Defense has its day at G-Day game

Athens — One thing Georgia’s football team wanted this spring was for its defense to get its confidence back — “the attitude, the edge, whatever,” as coach Mark Richt put it a few days ago.

Well, Saturday’s G-Day game should have helped in that regard.

Enlarge this image

Bob Andres/bandres@ajc.com

Freshman quarterback Aaron Murray (11) passes under pressure from Brandon Wheeling (93).

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

RELATED UGA LINKS

• Schedule • Beat Blog • Stats
• Photos: G-Day game

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

The defense that last year allowed 38 or more points in five games allowed just one touchdown in the Bulldogs’ annual intra-squad game, watched by a Sanford Stadium crowd of 42,458 and a national television audience.

The “Red” team beat the “Black” team 13-3, with the only touchdown coming on a 20-yard run by tailback Carlton Thomas on the day’s final play.

“I think the defense took this game very seriously and was excited about establishing that edge,” Richt said afterward. “I saw a lot of good, clean tackling in the perimeter. I didn’t really see any busts that would make you nervous.”

The defense was particularly stout against the run. The Red team rushed for 66 net yards and the Black team for 5 in the abbreviated game.

To be sure, the offensive players contributed to the lack of scoring, particularly the receivers, who dropped six passes.

“I thought each quarterback put the ball on the money most of the time,” Richt said. “It would have been nice to see receivers hold on to it. It would have been a little more exciting for the fans, I’m sure.”

Still, Richt said: “I feel better with the score we had than I would with a 31-30 game.”

That would have been too reminiscent of last year’s defense.

“This was the next step for our defense; we’re getting better,” linebacker Darryl Gamble said. “We were hoping to pitch a shutout.”

“We really didn’t give up any big plays or make any big mistakes,” linebacker Rennie Curran said. “Can’t really complain about the score too much — only one touchdown the whole day.”

Richt had said a few days earlier, approvingly, that the defense was playing with “a little bit of a chip on their shoulder” this spring.

Other than the touchdown by Thomas, the only scores of G-Day were field goals: a 51-yarder by the Red’s Blair Walsh and a 24-yarder by the Black’s Jamie Lindley, both in the second quarter; and a 48-yarder by the Red’s Andrew Jensen in the fourth quarter, giving his team the lead for good.

“It was not our best offensive day,” quarterback Joe Cox said.

The “Red” team included Georgia’s first-string offensive players, including Cox, and second-string defensive players. The “Black” team had the first-string defenders, including Curran and Gamble, and second-string offense.

Cox completed 9 of 16 passes for 105 yards, while Logan Gray — the Black team’s starting quarterback — completed nine of 13 for 91 yards. Freshmen quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger, Georgia’s co-No. 3 quarterbacks, also played, Murray completing 3 of 5 passes for the Black team and Mettenberger 0 of 3 for the Red.

As a group, the quarterbacks’ numbers would have been better if not for the dropped passes. Tight end Aron White dropped two, tailback Caleb King one and wide receivers Israel Troupe, Vernon Spellman and Zach Renner one apiece.

Thomas, who has gotten rave reviews all spring, was the day’s leading rusher with 59 yards on eight carries. King, battling Thomas for the starting tailback job, had 22 yards on seven carries.

Defensively, Justin Houston and Marcus Washington had three sacks apiece, and Bryan Evans intercepted a Mettenberger pass.