# 1997 Georgia Bulldogs football team

The 1997 Georgia Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented the University of Georgia as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second year under head coach Jim Donnan, the team compiled a 10–2 record, with a conference record of 6–2, and finished second in the Eastern Division.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 1:00 p.m. | Arkansas State* | | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | | W 38–7 | 79,145 |
| September 13 | 3:30 p.m. | South Carolina | | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA (rivalry) | CBS | W 31–15 | 86,117 |
| September 20 | 1:00 p.m. | Northeast Louisiana* | No. 25 | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | | W 42–3 | 74,113 |
| October 4 | 1:00 p.m. | Mississippi State | No. 18 | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | | W 47–0 | 83,211 |
| October 11 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 10 Tennessee | No. 13 | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | CBS | L 13–38 | 106,656 |
| October 18 | 9:00 p.m. | at Vanderbilt | No. 19 | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN (rivalry) | ESPN2 | W 34–13 | 35,124 |
| October 25 | 3:30 p.m. | Kentucky | No. 16 | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | CBS | W 23–13 | 85,672 |
| November 1 | 3:30 p.m. | vs. No. 6 Florida | No. 14 | Alltel StadiumJacksonville, FL (rivalry) | CBS | W 37–17 | 84,297 |
| November 15 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 16 Auburn | No. 7 | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA (Deep South's Oldest Rivalry) | ESPN | L 34–45 | 86,117 |
| November 22 | 2:00 p.m. | at Ole Miss | No. 14 | Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS | | W 21–14 | 35,473 |
| November 29 | 1:00 p.m. | at Georgia Tech* | No. 14 | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate) | ABC | W 27–24 | 46,015 |
| January 1, 1998 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. Wisconsin* | No. 12 | Houlihan's StadiumTampa, FL (Outback Bowl) | ESPN | W 33–6 | 56,186 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | 25 | 19 | 18 | 13 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| Coaches | — | | — | — | 25 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 |

## Game summaries
### Vs. Florida

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Georgia | 7 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 37 |
| Florida | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: November 1
* Game attendance: 84,297
* TV: CBS
* Box Score/Recap
Game information :
First quarter
UGA – Robert Edwards 27-yard run (Hap Hines kick), 10:16. Georgia 7–0.
Second quarter
UF – Collins Cooper 36-yard field goal, 6:03. Georgia 7–3.
UGA – Robert Edwards 1-yard run (Hap Hines kick), 3:23. Georgia 14–3.
Third quarter
UF – Noah Brindise 1-yard run (Collins Cooper kick), 11:23. Georgia 14–10.
UF – Rod Frazier 3-yard run (Collins Cooper kick), 6:32. Florida 17–14.
UGA – Robert Edwards 1-yard run (Hap Hines kick), 1:30. Georgia 21–17.
Fourth quarter
UGA – Dax Langley 27-yard field goal, 9:02. Georgia 24–17.
UGA – Robert Edwards 37-yard run (kick failed), 5:58. Georgia 30–17.
UGA – Olandis Gary 7-yard run (Hap Hines kick), 2:44. Georgia 37–17.
Top passers
UGA – Mike Bobo – 16/27, 260 yards, 3 INT
UF – Doug Johnson – 12/25, 115 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
UGA – Robert Edwards – 26 rushes, 124 yards, 4 TD
UF – Fred Taylor – 18 rushes, 85 yards
Top receivers
UGA – Corey Allen – 5 receptions, 116 yards
UF – Jamie Richardson – 6 receptions, 97 yards :