December 12, 2008 | Football
Georgia freshman A.J. Green (55 rec., 951 yds., 8 TDs) and senior Mohamed Massaquoi (57 rec., 910 yds., 8 TDs) rank first and second in the SEC in receiving yds./game at 79.2 and 75.8 ypg. Green leads the SEC in receiving yardage, yards per game and tied for first in TDs by receivers.
In school history, the Bulldogs have had only one 1,000-yard receiver in a season, Terrence Edwards in 2002 (1,004 in 2002). Green and Massaquoi’s current season totals ranks third and fourth all-time for a Georgia receiver.
Green is looking to become the first Bulldog to lead the SEC in receiving since Brice Hunter (59 rec.-799 yds.-7 TDs) in 1994. In school history, Georgia has had only one 1,000-yard receiver, Terrence Edwards in 2002 (1,004). For freshmen, he would be the first to lead the league in receiving yds./game since 1999 (AU’s Ronny Daniels-97.1 yds/game) and in receptions/game since 2000 (UF’s Jabar Gaffney-5.92 rec./game). He could become the first freshman to lead UGA in receiving since Edwards (53 rec., 772 yds., 9 TDs) in 1999. Massaquoi became the first UGA receiver to have four 100-yard games in one season. Massaquoi has five in his career.
Against #18 Georgia Tech, Massaquoi finished with a career-high 11 catches for 180 yards and three touchdowns. His three scores tied a Georgia record that is shared by Edwards (Kentucky-2002), Don Potterfield (Auburn-1963) and George Poschner (Florida-1942). Massaquoi’s 11 catches ranks fourth best in school history, tying Damien Gary who had 11 for 126 versus the Yellow Jackets in 2000. He has set two career highs during the 2008 season. Massaquoi recorded a career-high 112 receiving yards against #5 Florida. Then, he followed it up with a new career high of 191 yards on eight catches in the road win over Kentucky. Massaquoi’s performance against the Wildcats was the fifth best in school history and the most since 2001 (Fred Gibson, 201, UK). Massaquoi has caught a pass in 33 straight games. In 50 games as a Bulldog, Massaquoi has 157 catches for 2,272 yards and 16 TD receptions.
Green set a new record for catches for a freshman after snagging four passes for 64 yards and a touchdown against Georgia Tech. He now has 55 catches in his career. Edwards had the record with 53 in 1999. Edwards holds the mark by a senior with 59 with Massaquoi trailing him by only two receptions.
Comparing The Top Bulldog Receiving Duos
1. A.J. Green/Mohamed Massaquoi (2008) 1,861 yards, 16 TDs
2. Terrence Edwards/Fred Gibson (2002) 1,762 yards, 15 TDs
Youthful Front Again In 2008
Georgia has started five different tackles (three at LT and three at RT; Clint Boling has started at both) due to season-ending knee injuries to two Bulldogs. There has actually been five different starting lineups on the OL this year. Georgia has allowed only seven sacks in its last seven games and 15 total this year (tied for second with the fewest sacks allowed in the SEC this year; Kentucky-12, Florida-15).
The current starting unit features sophomore Boling (LT), freshman Cordy Glenn (LG), freshman Ben Jones (C), redshirt sophomore Chris Davis (RG) and redshirt sophomore Josh Davis (RT). This group has helped Georgia have the league’s top passing offense (280.0 yds./game) and be second best in total offense (433.9). The Bulldogs are tied for second in the league in scoring offense, averaging 32.1 points per game. Redshirt freshman Justin Anderson returned to action as a substitute at right tackle against #18 Georgia Tech after missing the Auburn game with a foot injury.
Georgia Featuring Many Weapons
The Bulldogs are tied for first in the nation with 18 different players who have scored touchdowns during the 2008 season.
School Different Players With a TD
T1. Georgia 18
Miami (Fla.) 18
Florida 18
T4. Troy 17
Utah 17
T6. TCU 16
Texas 16
USC 16
Arkansas St. 16
Southerland, Chapas Lead Georgia Fullbacks
With senior Brannan Southerland sidelined for the first four games of the season with a foot injury, redshirt sophomore Shaun Chapas filled in admirably seeing action in every game this year, including six starts. Chapas showed his pass catching skills throughout the season and actually ended up with more receptions than rushing attempts. He has nine catches for 120 yards and one touchdown and he has seven rushes for 25 yards.
