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Georgia Bulldogs Feast on Horse (Bronco) Flesh, 48-13

Athens, GA - Georgia (1-0) dominated the offensive line of scrimmage to provide SR QB DJ Shockley 374 total yards on offense, a rushing TD, and 5 TD passes, while Boise State JR QB Jared Zabransky served up four easy INTs and two fumbles in the first half to give UGA a commanding 48-13 victory in the season opener for both teams.  The game was a major disappointment for CFF, as the anticipation to see a great football game between two Top 20 was over early in the first half.  Boise became our 94th team toward The Goal in a game we expected to be exciting.  Instead, we regretfully saw a clunker.  Zabransky was horrible from the start, and almost threw a fifth interception on one of two consecutive plays in the first half as UGA defenders dropped two wayward passes.  If caught, the first was a sure TD for the Dawgs.   UGA answered many questions about personnel replacements from last season's 10-2 squad.  They look ready to step up into another successful season.  Boise left Athens with one question pertaining to a team with 17 starters returning from and 11-1 season, "Over-rated?"  That's the chant they heard from the big opening day crowd in Athens.

   On his first pass from scrimmage, the All-WAC QB rolled right and threw his first interception right into the hands of MLB Tony Taylor.  Two minutes and three seconds into the "contest", Shockley completed the short 37-yard drive with a 14-yard TD run.  PK Brandon Coutu connected for his first PAT and a 7-0 lead.  Unchallenged, Zabransky's next pass ended up in the hands of LB Dannel Ellerbe. The Dawgs started at the BSU 38, lost two-yards, and Shockley zipped the ball to SE Kenneth Harris for a 40-yard TD pass to go up 14-0 8:56 into the game.  Zabransky fumbled at the UGA 20 on his next series to thwart any offensive threat by the Broncos in the first quarter. 

    On the second BSU series of Q2, Zabransky overthrew a pass directly into the waiting hands of Rover back Tra Battle who took it to the BSU 41.  He faced little or no pressure on any of his errant passes.   Fifteen yards were tacked on for an unsportsmanlike against BSU, and Coutu would put up three from the 43 yards out for a 17-0 Georgia lead.  FS Greg Blue would be the next recipient of a misguided Zabransky pass. Guest Game Analyst (GGA) Danny Murren (Riverside Military Academy) noted that Zabransky could only complete passes to the players in the red jerseys!  Boise's D held and forced a punt by Georgia.  From his own 20 yard line, a snap from center in the shotgun formation hit an unwitting Zabransky in the shoulder, and the Dawgs recovered his fumble at the Boise 20 with :48 remaining in the half.   This prompted 10-year old, GGA  Eric Koreivo to blurt out, "This is sad!" Boy, was he right!  On Georgia's very next play, RB Danny Ware snuck out of the backfield and beat a Boise defender for a 20-yard scoring strike from Shockley to take a 24-0 lead before the half.  Before Zabransky's final fumble, there seemed to be some hope that he and the Broncos would turn things around in the second half down by only 17-0.  However, before the half was over, Boise Coach Dan Hawkins decided that enough was enough, and Zabransky was replaced for the rest of the game by back-up QB Taylor Tharp. It was a horrible 2005 debut for a player who had had a brilliant sophomore season and was picked as a potential Heisman candidate.  CFF cannot remember a poorer individual performance, sorry to say. 

     The first half score also sent GGAs Charlie and Linda Murren (Auburn grads) off to explore downtown Athens for the rest of the game.  Gary, Georgia grad, fan and GGA host, stuck around to fill us in on some of the developments surrounding UGA President Dr. Michael Adams and his ousting of the ever popular former coach and AD, Vince Dooley.  The Dawgs are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1980 National Championship coached by Dooley.  The big screen showed highlights of the comeback 15-14 opening win over Tennessee that year which prompted a big cheer when Soph Herschel Walker bowled over a Vol for the winning score late in the game. 

      UGA received the second half kick-off and scored 1:28 into the period when Shockley connected with TE Martrez Milner for a 56-yard TD pass. One offensive series later, FLK Sean Bailey got behind the BSU safety who mis-timed his jump and leaped high himself to grab a 31-yard TD pass over the goal line from Shockley to take a 38-0 lead.  With Tharp under center, the Broncos finally put some points on the board after a 78-yard drive culminating in a 3-yard run by RB Lee Marks with 7:11 left in the period.  Shockley retaliated before the end of the period with this final TD pass, a six-yarder to Bailey once again.   With that play, Shockley tied his former teammate David Greene's UGA record of 5 TDS in a game, after waiting four years behind him in a back-up roll.  Up 45-7 as the third period expired, Shockley sat down to be replaced by QB Joe Tereshinski.  For the balance of the game, UGA played guys from the bottom of the depth charts.  Coutu would convert a 24-yard FG for UGA, and Antwaun Carter would put six on the board for BSU from two yards out to end the scoring on a day in which a highly anticipated game was quickly turned into a boring, blow-out.  UGA hosts South Carolina next week coached by their "favorite" nemesis, Steve Spurrier.  Boise tries to regroup at Oregon State next weekend, a team they defeated in Corvallis last year, 53-34.  What Broncos, and what Zabransky, will show up for that game?

Extra Points:  We have to say that Sanford Stadium is definitely the loudest that we ever attended!  Probably the reddest, too!  Snford is the second largest on-campus stadium we've visited surpassing Auburn's Jordan-Hare.  PSU is still our largest venue.  Sanford is fifth overall, Auburn ninth,  while PSU is second only to Michigan.

The Murrens put out another great tailgate spread. We can't thank them enough for their hospitality.   It was their first trip to Sanford Stadium for the Auburn grads who live about 30 miles away.  We parked in a convenient lot with shade trees at Lumpkin and Dougherty. It was easy-in and easy-out.

Seems like there are some good places to go in the area after the game, but not with a ten-year old.  We'll have to do it another time. 

Saw a good baseball game at Turner Field on Friday night.  Not a Braves fan by any stretch (Mets fan), but it was a good game to see none-the-less.  Chipper Jones had a homer and Ken Griffey JR blasted one for the Reds in a 7-4 win for the Braves.  WP Tim Hudson hit a triple for the Braves.  It brought back memories when I once saw Seaver hit one for the Mets in '68 (I think).