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Saturday, November 10, 2007
On big downs, Stafford shines
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Athens — He’d thrown an interception. Auburn had taken the lead. The early mojo from those black jerseys was in danger of plunging into a black hole, never to return. And was Matthew Stafford worried?
Nope. “I was ready to go again,” he said. And the interception? A bad throw? A poor read? Nope. “Corner just made a great play.”
“When we came back on the field, Matthew was very spirited,” Sean Bailey said. “He said, ‘We’ve got to get it done now. We need to get the momentum back.’ “
On first down, Knowshon Moreno lost three yards. On second down, Stafford and Bailey changed the game. The receiver ran down the right sideline. The quarterback pumped to his left. “It was similar to the pass to Michael Johnson,” said Mark Richt, speaking of the historic 70X Takeoff on fourth-and-15 at Auburn that cold day in 2002. And this pass wound up beating the Tigers, same as that one had.
Stafford threw. Bailey caught. The 45-yard gain put Georgia in position to snatch back the lead, and from there the Bulldogs would keep scoring until all the drama had been drained from the latest installment of the South’s most dramatic rivalry. And the pass served as a reminder that, for all the acclaim flowing Moreno’s way, this remains Matthew Stafford’s team.
Something remarkable had happened this past month: The most heralded and scrutinized Bulldog since Herschel Walker had been relegated to a co-starring role. Since Stafford enrolled in January 2006, he has been the focal point of every discussion concerning Georgia football. (And one or two about how best to enjoy race day at Talladega.) But Moreno had been the star in Jacksonville, and if you listened, you could hear Bulldog fans suggesting he, not Stafford, will be Georgia’s next Heisman winner.
“[Moreno] has taken the burden off our offense,” said Mike Bobo, the coordinator. “If you ask a quarterback to throw it every down, you’re not going to be very successful.”
Truth to tell, Stafford still isn’t an every-down quarterback. He doesn’t lead the SEC in passing efficiency or yards per game, and he’d completed only 56.1 percent of his passes before Saturday. (Auburn’s Brandon Cox had completed 60.9 percent.) What Stafford is, however, is a big-down quarterback. When it gets late and gets tight, he throws the ball as well as a ball can be thrown.
Said Bailey: “He’s a gamer. When it’s a big-time play, he’s puts it on the money.”
Said Stafford: “I’ve been having some success late in games, late in halves. I had some success in those situations in high school. I love that situation.”
And that was the difference Saturday. Auburn had Cox, who can’t throw any ball with much authority — he had four interceptions Saturday, same as last season — and Georgia had Stafford. The Tigers entered with the nation’s 10th-best defense against the pass; they exited having been undressed by Stafford and his receivers on three long completions.
“Sometimes you have to drop back and launch it,” said Richt, who ordered up the 45-yarder to Bailey. And then, of Stafford: “[Moreno] has taken some pressure off Matthew. It’s evened out the load. … He’s understanding that he doesn’t have to be the hero, and that’s a good thing.”
Moreno’s ascent means Georgia doesn’t have to travel on Stafford’s arm, but that limb is still an imposing vehicle — a Hummer of an arm. The yield Saturday was a coordinator’s dream — 180 yards rushing and 237 yards passing, with more than twice as many rushes as passes — and 45 points against an opponent that hadn’t surrendered 40 in a game since 2001.
This suddenly heady season has a ways to go, but in the sophomore Stafford and the redshirt freshman Moreno, the Bulldogs have the makings of a dream backfield, a Matt Leinart/Reggie Bush type of tandem. Either Stafford or Moreno might win a Heisman down the road. Together they might well win a national championship.
Permalink | Comments (99) | Categories: Mark Bradley, UGA / SEC
Tech beat Duke. So what.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Durham, N.C. — They didn’t lose to a team that has dropped 24 straight and 61 of its past 64 in the conference.
They didn’t blow out a team that had dropped its previous three games by a combined 85 points.
They were just … there.
If you want to know why Georgia Tech athletics director Dan Radakovich would struggle finalizing a decision on Chan Gailey’s future, it’s because of games like Saturday. The Yellow Jackets were alternately dreadful and passable. They turned over the ball twice in their first four possessions. They let a punt get blocked, and they dropped passes.
They won by the deceivingly high score of 41-24 only because of a touchdown with five minutes left. And mostly because the opponent was Duke, which exists only to challenge its own historic runs of futility.
The best thing Gailey has going for him is Tashard Choice, who is as gutsy as he is talented. Choice, returning from a one-game absence, ran on a bad hamstring but finished with 170 yards and two touchdowns. He aggravated the injury on the end of a 48-yard run late in the first quarter but returned in the second, thereby setting him apart from most mortals.
But even in victory, Gailey acknowledged this wasn’t a work of art: “We gave up too many dumb scores. We gave up a blocked punt, which we hadn’t done in a while. It’s a mental lapse. We gave up an interception. We gave up a fumble for a touchdown. Those are things that you can’t do on a regular basis and win games.”
Tech is a pedestrian 3-4 in the ACC going into next week’s conference finale against North Carolina. Then comes Georgia (which has owned Gailey). Then comes the annual At-Least-We’re-In-A-Bowl-Game Bowl.
Gailey has four years left on his contract. What he doesn’t have is a vote of confidence. He apparently isn’t going to get one.
This was Radakovich as he watched the final few minutes of Saturday’s game: “Chan is our head football coach. The season isn’t complete. We have a tough game next week, followed up by our rivalry game with Georgia. I know Chan and his staff are working hard.”