Georgia’s fullbacks this year have only 10 carries for 27 yards and two touchdowns. Southerland had one score against Tennessee as redshirt sophomore Fred Munzenmaier scored a touchdown at LSU on his only carry of the season. With a rash of injuries at tight end this year, Southerland also spent some time lining up at tight end for the Bulldogs.
Bulldog Tight Ends Battling To Contribute
With Georgia’s youthful offensive line, the Bulldog tight ends have been used primarily to help block this season. The Georgia tight ends have combined for nine receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Tripp Chandler leads the group with five catches for 58 yards and his lone touchdown came against #18 Georgia Tech. Sophomore Bruce Figgins has two catches for 32 yards, while redshirt freshman Aron White has a pair of catches for 67 yards, including a 19-yard TD reception from Joe Cox against #5 Florida.
Figgins opted to continue playing rather than having season-ending surgery for an injured labrum. Chandler has battled knee, shoulder and rib injuries during his senior season and was only able to start six games after starting 10 games in 2007. Offensive lineman Kiante Tripp has helped out by moving briefly to tight end but has since moved back to the line.
Curran Ranks Second In SEC With 109 Tackles
Sophomore WLB Rennie Curran has been the Bulldogs’ top tackler nine times this season. He is the first Georgia defender to register 100 tackles in a season since safety Thomas Davis in 2003. Davis tallied 130 that season. Davis earned All-America honors in 2004 and was a first-round pick in the 2005 draft by the Carolina Panthers, the 14th player selected overall. Curran is one of three SEC players to have at least 100 tackles this year. Senior Dominick Douglas of Mississippi State leads the league with 116. Curran is second with 109 followed by Vanderbilt junior linebacker Patrick Benoist (100).
Curran followed up his career-high 15 during the road win against Kentucky with a team-high nine against Auburn and team-high 11 against #18 Georgia Tech. Curran is looking to become the first Bulldog to lead the SEC in tackles since 1995 when LB Whit Marshall had 128. Also this season, he had 14 stops against No. 11 LSU and No. 8 Alabama. He leads the team with 3.0 sacks.
Curran provided the season’s biggest defensive stop in the SEC opener against South Carolina and earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts. With the Gamecocks aiming for a tying touchdown in the fourth quarter, Curran hit Mike Davis on the 1-yard line and caused a fumble that was recovered by junior Asher Allen in the end zone. This stop proved pivotal as the Bulldogs won 14-7.
Looking To Set The Tone, Defending A Short Field
The Bulldogs have allowed an average of 25.6 points a game this season. The defense has recorded 16 scoreless quarters. Georgia was outscored 45-3 in the opening half during its first two losses. In the 45-42 loss to #18 Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs led 28-12 at halftime but then surrendered 26 points in the third quarter. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 165-68 by halftime in their nine wins this year. The Bulldogs have held four teams to under 60 yds. rushing including Tennessee to 1 yd. and Arizona State to 4 yds. Much has been made of Georgia surrendering 180 points in its last five games. The Bulldogs are 3-2 in those games and the defense was forced into defending a short field. Four touchdown drives by the opponents covered 10 yds. or less and eight overall were from 41 yds. or shorter.
Seasoned Secondary
The Bulldogs’ starting unit features junior Asher Allen, junior Prince Miller, sophomore Reshad Jones and senior CJ Byrd. Senior Ramarcus Brown and junior Bryan Evans have also seen ample time in the defensive backfield. Miller set a career high with 11 tackles against Kentucky and recorded his first career sack against the Vols (one play later, Miller returned a punt 27 yards). Byrd registered a career-high eight tackles against the Wildcats. Evans tied his career high with seven tackles (all solo) versus the Sun Devils. Jones had an INT to clinch the 14-7 victory over South Carolina. The Gamecocks were driving for a potential game-tying TD when Jones picked off a Chris Smelley pass on the Georgia 3 yard line. Jones tallied eight tackles and one INT to lead Georgia over the Commodores. Jones added interceptions against Vanderbilt, LSU and Georgia Tech to give him a team-leading four on the year. He is also second in the team with 72 tackles, including a career-high 12 in the win over LSU.
Defensive Front Has Career Day
Two Bulldog defensive ends and one defensive tackle recorded career-high totals against #18 Georgia Tech. Senior defensive end Jeremy Lomax led the crew with seven tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss. Fellow senior defensive end Jarius Wynn finished with a career-high six stops against the Yellow Jackets while junior defensive tackle Kade Weston tallied five tackles (four solo).
