A Free Man

That is what I call showing up! Usually I’m pretty happy to listen to the games on the internet, but last night was the first time I really would have liked to be able to watch it on the TV. Even better would have been to be in the stands in Jacksonville at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. From the sack of Teabag Tebow on the opening play and the fumble recovery in their first drive to the whole Georgia team storming the endzone after Knowshon Moreno’s first TD, I had a good feeling about this game from the start. Georgia was playing with some swagger and passion - in short, the way that they should be playing all the time. That’s not to say there weren’t some white knuckle moments - the Gators briefly took the lead in the second quarter and the pulled withing four in the third - but throughout the game it was clear who was the better team on the field.

Georgia coach Mark Richt and his coordinators Mike Bobo and Willie Martinez deserve kudos for a great game plan. Bobo seemed to want to establish the running game even though the Gators are notoriously weak against the pass. Martinez ran a bend but don’t break defense that contained one of the best offensive units in the country, not to mention the legend that is (was) Tim Tebow. But as with any big win, its the players that deserve the credit. Moreno, the redshirt Freshman, led the Dawgs with 188 yards and three TDs on the ground. For the first time this season, the rest of the team played up to his standard. Sophomore QB Matthew Stafford was sharp at 11-18 for 216 yards passing with three TDs of his own and only one ill advised interception. The Georgia offensive line deserves credit as well, giving Stafford time to work and Moreno some blocking. But I think it was the young Georgia defense that was the real hero of this games. They sacked Florida QB and Superman Tim Tebow six times (he’d been sacked only five times all season). By the fourth quarter, crunch time, he looked down right scared in the backfield. The Gator defense was just outplayed, allowing 413 yards of total offense and forcing only one punt in the game.
And let me just nip the predictable Gator fan whining about 15 of the last 18 in the bud - we’ve won one of the last one and that is all that really matters this year.

Ah, it was beautiful! Even hunched over a computer in the stormy south of England rather than in Jacksonville, it was beautiful. Even listening to Scott Howard and watching a little ESPN Game Cast window rather than watching the CBS broadcast on a big screen TV it was beautiful. Z woke up for the fourth quarter and stayed awake for the end of the game. Of course, that could have been because his Dad kept yelling “TOUCHDOWN!!!” and danced around the living room late in the quarter. However, I prefer to think it’s because he’s a budding Baby Bulldog.

Because I can’t watch the games over here in Blighty and video is so cruelly protected by CBS, I’ve collected all the best photos from the game and put together a slideshow of photos for my fellow Dawg fans. Gator fans are welcome as well, but y’all may not enjoy it quite as much as we will.

How ’bout them Dawgs!

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