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Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > September > 13
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Bulldogs 3-0, mostly because of Stafford
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Columbia — If this season turns into something special, it won’t be because of what we were subjected to Saturday. The dropped passes, the poor pass protection, the blur of inane late hits and 112 yards in penalties — those are things the mind tends to flush when a season ends with a championship.
But if this season does turn into something special, Georgia can look back on one thing Saturday as the reason why: It was the day Matthew Stafford defined resolve.
He got beat up like in no game, he said, since his freshman season, “back when I didn’t really know what I was doing.” He was sacked four times. He was abandoned by his blockers and, at times, his catchers.
So what did he do? He led.
Georgia opened SEC play short on style points. They defeated South Carolina 14-7 despite doing way too many things wrong for a second-ranked team.
But they are 3-0, mostly because of Stafford. He had runs of 17 and 30 yards, the second of which set up the Bulldogs’ only touchdown. He also set up a field goal by hitting receiver A.J. Green in stride for 39 yards on third-and-21. But mostly, he endured.
“Winning a game like this, when things don’t go well, is huge for our confidence,” he said.
“We’re not going to steamroll every team we play. It was a good test. We have true freshman all over the place. It’s good that we came here, we struggled and we came through.”
Somebody had to lead them. Stafford? He is now 20-4 as a starter.
Two years ago was his somewhat-bizarre coming-out party in Columbia. He was 18 years old. He had come off the bench in the 2006 opener against Western Kentucky, throwing a touchdown pass. Before the South Carolina game, coach Mark Richt said Joe Tereshinski III would start again, but he wouldn’t declare who the backup was, Stafford or Joe Cox.
Secrecy over the backup?
But when Tereshinski suffered an early ankle injury, it was Stafford who came in. He proceeded to exhibit both ends of the talented freshman spectrum. He had three interceptions but threw for 171 yards, including a key 39-yarder to Mohamed Massaquoi on play-action, audibled to a run play that led to a touchdown — and won 18-0.
“I had a whole different mind-set back then,” he said. “I didn’t really know what I was doing. I felt a lot better this week.”
Look beyond the pedestrian numbers (15-for-25, 146 yards). Never mind that for the third time against South Carolina he failed to throw a touchdown pass. Consider: Tripp Chandler dropped third-down passes on the first two possessions. Kris Durham bobbled a potential touchdown as he ran out of the end zone. Richard Samuel had another possible TD slip between his hands.
It was clear: Central Michigan week was over.
In the second quarter, Stafford faked a handoff to Knowshon Moreno on second down and ran 17 yards to midfield. Five plays later, he hooked up with Green for 39 yards to set up a field goal. Later came Stafford’s 30-yard run to the Gamecocks’ 4 in the third, setting up Moreno’s go-ahead touchdown. Both of Stafford’s runs were zone reads: He reads the linebacker and has the option to keep the ball or hand it to Moreno.
“It was nice to be able to contribute with my legs, I guess,” Stafford said, laughing. “But I don’t see us winning with me running the rock, too much.”
The last spasm got him to the four.
“Slow,” Stafford said when asked to describe his running style.
His teammates have resisted making jokes. But Stafford does enough of that for everybody. Durham, alluding to one of Stafford’s runs against Central Michigan, said: “When he was running out of bounds, he was laughing. I asked him later, ‘How can you play out here in front of 90,000 people and laugh?’ He said, ‘Because I thought about how bad it was going to look on film.’ “
Stafford limped around badly following Saturday’s win.
Asked what hurts, he said, “A little bit of everything. But I’m good to go.”
And if Georgia continues to win, now you know why.
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