With Bowl Win, Georgia Defense Makes a Statement

[photo from AJC.com]


Ask around, ask any die-hard UGA fan, "What happened? How did you fall from the #1 team to a 3-loss disappointment?" And each and every one will tell you: the defense. They can blame the injuries, or the coaching, or the cockiness of our players who bought into their own hype, but when it came down to it we just couldn't play shut-down defense, especially in the second half of the season. Rumors began swirling that Willy Martinez (defense coordinator) was on the hot seat. He couldn't adjust after losing so many starters to injury. Couldn't keep his players disciplined, focused, and penalty-free. But yesterday against Michigan State, they stood up.

The Georgia defense looked like the defense we had all hoped to have all season. Superstar running back Javon Ringer couldn't break through, couldn't get any big plays (held to 47 yards on 20 carries). The Spartan passing game was anemic, with the QB tandem on their back all day (sacked 5 times). Stafford and the offense couldn't get anything rolling in the first half, and turned the ball twice, forcing the defense to stay on the field in some sticky situations. But they clamped down on the Spartans, held them to field goals, and kept us in the game just long enough for Stafford to get his head on straight and lead us to victory. With this bowl win, the Bulldogs defense made a statement that their coach isn't going anywhere, that this team can still shut down a solid offense, and that this defense can still win us games. I'm looking forward to bringing back a healthy defense next season, a matured offensive line, and a WR tandem of Green and Moore.. now let's just hope Stafford stays around to get them the ball.

A satisfying end to an otherwise disappointing season that should leave all Bulldog fans with a pleasant taste in their mouths.

*Coach Richt improves to 6-2 in bowl games, capping off his sixth 10-win season in the last seven years.

*Stafford threw for three touchdowns, giving him 25 for the season, a new single-season Bulldogs record.

*Star receivers senior Mohammed Massoquoi and freshman AJ Green caught only one pass each, leaving them both just shy of the 1,000 yard mark.