As
expected, the Georgia Bulldogs had no trouble in dispatching the
Southern Jaguars on a drizzly Saturday in Athens. It was essentially a
payday Southern, the first time an all black university had played the
Dawgs. And part of the deal was to include the famed Human Jukebox
marching band for the halftime show.
Southern got the ball first at their 28. A holding penalty on WR
Mike Jones moved it back to the 18 and a false start on RB
Malcolm Crockett ruined any chances of a successful opening drive.
The Jaguars punted to Isaiah McKenzie who ran back almost 20
yards before escaping to put the ball back at midfield.
A completion to Terry Godwin got another first at the 30.
The drive stalled there with an incompletion by Greyson Lambert
ending a streak of 22 straight. Marshall Morgan got the Dawgs on
the board with a 47 yard field goal to make it 3-0
A booming 65 yard Morgan
kickoff pinned Southern at their 13 where they again went three and out.
The Greg Pittman kick was tipped landing out of bounds just 10
yards later at the 27.
A short pass to Chubb and the back was off to the races making his
way 24 yards into the end zone to make it 10-0.
Crockett gained seven on a carry to the 32 to start the third Jag drive
with a short pass to Jones for their first first down of the day at the
40. Crockett picked up seven more. The 6'4” 250lb Montrell Jordan
took it 23 yards to the UGA30. The drive lost a yard after that and
ended with no points as a 48 yard Pittman field goal attempt went right.
Georgia took over at their 31. Lambert immediately hit Malcolm
Mitchell at midfield with another 15 tacked on after the catch.
Mitchell was open on a crossing route across the middle for 16 yards to
the 17. Sony Michel got his first catch for 7. The back got the
rest on the ground to put the lead at 17.
Southern started at their 25 as the first quarter came to an
end.
The Jaguars got a first down on a short pass to talented WR
Willie Quinn. A Sterling Baily interception was wiped out on
an off sides penalty moving it to the 40. On a third and five, RB
Lenard Tillery got 12 to the UGA48. QB Austin Howard hit
Quinn for seven to the 43 and again for nine more for another first to
the 34. But, again, they could get no more. Pittman was brought in for
another field goal attempt but the visitors called their first time out
to reconsider and went for it, converting with a 16 yard pass to the 16.
On the next play, Tillery carried a few defenders into the end zone.
They missed on a two point conversion. But, they were on the board 17-6.
The impressive scoring drive went 14 plays and 75 yards.
Michel bobbled the kickoff then recovered to get it 17 yards out to
the 32.
The fired
up Jaguars forced a three and out including an eight yard sack. A bad
Collin Barber punt of just 24 yards went out of bounds giving
Southern their best starting field position of the day at their 44 with
6:04 left in the half.
Crockett got six to the 50, but they couldn't capitalize and were
forced to punt going 40 yards and out of bounds at the 10.
UGA had the ball with 4:55 remaining needing to show some life with
no points since Michel's TD late in the first quarter. Brice Ramsey
was brought in at quarterback and hit Michell on the right sidelines for
13 yards. Next, he found McKenzie for 21 on the other sidelines.
McKenzie took one on the right side and scooted 30 yards all the way to
the 26. Chubb picked up 11. Southern called their second time out at
3:38.
The drive stalled and the crowd booed as the field goal unit was
brought it in. The 25 yarder put the lead at 20-6.
Quinn returned the kick to the 32 with 1:38 left. On a nice run Tillery broke free for
19 to the UGA49, but, it ended there.
UGA had 118 yards of offense in the first quarter but only 81 in the
second. Southern struggled for just 57 yards total offense in the first
quarter but found their rhythm doubling that in the second. Nonetheless,
they couldn't do anything on the scoreboard more than the one TD. After
putting up 17 unanswered points in the first quarter, UGA only added
three in the second. The big difference was that the Jaguars had moved
the ball fairly effectively between the 20s but came up with little in
the point department. Total yards of their 150 to UGA's 199 reflected a different game
than the 20-6 score.
The crowd was thoroughly entertained by the Southern Marching Band during halftime. When Georgia signed the contract
they insisted that the marching band be included and gave them an extra
two minutes of time, much appreciated by the crowd.
Georgia came out with renewed purpose on both sides of the ball as they
began their first drive of the second half at the 35 and got 11 on a
Michel carry. Chubb, who only had 24 yards rushing in the first half got
the first with a 13 yard carry followed by 11 more to match his first
half total on two carries. Mitchell took a pass on the left sideline for
11 yards with a face mask call on DB KiJana Curtis adding 15 more to the
10. Chubb got the rest as the team looked like the one that showed up in
the first quarter. 27-6.
The Jaguars did nothing with their turn.
Reggie Davis took the punt at their 45 and brought it to the Southern 37.
A Lambert pass for a score was nullified on a Kolton Houston holding
call. The QB went back to the air for a first down pass of 21
yards to McKenzie at the 23. A play later it was Mitchell pulling a
catch down and cruising into the end zone to make it 34-6.
Southern began at their 25 with Shorts still in at QB. Again the first
quarter defense rose up and caused a three and out. McKenzie took the
punt at the UGA 44.
Chubb was in again and quickly sprinted 49 yards to make it
41-6 and give him 131 yards rushing. That gave him his 12th
straight game of over 100 yards rushing, tying Hershell Walker's record from
1982.
The Jags got their turn at their 26 and came up empty again with UGA taking
the punt at their 26.
Ramsey was back in at QB and handed it to Michel for a six yard gain.
Glen Weltz got a first before Michel was given the ball at the 42,
shaking a pair of tackles to get a 58 yard TD run. 48-6.
Mike Jones returned the kick off to their 35.
Then, a tragic play developed as WR Devin Gales was injured on
runback throwing a block. Play
was halted for almost 15 minutes while medics worked on him near the
Georgia sideline and eventually moved him off the field on a stretcher.
Across the field, the entire Jaguar team was huddled in prayer for their
fallen teammate. But, strangely, in the corner stands to their right, the Southern
band played a whimsical ragtime sing and play almost oblivious to the
hurt player on the field. They continued to sing and play even as Gale
was carted into the locker room. The Georgia crowd gave him a round of
encouraging applause. It would later be determined that he had a spinal
injury. He would be taken to Athens Regional Hospital where multiple
surgeries would be performed on his neck. UGA compassionately paid to
have his family flown in.
The chorus finally stopped as play resumed at the Southern 32 with
Tillery getting 10 on a tough carry on the last play of the third
quarter.
As UGA players were jumping up and down with enthusiasm on the
sidelines, head coach Mark Richt went over to them and a few coaches
indicated that he wanted them to knock it off, apparently in reference to the injured Gales.
Another three and out, a punt and nice roll gave the Dawgs the ball at
their 13. Ramsey was back in with Keith Marshall in at tailback.
Marshall took
one in the air and got 13 to the 26. He added 13 more on the ground for
another first. Ramsey then hit Jayson Stanley for 18 to the Southern 43.
The freshman WR got 5 more to the 38. Marshall picked up another first
with seven. UGA brought in senior PK Patrick Beless who missed his 40
yard field goal.
For the most part, the rest of the game was third and fourth string
players and a final score of 48-6. Southern had managed just 34 total
yards in the second half.
And now, the part of the Dawg Nation that wasn't already thinking about
Alabama coming to town could use the rest of their collective brains on
that huge matchup.