The Georgia defense had no answer for South Carolina freshman running back Marcus Lattimore. Lattimore rushed 37 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Gamecocks over the Bulldogs 17-6 in both teams’ 2010 SEC opener.
The Dawgs didn’t fare so well on offense either, managing only 253 yards and two field goals. It was the first time that Georgia failed to score a touchdown since a 16-12 loss to South Carolina in 2007.
Quarterback Aaron Murray was one of the lone bright spots for the Bulldogs. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 192 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Kris Durham was Murray’s favorite target, catching 3 passes for 76 yards.
What led to the loss for the Dawgs? The consensus seems to be that Mark Richt and Mike Bobo called a vanilla, predictable offense that was reigned in due to Aaron Murray’s inexperience. Also, the Dawgs defense couldn’t tackle effectively in the first half, allowing Lattimore to gash the Bulldogs for 103 yards and 2 TD’s in the opening half.
And what of Georgia’s vaunted offensive line? The blocking was sub-par which led to a mere 61 yards (net) rushing. Washaun Ealey led Georgia with 75 yards on 19 carries.
With the loss, Georgia falls to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the SEC. They also dropped out of both the Coaches and AP Polls.
For the Bulldogs to have any chance at winning the SEC East, they must win out and South Carolina must lose twice. Looking at South Carolina’s 2010 schedule, they could lose more than two with games at Auburn and Florida and a visit from Alabama. Can the Dawgs win out? It doesn’t look good right now.
Georgia’s next game is Saturday, September 18 at home against the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-0, 0-0 SEC). The game will be televised by ESPN at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Related Links:
- Bulldogs Fall Short at South Carolina – GeorgiaDogs.com
- Georgia-South Carolina Box Score – ESPN.com
- Dawgs Fall Short on the Road in Columbia ($) – UGASports.com
- Tackling Issues Haunt Dawgs ($) – UGASports.com
View Comments (4)
Easley needs to be replaced at running back, he has no down field vision. he's runs to get hit. I saw on many occaisons where a cut right or left would have gained him several extra yards but he continues to run right into his lineman who has made a good block, has his man on the ground and Easley would run into the pile. replace him with someone who runs with his head up and able to made a cut into the open.
Is this the straw that broke the camels back? Well I didn't jump on the fire Mark Richt bandwagon last year but I'm sure considering it. The loss is not what bothers me, it's the lack of passion from the whole team. Blame it on the players all you want, but the players reflect leadership. The leadership comes from the coaches, its a trickel down effect. Mark is probably like, oh well we'll get them next time. NO there is no next time, the time is now, right now. Play every game like theres no tomorrow, play every play like it the national championship and there 2 minutes to go and we have the ball. Balls to the walls don't hold anything back. Then, and only then will I be satisfied once again. A simple win just doesn't cut it anymore for me and dawg nation. This "do enough to win" mentality has to stop. Let Aaron Murray do his thing, let the kid go. Take it offence from Boblow because he has no clue. If we don't play next saturday like somebody slapped your mama, then I will will be Fire Mark Richt's number one fan. He doesn't want it bad enough, and quite frankly he doesn't want his job bad enough. He knew the expectations going into this season, and he nor the whole team didn't show up to play saturday. I'm sorry but everything I said is true.
How bout them AWGS!!! They forgot to bring the D !!!!
Richt better take his job a little more seriously Dont u think?