ATHENS — Bacarri Rambo said his interception return for a touchdown Saturday was dedicated to two of Georgia’s coaches. And they’re probably not two that you’d guess.
Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and offensive line coach Will Friend were foremost on Rambo’s mind as he made the 24-yard, game-turning return early in the second quarter.
“Coach Friend and Coach Bobo, they’re always messing with me and making fun of me,” Rambo said after Georgia’s 45-7 win over Florida on Saturday. “They say, ‘Oh, you catch all them interceptions, but you can’t get into the end zone!’ So I had it in my mind, I told them, ‘When I get my next interception, I’m taking it to the house.’
“So when I got it, I was thinking what ever it takes to get there, running across the field, jumping over tacklers, I was going to get to the end zone.”
Indeed, it was a zig-zagging run that led to Rambo’s touchdown and a 28-7 lead at the 9:41 mark of the second quarter. Rambo stepped in front of Clint Moseley’s pass intended for Emory Blake. After dodging a couple of would-be tacklers, Rambo reversed his direction and headed across the field. Rambo cut toward the end zone at the last minute.
Seeing his path stopped there, he leapt high over two Auburn players and jutted the nose of the football over the goal line as they brought him now.
The touchdown touched off a wild celebration and brought some Georgia players off the bench. The Bulldogs were flagged for excessive celebration, but nobody seemed to mind.
The interception was Rambo’s seventh of the season, which leads the SEC. It’s even more impressive considering he missed the first game because of a suspension for a team rules violation over the summer.
“I’ve been hungry since that first game,” said Rambo, a junior who has three touchdowns in his career. “I had a lot to prove this year. I let a lot of people down, and I wanted to show them I’m sorry for what I did and just go out there ... and give those guys my all.”
Georgia’s defense rolls
Georgia coach Mark Richt gives Georgia’s defense a lot of the credit for the Bulldogs’ turnaround this season. During the current eight-game winning streak, coordinator Todd Grantham’s defense has allowed only nine touchdowns. Opponents have reached the red zone only 11 times in that span.
“Gosh, it’s a lot more fun to coach when you’ve got a good defense, and the guys are playing the way our guys are playing,” Richt said of Georgia’s defenders. “It makes up for a lot of deficiencies. It just kind of helps you iron some things out sometimes.”
Richt credits Grantham’s studious approach to the game. He said Grantham is a football junkie who loves to figure out opposing team’s offensive concepts and try to make them play “left-handed.” Auburn, for instance, came in as the SEC’s second-leading rushing team with 191 yards per game. It managed only 51 against the Bulldogs.
“Todd studies defenses and offenses as well as anybody I’ve been around,” Richt said. “He will have a plan and he will understand what needs to be done. But then he’ll try to make it as simple as possible for our guys. He understands tendencies, he understands formations and groups and when different guys are in the game. He knows the percentages, and he’s got fire in his belly. He’s really doing a great job.”
How about UGA-LSU?
Moseley didn’t want to create any controversy when asked to compare Georgia and LSU, teams that could play for the SEC championship.
However, after playing and losing to both this season, he said “both know how to play defense, that’s for sure.” Blake said both teams have solid defenses, but Georgia is able to pass while LSU focuses on running the ball.
Auburn was beaten by the top-ranked Tigers 45-10 earlier this season. LSU limited the Tigers to 248 yards, their worst offensive performance this season before Georgia held them to 195 yards Saturday.
“It’ll be a great game,” Moseley said.
Etc.
Freshman Malcolm Mitchell returned after missing three games with a pulled hamstring and had three catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. ... Five bowls sent representatives to Saturday’s game. They were the Chick-fil-A, Outback, Capital One, Cotton and Gator. ... Nose guard Kwame Geathers left in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. ... Geathers recovered a fumble for Georgia on his first snap of the game early in the second quarter. ... Georgia’s 35 points in the first half was its most in an SEC game since leading Alabama 37-10 in 2003. The Bulldogs ended up winning that game 37-23. ... The Bulldogs’ 38-point victory was the largest in the Auburn series since their 41-0 win in 1946.
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