A Fight to the Finish

The University of Georgia Bulldogs may have beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 33-28, but it was a fight to the finish for the Dawgs…..on the field and “off.” While Georgia should have been celebrating a victory, there seemed to be a discrepancy taking place between the newly developed “rivals.” Who knows what really happened on the field. All I know is that passion is part of the game of football and sometimes it gets the best of everyone.

Aaron Murray passed for a career high 326 yards to help lead the Bulldogs to 5-2 for the season, 4-1 in the SEC. Since Mark Richt decided to keep Isaiah Crowell out of most of the game, Marlon Brown and Michael Bennett were able to step up and shine. Brown took in 2 touchdowns with 112 yards while Bennett finished with 7 catches for 89 yards. Richard Samuel ended up with 53 yards on 15 carries.

While the defense looked sloppy at times, they put up some major stops when it counted. Giving up 349 yard to Vandy wasn’t ideal, but they were able to step up when necessary. Leading the defense was Bacarri Rambo who had 8 tackles and 1 interception.

Blair Walsh was utilized a good bit. He attempted 6 field goals and successfully drilled 4 of those 6 to help in Georgia’s win. Drew Butler should be highly praised. Without his rapid ability to gather himself after a blocked punt with little time left, Vandy’s Udom Umoh would have made it far past the 20 yard line where Butler was able to stop him. That was a definite game changing play that brought fans to their feet and a glimmer of hope in Vandy’s eye. After an illegal substitution penalty, Vandy was able to get two plays off before the game ended in Georgia’s favor.

What ended in a Georgia victory could have easily been a defeat. Luckily, the Bulldogs were able to hold on long enough to claim a W that keeps them alive in the race for the SEC East. With South Carolina’s recent struggles, losing QB Stephen Garcia & a more recent injury to the knee of Marcus Lattimore, Georgia’s chances are as good as ever. They will have 2 weeks to rest and prepare for the infamous GA-FL game in Jacksonville - which always proves to be a rival game like NO other. Florida will be coming off a major losing streak, but the Gators are never to be underestimated when it comes to playing the Bulldogs! It tends to be a mental game just as much as it is physical….let’s hope we come prepared!

As always, GOOO Dawgs!!!