On a day where they were seemingly playing listless, uninspired football, all it took for the No. 15 Georgia Bulldogs to show some bite was to be trailing in the third quarter with their backs up against the wall. Georgia’s 96-yard third-quarter scoring drive that culminated in a 35-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Michael Moore helped propel the Bulldogs to a 24-12 win over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl on New Year’s day in Orlando. “That long 96-yard drive was huge,” said Georgia head coach Mark Richt. “I thought that was absolutely the turning point of the ballgame.”
The Stafford-to-Moore score put the Bulldogs up 10-6 and Stafford later found tight end Aron White for a 21-yard touchdown pass. Stafford later would add a third touchdown toss, tying a Georgia bowl record and establishing a new single-season school record with 25. The record-making touchdown was a 21-yard hookup with Knowshon Moreno. “I’m just proud of the guys to come back out and catch the football and make some plays,” Stafford said. “The second half is just a testament to the guys just battling back and staying in it.”
The Spartans got within five at 17-12, but Stafford answered with his touchdown pass to Moreno. Michigan State took a 6-3 lead into halftime thanks to a couple of Georgia miscues. First, a Kendell Davis-Clark interception of Stafford in the opening quarter led to a 20-yard Brett Swenson field goal. Then in the second quarter, a failed punt attempt by Brian Mimbs led to a 32-yard Swenson field goal. Mimbs dropped the snap as he attempted to punt from the Georgia 32 and ran eight yards but was stopped short of the first-down marker. This was all after a 32-yard Blair Walsh field goal in the first quarter put the Bulldogs up 3-0.
Stafford was 6-for-14 for 71 yards in the first half and receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and A.J. Green were held without a catch. Green, the SEC Freshman of the Year, finished the game that way, but Massaquoi added a catch for 10 yards in the third quarter of his last college game. Moore was Georgia’s leading receiver, catching six passes, including his touchdown, for 97 yards. “I always expect to make plays when I’m out there,” Moore said. “My number definitely got called a lot. Coach said I have an opportunity this game to make some big plays and that’s what I tried to do.”
Massaquoi and Green came into the game as one of the nation’s most imposing duos, both catching over 55 passes and compiling over 900 yards receivers to go with their eight touchdowns apiece on the season.
The much-hyped running back matchup also did not live up to expectations with both defenses keying on Moreno and Michigan State’s Javon Ringer. Moreno led the Bulldogs with 62 yards on 23 carries and Ringer was the Spartans leading rusher with 47 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Georgia’s pass rush was as active as it has been all season, tallying six sacks, including four from the defensive line. Jarius Wynn led the unit with two. “I love getting pressure without blitzing,” Richt said. “That’s what we’ve done for years. […] This year we didn’t get it done like we used to, but today we did.”
“People were saying all year long that we couldn’t get pressure on the quarterback,” said senior defensive tackle Corvey Irvin, who finished with three tackles and a sack. “We just had something to prove this last game. […] We played with emotion and enthusiasm.
Both Stafford and Moreno now have decisions to make concerning their futures at Georgia. Both are thought to be sure-fire first round picks in this year’s NFL Draft if they choose to make themselves eligible. Stafford’s name is even being tossed around as a possibility for the first overall pick. “I’m not sure yet,” Stafford responded when asked whether he was staying or leaving. “It’s going to be an extremely hard decision. […] To tell you the truth, I’m 50-50 right now.”
The Bulldogs finish with a 10-3 record and now have won 10 games for the sixth time in the last seven years. Georgia also became the first SEC team to win the Capital One Bowl since the 2004 game and 2003 season when the Bulldogs beat Purdue.
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
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