Senior DE Roderick Battle had a career-high five tackles against Kentucky and forced a pair of fumbles. Redshirt sophomore DE Demarcus Dobbs had his second significant INT of the season. He preserved Georgia’s win at Kentucky with a one-handed grab at the Georgia 13 yard line. Against Central Michigan, Dobbs snagged a pass that teammate Prince Miller tipped and returned it 78 yards for a TD. This was the longest INT return for a TD since 2003 (Odell Thurman, Auburn, 99 yards). Dobbs’ INT for a TD was the first for Georgia since 2006 (Tra Battle, Auburn).
Gamble Sidelined With Broken Leg
Sophomore WLB Darryl Gamble becomes the 19th different Bulldog this season to sustain a season-ending injury after breaking his leg versus #18 Georgia Tech. He had appeared in all 12 games, including starting six, and was the backup at MLB and SLB. Earlier in the year, Gamble tied an NCAA record for a linebacker with two interception returns for touchdowns in the 52-38 road win over #11 LSU. He was the fifth linebacker to accomplish this feat and first since 1997. On the first offensive play of the game, Gamble picked off Jarrett Lee’s pass and took it 40 yards for a TD. In the fourth quarter, he struck again off of Lee, taking one 53 yards to give the Bulldogs a 52-31 lead. It marked the first two interceptions of his career, and he added a career-high 13 tackles on the day. Gamble’s two scores off picks tied the SEC and Georgia record held by former Georgia player Jake Scott against Kentucky in 1968. Gamble was later named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for his effort. He is third on the team with 60 tackles.
89 Points For Walsh This Year
Bulldog freshman Blair Walsh is 14-for-22 on the year in field goal attempts with three of his misses from 50+ yards. He is 2-for-5 from that range. He scored a career high 14 points on four field goals (34, 20, 41, and 28 yards) and two PATs against Tennessee. After making 10 of his first 12 FGs (misses from 52 and 54 yards), Walsh is 4-for-10 over the past five games. Against the Commodores, he missed a 40 yarder and then hit the upright on a 37-yard attempt. However, he bounced back to hit a 39 yarder with 17 seconds left in the game to clinch the win over #22 Vanderbilt. Walsh is 47-for-47 for PATs this season.
His first career field goal was good from 52 yards out against Georgia Southern. Walsh became the first Bulldog true freshman to kick in a season opener since All-American and eventual College Football Hall of Famer Kevin Butler in 1981. Walsh’s field goal was the longest ever by a Bulldog freshman at Sanford Stadium.
Productive Punting By Mimbs
Senior Brian Mimbs is averaging 43.5 yards a punt with 16 inside the 20 and 11 covering 50+ yards. His current average ranks second in the SEC. Mimbs had four punts for an average of 48.2 yards against #18 Georgia Tech, including a 54-yarder. Against Auburn, three of his four punts were inside the 20 and he averaged 45.0 yards. He is also the holder for freshman PK Blair Walsh. Mimbs was named a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, which is college football’s most prestigious academic honor.
Mimbs enjoyed a career performance during the road win over South Carolina. On five punts, he averaged 52.2 yards a punt which ranked as No. 2 in school history (Bobby Walden vs. Texas, 63.0, three punts, 1958). With Georgia leading 14-7 in the fourth quarter, Mimbs came on to punt near his own goal line and booted a career-best 77 yarder to flip the field. Against No. 11 LSU in Baton Rouge, Mimbs averaged 50.4 yards on five punts.
Senior Bo Fowler resumes his snapping duties.
Redshirt freshman Zach Renner blocked his second punt of the season during the Alabama game. Kendrell Bell holds the school record with three blocked punts in one season doing it in 1999.
Options At Punt Returner
Five different Bulldogs have returned a punt this season. Junior Asher Allen has 91 yards on five returns for an 18.2 average. However, Prince Miller had a 92-yard punt return for a TD against No. 8 Alabama. Third-string QB Logan Gray has seen more time lately returning punts. He had one return for 13 yards against Auburn and one for 17 yards versus #18 Georgia Tech.
Georgia is on pace to set a school record for the highest average for punt returns. The 1980 national champion team averaged 16.48 yards per return. This year’s team is averaging 16.7 yards.
