Five years ago today I was in Mercedes-Benz Stadium for one of the most impressive offensive performances in college football history.
Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, and the greatest offense the sport has ever seen put up 63 points on No. 4 Oklahoma, punching their ticket to a national title game that was over before it ever began. It was 49-14 at halftime in Atlanta that day.
That game will forever be remembered for a number of reasons. One in particular was the legendary performance from Justin Jefferson. The former two star recruit that seemingly still didn’t get enough credit had 14 catches for 227 yards and four touchdowns.
Most of that, including all four touchdowns, was in the first half. That got me thinking about some of the best bowl game performances from players at current SEC schools that we may have forgotten about.
Here are my top three most forgotten, unforgettable bowl game performances.
Oklahoma RB, Marcus Dupree – 1983 Fiesta Bowl
I don’t care if Dupree was in the Big Eight Conference at the time of this game. He’s one of my favorite players of all-time. If you’re unfamiliar with who Dupree is, let me explain. Sandwiched between Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson, there was a freshman running back at Oklahoma from Philadelphia, Miss., that was potentially better than both of them.
His career didn’t pan out, but his freshman campaign was capped off with a Fiesta Bowl performance that would be a foreshadowing microcosm of his career.
Dupree ran wild on Arizona State, setting a Fiesta Bowl record with 239 yards on the ground. He did that on just 17 carries and just two and a half quarters of football. He had to leave the game due to an injury that was publicly criticized by Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer after Dupree came back from Christmas Break 15 pounds heavier than when he left campus.
Alabama LB, Lee Roy Jordan – 1963 Orange Bowl
Alabama All-American linebacker Lee Roy Jordan had himself a day in Miami against No. 7 Oklahoma. Jordan finished the game with a record 31 total tackles. Not only is that an Orange Bowl record, but to put that in perspective, he would have finished fifth on Alabama’s 2024 team in total tackles with just his Orange Bowl performance.
Georgia QB, Mike Bobo – 1998 Outback Bowl
Current Georgia offensive coordinator and fan favorite scapegoat Mike Bobo played quarterback for the Bulldogs in the late nineties. He finished his career ranked second at Georgia in passing yards, completions and touchdown passes. However, his most memorable game in Athens came in the 1998 Outback Bowl against Wisconsin.
Bobo was the game MVP after completing 26-of-28 passes including 19 straight completions in Georgia’s 33-6 win over Wisconsin. The 92.9 percent completion percentage was a record at Georgia that stood for 17 years.
