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Friday, November ib, aoio | The Rkd a Black
ON THE OFFENSIVE
The Bulldogs have put up points in bunches in recent weeks.
Similar production may be necessary to keep up with Auburn’s high-scoring attack.
By RACHEL G. BOWERS
The Red & Buck
Auburn's offense is No. 6
in the country. Georgia’s is
No. 54.
Auburn’s rushing attack
is No. 4 in the country.
Georgia’s is No. 61.
Auburn is undefeated
and No. 2 in the country.
Georgia is at .500 and
unranked.
And as Georgia heads to
Auburn Saturday, the
offense will have the task of
keeping up with the Tigers’
high-octane offense. •
Though the Bulldogs’
offense will not compete
directly against Auburn's,
their ability to manage the
clock, efficiently move the
ball down the field and put
points on the board while
eating up the clock will
keep the Tigers’ star quar
terback Cameron Newton
and the rest of Auburn’s
offense off the field.
“We wanna manage the
time, really keep their
offense on the sideline and
keep our defense resting,”
quarterback Aaron Murray
said. “I think if we keep
them off the field that
would be a huge thing for
us. We wanna win the time
of possession battle and
just execute and just keep
executing like we have for
the past five weeks.”
The past five weeks, the
Bulldogs have scored at
least 30 points in each
game, setting anew pro
gram record for most con
secutive games with at
least 30 points.
In those five games,
Georgia has come away
with a win four times, with
the lone loss coming
against Florida, and has
been most productive in
the second quarter, scoring
86 combined points.
But the last two games,
the Bulldogs have gotten
off to slow starts offensive
ly, due in large part to
Murray’s slow starts.
In the first quarters
against Florida and Idaho
State, Murray completed
just 45 percent of his pass
es —a far reach from his
normal completion per
centage of nearly 62.
He has thrown for 5-of
-11 with an interception,
and the Bulldogs scored
just six points and two field
goals against an inferior
Idaho State squad.
Murray said despite
those slow starts, he was
able to correct his mental
errors by the second half of
the Florida game and by
the second quarter of the
Idaho State game. Though
his improved efforts did
not result in a victory over
Florida, the Bulldogs could
afford a slow start against
an inferior Bengal squad
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last Saturday.
"I’m hoping those were
the two random days.
That’s not gonna happen
anymore,” Murray said. “I
just gotta make those men
tal notes before I get out
there and I’m pretty sure
I’ll be fine. I’ve learned. I
think I got the jitters out
my system and everything
so I just gotta go out there
and have fun and play foot
ball.”
But a slow start against
the No. 2 team in the coun
try would be nothing but
trouble for the Bulldogs.
If Georgia gets down
early, its defense will have
to contain with Auburn’s
offense, which is easier said
than done especially with a
Heisman Trophy candidate
orchestrating the Tigers’
attack that averages 509.4
yards per game.
“The more opportuni
ties he gets, the more times
he could make a play so
[more] time we can keep
the ball out of his hands
and keep our defense fresh
and off the field we’ll be
good,” tailback Carlton
Thomas said.
Offensive coordinator
Mike Bobo said the
Bulldogs must be consis
tent and patient all game
long and not get caught up
in the possibility of the
game turning into a shoot
out. And with Georgia’s
reputation of turning the
ball over at costly points in
games, failing to score
touchdowns in the red zone
at crucial moments and
struggling on third down,
each possession will be
more precious than any all
season.
“I think if we keep
them off the field that
would be a huge thing
for us. We wanna win
the time of possession
battle and ... just keep
executing like we have
for the past five
weeks.”
Aaron Murray
Quarterback
“I think what’s most
important is to take advan
tage of our possessions and
our opportunities when
they come. We can’t get
impatient and think that
we gotta be Auburn. We
gotta do what we gotta do
to move the ball and exe
cute,” Bobo said. “When we
have an opportunity to
make a play, we gotta make
it. That could be on a third
down, that could be in the
red zone when we got a guy
open or got a run matched
up that we like. We gotta
execute and make that
[play].”
And when it comes to
Georgia making plays in
the red zone, the Bulldogs
are right there with the
Tigers.
Georgia and Auburn
have made the same
amount of trips to the red
zone this season 47.
Georgia has scored on 89
percent of its trips inside
the 20 to Aubum’s 87 per
cent, though the Tigers
have scored one more red
zone touchdown (30) than
Georgia (29).
FIRST & GOAL
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PHOTOS BY WKS BLANKENSHIP j TANARUS Rmo . Black
(Top) Georgia’s offense is averaging 114.8 yards less per game than
Auburn, though it has posted at least 30 points in the last five games.
(Above) Aaron Murray said he has worked through all his slow starts.
Bobo, Murray and wide
receiver Kris Durham all
said straying from the
game plan is the last thing
the Bulldogs want to do.
But as head coach Mark
Richt pointed out, if the
Bulldog offense can’t hang
and go blow for blow with
the Tigers, the pressure
will mount and Georgia will
have to play catch up.
“You have a plan going
in and you want to stick to
your plan, but if the points
get so far out of whack that
you just have to flat out try
to chunk it every down to
stay in it, it can put a lot of
pressure on you,” Richt
said. “You don’t want to
start slow in this one. Last
year we started out down
14-0 and came back and
won it. This offense here is
more prolific than a year
ago. It would be tough to
get in that situation.”
**•
With the Bulldogs aver
aging 42.8 points per game
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over the last five games,
the offense has started
clicking more despite a
couple slow starts during
that stretch.
Tight end Orson Charles
said the Bulldogs have sim
ply been having more fun
in practice and in games
the last several weeks,
crediting the offensive pro
duction to the team’s
enjoyment.
Thomas said he had
similar sentiments and that
it’s been translating on the
field.
“You’ll never go out and
play as good as you would
if you just out there having
fun. Just like playing foot
ball in the back yard you
tend to do some of the
weirdest things or make
some of the craziest plays
when you’re having fun,”
Thomas said. “That’s the
way we’ve been out there
attacking practice and
we’ve been having fun and
it’s been showing it’s been
working on the field on
Saturdays."
Wide receiver Rantavious
Wooten said the Bulldogs
have been more loose at
the start of games, keeping
each other relaxed by mak
ing jokes in pregame warm
ups and keeping smiles on
each other’s faces.
“Everything seems to
fall in order when you’re
having fun," Wooten said.
And with the hype
around Saturday’s match
up building, Wooten said
the energy and excitement
levels in the Bulldogs’ lock
er room are through the
roof.
“I can’t even describe it.
It’s like, so much excite
ment," Wooten said. “Just
saying that it’s Auburn, I
mean that says it all right
there.
“You can just see how
everybody’s performing
that we want it and this
team, they’re not God.
They’re not unbeatable.
They played a lot of close
games this year. It’s a rival
ry game. We’re trying to
take it to them.”