Sports

Matt Ryan here blogging live at Sanford Stadium on this Saturday afternoon in Athens, Georgia. It’s hot and sunny today, so the weather won’t be as horrific as it was last week. Today the 18th ranked Georgia Bulldogs take on the 4th ranked LSU Tigers between the hedges. Georgia beat Arizona State last Saturday on a game winning field and the 4-0 Tigers are coming off a close game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs which they won 30-26 on a goal line stand. Les Miles is 0-2 against Georgia during his tenure at Baton Rouge and looks for his first win today against Mark Richt. LSU is last in the SEC in offensive yards and will need to improve on that side of the ball to compete with the Dawgs. Georgia’s secondary finally stepped up last week to limit the Sun Devils to 116 passing yards, but committed 3 turnovers which has been a problem for them in their first four games. One key matchup to look out for today is wide receiver A.J. Green vs. LSU defensive back Patrick Petterson. LSU has won the coin toss and the game is about to begin.

Game Analysis

Unsurprisingly, this was another game for Cardiac Dawgs that featured a close score for the entire game and inconsistent play on both sides of the ball. The offense was nonexistent in the first, but the defense was great by holding LSU to only six points on field goals and 3.5 rushing yards a carry throughout the game. Both offenses picked up in the fourth quarter, Charles Scott ran for his first two touchdowns of the year and finished with 95 rushing yards. A.J. Green had only 1 catch the first half, but 4 in the 2nd half including a touchdown with 1:09 left in the game for the lead. Aside from A.J. Green, Washaun Ealey and Shaun Capas stepped up in the 2nd half to get the Bulldogs back in the game. While that unsportsmanlike like penalty after Green’s touchdown set up the Tigers for good field position, the offensive struggles throughout the first 3 quarters were like the ones last week against the Arizona State Sun Devils that resulted in another close game. Cox only completed 3 passes the first half and looked uncomfortable throwing to any receiver other than A.J. Green. While the pass defense did not give up any big plays the 1st half, it did allow John Jefferson to go 18/27 and pass for 212. What surprised me the most was how effective the running game worked towards the end with their struggles last week against the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. Those 45 attempts helped them win the time of possession battle and keep the Georgia play makers off the field. If the last 4 games prove anything, its that the Bulldogs have another tough and close contest next week in Knoxville. The 2009 Georgia Bulldogs are currently 3-2, and could  easily be 0-5 right now after the way they have struggled to win thus far.

End of 4th Quarter.

Final Score: LSU 20, UGA 13: Charles Scott rushes for 3 yards and Georgia is called for a face mask penalty, 1st down at the 4 for the Tigers. Timeout calls a time out with 3:05 left in this SEC showdown. Russel Sheppard is tackled by Justin Houston after a 1 yard gain. Georgia calls a timeout with 2:58 as the tension in Sanford is once again at a high level for the Bulldog Nation nearing the end of a game, and the stadium is still completely full nearing the end of regulation. Charles Scott rushes for his 1st touchdown of the year, LSU 12, UGA 7. LSU goes for the 2 point conversion and Jefferson is taken down. Brandon Smith gains 17 yards on the kick return, ball at the 21. Caleb King catches a 13 yard reception for the Dawgs.Cox  throws an incomplete pass intended for Tavarres King. Caleb King rushes for a 4 yard sweep and is taken down by Karnell Hatcher. Tavarres King catches a 46 yard bomb for the UGA first down at the LSU 16 and the crowd is roaring here. No gain for the Dawgs on a 1st down run by Caleb King. A.J. Green catches a 16 yard pass for the touchdown at the corner of the endzone. He has 99 yards for the game and his 5th touchdown of the year. LSU 12, UGA 13. UGA goes for the 2 point conversion and fails on the attempt. LSU will receive a 5 yard penalty on their kick return for an illegal formation, but will receieve 15 yards for an unsportsmanlike penalty on UGA, they will get the ball at the Georgia 37. Scott rushes for four yards. On the next play Scott runs 33 yards for the LSU touchdown, LSU 18, UGA 13. However the Tigers are given a 15 yard unsportsmanlike the penalty. LSU makes the 2 point conversion with a completion to Brandon Laffel. LSU 20, UGA 13. In less than three minutes we have seen 3 lead changes and 46 seconds are now left on the clock. Brandon Boykin is stopped on a 12 yard return and Georgia has the ball at the 33. Cox fumbles the ball, but recovers it. 2nd and 16 with 36 seconds left, Georgia calls a timeout. Cox throws an incomplete pass towards Green that is nearly intercepted, 3rd and 16. Perry Riley nearly intercepts the pass near the LSU sideline, 4th and 16. The play is under review and is ruled an interception. LSU takes over on 1st down at the 44 and neals it. Game over. LSU 20, UGA 13.

