DEL.ICIO.USCOLLEGE FOOTBALL: CAPITAL ONE BOWL
Stafford, Moreno decision hangs over bowl win
UGA defense dominates first half and Stafford leads offense in second to earn MVP honors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Orlando — Georgia’s season ended Thursday with a 10th victory, with a beleaguered defense asserting itself and with the most pressing question unanswered:
Will Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno stay or go?
Brant Sanderlin / bsanderlin@ajc.com
Georgia quarterback and Capital One Bowl MVP Matthew Stafford celebrates with teammate Shaun Chapas after the Bulldogs defeated Michigan State.
Pouya Dianat / pdianat@ajc.com
Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno celebrates by leading the band after the Bulldogs defeated Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl.
Stafford, the junior quarterback, said after Georgia’s 24-12 victory over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl that he is equally torn between returning for his senior season or entering the NFL draft.
“It’s going to be an extremely hard decision for me,” Stafford said. “My time at Georgia has been great, and it has been an awesome time. It is something that I am contemplating continuing.
“Obviously, there is the lure of the NFL. But to tell you the truth, I am 50-50 right now. And I really don’t know what I want to do.”
Moreno, the redshirt sophomore tailback, put no odds on his decision, which he said will come after extensive consultation with family and friends.
“I’m not really sure,” Moreno said. “It’s a very tough decision, a big step for anyone. I’ve got to sit down and make sure I make the right decision.”
The players face a Jan. 15 deadline for underclassmen to enter the 2009 draft.
If Thursday’s game proves to be their last at Georgia, they capped their careers by connecting on a 21-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter.
That clinched a victory that was built on a stellar first-half performance by Georgia’s much-criticized defense and a stirring second-half show by Stafford, who was named the game’s MVP.
The win completed Georgia’s season with a 10-3 record, far short of preseason goals but nevertheless the Bulldogs’ sixth 10-win season in Richt’s eight years as coach. The win also gave the team’s seniors a 40th career victory.
“It was a long year. It was a tough year, no doubt,” coach Mark Richt said afterward. “But in the end we can hold our heads up high.”
While Stafford and Moreno ended the game with multi-million-dollar decisions to make, the Bulldogs’ defense ended the game with peace of mind.
Much-criticized after Georgia allowed 38 or more points in four of the past five games, the defense “played with our hair on fire,” tackle Corvey Irvin said.
The Bulldogs’ defensive game plan centered around stopping Javon Ringer, Michigan State’s tailback who entered the game as the nation’s third leading rusher. Mission accomplished: Ringer was held to 47 yards on 20 carries.
In the first half, Michigan State started drives at the Georgia 6-, 46- and 39-yard lines because of two Georgia turnovers and one botched Georgia punt. But the Bulldogs’ defense held the Spartans to just two field goals in the half.
“To be sitting there, only down 6-3 at halftime, was a great tribute to our defense,” Richt said. “They kept us in it until the offense started to find their way.”
After completing six of 14 passes for 71 yards in the first half, Stafford completed 14 of 17 for 179 in the second. He engineered a 10-play, 96-yard drive that gave Georgia the lead for good in the third quarter.
“I thought that was absolutely the turning point of the game,” Richt said.
Stafford finished the game with 250 yards passing and Moreno with 62 yards rushing (on 23 carries) and 63 yards receiving (on six catches).
Whether they’ll line up in the same backfield again will be known within the next couple of weeks.
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