Georgia defense shuts down Tech, Bulldogs claim 38-0 victory
Tennessee Tech just couldn't stop Georgia in the first half and the Golden Eagle offense found little room to move against the Bulldogs in losing 38-0 to the SEC school between the hedges in Sanford Stadium.
ATHENS, Ga. -- It won’t take long for the Tennessee Tech
football team to get its minds back on playing for an Ohio Valley
Conference championship.
The Golden Eagles headed home from Georgia’s Sanford Stadium
Saturday on the short end of a 38-0 loss to the Bulldogs, and coach
Watson Brown’s team will quickly turn its attention toward
the final two contests of the regular season and the chance to be a
major factor in the OVC race.
Tech plays at Jacksonville State next Saturday, then wrap up the
schedule by hosting Murray State on Saturday, Nov. 21. Despite the
loss, Tech returns to Cookeville with a 5-4 overall record
including a 4-2 mark in conference play.
“We played hard,” said Brown. “I couldn’t
pick out anything that I would call positive, honestly, other than
the fact that we were classy, we hung in there and we played as
hard as we could play. That’s a winning bunch.
“We’re still in the conference race, we’re going
home in second place in the OVC with a chance to still win or tie
for the championship,” Brown said.
“We’ve got to get our heads up and have some
competitiveness about us when we go play a tough Jacksonville State
team next week. They’re a very good team,” Brown
added.
Tech’s offense never got moving Saturday against the bigger,
stronger Bulldogs. Sacked six times for a total of 51 yards, the
Golden Eagles finished the game with negative yards on the ground.
Tech lost 13 yards in the rushing game overall, and had 55 yards in
total offense after Lee Sweeney and Tre Lamb combined to go
11-for-16 for 68 passing yards.
Sweeney compared Georgia’s defensive players to Tech’s
quickest.
“That was by far the best defensive team I’ve faced
since I’ve been here,” Sweeney said. “I’d
say their defensive line could be out there running with Henry
(Sailes) right now, speed-wise. You just have to try to take the
positives away from this game and try to get that OVC
championship.”
It was the first time Tech has been shut out in Brown’s three
seasons as head coach, and the first blanking since falling 44-0 at
Middle Tennessee in 2006.
“It was awesome to get a shutout,” said Georgia coach
Mark Richt. “It doesn’t matter who you play. It’s
fantastic for a program. I am really happy for our players and
coaches.”
Georgia rushed for 304 yards and finished with 469 yards of total
offense. The FBS Bulldogs improved to 5-4 overall and are within
one win of becoming bowl eligible.
“We played a lot of guys today,” Richt said.
“It’s wonderful to give those guys the opportunity to
play. They work so hard, too. I was also proud that we got
ourselves into position where guys could go in and have a chance.
It added to the excitement of the game.
Washaun Ealey led a balanced Bulldogs ground attack, rushing for 89
yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. He got the scoring
started with a seven yard TD midway in the first quarter after the
Bulldogs converted a couple of third down plays and finished off a
nine-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. Ealey added a 44-yard touchdown
run on the first play of the second quarter that pushed
Georgia’s lead to 28-0 as the Bulldogs reached the end zone
on their first four possessions.
Orson Charles grabbed a 23-yard TD pass from Joe Cox with five
minutes left in the first half and Branden Smith broke away for a
52-yard touchdown run two minutes later to make it 21-0.
After Ealey’s second TD run, the Golden Eagle defense stopped
Georgia midway in the second quarter, forcing a 24-yard field goal
from Blair Walsh for a 31-0 halftime lead.
Georgia scored on its first possession of the second half, putting
together a seven-play, 67-yard drive before Cox hit Michael Moore
for a six-yard TD to make it 38-0.
Cox finished the game 10-for-13 for 140 yards and two touchdowns,
suffering one interception when Golden Eagle freshman Marty Jones
picked off his second ball of the year in the end zone with 1:21
remaining the second quarter.
Jones led Tech’s defense with nine total tackles, including
six solo stops. Sophomores Jake McIntosh and Howard Griffin had
seven tackles each, while Kelechi Ordu made six tackles.
Tremaine Hudson, who topped Tech’s rushing game with 20 yards
on 10 carries, said the team will remember this experience and get
focused on next week.
“There is a big difference between FBS and FCS, especially in
the offensive and defensive lines with the speed and size of the
guys they’ve got at those positions,” Hudson said.
“But sometimes you just have to go play football and try to
get better each game.
“We don’t look on today as a bad game, we just have to
go and try to get better each week. We have to go and try and catch
Jacksonville and hopefully try to fight for an OVC
championship,” he said.
