Between The Hedges » A.J. Green

Georgia Tames the Tigers

JY — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 02:46:09 +0000

BATON ROUGE- The Dawgs were impressive against LSU, putting up 52 points on the Tigers in "Death Valley". Georgia linebacker Darryl Gamble returned an interception for a touchdown on the first play of the game, and, the Bulldogs never looked back. The LSU crowd was kept quiet as Georgia rolled to a 52-38 stomping of the defending National Champs.

Darryl Gamble actually tied an NCAA record (for linebackers) with 2 interceptions for touchdowns on the day. Georgia's defense had 3 total interceptions against LSU, with safety Rashad Jones picking off a pass, along with Gamble's two. The Dawgs defense gave up 497 yards of total offense, however, the 3 picks (and 2 for TD's) were huge. Offensively, Knowshon Moreno had 21 carries for 163 yards and a 68 yard touchdown. Matt Stafford threw for 249 yards and 2 touchdowns, and, he had a 7-yard TD run as well. A.J. Green was the leading receiver with 3 catches for 89 yards and a 49-yard TD. Michael Moore and Mohammed Massaquoi had 3 catches a piece, to help pace the Dawgs passing attack.

My 3 keys to the game were: 1. Score Early 2. Linemen need to G.A.T.A (Get After Their Asses) and 3. Use "Star Power". Georgia accomplished all three as Darryl Gamble provided the early score. Next, the offensive and defensive lines "got after it". LSU came into the game with all of the "big name" linemen, and, I thought the Georgia offensive line, in particular, stepped up. With the star-studded Tiger D-line across from the young, injury-plagued Georgia line, the "young pups" grew up and helped the Dawgs roll up 443 yards of total offense. The last key to the game was to use "star power". Matt Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, A.J. Green and Darryl Gamble all shined in a big way.

Georgia Knocks off Vandy

JY — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:39:12 +0000

ATHENS- Coming into this game, Vanderbilt and Georgia were in a 3-way tie with Florida for the the SEC Eastern Division lead. Georgia took care of the Commodores, by a score of 24-14, and are now tied with Florida at 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference. The Dawgs gave up a couple of turnovers to the 'Dores, but, also had a couple of picks to even the turnover battle at 2 to 2. There were several other Commodore passes that could have easily been intercepted, but, somehow slipped throught the Dawgs "paws". On offense, Georgia rolled up 425 yards of total offense, but, often struggled to put points on the scoreboard, which concerned many fans in the stands Saturday. Matt Stafford connected on 13 for 23 passes for 194 yards, with 2 TD's and 2 INT's. Most of the completions were to receiver A.J. Green, who had a huge game, catching 7 passes for 132 yards and a TD. What was more impressive was that Green was not slowed down by All-SEC candidate D.J. Moore, who was covering him on several plays. Knowshon Moreno had 23 carries for 172 yards and a touchdown. And, Mohamed Massaquoi had a nine yard touchdown. Vanderbilt started the game attempting to establish a ground game. They had some success against the Bulldog defense, however, Georgia held the 'Dores to 245 total yards on the day and only allowed 5 of 14 third-down conversions.

Overall, this game could have had a much larger margin of victory for Georgia. Several interceptions were dropped or missed. And, penalties are still showing up on the stat sheet. Kicker Blair Walsh missed a field goal, which was rare. And, there appeared to be a couple of missed assignments here and there. To their credit, the Bulldog defense held steady when the score sat at 21-14, and, the offense had some key first downs to run the clock down, when it counted.

Georgia vs Vanderbilt

JY — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:34:48 +0000

ATHENS- If you look at Vanderbilt's statistics, you wouldn't find much to be concerned about. However, the Commodores are sitting pretty with a 5-1 record and are in a 3-way tie with Georgia and Florida for the SEC East lead. A closer look at the 'Dores and you see that they lead the SEC with 11 interceptions. They also lead the SEC with 19 QB sacks and they do not turn the ball over (#2 in the league in turnover ratio). Penalties? They are also the least penalized team in the conference, averaging 36 yards-per-game in penalties. Heck, they could punt the ball ONCE and make up that difference!!!!

The only two keys to a Georgia win, in my eyes, is limiting turnovers and protecting Matthew Stafford. Offensive lineman Clint Boling did an outstanding job against Tennessee last week by not allowing a sack. He also proved to be a punishing blocker as the Dawgs ran the ball to his side of the line about 10 straight times at one point (in the 4th quarter)!!!!! ......and, the Vols had no answer. Boling and his teammates on the O-line must keep the Vandy defense away from Stafford on Saturday for the Dawgs to be successful. Georgia has done a great job, so far, limiting turnovers. The offense is 2nd in the league with only 6 turnovers on the year. The Dawgs must continue their stingy ways, while trying to force more turnovers by Vandy. Penalties continue to be a thorn in the Dawgs rear end, and, they do not seem to be going away (even after the off week). So, if we have to live with the penalties, then, we must find ways to overcome them and keep winning. Matt Stafford, A.J. Green, Mohamed Massaquoi and Knowshon Moreno continue to lead the #1 total offense in the SEC and the #1 passing offense in the SEC, while scoring 33 points-per-game. And, as always, Georgia has one of the top defenses in the league. If the Dawgs limit turnovers and protect Stafford against Vandy, the rest will take care of itself.....

