Georgia clinches unlikely SEC East Championship
By Don Stone - Football Atlanta
UGA began this game flat as a pancake. And, for some reason, the defense was
pretty solid throughout the game. But, the offense...that was another story.
Kentucky started the game early with a few attempts at trickeration.
Lined up for a field goal, it appeared that they were switching to go for
it, but called a time out when that didn’t look like a good idea. Then, an
onside kick attempt went nowhere.
But, a 30 point underdog, they had to try something.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the offense was misfiring early on.
Six points were all they could come up with from their first three times
inside the Wildcats’ 40.
First quarter stats showed time of possession even and Kentucky
almost doubling the Bulldogs’ passing numbers. Georgia only led in rushing
yards by seven. If not for a 53 yard Brandon Smith
interception run back, it would have been
tied.
A
surprising 6-3 lead began the second quarter. The flat play continued.
Redshirt freshman Ken Malcome fumbled
on the Georgia 27. Compounding things was a defensive penalty giving the
Wildcats a first down on the 7. Still another flag in the end zone gave them
still another first down, this time on the one. Lets make it easy for them.
Next play, tight end Tyler was wide open for a TD giving Kentucky the lead
back at 10-6.
At this point those who bet on the Dawgs to cover the 30 points
were sweating bullets. Anyone else around the country seeing the score on
the scroll at the bottom of their screen was scratching their heads at best.
Would the Bulldog offense finally get awakened from its stupor? Not
yet, three first down conversions were followed by a Drew Butler
punt. Things looked good, though as the All American downed it inside the
Wildcat one.
The defense held and Brandon Boykin
returned the punt to the Wildcat 22. But even with that advantage, UGA could
only pick up 16 yards of that on seven plays. A 4th field goal attempt made
it 10-9. But, Kentucky being Kentucky, on the next play, they fumbled on the
30. Georgia tried to give it back with a quick interception, but it was
nullified by an offsides penalty. Three and out and still another field
goal. Though they didn’t deserve the lead at the half, they had it 12-10.
A concern at this point was would kicker Blair Walsh have his leg
fall off soon.
But, the half wasn’t over. Kentucky got the ball with 41 seconds
left and moved downfield. Another useless penalty by UGA put them on the UGA
40 with 8 seconds. But, mistake prone as the Bulldogs were, multiply that by
ten with the guys in blue. An interception ended the drive and, thankfully,
the half as well.
A chorus of boos welcomed the uninspired Bulldogs off the field.
The stats told just as much as the ticked off fans. Time of
possession, still even. Kentucky still had doubled Georgia’s 64 passing
yards, and the UGA 50 yards of rushing was even worse.
My guess is that there more than a few virtual head slaps and butt
kicks in the locker room at half time.
The Dawgs began the second half looking more motivated until
Aaron Murray was picked off in the end zone
on a ball that was closer to three Wildcat defenders than anyone in red.
Again, Georgia benefitted from an inept Kentucky offense, who went
three and out.
At this point, I tweeted, “Assuming Georgia wins this...and that's
in question, I think it will be Arkansas as their opponent, not LSU in the
SEC Championship game.”
After more research, apparently, even if Arkansas beats LSU next
week, the Tigers would still be in because of the Razorbacks’ earlier loss
to Alabama. Only way they get in is by beating LSU and the Crimson Tide
losing next week to Auburn…highly unlikely.
But, back to the task at hand. Another drive began moving as
Georgia's Brandon Harton had some nice
runs. But, he undid it by fumbling on the KY 40.
As usual, Kentucky did nothing. On the next series, the Wildcats coughed
up still another on their own 10. This time Murray made them pay, finding
Marlon Brown in the back of the end
zone for a 7-yard touchdown, making it 19-10.
The scoring ended there. Most of the crowd stayed around for the
celebration. Even with the subdued offensive showing, you can't discount
what an amazing season this has been. How many but the most die hard fans
would think that the Bulldogs would run off nine in a row and win the SEC
East after they started 0-2?
The thought occurred that, if the Dawgs play this way next week at
Georgia Tech, they will lose. But, then I came home and watched the Yellow
Jackets game on tape and saw them come within a last minute interception of
losing to a Duke team that may be as bad as Kentucky. And, I'm not sure.
But, its pretty obvious that both teams will bring their best game on
Saturday. Apart from state bragging rights, the quality of bowl game each
goes to will be affected greatly by who wins and who loses. And both teams
have vivid memories of holiday trips to Shreveport and Memphis just a year
ago as good motivation. |
