University of Georgia Athletics
Dog Notes: Godwin, Michel Help Offense Awaken
November 07, 2015 | Football
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
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Terry Godwin was beaming as he talked Saturday afternoon about occasionally lining up in the Wildcat, taking some snaps from center Brandon Kublanow and running the Georgia offense.
The true freshman wide receiver had reason to smile, as did all the Bulldogs, following a 27-3 thumping of Kentucky at Sanford Stadium. The 5-foot-11, 174-pound Godwin made a notable, if unorthodox, contribution to the Dogs' scoring line.
Midway through the first quarter, facing a third-and-3 at the Kentucky 28-yard line, Godwin was in the Wildcat. On the zone read option play, he started to put the ball in Sony Michel's hands and quickly withdrew it. The ball came out and bounced right in front of Godwin, who scooped it up and ran 28 yards, untouched, for a touchdown.
"As I was reading the defense, I was trying to pull it away from Sony Michel, and it kind of slipped out of my hands," Godwin said. "We were moving fast, so it actually timed up with the defense, which made everyone flow over (to the right) and a hole just opened up."
Was it the most unlikely touchdown of his football career?
"Yes, sir," he said, still grinning from ear to ear.
It was also Georgia's first touchdown since Oct. 10, when Reggie Davis scored on a 48-yard pass from quarterback Greyson Lambert with 14:53 to play in the fourth quarter against Tennessee. Since then the Dogs (6-3, 4-3 SEC) had defeated Missouri 9-6 and lost to Florida 27-3.
The Dogs later got touchdowns from running backs Sony Michel and Keith Mitchell (on a 10-yard screen pass from Lambert), highlighting a running back-heavy offensive attack. Georgia finished with 300 yards rushing on 52 carries and 90 passing yards. Michel had a career-high 165 yards rushing.
Georgia opened last week's Florida game with Michel taking a direct snap and running. He did that a few times Saturday, but Godwin was back there more, finishing with four carries for 26 yards.
Coach Mark Richt said he liked what he saw out of Godwin.
"We think Terry really has a good feel for (the zone read); he did it in high school and we think he handles the ball well from the center," Richt said. "We think that he can make good reads and he has the athleticism, if he does pull it, to make something good happen."
Lambert, who returned to the starting spot at quarterback, stayed on the field when the Dogs were in the Wildcat. He lined up out wide and did, well, not a lot.
"Well, at first I wanted to make sure the corner wasn't going to try to jack me, because a lot of the time they'll try to hit you," Lambert said. "He didn't at first, so I tried to jack him. And he kind of hit me back. It was just kind of one of those cat and mouse games, trying to to figure out what was happening.
"And then they actually ran the ball to my side one time and I think I whiffed on it. Blocking isn't my cup of tea, I guess. I tried."
Lambert played much of the game at quarterback, going 6 of 13 for 64 yards. Brice Ramsey also played some series, completing 4 of 6 passes for 26 yards. Richt said Georgia didn't throw the ball much, especially in the second half, because it didn't need to.
Almost A Shutout
Richt called the Dog defense's performance "as close as you can get to a shutout." Georgia held Kentucky (4-5, 2-5) to eight first downs and 180 yards of total offense. The Wildcats' only points came on a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter, on a drive that began at the UGA 20 after wideout Isaiah McKenzie fumbled.
Linebacker Jake Ganus led the Dogs with eight tackles. Linebacker Leonard Floyd also had a big game with five tackles and a pass break-up, though his impact was much greater than the stats show. Floyd had series in which he constantly hounded and pressured quarterback Patrick Towles, disrupting plays and forcing throw-aways.
"Holding them to three points when they were given the ball on the 20, that's basically a shutout," Ganus said. "And I think we held them under 200 yards or something like that, so we did a good job."
Sanders Strikes Again
Safety Dominick Sanders helped the defense out with a pair of interceptions. The first ended poorly. Trying to get into the end zone after a 24-yard return, Sanders had the ball knocked out and Kentucky regained possession at the 8.
"I looked at their quarterback and broke on the ball," he said. "What happened was, I've got a broken bone in my finger from the Missouri game, and I kind of got hit when I broke back across the field, which caused the fumble."
His second interception came in the fourth quarter, after the ball bounced off a receiver, and the sophomore held on much better this time during a 38-yard return.
"(Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt) told me, hold the ball tight," Sanders said.
Sanders now has a team-high four interceptions this season and seven through the first 22 games of his career.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: http://www.georgiadogs.com/ot/frierson-files.html. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
