Surprise! The Georgia Bulldogs actually played well in the first half of today's game against Mississippi State in hot Bulldog-on-Bulldog action in Starkville.
The Dawgs gave up the first TD of the game to State on the first possession of the game, and it felt like the game was going to be a repeat of the familiar pattern of Georgia digging themselves into a hole and then having to bail themselves out. The vibes weren't much better when Georgia could only manage a FG on their subsequent possession.
But then in the second quarter, Georgia scored three consecutive TDs on three consecutive possessions and continued to pour it on in the third. They led 38-7 with 9:57 left in the third quarter before bringing on the benchwarmers and reserves for the rest of the game. It's always a good sign for Georgia when backup QB Ryan Puglisi takes the field with 10:00 minutes still left in the game.
Gunner Stockton finished the day with 264 passing yards, 31 rushing yards, three TDs, and no interceptions. Nate Frazier had 181 rushing yards, including one beautiful 59-yard run you'll see on the end-of-year highlight reels. Noah Thomas had 78 yards receiving, most of which came on one 64-yard beauty, and Zachariah Branch had eight receptions for 68 yards.
The No. 5-ranked Georgia Bulldogs are 8-1 on the season and 6-1 in the SEC. Barring an upset, it looks like Texas A&M will finish the season 8-0 in the SEC and Alabama 7-1, and Georgia won't be in the SEC Championship Game. I'm okay with that - we'll make the playoffs regardless and it's arguably better to get an extra week to rest and heal up a bit than it is to get banged around - and even possibly suffer a loss - in the conference championship.
Next week, No. 11 Texas (7-2 overall, 4-1 in the SEC) come over to pay a little visit to Athens and a prime-time, Saturday-night football game. Based on today's game, it looks like Kirby has the offense properly tuned up for the big showdown, and while there's still work to be done on the D, it's better than it was earlier this season.
Sic 'em, Dawgs!
No comments:
Post a Comment