By The Skin of Their Teeth
By Don Stone - Football Atlanta
On paper, this looked like a game that Georgia should have
run away with. But, as with most things this season, nothing has come easy.
Even statistically, it looked like the Bulldogs dominated the
game, UGA quarterback Aaron Murray
passed for a career high 326 yards, completing 22-of-38 passes.
"That was a little disappointing. We didn't do a very good
job of those zone covers and cover 2," said Vandy linebacker Chase
Garnham. "We've got to get that fixed next
week and continue to get better."
But, even with Murray's success, there was Vanderbilt,
down 33-28 with a chance to win at the end of the game.
Vanderbilt had the ball with less than two minutes left
in the game thanks to a blocked punt. But Baccari Rambo
came away with his fifth interception of the season, allowing Georgia to run
the clock.
Georgia head coach Mark Richt
described the blocked punt. "They put everybody up there and came after it
and got it," he said. "On that play, I'm just thankful that Drew
Butler had the presence of mind to get up and
make a play, because if he doesn't make the play, the game's over."
Marlon Brown was UGA's
leading receiver with four receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
Michael Bennett had seven catches for 89
yards.
A key to the win was the four turnovers by the Commodores.
Georgia got on the scoreboard with a 3-0 lead early and
tacked on seven more late in the first half when Chris Conley
blocked a Vanderbilt punt, putting the Bulldogs on the 20-yard line. On the
next play, Murray hit Tavaris King in
the end zone to make it 10-0.
The opening drive of the second half resulted in a 35-yard
Brandon Walsh field goal making it 23-7.
But, the Commodores got that back and more on the ensuing
kickoff that was returned 96 yards by Andre Hall,
cutting the lead to nine points.
Walsh did more than add three points on his next 44-yard
field goal. He tied the all-time Georgia record in field goal attempts with
six. Not really a good stat. If you're attempting six field goals, it means
that a lot of drives came up short of touchdowns. But, points are points.
The 12-point deficit was soon cut to 5 when Vandy scored on a
one-yard touchdown run by Jerron Seymore.
It was the Dawgs' turn to stretch it out again on an exciting
75-yard touchdown pass to Brown, the sixth score in six possessions, taking
it to 33-21. The Commodore's came back with a Zac Stacy
19-yard TD run, cutting the lead to a one score 5-point lead with 9:15 to
play.
After a stalled drive, the blocked punt put Vandy in a
position to pull off the upset that fell short, So, Bulldog fans breathed a
sigh of relief as the clock ran out.
And, to the shock of a lot of fans who were putting Richt on
the proverbial hot seat early in the season after two opening losses,
Georgia has not rattled off five straight wins and sit in a very nice place
with a real shot at winning the SEC Eastern Division title. They're tied
with South Carolina and the Gamecocks still hold the tiebreaker. But,
Steve Spurrier's team lost their star running
back, Marcus Lattimore, for the season
with a leg injury and look very vulnerable for a few losses.
The Bulldogs get the next week off before traveling to
Jacksonville, Fla., for the big game with Florida on Saturday, Oct. 29. For
the first time in quite awhile, Georgia looks like they should be favored in
that game.
If you're not making the trip to the World's Largest Outdoor
Cocktail Party, watch it on CBS. Kickoff. is set for 3:30.
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