LSU 6, UGA 7, 3:54: Cox throws in an incomplete pass to Charles in triple coverage towards the sideline. Cox is almost tackled in the end zone for a safety on 3rd and 7. Drew Butler punts for 42 yards and LSU gains the ball on their 49 yard line at the 11:29 mark. Jordan Jefferson is taken down by Justin Houston for a five yard loss, 2nd and 15. Tolliver catches an 8 yard catch, 3rd and 7 at the 46 yard line. Houston takes down Jefferson, and a penalty is called on LSU for holding, but the penalty is declined. On 4th and 12 LSU punts to be ball to Logan Gray, Dawgs will start at the 14 yard line with 9:48 left in the game. Cox throws a 20 yard reception to A.J. Green for his 4th completion of the day. Green has 83 receiving yards in the game thus far. Washaun Ealey gains 8 yards for the Dawgs, 2nd and 2 for Georgia. Georgia receives a 10 yard holding penalty, 2nd and 12. 3rd and 13 after Ealey rushes for a 1 yard loss. Caleb King catches a 7 yard pass, for his 2nd catch of the game. Georgia punts on 4th and 6. LSU will get the ball back at their 12 yard line. Rennie Curran gets another tackle, as he stops James Stampley who gains nothing on a rushing attempt. Lafell fails to catch the ball for the Tigers. The ball is thrown towards Terrance Tolliver, but it lands out of bounds. The stadium noise is picking up on 3rd and 10 for the Tigers. Percy Miller tackles Reuben Randle who gets a 17 yard catch for the 4th down conversion. 2nd and 10 after an incomplete pass. Charles Scott catches the ball for 16 yards and the 1st down in Georgia territory. On the next play LSU appears to have another first down until they are called for illegal shifting. On 1st and 15, Reuben Randle has a 12 yard reception, this is his 2nd on the drive . Jefferson rushes 26 yards to the 13 yard line for the 1st down and his biggest rushing gain of the game. Scott gains two yards on the rush. TV timeout. 2nd and 8 on the Georgia 11.

LSU 6, UGA 7: 12:19: 2nd and 3 for the Dawgs at the 3 yard line as the final quarter begins in this tight game. Patrick Peterson breaks up a pass that was intended for Green in the endzone. Michael Moore catches a pass for two yards that is just shy of the goal line at the 1, 4th and 1 for UGA. LSU failed to convert on a 4th and 1 earlier in the game. Cox throws a short touchdown pass to Shaun Capas at the 14:15 mark. LSU 6, UGA 6. Walsh makes the extra kick. LSU 6, UGA 7. Chapas has had 4 receptions in the 2nd half. That last drive lasted 7:52. LSU called for a 15 yard penalty on the kick return for a personal foul. Rennie Curran tackles Charles Scott as he gains 4 yards on the ground. Richard Dickson catches a 10 yard pass for the 1st down. Lafell fails to make the catch, the ball remains at the 47 yard line. 3rd and 5 after a rushing attempt by Jefferson. Jefferson throws an incompletion towards the direction of Prince Miller. LSU punts on 4th and 5. TV time out.

3rd Quarter

LSU 6,UGA 0: end of the third: Washaun Ealey rushes six yards, 2nd and 9. Cox completes a pass to Chapas for a gain of 1, 3rd and 8 at the 28. A.J. Green completes a 14 yard reception for the 1st down. Green has had 2 catches on the drive. Ealey rushes to the 11 for a 4 yard gain, 2nd and 6. Cox throws an incomplete pass out of bounds in the end zone, intended for Green. Cox throws a 9 yard reception to Caleb King after almost getting sacked by an LSU defensive lineman. 2nd and goal after King rushes the ball for a 2 yard gain, 2nd and 3. And the 4th quarter chants are beginning here at Sanford Stadium. What a quarter for Washaun Ealey who has rushed for23 yards on 5 carries.

