Georgia vs. Alabama

Saturday, September 27, 2008 – Athens, Georgia

Final: 30-41 (loss)

1 QB Matt Stafford now has (1) interception on the season. It came as the first half was mercifully drawing to a close against Alabama on Saturday, and who knows whether a score there could have impacted the outcome of the game. Georgia was at the Alabama 35 yard line with less than 25 seconds left in the half when Junior DB Justin Woodall picked off the Stafford pass.

3 Georgia was not the only upset victim as (3) out of the top four teams lost: USC, Georgia, and Florida. The Alabama defense should get a lot of credit. Matt Stafford was 24 for 42, good for 274 yards and two scores, but he also had the one pick, was sacked twice, and pretty much was running for his life the whole game—meanwhile, Knowshon Moreno barely got to touch the ball.

5 Alabama scored on their first (5) possessions—which pretty much assured the “BLACKOUT” that was planned for Sanford Stadium this week took place, just not the way we envisioned it.

11 Georgia came into the game having won (11) straight—the longest such streak in the nation. Well, that’s over. No one thought Georgia’s SEC schedule would be a cakewalk, and in this conference you have to believe that one loss does not have to ruin your chances for having a meaningful season. We just can’t afford to lose another one.

31 Alabama scored (31) unanswered points in the first half—and if I didn’t see it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. “We just got whipped,” Coach Mark Richt said. “There’s no excuses, and don’t expect any from me.”

92 The final score might not look too bad, but it was, and the game was never close—but the (91) yard punt return by Prince Miller in the fourth quarter that cut the deficit to 31-17 sure made things interesting, briefly.

Game Notes: The 31-point first half for Alabama was the worst shellacking for Georgia since Coach Richt took the helm. This is his eighth season, and the Bulldogs effort on Saturday was hurt by a team that played like they were in a backyard sandlot league in terms of penalties. Lots of flags, blatant fouls, and they hurt the team. Two weeks off before Tennessee is a good thing.

Up Next: Georgia vs. Tennessee (October 11)