As I watched the first quarter of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, I simply thought, here we go again. The Gators elected to receive and one of Florida’s speedsters ran the ball back 70+ yards. Thankfully, the referees called holding. Next play, the Gators run one of their patented bubble screens and their receivers go for 70+ yards. The hobbled John Brantley, who has not played or practiced in two and half weeks, is slicing and dicing the Bulldog defense like Tim Tebow.
Luckily, Florida misses the field goal. Georgia gets the ball, but goes three and out after getting an initial first down. The Bulldog defense pushes Florida into a 4 and 19, and next thing John Brantley throws a 31-yard touchdown to Jordan Reed I could only think, here we go again. UGA scores a field goal on the next drive, only to allow Jeff Demps to return the ensuing kickoff for 99 yards. Here we go again.
Aaron Murray, completely out of sync throws a pass that hits Isaiah Crowell in the back of head, which causes the ball to bounce high and into a Florida player’s hand. This leads to a Gator field goal. Here we go again. Blair Walsh misses an easy field goal. Here we go again.
The Dawgs are losing 3 to 17 and our prospects seem deem. They show the Georgia fans, one guy in particular who is seated with his arms cross. Like many Bulldogs at the game (and watching on television), you can almost hear the dialogue in his head. “Why do come down here every year to watch Georgia lose?”
In the dark moment, this Bulldog team showed grit. Coach Mark Richt coached like a man who believed in his team. He recognized that Walsh was struggling, so he went end zone on 4 and 6 – touchdown Georgia! If one play characterized this game, it was this offensive touchdown. It inspired not only the players, but it inspired the fans that this game would be different, and in the end, it was as Georgia ended its three year losing streak to Florida.
Georgia’s defense led the charge. It held the Gators to -19 rushing yards. It sacked their quarterback 6 times, and forced 2 fumbles. Many of us doubted Todd Grantham, but his defense is nasty. Aaron Murray atoned last year’s game, finishing 15 of 34 for 169 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 42 rushing yards. As I watched the game, it did not seem as if Isaiah Crowell rushed for any significant yards, but he finished with a game high 81 yards. My offensive game ball goes to Richard Samuel, who I have criticized most of season. This was by far his best game. Samuel ran hard and without regard. He finished with 58 yards and 1 touchdown.
Georgia’s wide receivers also deserve lots of praise. Six different players caught passes for double-digit yards. The 4 and long catches by Tavarres King Michael Bennett were amazing and should be included in the video montage before home games. I also liked the fact that Coach Richt utilized true freshmen Rhett McGowan and Chris Conley. Both caught for first downs in one of the biggest games of the season.
This was not a pretty game, but my beloved Bulldogs won, and that is all that matters. I hope that Florida and Arkansas will beat South Carolina and we will have a SEC East title, provided we beat Kentucky and Auburn. Go Dawgs!
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