LSU 6, UGA, 0: 3:42: Charles Scott rushes for 5 yards. Jordan Jefferson throws an incompletion on 2nd and 5 after being pressured. LSU punts the ball on 4th and 3. Georgia receives the ball at the 40 yard line. Washaun Ealey rushes 8 yards for the Dawgs longest run of the day. Ealey rushes again for 6 yards and the first down. Ealey rushes for the 3rd time in a row, but this time gains no yards. On 2nd and 10 Cox quarterback sneaks for 7 yards. A.J. Green catches his 3rd reception of the day for 4 yards and a 1st down, Peterson makes the tackle.  Cox throws an incompletion that was intended for Chapas. On 2nd and 10, Cox throws another incompletion. Cox completes a pass down the middle to Orson Charles, but a flag is on the field for an unsportsmanlike penalty.  And another penalty is called on 1st and 10 for 12 men on the field.

LSU 6, UGA 0 8:43: Blair Walsh kicks of for 70 yards. Jefferson rushes for a one yard loss. Kade Weston sacks Jefferson for an 8 yard loss, 3rd and 19 Tigers as the crowd starts roaring. 4th and 28 after Jefferson is sacked again, this time by Justin Houston and Jeff Owens. On 1st and 10 Rantavious Wooten rushes for a 10 yard loss. Aron White catches a nine yard pass at thr 45 yard line, 3rd and 11.A.J. Green catches a 32 yard pass for the Dawgs second first down of the game. Shaun Capas catches a 4 yard reception, 2nd and 6. Caleb King fails to gain on a rushing attempt. Cox throws an incompletion to Michael Moore, and Georgia is called for a false start. 3rd and 14 after five yard penalty. A flag is called after an incompletion to Aron White. On 4th and 11, Walsh missed his first kick attempt of the year.

Half Time

LSU 6, UGA 0 The Bulldogs only gained 6 second half offensive yards on two drives, after a dreadul 1st quarter performance with only 43 offensive yards. Cox is 3 for 9 with 31 yards, but has not thrown an interception (if you want something positive to think about on that side of the ball). One of the pass completions was to A.J. Green for 27 yards, who has been shut down during the 1st half by the LSU secondary. Several of those incompletions were very close to being interceptions, include the deflection made by Peterson at the beginning of the 2nd quarter.  Jordan Jefferson’s 14 pass attempts have included 11 completions and 1 interception on 138 passing yards. The Georgia secondary has given up a lot of passing yards again, but the defense has stepped up in the red zone where LSU has had to settle for 2 field goals and was able to intercept one of Jefferson’s passes. What has surprised me the most is how much the Tigers running game has been used, after gaining less than a yard per carry last week against  Mississippi State. LSU has rushed 28 times for 98 yards, but only gained 3.5 yards per carry. Jefferson has ran 9 times for only 27 yards, which has limited the Tigers scoring chances on the ground. This has slowed down the game’s pace, but has not resulted in any touchdowns. The player who has stuck out the most so far is Terrance Tolliver with his 5 receptions for 68 yards. 2nd half is about to kick off, LSU will receive the ball.

2nd Quarter

LSU 6, UGA 0, halftime: Jordan Jefferson runs 10 yards for a 1st down 4th and 1 LSU on the 9 yard line and Jordan Jefferson fails to convert for LSU. Dawgs take over at the ten. Cox throws an incomplete pass intended for A.J. Green. Caleb King rushes for only 1 yard after Perry Riley tackles him, 3rd and 9. Cox throws an incomplete pass to Michael Moore, that is almost fumbled. LSU takes over the 40 yard line on a 49 yard punt by Butler. Rennie Curran sacks Jordan Jefferson for a six yard loss. Jefferson gains 3 yards, 3rd and 13 for the Tigers. Tolliver catches a pass at the 50 yard line for a 13 yard gain for a 1st down. LSU is called for holding and it is now 1st and 15 at the 45 yard line. Trendon Holliday catches a 5 yard pass. Tolliver catches another pass for 8 yards and is tackled by Bacarri Rambo. Chris Mitchell catches a five yard pass. Scott gains no yards on a rushing attempt. The second half has ended. LSU 6, UGA 0

