Overcoming sloppy play in the first half and the losses of two
key players
to injuries, No. 7 Georgia held the ball the final 10:46 of its 31-17 victory
over Mississippi Saturday night.
Now only Auburn stands between Georgia and its first trip to
the SEC
championship game.
If Georgia wins at Auburn next Saturday, it claims bragging
rights in the
East for the first time since the Southeastern Conference was split into
divisions in 1992. If Florida loses to South Carolina next week, Georgia
automatically will represent the Eastern Division in the Dec. 7 game at the
Georgia Dome.
The kickoff time of the Georgia-Auburn game will be announced
today. It may
be claimed by CBS for its 3:30 p.m. ET time slot.
Georgia (9-1 overall, 6-1 SEC), leaned heavily on the running
of Musa Smith
and the passing of David Greene to bounce back from last week's loss to
Florida.
Greene completed 12 of 22 passes for 206 yards and two
touchdowns, and
Smith gained 148 yards on a career-high 37 carries.
Georgia's normal two-quarterback system was modified Saturday
night. When
D.J. Shockley lost a fumble on his only first-half possession in the second
quarter, he did not return to the game.
Instead, Greene avoided turnovers in the second half and
directed a late
drive that put the game away and used up the final 10:46 on the clock.
Greene completed third-down passes Gibson and Bryan McClendon to keep the
drive going.
As has become his custom, Georgia coach Mark Richt kept the
offense on the
field on a fourth-and-3 call from the Ole Miss 33, and Smith rambled for the
first-down yards.
On fourth-and-1 from the 5, Smith again took the handoff from
Smith and
powered over a defender for the first down.
Georgia didn't score on the drive, but it made its point by keeping the ball
from the Rebels for almost 11 straight minutes.
Ole Miss (5-5 overall, 2-4 SEC) was more effective running the
ball than
expected, but Tremaine Turner's two first-half rushing touchdowns were
negated by Eli Manning's two interceptions - one returned for a touchdown by
Tim Jennings.
As soon as Georgia regained the services of one big-play
threat, receiver
Fred Gibson, it lost two other top play-makers, linebacker Boss Bailey late
in the first half to a knee injury and receiver Terrence Edwards early in the
fourth quarter.
Bailey, who blocked a field-goal attempt in the first quarter,
limped off
the field after spraining his right knee. Bailey had the knee wrapped in ice
in the second half, but he spent some of the half standing without crutches.
Edwards caught a 32-yard touchdown pass late in the third
quarter for a
31-17 lead, but a few minutes later he was walking slowly to the locker
room
with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder. Edwards returned minutes later,
his left arm in a sling.
Edwards' father, Robert, and younger brother, Chris, were on
the Georgia
sideline during the game, each wearing No. 8 Georgia jerseys.
The status of Edwards and Bailey for the Auburn game is not known.
Gibson, meanwhile, made a huge impact as a receiver and kickoff returner as
he returned after missing two games with a thumb injury.
In just the first half, Gibson caught two passes for 70 yards,
including a
17-yard touchdown, and returned three kickoffs for 95 yards.
Plagued by missed tackles, seven penalties and two turnovers -
an
interception by Greene and the fumbled snap by Shockley - Georgia was
fortunate to lead 21-17 at halftime.
A key to the half was a defensive stand by Georgia with the
score tied 7-7
in the first quarter.
Under pressure on a third-down play, Greene was picked off by Ole Miss
safety Wes Scott at the Georgia 32. The Rebels drove to a first down at the
4, but from there the defense gave up only two more yards. Boss Bailey
delivered his second blocked field goal of the season.
On his first possession of the game, Shockley also gave the
ball to Ole Miss
deep in Georgia territory when he fumbled a snap at the Georgia 27.
This time, Ole Miss quickly took advantage of the gift, as Turner rushed
for his second touchdown of the half, this time from the 1.
Big plays boosted Georgia in the first half.
Gibson returned the opening kickoff 44 yards to set up a touchdown drive
capped by a plunge from the 1 by fullback J.T. Wall.
Gibson added a 53-yard gain on his first reception, but that drive ended
with a missed 42-yard field goal by Billy Bennett.
Finally, Gibson gave Georgia a 21-14 lead late in the half
with a great cut
to break free on a 17-yard scoring pass from Greene.
The big play of the half for Georgia was a 64-yard interception return for a
touchdown by Jennings, giving the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead.
---------------------
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