Dogs overcome heat, to beat Sun Devils 27 to 10
Dogs overcome heat, to beat Sun Devils 27
to 10
The Georgia Bulldogs didn‘t let a little thing like 99-degree desert heat stop them from sending a message to any future opponents. The only thing hotter than the warm night in Tempe, Arizona last Saturday night was the Dawgs defense which held the Sun Devils to just four rushing yards in the 27 to 10 victory over Arizona State.
After opening the season on top of the Associated Press poll, the Coach Mark Richt’s squad had slid to third despite two victories. The Bulldogs were out to prove something in the long road trip game against the Sun Devils, who were last years PAC-10 champions
The Bulldogs defense stepped up and sent that message.
Georgia had only allowed fifteen points per game in their previous games and were even more dominant against Arizona.
The Sun Devils finished with 4 yards rushing on 19 carries.
Georgia defenders mauled the Sun Devils quarterback Rudy Carpenter with four sacks and harrassed him with intense pressure on countless other plays. Carpenter finished the day with 23 of 36 pass completions for 208 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia's defensive performance came despite having given away 104 yards in penalty yardage.
Both teams got off to a slow offensive start in the scoreless first quarter. The Bulldogs rebounded and scored three touchdowns in the second quarter.
Georgia's first score came on a highlight reel run by tailback Knowshon Moreno on his first touch of the ball in the second quarter. Moreno took the backfield handoff from Dawgs quarterback Matthew Stafford and ran around the right end from nine yards out. He launched himself into the end zone from the four yard line.
After a fumble by Arizona State tailback Dimitri Nance at the Sun Devils 46, the Bulldogs were back in business and capitalized on the turnover. Just five plays into the ensuing possession, Moreno broke through a hole in the middle of the line for a three yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs ahead by two scores.
Arizona State chipped into Georgia’s lead with a 25 yard field goal by Sun Devils special teamer Thomas Weber. The kick came at the end of a ten play 75 yard drive, that was aided by 40 yards of Georgia penalties.
It took Georgia less than two minutes to quiet the home fans, filling Sun Devil Stadium who had been energized by their teams first score. But Georgia responded in a heartbeat. Stafford led the short drive, first connecting with Green for 23 yards. Then hitting Green again as he found space between two defenders for a 31 yard reception. Three plays later, Green was left uncovered when he caught his third pass in the end zone to give Georgia a 21 to 3 lead.
The Sun Devils did penetrate the Dawgs defense for a lone touchdown on their first possession of the second half. They took the kickoff and capped a 71 yard, nine plays drive with a six yard pass from Carpenter to wide receiver Andrew Pettes.
With the scoreboard reading 21 to 10, the Bulldogs answered the Sun Devils with a 29 yard field goal by Blair Walsh to expand their lead to 24 to 10 heading into the final quarter. Walsh drilled another field goal to cap the Dawgs scoring, 27 to 10 midway through the fourth quarter.
Stafford completed 16-of-28 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown. With solid front line protection buying him ample time in the pocket, the Georgia offensive leader has not thrown an interception this year. Moreno rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns during the game, while A.J. Green caught eight passes for 159 yards and a score.
Next up for the Bulldogs is a showdown at home, with SEC rivals Alabama.
