Shootout looms between Dogs, Aggies at Independence Bowl

By Bud L. Ellis

When Georgia and Texas A&M take the field for the Independence Bowl on Monday in Shreveport, La., the outcome very well could hinge on which team has the ball last.

Neither defense is first rate, and both offenses feature playmakers that can go up and down the field all night long.

Hopefully, the scoreboard operator gets a good night sleep Sunday night, because the points very well may be flying Monday afternoon.

Georgia ranks 70th in the nation in scoring defense and has given up 34 or more points five times during a shaky 6-6 campaign that led the Dogs to dump three defensive coaches before the game.

Texas A&M is 104th in the nation in scoring defense. Four times in 12 games, the Aggies gave up 47 or more points.

You get the idea. Both teams are coming off inspired performances, albeit exactly one month will have passed by the time kickoff arrives Monday from their last games. The Dogs upset Georgia Tech, rushing for 339 yards in a shocking 30-24 victory in Atlanta. The Aggies pushed unbeaten Texas to the limit before falling in a shootout.

The Dogs hope to end their rocky road on a good note and build momentum for next season. A victory also would make Georgia 7-2 in bowl games under Mark Richt. Meanwhile, the Aggies seek their first bowl win since 2001.

—30—

Sunday, December 27, 2009 at 9:37 pm by bud

Tags: Georgia, Georgia Tech, Independence Bowl, Texas, Texas A&M

Dogs cheerfully getting ready for Independence Bowl

By Bud L. Ellis

It certainly isn’t where the Georgia Bulldogs hoped to be going this holiday season, but that didn’t stop Brandon Boykin from spreading a little Christmas cheer.

In the process, the Georgia sophomore saved his teammates some running.

The Bulldogs wrapped up their Athens-based preparations for the Independence Bowl, where the Dogs will face Texas A&M on Monday in Shreveport, La. The Dogs will meet Thursday in Shreveport, where they will spend Christmas then step up final preparations for the Aggies and their high-powered offense.

Boykin helped send everybody out of practice in good spirits, upholding a Georgia tradition by singing a Christmas song to cut down the number of post-practice sprints the Dogs are required to run. Head coach Mark Richt joked with media members after practice that Boykin’s song saved the players more than 500 yards of running.

Georgia, which comes into the Independence Bowl off an upset victory of Georgia Tech, hopes to do plenty of running in Shreveport. In the victory against Tech, the duo of Washaun Ealey and Caleb King churned out 349 yards rushing (183 for Ealey, 166 for King, who rushed for two touchdowns).

The Dogs would love nothing more than to dial up the same recipe for success against the Aggies, who boast the top-ranked offense in the Big 12.

—30—

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 11:32 pm by bud

Tags: Brandon Boykin, Caleb King, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Independence Bowl, Mark Richt, Texas A&M, Washaun Ealey

Dogs seek defensive spark, new leader

By Bud L. Ellis

It’s no secret the Georgia Bulldogs have struggled on defense this season. And most everybody knows the Dogs have let go of three defensive coaches – including defensive coordinator Willie Martinez – in advance of the Independence Bowl.

But when the Dogs line up against high-powered Texas A&M on Dec. 28 at Shreveport, will Georgia have its next defensive coordinator hired?

So far, two of the top candidates for the job – Alabama defensive coordinator and former UGA standout Kirby Smart, and Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster – have publicly said thanks but no thanks. Smart came out last week to say he wasn’t leaving Alabama, the school that Smart has helped direct to the SEC title and a berth in the BCS National Championship game. Foster has agreed to a five-year extension to stay at Virginia Tech.

There is plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball for Georgia. That much was shown in two of Georgia’s last three games of the regular season. The Dogs overcame a slow start defensively to hold off Auburn at Sanford Stadium, stopping the Tigers’ potential game-tying drive in the final seconds deep in Georgia territory.

Then the Dogs’ D helped fuel Georgia’s upset of then-No. 7 ranked and eventual ACC champion Georgia Tech on Thanksgiving weekend in Atlanta. Georgia bent, but didn’t break, most of the night, and kept the dangerous Tech offense out of the end zone in the final three minutes to preserve a 30-24 victory.

