The former long-time quarterbacks coach at Florida State, Richt had juggled
two players at the position before while winning conference championships.
But others worried.
How would a two-quarterback system affect the psyche of
starter David Greene? Why should Greene, the 2001 Southeastern Conference
Freshman of the Year, have to share his starting position? What would
redshirt freshman D.J. Shockley bring to the position that Greene was not
already providing? Would the rotation upset the chemistry of the entire
offense?
On Saturday, the two combined to set a Georgia record with six touchdown
passes as Georgia overwhelmed Kentucky.
Georgia outscored Kentucky 31-0 in the second half, and most of the time
it
did not seem to matter which of the two was in the game.
Greene would lead a touchdown drive and Shockley would take over for the
next possession. Then Shockley would direct another touchdown drive before
giving way to Greene.
"It is a little strange, but I knew David was going to go in there and
do
the same thing,'' Shockley said.
Greene passed for 251 yards with four touchdowns and Shockley added 102
yards passing with two touchdowns and 38 yards rushing.
By bringing in Shockley early and often, Richt proved he has confidence in
both quarterbacks, and both delivered.
"I was hoping (the two-quarterback system) would be like that,'' Richt
said.
"I was hoping both guys would play well and do their thing. (Greene)
has a
little more experience and (Shockley) has a little more mobility, but they're
both capable of helping us win.''
Most impressively, the two combined for 47 pass attempts with only one
interception - on a deflected pass thrown by Shockley.
"It was great today,'' said receiver Terrence Edwards. "Both
quarterbacks
bring something that's special. I wouldn't trade them for anybody in the
league.''
Edwards is gaining momentum as the quarterbacks become comfortable in the
rotation. In his last three games, the senior has 19 catches for 402 yards
and four touchdowns.
Already twice this season Greene has tied the school record of four
touchdown passes by one quarterback in a game. He also threw four scoring
passes against Northwestern State. Shockley set career highs by completing
10 of 14 passes for 102 yards and
two touchdowns.
The two shared time in the first two games of the season before Shockley
suffered a broken foot, forcing him to miss four games. Now he is healthy
again, and it seems clear Richt intends to continue the rotation as Georgia
tries to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game.
"Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come,'' Richt said. "I
really
was thinking we were capable of this type of performance from the start.
Hopefully this is not a blip on the radar screen.''
Charles Odum is the beat writer for Dawg Post in Athens. He has over 20 years of experience covering Georgia football. He can be reached here: CEOdum@aol.com
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