Sunday, September 25, 2011

THE PACKING LIST REVIEW: OLE MISS



Well, how does .500 feel, DAWG Nation? One SEC road game played...one SEC road game won. Dig it. Let's look back and see if the DAWGS followed our road trip packing check list for Ole Miss.

FIRST ITEM: *RUNNING GAME* CHECK

The DAWGS rushed the football 56 times for over 200 yards against the Rebs. We called for Isaiah Crowell to get at least 20 carries in the game and that's exactly what happened as Georgia's freshman toted the rock a career-high 30 times for 147 yards, averaging right at 5 yards per carry.

SECOND ITEM: *ISAIAH’S FLAK JACKET* CHECK

Clearly there was no issues here as Isaiah saddled up and carried the mail for the DAWGS on Saturday.

THIRD ITEM: *BALL SECURITY* CHECK

Well, the DAWGS did turn the ball over once with a pick. Aaron Murray went through his read progression, then went back to his first read...which you should never do...and as a result, the ball was batted around and Ole Miss came down with it for the interception. However, Georgia also had two takeaways in the game and won the turnover battle. The DAWGS backs also displayed great ball security despite taking some pretty good hits during the game. The DAWGS took care of the ball and just like we said, "...the production on offense should take care of itself."

FOURTH ITEM: *PRESSURE FROM THE DEFENSE* CHECK

Check, check and check. We said that the DAWGS needed to put the squeeze on the Ole Miss offense as a whole, and if that pressure led to sacks, all the better. Well, that's exactly what happened. The D-line got a good push up the middle and played the run well, the backers flowed to the football and the secondary were in the hip pockets of the Rebs receivers all day closely contesting nearly every ball thrown. The result? The DAWGS allowed only 34 yards rushing, 183 total yards, forced two Bacarri Rambo interceptions and, oh yeah, collected four sacks.

FIFTH ITEM: *PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE* CHECK

Georgia knew they should be able to run the ball against Ole Miss and that's exactly what the did. Georgia rushed the ball 50+ times for 200+ yards and wore down the Rebs. Murray was efficient in the pass game and spread the ball around to seven different receivers on the day.

SIXTH ITEM: *EXPERIENCED LEADERSHIP* CHECK

Being the first road trip of the year, you can never know exactly what to expect. The DAWGS needed leadership from their veteran players and that's just what happened. Although just a second year starter, Murray led a young offense to an efficient and productive afternoon, hitting 17 of 26 passes for 268 yards and two scores. On defense, the DAWGS had a few players that have played a lot of football in the SEC and it showed as Abry Jones and Cornelius Washington anchored the front seven, while Rambo locked down the back end reeling in two interceptions for the DAWGS.

All in all, Oxford proved to be a very productive trip for Georgia. The DAWGS got that first conference road win out of the way, and that is huge with Knoxville looming in a couple of weeks where Georgia has not won since 2005. Murray put another notch in his belt as the leader of this team and the defense showed how you go to work and get things done when you head out on the road.

Glory, Glory.

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