Moreno fuels Georgia win over Central Michigan

Athens — Mark Richt had seen Knowshon Moreno do this once before — on the practice field two years ago.

“And I redshirted him anyway,” Richt said sheepishly late Saturday. “That wasn’t very smart.”

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Ben Gray/bgray@ajc.com

Georgia tailback Knowshon Moreno had 174 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

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This time, Moreno did it in front of 92,746 in Sanford Stadium — go airborne and leap over a would-be tackler in a single bound, Superman-like.

It happened on a 29-yard run late in the third quarter and was just one of countless highlights for Georgia in a 56-17 rout of Central Michigan on Saturday. But it was the play that will be longest remembered and most replayed.

“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Georgia defensive tackle Corvey Irvin said. “He might not even be human. Wow, how’d he do that, all in one motion?”

Richt, the Georgia coach, said he’d never seen a runner hurdle a defender like that before, either — except for the time Moreno did it in practice.

“Walter Payton might have done it one time,” Richt said, referring to the football Hall of Famer.

Encountering 5-foot-10 Central Michigan safety Vince Agnew on the play, Moreno simply decided to go over him. As his cleats cleared Agnew’s helmet, Moreno had his legs stretched to the max, the ball tucked securely in his right arm and his left hand briefly touching the futile defender’s left shoulder.

“Pretty amazing,” said Moreno’s backup, Caleb King.

“I think all of that stuff is just instinct,” said Moreno, seemingly less impressed than others in the Georgia locker room. “Instinct just takes over. … I’m just having fun and playing the game.”

It was a big game for Moreno, all around. He rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries and caught three passes for 30 yards.

Moreno’s second most memorable play of the day came earlier in the third quarter, immediately after Central Michigan had cut a 28-0 Georgia lead to 28-14. The redshirt sophomore tailback broke loose on a 52-yard touchdown run, stiff-arming a prospective tackler, Central Michigan cornerback Eric Fraser, en route to the end zone and a 35-14 lead.

That was Moreno’s second touchdown of the day. His third came on a 21-yard run in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, completing a 99-yard drive that included his hurdling of Agnew.

Moreno fueled a balanced offense that piled up 552 yards Saturday — 263 rushing and 289 passing. The 56 points pushed Georgia’s two-game total to 101.

And now, of course, everything becomes more difficult. The Dogs go on the road — and into the SEC — next week for the first time this season, playing at South Carolina. Then to Arizona State. Then back home to face Alabama.

Meanwhile, competing with Moreno for TV time is teammate Demarcus Dobbs, a defensive end who intercepted a deflected pass in the second quarter Saturday and rumbled 78 yards for a touchdown. He joked after the game that his good friend Moreno was trying to upstage him.

“I had to bring him down to earth — had to tell him I was going to be on ESPN tonight, not him,” Dobbs said.