Junior offensive tackle Andrew Higgins had similar thoughts about
the game at Georgia.
“It was a good opportunity for us to see where we match
up,” Higgins said. “It was a good experience. You just
have to look at the positives.”
“I thought our kids played hard, but it was total
dominance,” said Brown. “We played hard and
didn’t quit at the end and we got to play a bunch of people.
These kids will never forget this. To get to come to a traditional
place like this, if we get out of it alive I think we gain
something. We gain confidence.
“Next week you can say ‘I’ve played against a
better guy than that, and I’ve played in a harsher
atmosphere.’ Even though it doesn’t look it to
everybody, you get something out of this game,” Brown said.
FIRST QUARTER NOTES:
Georgia stopped Tech on the opening possession, then marched 69
yards in nine plays for a 7-0 lead with 8:15 remaining in the first
quarter. Washaun Ealey ran the final seven yards for the touchdown.
The Tech defense forced the Bulldogs to convert twice on third down
in the drive.
After halting the Golden Eagles on three downs, Georgia made it
14-0 as tight end Orson Charles grabbed a 23-yard touchdown pass
over the middle from Joe Cox with 4:58 remaining. The drive covered
47 yards in three plays.
Branden Smith broke free around right end for a 52-yard touchdown
run with 3:01 remaining, the play coming on the first snap of the
possession. That made it 21-0.
Georgia built its 21-0 lead as the UGA defense held Tech without a first down in the first quarter, and sacked Lee Sweeney twice for 22 yards in losses.
SECOND QUARTER NOTES:
Georgia added another long touchdown run on the first play of the
second quarter, a 44-yard explosion by Ealey, to make it 28-0.
Following a six-yard TTU punt that sliced out of bounds, the UGA
offense moved from the 46 to inside the Tech 10. However, Tech's
defense held and forced a field goal by Blair Walsh to make it
31-0.
With 1:21 to play before halftime, freshman Marty Jones nabbed his
second interception of the season, the pick coming in the end zone.
It was Tech's 14th interception of the year.
The 'Dogs were playing to keeps late in the half, following the
interception. Georgia utilized two of its timeouts hoping to hold
Tech, force another punt and give the UGA offense another chance
before the intermission. However, on third-and-13, Henry Sailes
took a short pass from Sweeney and rambled for 13 yards and a first
down.
The Golden Eagles headed to the dressing room at halftime trailing
31-0. Tech had 10 yards of total offense on 27 plays in the first
half while UGA had 282 on 26 plays. Sweeney was 8-for-9 for 31
yards, but was sacked four times.
THIRD QUARTER NOTES:
Georgia drove 67 yards in seven plays to score and make it 38-0
early in the second half. Cox passed six yards over the middle to
Michael Moore for the score.
Redshirt freshman Tre Lamb, who comes from nearby Calhoun, Ga.,
took over at quarterback in the second half and got the offense
moving with an eight-yard completion to Colin Allen for a first
down. The drive suffered a penalty, however, and stalled.
After beginning the game 10-for-10, UGA quarterback Cox had his
first incomplete pass as freshman Marcus Edwards put on a strong
rush and nearly got a sack. The pass downfield was nearly
intercepted by Taron Ryce.
Richmond Tooley broke up a pass attempt on second down and the
Golden Eagle defensive line messed up a screen pass attempt,
forcing Georgia to punt for the first time. Drew Butler got off a
47-yard kick that UGA downed at the Tech seven.
FOURTH QUARTER NOTES:
Lamb completed a 19-yard pass to Benford for a first down at the
47 on the first play of the fourth quarter and the Golden Eagles
looked to threaten. However, a quarterback sack and a penalty put
Tech in the hole, and a 10-yard completion to Benford on
third-and-22 was not enough. Nick Campbell unloaded a 50-yard punt
to the UGA five.
Tech's defense stopped the Bulldogs and forced a punt, which was
downed at the Golden Eagle five.
Cass Barnes took over at quarterback and got a nice gain on first
down, but a holding penalty brought the ball back and Tech
stalled.
Once again, the Golden Eagle defense stopped the Bulldogs and Tech
took over on downs at the TTU 23 with 22 seconds remaining.
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Top: Golden Eagle coach Watson Brown (left)
talks with Georgia coach Mark Richt before the game.
Second from top: Henry Sailes had a 38-yard kickoff
return in the first quarter
Third from top: Kelechi Ordu tracks down UGA quarterback
Joe Cox
Fourth from top: Golden Eagle freshman long
snapper Jordan Adams had a couple of fans in the
stands.
-- photos by Michael Vigeant and Thomas Corhern
