He didn’t fumble this time.
Washaun Ealey has had a tough year. He was arrested just prior to the season, then had to serve a suspension before playing in his first game at South Carolina. With the game on the line late and his team inside the South Carolina five, Ealey fumbled and Georgia was never truly in the game again. Following two more fumbles inside opponents’ five-yard lines, head coach Mark Richt had had about enough of the sophomore from Stillmore.
But, with Caleb King suspended and no other true, experienced running back on the roster, Ealey had to be relied on tonight. And he delivered with a school-record five rushing touchdowns.
Ealey also set a career-high with 28 carries and totaled 158 yards on the ground. Combined with Brandon Boykin, who returned a first-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the Dawgs didn’t need much from quarterback Aaron Murray or star wide receiver AJ Green, neither of whom had a touchdown in the game. Murray threw for just 113 yards on 13 attempts while Green caught six balls for 86 yards.
The Georgia defense, while not exactly shutting down the powerful Wildcat attack, helped the cause significantly by providing four turnovers. Of the four, one was particularly important. Bulldog defensive end Cornelius Washington stripped UK quarterback Mike Hartline of the ball within the first minute of the game on the Wildcat 23. Four plays later, Ealey was in the end zone and the Dawgs led 7-0.
Despite the somewhat competitive-looking final score, the Dawgs were in control for almost the entire game. Trailing 41-17 in the fourth, the Cats were able to tack on two “junk time” touchdowns to narrow the score. Kentucky did win in one area of the stat column, however, as they racked up 421 total yards to Georgia’s 289. The Dawgs’ numbers, though, were handicapped by the kickoff return by Boykin and the four turnovers by UK. The Cats, meanwhile, had to drive the length of the field many times to score, as they had poor field position for much of the game.
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