Dogs ride defense, special teams to Independence Bowl victory

By Bud L. Ellis

On the surface, the eight-win season posted by the Georgia Bulldogs wasn’t up to the rabid expectations of Bulldog Nation.

But a deeper dive into the second half of Georgia’s topsy-turvy season, capped by a 44-20 thrashing of Texas A&M in Monday’s Independence Bowl, shows plenty of hope for a program that finished the season with four victories in its final five games.

Monday was a perfect example of what the Dogs can do when they’re clicking. Georgia, facing Jerrod Johnson and the explosive Aggies’ offense, bent all game long. Texas A&M rolled up 471 yards of total offense, 362 coming through the air. But when the Dogs needed big stops, they came through, much as they did in late-season victories against Auburn and Georgia Tech.

All the more impressive considering Georgia fired three defensive coaches four weeks ago. Graduate assistants Mitch Doolittle and Todd Hartley, and the one remaining defensive assistant, Rodney Garner, got their players ready and the Dogs responded.

Special teams went Georgia’s way, too, swinging the game in the Dogs’ favor. Brandon Boykin returned a kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown. Bacarri Rambo blocked a punt. Geno Atkins blocked a field goal. All of it combined provided the Dogs with enough fuel to surge to their eighth win of the season, extending Georgia’s streak of eight-win seasons to 13 (longest in the nation).

And while the Georgia offense sputtered in the first half – mustering just 99 total yards of offense – the Dogs found their gear on that side of the ball in the final two quarters. Georgia rolled up 267 yards of offense in the second half, a pair of Joe Cox touchdown passes to Aron White pushing the Dogs to victory.

That’s seven wins in nine tries for Georgia in bowl games under coach Mark Richt. The Dogs improved to 2-0 all time in the Independence Bowl.

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Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 7:37 pm by bud

Tags: Aron White, Bacarri Rambo, Brandon Boykin, Geno Atkins, Georgia, Independence Bowl, Joe Cox, Mark Richt, Mitch Doolittle, Rodney Garner, Texas A&M, Todd Hartley

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.

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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