"In my opinion, it was one of the worst calls I have seen in some time. Georgia had just led an excellent drive that put them on top with little time left in the game, only to have the games outcome altered by the officials. The outcome of a game should never be affected by a celebration penalty, especially one so minute as what Bulldogs were accused of. It is truly a disgrace." -- Mark May on the "penalty"
Honestly, I never thought I would say it, but I couldn't agree more Mark. Even Lou Holtz' old ornery ass thought it was a bogus call. Rece Davis was beside himself, as were the other 93,000 some-odd Bulldawg faithful in attendance of Saturday's game. To have the outcome of a game decided by a bogus flag thrown for celebration after the biggest play to happen in 59 minutes of play is absolutely absurd. Some may argue that the flag less important than the lack of coverage on the ensuing kick, but I would have to disagree. Yes, the coverage on the kickoff was bad to say the least, but still, a 40 yard return is less problematic if the ball is taken at the goal line as opposed to the 20. A hard fought, well-played game by both sides will long be overshadowed by a reckless ref throwing laundry around where he had no business doing so.
Aside from the last three minutes of the game, there weren't a lot of bright spots for either side, at least offensively. Our guys managed a total of 45 yards on the ground for the day, and the Bengals couldn't get it done inside the red zone. This game was dominated from the get go by both defensive units, yes, I said BOTH. Willie's boys got to the QB six time on the day, something we haven't done since blasting Brennan a new one in the Sugar Bowl in 2007. Only one big pass play was surrendered on the day, but was negated by a holding call. All in all, you would have to say it was our finest defensive performance of the season, even taking the final drive into account.
Offensively, we were pretty offensive for the second consecutive week, managing a mere 274 yards total for the game, including the aforementioned 45 yards on the ground. If there was a bright spot, it had to be Washaun Ealey, who kindred memories of the last player in red to wear number 24. Of course AJ was AJ, and ended the day with a more than respectable 5 catches and 99 yards. However, throughout the first 57 minutes of the game we looked mostly inept in all areas of the offense. Run blocking continued to be less than stellar, open receivers were too often passed by for the hope of a big play, and our two starting TB's looked as inexperienced as ever.
All of that being said, we still put ourselves in a position to win the game, only to have it yanked from our clutches by an over-eager officiating crew. We can only hope this game isn't so demoralizing that it stays with us into the next week and those games that follow. We played 60 minutes with one of the best teams in the country and if nothing else should be commended for such a hard fought game. Though our guys trailed, they never gave up, and made a play when it needed to be made. If there is a silver lining, it would have to be that we still control our own SEC destiny. Winning out, however improbable that may be, still gets us to Atlanta.
**On a side note, the rest of the SEC TV schedule has been released for next weekend, and UGA vs. TN will be televised by the SEC network at 12:21pm.
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