Senior Running Back Al Pollard Hauls In Two-Point Conversion To Complete Georgia’s Stunning Comeback Win Over Cal In 1976 Opener

Sanford Stadium roared to life in a way only Georgia fans can ignite when Al Pollard, the Bulldogs’ senior running back, hauled in a gutsy two-point conversion pass from quarterback Matt Robinson late in the 1976 season opener against the California Golden Bears. The play not only gave Georgia a 27-24 lead but also served as the pivotal moment in what would become a 36-24 comeback win for the Bulldogs—an emphatic start to a season brimming with expectation.

It wasn’t just a score. It was a declaration.

The Bulldogs entered the 1976 campaign with a sense of unfinished business. A mix of returning talent and gritty veterans were looking to set the tone, and what better place to do that than Between the Hedges in Athens. Georgia had spent most of the offseason preparing for the West Coast visitors, and yet for nearly three quarters, the Bears made the Bulldogs look out of rhythm and out of sorts.

Trailing 24-12 deep into the third quarter, Georgia fans were growing anxious. Cal’s quarterback had found success in the air, and the Bears’ defense was limiting Georgia’s powerful ground attack. But games in Athens are rarely without drama, and head coach Vince Dooley’s Bulldogs never lacked fight.

Enter Matt Robinson and Al Pollard.

With the clock winding down and urgency mounting, Robinson engineered a drive that reignited the crowd and his teammates. Finding space against Cal’s secondary, he connected with wide receivers and tight ends to move the chains. But it was the running game that began to reassert itself—Pollard took off for chunks of yardage, and the offensive line, challenged throughout the afternoon, started dominating the trenches.

A touchdown midway through the fourth brought Georgia within six, making it 24-18. But rather than settle for an extra point, Dooley made a bold decision—he sent the offense back out for two.

Lining up from the three-yard line, Robinson took the snap and rolled right. The play looked like a designed quarterback run at first, drawing the defense toward the sideline. But as he neared the edge, Robinson stopped on a dime and lofted a soft pass across his body toward the middle of the end zone.

There, in open space between linebackers, was Pollard.

He cradled the ball calmly, secured it, and was immediately swarmed by teammates. The crowd erupted. Georgia now led for the first time all game, 27-24.

“I saw the linebacker crash with Matt and figured he might throw it back,” Pollard recalled in a postgame interview. “We’d run it in practice, but pulling it off in a game like that—it was special.”

That moment ignited a new level of energy on the Georgia sideline and in the stands. From there, the Bulldogs were in control. The defense, which had been pushed around for much of the contest, suddenly stiffened. Cal’s quarterback was harassed on every dropback, and Georgia’s secondary shut down deep attempts.

On the following possession, the Bulldogs forced a quick three-and-out, and after a solid return on the punt, Georgia again found itself with good field position. With less than seven minutes remaining, Dooley kept the ball on the ground—mixing runs from Pollard and his backfield mate Kevin McLee.

Pollard wasn’t the biggest name on the roster entering the season, but he may have left the biggest impression that night. His final rushing total—a modest 65 yards—didn’t tell the full story. It was his all-around effort that mattered. He caught passes out of the backfield, picked up blitzes, and showed leadership in the huddle. And of course, he delivered the go-ahead score.

Georgia added another touchdown with under two minutes left—a Robinson bootleg after a long drive—pushing the final score to 36-24 and completing an unanswered 24-point surge. Sanford Stadium shook under the weight of victory and celebration.

“It was a tale of two halves,” Coach Dooley said after the game. “We were flat in the first, no question. But I’m proud of how our seniors responded—Al, especially. That two-point play gave us the spark we needed. That’s what leadership looks like.”

For Robinson, the game was also a turning point. The senior quarterback had faced scrutiny in the offseason after an up-and-down junior year. But against Cal, he showed poise, decision-making, and, when needed, the guts to take a chance. He finished the day with 219 passing yards and two touchdowns, plus the now-iconic two-point toss.

While the offensive stars deserved credit, the Bulldogs’ defense quietly righted the ship as well. Cal had moved the ball almost at will early in the game, with long touchdown passes and a pair of sustained drives. But defensive coordinator Erk Russell made halftime adjustments that paid off. Georgia’s front four began collapsing the pocket more consistently, and the linebackers clamped down on short routes.

Cornerback Jeff Hipp recorded a crucial interception late in the fourth quarter, halting Cal’s final drive and ensuring the Bulldogs could run out the clock. Defensive tackle Charles Woerner, a junior at the time, earned praise for his relentless effort, especially in the second half.

As fans filtered out into the Athens night, one thing was clear: Georgia had found its identity. Tough. Resilient. Unwilling to fold even when trailing by double digits.

Pollard’s catch became an image frozen in time for fans who witnessed it. For those who didn’t, it lived on through newspaper clippings, team highlight reels, and the stories told by alumni who pointed to the 1976 opener as the night the Bulldogs learned to fight.

“I didn’t do anything special,” Pollard humbly told reporters later that week. “I just did my job.”

But it was more than that. That moment—when a senior running back made himself available in the middle of the end zone, trusted his quarterback, and secured the lead with the eyes of 60,000 fans on him—was bigger than just a play. It was a preview of what Georgia football could become under pressure.

The victory would springboard Georgia to a strong season. Though they would face tougher opponents ahead—including brutal SEC matchups—the lessons from the Cal game carried through. Resilience, composure, and leadership mattered. And Al Pollard’s number would be called many more times.

But none more important than that night in September.

Looking back now, decades later, the 1976 opener stands as one of the more dramatic comeback wins in Sanford Stadium lore. In an era without social media or national TV saturation, moments like Pollard’s catch spread by word of mouth and radio call, etching them deeper into the mythology of Georgia football.

And for the players, especially Pollard, it was unforgettable.

“I still have the ball,” he once said in an alumni feature years later. “Not because it was mine. But because it belonged to all of us—everyone who believed we weren’t out of it.”

From a 12-point deficit to a 12-point win, Georgia’s 1976 season began with heart, hustle, and one perfectly executed two-point play that changed everything.