Georgia must again contain another mobile QB

Athens — Don’t look now but Georgia is going to have to face another running quarterback.

The Bulldogs (8-2, 5-2) were nearly run out of Commonwealth Stadium this weekend by Kentucky’s Randall Cobb. He gashed them with 88 yards rushing and three touchdowns but Georgia executed a Houdini escape, 42-38.

Next up is Auburn quarterback Kodi Burns. His 158 yards rushing against Tennessee-Martin represented the most ground production by a Tigers’ player since Kenny Irons had 183 in the first game of the 2006 season.

“Don’t tell me that,” Georgia coach Mark Richt quipped Sunday.

Believe it, coach. Burns also was 12-of-20 passing and Auburn (5-5, 2-4) rolled up 290 yards rushing as a team.

That can’t be good news for a Georgia defense that is allowing and average of 28.7 points in seven SEC games, including 125 in the last three.

Even though the Tigers don’t run nearly as much option as does Kentucky, a running quarterback still presents unique challenges.

“If you’re QB’s a runner, it’s the same problem mathematically,” Richt said. “If you roll a safety into the running game you literally have a hat on everybody except for the free safety whose deep.”

Richt was inundated Sunday with questions about Georgia’s defense. It was expected to be a team strength for the Bulldogs this season but has turned out to be a liability. Georgia’s ranks in the bottom third of scoring and total defense.

Richt acknowledged that Georgia has to do a better job of keeping opponents out of the end zone but defended the Bulldogs’ overall coaching and philosophy.

“It has to do with everybody,” he said. “We’ve had special teams issue that have put those guys in a bind. It’s a team game and it’s going to take the entire team to get the point total down. It’s not just the defense.

“Here’s the whole thing for me: We are a team and we’re not going to point fingers, certainly not in the media,” he said. “We will always go back and look at the things we’ve got to do to make things better, whether it’s a coaching decision or a player-execution situation. That’s just how we handle it.”

Some other things we learned over the weekend about Georgia and the SEC:

• Dogs lose another starting offensive lineman. This time it was redshirt freshman Justin Anderson. Anderson (6-feet-5, 328), who has started the last seven games at right tackle, suffered a foot injury (plantar fasciitis) in the first half of the Kentucky game.

“He’s out for sure for Auburn and I’d say questionable for [Georgia] Tech,” Richt said.

That leaves the Bulldogs with seven scholarship offensive linemen. They’ll decide between Josh Davis, Kiante Tripp, Tanner Strickland and Cordy Glenn (who’s currently starting at right guard) to fill the void at right tackle.

• Moreno putting together ‘special’ season. Speaking of offensive line, Richt’s not sure if people realize what an incredible season Knowshon Moreno is having. After rushing for 123 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, Moreno has 1,113 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.

“For Knowshon to have 11-hundred yards, buddy, that’s pretty special,” Richt said. “We are blocking some but we are absolutely having some skill guys make some plays, too.”

• Back to No. 10 in BCS. Thanks to their win and some losses ahead of them, the Bulldogs moved back into the Top 10 of the new BCS rankings, released Sunday. Richt said the Bulldogs still have much to play for.

“We’re sitting here with a pretty good season,” he said. “If you look at the big picture we’re sitting here 8-2 and our losses are to the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in America. You don’t want to lose any games but if you do lose at least you’re losing to some quality opponents. You keep battling away. Hopefully we can find ourselves at the end with a real strong finish. There’s still an awful to play for.”

Asked what goals they were pursuing, Richt said: “We’re focusing on 9-2, as boring as it is. … The biggest thing for us right now is playing for the pride of the red and black, playing for the pride of the G on the helmet really.”

• Add special teams to Georgia’s list of fixes.The Bulldogs have positively melted down in this area in recent weeks. Against the Wildcats, the Bulldogs had a punt blocked, shanked another, netted 18.5 yards per punt, misplayed a punt return and gave up a 96-yard kickoff return. Meanwhile, place-kicker Blair Walsh has missed five of his last eight field goals and Richt didn’t even consider having him attempt a 50-yarder with the wind at his back.

• Alabama and Florida will meet in Georgia Dome. Forget the SEC Championship Game, call it the BCS Championship semifinal. The winner almost certainly will play in the national title game on Jan. 8 in Miami. The Crimson Tide (10-0, 6-0 SEC) dodged their biggest bullet Saturday with a 27-21 overtime win at LSU. All that remains are Mississippi State and Auburn, both in Tuscaloosa. Florida (8-1, 6-1) gets South Carolina in Gainesville in its SEC finale this Saturday. Then it’s at home versus the Citadel and on the road at Florida State.