Short-handed Dogs rout outmanned Ragin' Cajuns

By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATHENS -- Georgia opened the season Saturday without its top passer, top rusher and top receiver from a year ago.

The passer, Joe Cox, graduated. The rusher, Washaun Ealey, was suspended because of an arrest. And the receiver, A.J. Green, was a late scratch because of a continuing NCAA investigation.

For a day, Georgia didn't miss any of them.

The Bulldogs piled up their third-highest point total under coach Mark Richt, beating an overmatched Louisiana-Lafayette team 55-7 in Sanford Stadium.

"Georgia is a heck of a football team," Ragin' Cajuns coach Rickey Bustle said afterward.

That remains to be seen, of course, but after a trying and tumultuous off-season that included the arrest of nine players and the dismissal of three, the Bulldogs were enjoying the moment.

"Today was just a ton of fun," cornerback Brandon Boykin said.

The sellout crowd of 92,746 might have arrived fretting who wasn't playing, but it left with some pretty strong impressions having been made by those who did play.

There was starting quarterback Aaron Murray, a redshirt freshman who made his share of mistakes in his first college game but also completed 17 of 26 passes for 160 yards and accounted for four touchdowns (three passing, one running).

There was Todd Grantham's new 3-4 defense, which accumulated three sacks and three interceptions and held the Ragin' Cajuns to 128 yards offense, almost half of them on one pass play botched by safety Bacarri Rambo.

And there was Branden Smith, who became the first Georgia player to start on offense (wide receiver), defense (cornerback) and special teams (punt returner) in the same game since All-American Champ Bailey in 1998.

"Having my name in the same sentence with Champ Bailey is a good feeling," Smith said afterward.

It was a feel-good sort of day for the Dogs, perhaps culminated by the most improbable play of all: freshman backup quarterback Hutson Mason, three months removed from Lassiter High School, throwing a touchdown pass on his first collegiate play upon entering the game late in the third quarter.

"I never would have thought in a million years I'd throw a touchdown on my first college pass," Mason said. "It's kind of hard to comprehend all of this right now. I'm used to high school."

Mason became the eighth quarterback in major-college history to throw for a touchdown on his first collegiate pass attempt, according to the NCAA record book.

Adding to the improbability of the moment: His 26-yard touchdown pass was caught by Logan Gray, the converted quarterback whose move to receiver paved the way for Mason to play as a freshman.

"I was excited for myself and excited for our offense," said Gray, adding with a smile: "And then I realized it was Hutson's first pass, and I got kind of jealous. It took me, like, five passes just to get a completion."

All in all, Richt called the victory "a good start" to a long season.

Not that the game was ever in doubt, but the Bulldogs put it away with a 24-point second quarter. An ill-advised but captivating 16-yard touchdown run by Murray as time expired in the half gave Georgia a 31-7 lead.

"I think the players need to enjoy this one because they've worked their tails off," Grantham, Georgia's new defensive coordinator, said after the game. "But starting Monday, it's on to another one."

Green's status for next Saturday's game at South Carolina is unknown, pending an NCAA ruling on his eligibility. But Richt said he expects three players who were suspended from the opener because of arrests -- Ealey, wide receiver Tavarres King and safety Alec Ogletree -- to play against the Gamecocks "unless something stupid happens between now and the ballgame."

"It's going to be nice to have those guys back," Murray said.