Dawgs Outplayed By Bama

JY — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:56:33 +0000

ATHENS- Georgia had a golden opportunity to step back into the #1 ranking after USC was upset by Oregon State on thursday night. However, Alabama used an overpowering offensive line and an equally-impressive defensive line to win in Athens 41-30. They say that the game is won in the trenches and this definitely held true in this one. The Crimson Tide was able to overcome an electric Sanford Stadium crowd and a #3 ranked Georgia team, sporting their undefeated "blackout" jerseys, to make a statement that Alabama football is back.

Tide Continues To Dominate First Quarter

Last week I mentioned the first quarter of the game could be a key to the outcome. This held true as Alabama came out and drove down the field on their first possession, on their way to a 10-0 lead. This, along with numerous Georgia turnovers and penalties, snowballed into a 31-0 halftime lead. Georgia came back in the second half to outscore Bama 30-10, but, there was too much damage already done.

Tale of Two Halves

In the first half, the Dawgs running game was outmuscled by a tough Alabama front seven. Knowshon Moreno was held to 34 yards rushing and one touchdown on the night. Stafford hit A.J. Green as the ball was knocked loose and scooped up by the Alabama secondary for one of the first half turnovers. And, the penalties began to pile up, as the Dawgs totalled 10 penalties for 81 yards on the night. In the second half, Matt Stafford tossed 2 TD passes and Prince Miller returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown to help Georgia close the gap. Stafford finished with a game high 274 yards passing with 2 touchdowns. And, A.J. Green finished the game as Georgia's leading receiver with 6 catches for 88 yards and a TD. Alabama ultimately held the ball for 11 more minutes, had 11 more total yards (334 to 324) and won the game by 11 points. QB John Parker Wilson was a very efficient 13 for 16 with 205 yards passing and Bama outrushed Georgia 129 to 50 yards.

Georgia's Goals Still Intact

Though the Dawgs took a step back Saturday night, the season's goals are still intact. Florida was upset by an unranked Ole Miss team Saturday, giving both Georgia and Florida one loss. With a tough SEC schedule coming up, the Dawgs must find a way to keep winning to reach the SEC championship. The "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party", will still be as important as ever in the SEC East race.... On a national level, if you have to lose a game, you'd rather it be to the #8 ranked team in the nation. At the end of the year, a loss to a top ten team looks a whole lot better than a loss to an unranked team. This should help the Dawgs, when comparing losses with Florida and Southern Cal.... One final thought that crosses my mind: How sweet would it be if the Dawgs play their way into an SEC Championship showdown with none other than the Alabama Crimson TIde? What a game that would be!!

Georgia vs South Carolina

JY — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:13:32 +0000

Bulldogs- Keys of the Game

1. Georgia's air attack vs the South Carolina secondary- During the pre-season there was much hype over the South Carolina front seven. So deep on the defensive line that DE Eric Norwood was moved to linebacker to team with standout LB Jasper Brinkley! Amazingly enough, their run defense has been their weakness thus far this season. The Gamecocks have given up only 70 passing yards per game, however. And, Matthew Stafford will face his toughest test of the young season. Defensive backs Captain Munnerlyn and Emanuel Cook rank among the top talents in the SEC and have helped hold opponents to less than a 40% pass completion percentage, so far. The Dawgs receivers must continue to slice through the defense like a knife through chicken......so to speak.

2. Kicking game- Freshman kicker Blair Walsh has been lights out in the early going for the Dawgs. He nailed his first collegiate kick from over 50 yards out and has been perfect on extra points. The Georgia-South Carolina series has a history of close games and who knows if this one may come down to a last minute field goal? Walsh must continue his solid performance in front of his first hostile crowd in Columbia on Saturday.

3. Defense must Finish The Drill- The Bulldog's defense has taken care of business in the first two games, however, there have been lapses from time to time. Central Michigan's Heisman-hopeful quarterback found holes in the defensive secondary and orchestrated a couple of scoring drives to bring his team within 2 scores of a tie ballgame last weekend. Though South Carolina does not have the same caliber of quarterback, they do have standouts in wide receiver Kenny McKinley and tight end Jared Cook. The Dawgs must "bring it" for 4 quarters and keep Steve Spurrier's offense in check!

Potential Breakout Performance?

High School all-everything receiver A.J. Green has been silky smooth in his first two games as a Georgia Bulldog. While his stats haven't been eye-popping, he has been very impressive as he has worked his way into the offensive rotation. How sweet would it be for the true freshman to have his "coming out party" in his home state ,in front of a nationally televised audience? Mark Richt plucked the kid right out from under Spurrier and Green never waivered on his decision to commit to Georgia. Humble, eager to learn and talented, A.J. Green has the potential to stretch the field and create some fireworks inside Williams-Brice Stadium this weekend!