The Morning Memory: Fred Gibson Makes Clemson Pay For Its Mistake

It’s rare that life gives you a second chance. But when it does, you have to take advantage of that opportunity.

During the 2002 Georgia/Clemson game the Tigers gave Fred Gibson a second chance. And boy, did he make them regret it.

The #8 ranked Bulldogs were opening the season against the Country Gentlemen, and took a 7-0 lead. However Clemson came back and scored to tie it up early in the second quarter. With a little momentum the Tigers kicked off and looked set to continue their hot streak, stopping Gibson for a short gain out to the 24 yard line. However the officials called the Clemson kickoff team for offsides and forced them to rekick it.

And that, as they say, is when it all fell apart.

Just like on the first kickoff Gibson fielded the Clemson re-kick at the Bulldog 9 yard line. He started up the middle, broke a couple of arm tackles around the 25 before cutting upfield flying by a series of hapless potential tacklers. Around his own 40 Gibson broke into the clear and wouldn’t be touched on his way to the end zone.

No Bulldog ever ran like he was being chased quite like Fred Gibson, a man who admitted as a freshman that one reason he ran so hard was that he was scared of being tackled. Perhaps no play in his Bulldog career exemplified that phobia better than this one, on which Fred ran like his hair was on fire and his derrière was smoldering.

Gibson’s 91 yard touchdown marked the first time a UGA player had returned a kickoff for a touchdown since Andre Hastings had pulled it off in 1990 against Kentucky. It was also the first time in a dozen seasons that Clemson had allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Also in the program history department, it’s worth noting that redshirt freshman and former five star recruit DJ Shockley had trotted out onto the field after the first kick for what would have been his first snaps as a Bulldog. The touchdown on the re-kick delayed that by just a bit. Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!