1973 Peach Bowl

American college football game December 2025 August 2023 Peach Bowl 6th Peach Bowl File:Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Postcard (1960s-70s) (Stadium crop).jpg Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, hosted the Peach Bowl. December 28 1973 1973 Georgia Bulldogs 6–4–1 SEC Vince Dooley 0 10 7 0 Maryland Terrapins 8–3 ACC Jerry Claiborne 18 18 0 10 0 6 Mizlou bg Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Atlanta, Georgia TB Louis Carter (Maryland) LB Sylvester Boler (Georgia) Pete Williams (SEC;split crew: SEC, ACC) 38,107 The 1973 Peach Bowl was the sixth annual Peach Bowl, featuring the Georgia Bulldogs and the Maryland Terrapins. Background Four losses in six games in the middle of the Bulldogs season lead them to finish tied for fifth place in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), going 2–1 against ranked teams, beating #19 NC State and #11 Tennessee, but losing to #1 Alabama. After 17 years, the Terrapins made their first bowl appearance since the late 1950s Led by Jerry Claiborne, in his second year at the program, Maryland tied for second-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This was the first Peach Bowl appearance for both teams. Game summary Jimmy Poulos gave the Bulldogs the lead on a touchdown catch from Johnson to break the scoreless tie in the second quarter with 5:27 in the quarter. Walter White caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from Carter to tie the game 23 seconds later. His reception proved to be Maryland's only touchdown of the day. Mayer and Leavitt traded field goals to make the game even at 10 at halftime. A Terrapin fumble gave the Bulldogs the ball in Maryland territory which culminated with an Andy Johnson touchdown run to give the Bulldogs a 17–10 lead with 4:24 in the third. The Terrapins narrowed the margin on two Mike Mayer field goals in the final quarter to make it a one-point game with seven minutes remaining, but they did not get any closer as Georgia held on to win consecutive bowl games for the first time in seven years.https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/29/archives/georgia-triumphs-in-peach-bowl-17-to-16-no-tiebreaker-for-title.html Georgia Triumphs in Peach Bowl, 17 to 16 The New York Times December 29, 1973 March 20, 2019 Aftermath The Terrapins created an ACC dynasty the following season, winning the next three ACC titles, culminating with an appearance in the Cotton Bowl Classic. The Terrapins did not return to the Peach Bowl until 2002. The Bulldogs did not win another bowl game for eight years following this game. Georgia returned to the Peach Bowl in 1989. Statistics Statistics Georgia Maryland First downs 11 15 Yards rushing 170 219 Yards passing 114 242 Return yards 135 78 Total yards 419 539Punts-Average 8-41.3 6-31.8Fumbles-Lost 2-2 4-3Interceptions 1 1Penalties-Yards 1-5 5-63 References Peach Bowl Category:Peach Bowl Category:Georgia Bulldogs football bowl games Category:Maryland Terrapins football bowl games Category:December 1973 sports events in the United States Peach Bowl