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.

—30—

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 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 improvement in Independence Bowl

By Bud L. Ellis

Nothing came easy for the Georgia Bulldogs’ defense in 2009, and that trend will continue when the Dogs wrap up their season in the Independence Bowl against Texas A&M.

The Dogs (7-5) allowed 20 or more points nine times in 12 games, not exactly the recipe Georgia fans hoped for when the season kicked off. But from the season opener at Oklahoma State, a disturbing trend reared its ugly head time and time again:

When the Dogs needed to stop the opposition, they almost always failed to do so.

Georgia allowed 26.4 points per game, not exactly the way to have success in the ultra-tough SEC. In Georgia’s big conference games, the Dogs allowed 41 points in a loss to Florida, 45 points in a loss to Tennessee, 37 points in a win over South Carolina, 41 points in a win over Arkansas …

You get the idea.

It’s that type of performance that led head coach Mark Richt to fire defensive coordinator Willie Martinez and two defensive assistant coaches last week. All three dismissed coaches declined Richt’s invitation to coach in the bowl game, meaning Richt will spent most of his time leading up to the Dec. 28 game working with the defense.

And that defense figures to get one more good workout before calling it a season. The Aggies average 465 yards of offense per game and scored nearly 34 points per contest in 2009. Nine times this season, Texas A&M scored more than 30 points, including four games of 39 or more points.

—30—

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 9:50 pm by bud

Tags: Georgia, Independence Bowl, Mark Richt, Texas A&M, Willie Martinez

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