In pregame warm-ups, coach Mark Richt noted that the wind was blowing in from the south side of EverBank Field, and he and kicker Marshall Morgan decided they wouldn’t attempt any long field goals to that side of the field.
But 13 minutes in and the Bulldogs facing that direction, Richt found himself calling on Morgan anyway. A gut instinct, he called it. And Morgan came through, nailing a field goal from just under 50 yards.
It helped that Georgia had a 14-0 lead at the time. But the risky kick proved the difference in a 23-20 Georgia victory and goes a long way to underscore Richt’s belief in the sophomore placekicker.
“That’s a great feeling,” said Morgan, who was suspended the first two games for an alcohol-related arrest over the summer. “Whenever a game can be changed by kicks, that’s what you live for as a kicker. Me and (snapper) Nathan (Theus) and (holder) Adam (Erickson) were able to answer. The line blocked great like it has been all year. I’m just glad I could be part of two of these three wins over Florida.”
It feels especially good for Morgan, a native Floridian. He hails from Fort Lauderdale and is pretty much the only one of his classmates to venture north of the border.
“I can’t wait to get back to Athens so I can call them all,” Morgan said. “It’s good to have bragging rights.”
Morgan represented just one part of Georgia’s special-teams conglomerate, all of which came through in a game where they were sorely needed. Nathan Theus, a Jacksonville native, took over the long-snapping job he lost from miscues earlier in the season and came through on punts. There were otherwise no fumbles, muffs or long returns.
And for what’s it’s worth, Richt said he was going to turn to Morgan again at the end of the game. Alas, he didn’t have to as a personal-foul penalty on Florida gave the Bulldogs a final first down and allowed them to run out the clock.
“I thought he showed a lot of poise,” Richt said of Morgan.
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