This was Radakovich when asked if the fact he hasn’t made a public guarantee of Gailey returning next season means there is a decision to make: “There could be. I don’t know yet.”
This was Radakovich when asked his thoughts on the Jackets’ season: “It’s been a season. There are positives and negatives.”
The Jackets won a game they were supposed to, but we’ve learned not to assume anything with this team. Consider: Prior to the Duke game, they had been a point-spread favorite in five other games this season (excluding 1-AA Samford). The opponents: Boston College, Virginia, Maryland, Army and Virginia Tech.
They beat Army.
They lost the other four.
Duke is a team to make a statement against. Tech and Gailey failed to do that.
This wasn’t 2003, when the Jackets helped the Blue Devils end a 30-game conference-losing streak. But neither was it last week, when Duke lost to Clemson by 37.
You know what it was for a while? In doubt.
Gailey isn’t feeling the love these days. He even was booed last week during a taped message to fans about the dangers of drinking and driving. It’s not easy to get booed during a PSA. It was like when local lunatics booed the president of the Humane Society during the Michael Vick/ESPN town hall meeting.
There are Gailey defenders, and there should be. He is a decent coach and a good man. But the significance of the oft-used feather in his hat — five seasons, five bowl games — is overstated. Teams play 11- or 12-game seasons. With an ACC schedule and usual soft nonconference schedules, a football team doesn’t need to be a wrecking ball to make it into the sea of bowl games.
We thought the tide might be rising. Tech had one of its best recruiting classes ever. Then came the lopsided win over Notre Dame (33-3). Then Samford (69-14).
But an ugly loss to Boston College followed. And here we are again.
They beat Duke. So what.
Permalink | Comments (84) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Tech / ACC
In the end, one team’s perfect night
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
The Friday night lights of Panther Stadium pierced the darkening sky, and arriving cars moved along in orderly manner, their signal lights a-twinkle. Into this hostile scene, Fayette County High School had come to play the biggest game of its life, the somewhat facetiously titled “Fayette County Bowl.” The Tigers were unbeaten in nine games. On the negative side, they had never beaten Starr’s Mill, somewhat of an upstart in the high school realm.
Fayette County already had its place in the playoffs. Even lose to Starr’s Mill, the Tigers were still region champions and safely home. Beat Fayette County and the Panthers could make a place for themselves in the playoffs. So the scene was set, the concrete stands on the home side and the bleachers across the way stuffed to capacity. A pall of smoke from the hamburger cookers drifted across the field. All the ceremony aside, the game was on.
These are fragile times in the lives of teenagers. Most of them are playing their last game of football, and some who will only stand on the sideline are wearing the uniform for the last time. This is where it all begins, the grass-roots of the game. And all could say, “I played on the team.”
The home team burst onto the field just like the Falcons, through a cloud of smoke and the “boom” of a cannon. From the moment of kickoff, Fayette County had a hill to climb. On the first play from scrimmage, Parker DuPont (surely to become a diplomat or a financier), the Panthers’ graduating running star, broke loose on a gallop deep into Tiger territory. A field goal was wide, but a few minutes later the Panthers were back again, and this time Spencer Penson scored.
Then the Fayette safetyman slipped, and the Panthers recovered a punt in scoring position. And they scored; but wait a minute! There’s a flag, and instead of 14-0, the home team was backed up, to the chagrin of Mike Earwood, the coach, who let the rather portly referee know of his chagrin. Fate took a hand, Fayette fumbled, Starr’s Mill recovered and was rewarded with a second score. While nothing seemed to go right for Fayette, the Tigers did eventually make it into the end zone and the half ended 14-7.
This has been an atypical season for Starr’s Mill, once a persistent contender. The region record book is dotted with the name of a star of those days, Reuben Houston, who had his chances at Georgia Tech, then ran afoul of the law, failed a tryout in the NFL and has drifted into oblivion. This season the Panthers’ record slipped to 5-4 coming into the finale. Meanwhile, Starr’s Mill has built a remarkable educational community, and the halftime dance performers were a testimonial to it, though the young women’s bare shoulders must have been seriously chilled.
In the second half, Fayette County’s struggle continued. Earlier in the game, for instance, ball on the Panthers’ 2-yard line, Brandon Boykin, the quarterback, fleeing pursuers, eventually became a victim. From second-and-goal, the Tigers were third-and-38! Deep depression set in in the Fayette County coordinator’s booth next door.
But, the Tigers would finally get it right. Boykin cranked up the offense for another score. Then they took the lead and cemented it 28-14 after Barrick Little intercepted a pass in the waning moments and returned it for a touchdown. Tommy Webb, the Fayette County coach, could finally draw an easy breath after an evening of teetering in the wind.
“Brandon,” he said later, referring to Boykin, “sometimes tries to do too much, as he did in the first half, but once you rein him in, he can carry an offense. This was the first time we have ever gone 10-0, the first time we have ever beaten Starr’s Mill, so this was a big game of us.”
Boykin is headed for Georgia as a defensive back. He is representative of present-day athletes. Speed is relative, of course, but it seems that the lads of these times have discovered another gear. Fayette County is top of the heap this time, but there’s an atmosphere about Starr’s Mill that promises a return to glory. Matt Sweatt, the captain, is indicative of the spirit. Formerly the quarterback, he came down injured, and upon return found Miles Jaye carrying on in his place. He could back up the line, he said, and he did to the end, and the team moved on. Such is the definition of “team.”
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Furman Bisher, High School
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