. The best of Matthew Stafford is yet to come.
Q: What will the outcome be in Saturday's game between Georgia and Alabama?
A: I think we win by 10 points. It will be a hard fought game and close for most of the game. But I think we have more guns.
Q: Have you had a chance to talk with head coach Mark Richt since he arrived to Athens in 2001?
A: Yes, I have. A couple of times actually. I think Mark Richt is singularly responsible for what we have at Georgia.
It is better than what any of us could have ever hoped. People want to play for him and people want to coach for him. And he's won with class and dignity.
Q: What are some of your favorite memories from your football days at Georgia?
A: The Alabama game I mentioned already sticks out because Georgia struggled all through the 50s and we were picked to finish at the bottom of the SEC.
It might have been the only game they lost that year.
We also beat Georgia Tech three straight years and they were a national power back then. The classic game from our generation was when we played Auburn for the SEC Championship in 1959 and for an Orange Bowl bid.
We beat Auburn in a classic game where we won 14-13 in what was a defensive battle all day.
They were a national powerhouse in that era. We brought Georgia back to greatness for that one year.
Q: Will you be in attendance for Saturday's game?
A: No but it's always nice to watch a game on TV. I've got HD so I've got to see it. That'll be great.
SEC football is the greatest football and it's better than the NFL, well, in terms of a spectator sport it is.
Q: What are the keys are to the game and stopping Alabama?
A: The key to every game starts with the defense. Our defense needs to stand up and shut them down.
On offense I think Stafford has to be a playmaker. He needs to get the ball to A.J. (Green), (Mohamed) Massaquoi, Knowshon Moreno and Caleb King when he's in there.
We've got to make plays on offense. The offense has to move the ball, You can't win solely on defense by saying that you'll shut them down and win 3-0. You have to move the ball and score on offense.
Q: So I heard you had a daughter that attends Alabama? How did you let that happen?
A: Yeah, can you imagine that? She grew up a Bulldog, but I've got four kids that went all over.
One went to Georgia, one went to Princeton, one went to Alabama and one went to Arizona.
Q: What did you tell her when she decided to go to Alabama?
A: I had no idea. I said that's crazy, but I guess all the Southern campuses are good.
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