LSU 6, UGA 0 5:43: Brandon Smith returns the ball to the 32 yard line. Richard Samuels rushes for two yards. Cox throws a deep incomplete pass to A.J. Green after it is broken up by Patrick Petterson, 3rd and 8 Georgia. Richard Samuels gains 2 yards, but it is now 4th down for the Dawgs on the 36 yard line. Justin Houston makes the stop as Trindon Holliday returns it to the 26 yard line. The new Georgia Gymnastics coach Jay Clark is introduced on the field during a TV timeout with 9:11 left on the clock. Charles Scott runs 9 yards down the middle, 2 and 1. Russel Sheppard rushes to the right for the 1st down gain at the 39 yard line. Jeff Owens tackles Keiland Williams who gains only 1 yard, this is Williams 1st rush of the game. Jordan Jefferson throws a 29 yard pass to Terrance Tolliver. Charles Scott fails to catch the ball on 3rd and 9. Jefferson rushes for two yards. On 3rd and 9, Jefferson completes a pass to Richard Dickson. 1st and 10 at the 18 yard line for the Bayou Bengals. Russel Sheppard apparently fumbles the ball on a run and it is recovered by Rashad Jones, but it is still the Tiger’s ball.

LSU 6, UGA 0: 10:57

Georgia’s defense had a hard time stopping Charles Scott in the first quarter as he gained 32 rushing yards on six carries and will look to improve their run stopping on this next drive. So far Keiland Williams has not had a carry. Russel Sheppard gains 18 yards on a quarterback sneak and Rashad Jones gets the tackle. 2nd and 4 after another Shepard run for six yards. 3rd and 1 Tigers after a Trindon Holliday 3 yard rush that was Holliday’s first run of the day. Charles Scott rushes for four yards. Jordan Jefferson throws a 17 yard completion to Brandon Lufell, Lufell has 50 receiving yards already. Chris Tulliver catches a six yard pass. Keiland Williams rushes for two yards, 3rd and 2 for LSU. The game has stopped with an LSU injury, but linebacker Perry Riley is able to walk it off to the sideline. The game resumes with the ball on the Georgia 22. Jefferson hands it off to Scott and Jones gets a tackle for a loss. 4th and 4 for the Tigers and a time out is called by Les Miles at the 11:01 mark. Jasper kicks a 42 yard field goal. LSU, 6 UGA, 0. LSU’s 56 yard drive consisted of 10 plays.

1st Quarter

LSU 3 , Georgia 0 end of the 1st: Brandon Boykin signals for a safe kick, 1st and 10 on the 20. 2nd and 7 after a 3 yard reception by Shaun Capas, this is Cox’s first complete pass of the day. Caleb King rushes for no gain. A.J. Green catches a 27 yard pass for his 1st reception of the game and the Dawgs first 1st down of the day. Rantavious Wooten catches 3 yard gain. Cox is pressured and throws the ball out of bounds, 3rd and 8 on the 48. Orson Charles catches a reception for no gain and the Dawgs punt on 4 and 7th. LSU gets the ball on the 20 yard line after the ball lands out of bounds in the end zone off a 47 yard Drew Butler punt. Russel Shepard gains 2 yards after a Marcus Dowtin tackle. After the first quarter LSU has gained 93 offensive yards to the Dawgs 43. This game is looking like a low scoring affair at the moment.

LSU 3, Georgia 0 3:51: On 3rd and 7 Cox throws a deep incomplete pass to A.J. Green. Butler kicks a 51 yard punt. UGA gymnast Courtney Kupets and former Gymnastics coach Suzanne Yochlan are presented on the field. 3 and 1 for LSU on the Georgia 33. Charles Scott gains 3 yards for an LSU first down. John Jefferson is tackled by Boykin as he runs for 3 yards. Scott rushes for a 1st down and is run down by Boykin. 1st and 9 LSU as Chris Tolliver catches a pass inside the 10 yard line, but the play is under review. After further review the play stands. Scott runs to the five, as Owens and Curran get the tackle. Rennie Curran tackles Scott for a loss after he gets a reception, 3 and 6 on for the LSU. Jefferson throws an incomplete pass that was intended for Terrance Tulliver. Josh Jasper kicks a field goal, LSU 3, Georgia 0.

LSU 0, Georgia 0 9:50: The Dawgs go 3 out on their drive. 2 and 7 for LSU on the 49 and Jefferson throws a pass to Brandon Lufell for a 34 yard gain. Daryl Gamble gains a tackle as the Tigers fail to gain a yard on a Jefferson run. Jefferson rushes for six yards. Jefferson throws an interception to Brandon Boykin in the end zone on 3rd and 4.