When toe met leather to begin Georgia's football season, grounded fans -- the few of you know who you are -- were anticipating an 8-4 season. Turns out, they weren't far off. The Bulldogs' 30-24 ambushing of Georgia Tech left them at 7-5 against a brutal schedule.
Not bad. Not when the sight of Matthew Stafford, now pitching for the Lions, prowling the sideline Saturday was a reminder of the super-sized shoes he and fellow No. 1 draft pick Knowshon Moreno vacated. The Bulldogs were between rebuilding and reloading mode all year.
A sportscaster Saturday reminded viewers of a former coach, who had worked with SEC and ACC teams, remarking on the difference between the south's two amateur football leagues. SEC players, he said, are generally faster and more athletic.
His assessment played out early Saturday when South Carolina laid into Clemson. And again mid-day when Florida humbled Florida State so badly that Bobby Bowden went home to ponder retirement.
The SEC made it 3-0 under the lights behind crafty game plans from UGA coordinators Mike Bobo and Willie Martinez. Bobo dialed up running plays exclusively on the 10-play scoring drive that opened the game, then stuck to the ground throughout to protect Joe Cox. The quarterback threw only 14 times, hitting eight while suffering from two drops.
When Tech opened the second half with nine defenders in the box, UGA somehow found a seam and busted a 75-yard scoring run.
Willie's D bottled up Tech's vaunted ground game, whose trademark is the long run. The Jackets' longest rush was for 26 yards. They averaged four yards a pop.
UGA is among a half-dozen 7-5 SEC teams, each campaigning with the lower-level bowls for an invitation. The Bulldogs probably will lose out to schools with energized fan bases such as Tennessee and Auburn, which exceeded expectations.
Bulldog Nation may not travel as well over the holidays, which may sentence them to an off-Broadway bowl. Still, UGA got the one win it needed, and a couple of coordinators got some temporary relief.
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