Is it enough to boost the Dogs against Texas A&M? The Aggies will be one of the stiffer challenges for the Dogs this season, averaging 33.9 points per game. It will be incumbent on the Georgia front line to pressure Aggies’ quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who has passed for 3,217 yards and 28 touchdowns this season.

Georgia fans may shudder at the thought of so much pressure on a defensive corps that, for the most part, has underachieved this season. But if the Dogs can play up to their potential, not only could Georgia end the season with three victories in their final four games, they might not have as much trouble luring a new defensive coordinator to Athens.

–30–

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 8:26 pm by bud

Tags: Alabama, Auburn, Bud Foster, Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Tech, Independence Bowl, Kirby Smart, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech

Dogs, Aggies set for Independence Day shootout

By Bud L. Ellis

The last time the Georgia Bulldogs faced the Texas A&M Aggies, the year was 1980 and the Dogs were en route to capping an undefeated season by winning the national championship inside the Louisiana Superdome.

Fast forward 29 years to the present, where the Dogs will end their 2009 season in the northwestern part of Louisiana, facing the high-octane Aggies’ offense in this year’s AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl, set for Dec. 28 at Shreveport.

The matchup features two teams that have stood toe-to-toe with the nation’s best, and two teams that have met their share of struggle this season.

Just two weeks ago, Georgia upended then-No. 7 Georgia Tech, while the Aggies were throwing quite a scare into national-championship game bound Texas. So both of these teams can be really, really good.

They also can struggle. Georgia gave up 30 or more points five times this season, a point that has Texas A&M’s strong offense salivating. On the other hand, the Aggies allowed 30-plus points five times, a fact that makes Georgia’s stable of offensive playmakers smile.

There doesn’t figure to be a lack of offense in this one, and both teams are looking for a strong boost into 2010. Something will have to give for that to happen, as neither team has ever lost in the Independence Bowl.

The Aggies have been to the Independence Bowl twice, the last coming in 2000 when Texas A&M beat Mississippi State 43-41 in overtime, in the snow. In 1981, Texas A&M knocked off Oklahoma State 33-16.

Georgia’s only Independence Bowl appearance came in 1991, when the Dogs downed Arkansas 24-15.

Georgia fans probably recall the last time the Dogs and Aggies met, in 1980, when Georgia won 42-0 in Athens behind the running of a freshman named Herschel Walker. The Dogs would go on to win the national championship that season.

It’s the only time Georgia has beaten Texas A&M. The two teams met three times in the 1950s, with the Aggies coming out on top each time.

—30—

Monday, December 7, 2009 at 9:12 pm by bud

Tags: Arkansas, Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Tech, Independence Bowl, Louisiana Superdome, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M Aggies

Dogs could land as SEC rep in Independence Bowl

By Bud L. Ellis

Amid a gaggle of SEC teams with seven wins, it’s quite possible the Georgia Bulldogs emerge as the conference’s representative in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.

It looked like the Dogs, who have struggled through their worst season in a decade, were heading for the Papajohns.com bowl in Birmingham. But then the Dogs stunned seventh-ranked Georgia Tech last Saturday in Atlanta, and moved into a crowded group of seven-win SEC teams.

Georgia is an interesting story, albeit disappointing. Head coach Mark Richt returned the Dogs to their glory days of the early 1980s in the early part of this decade, and Georgia kicked off last season ranked No. 1 in the nation. But after struggling through the second half of 2008, the Dogs flopped behind fifth-year senior quarterback Joe Cox and an underachieving defense.

But what makes Georgia’s 7-5 season so maddening is how many playmakers the Dogs possess. Sophomore wide receiver A.J. Green may be one of the top wideouts in the nation. Redshirt sophomore running back Caleb King teamed with freshman back Washaun Ealey to rip Georgia Tech’s defense, the two combining for 349 rushing yards (and Ealey winning SEC freshman of the week for the second time this season).

The last time Georgia played in this game, the Dogs beat Arkansas 24-15 on Dec. 29, 1991. This year’s game is Dec. 28.

—30—

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 9:29 pm by bud

Tags: A.J. Green, AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl, Arkansas, Caleb King, Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Tech, Joe Cox, Mark Richt, Washaun Ealey