WESTERN KENTUCKY Game Summaries. 28 Georgia Bulldogs. September 2, 2006 Sanford Stadium Athens, Ga.

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1 WESTERN KENTUCKY September 2, 2006 Danny Ware Quarterbacks Joe Tereshinski and Matthew Stafford each threw for touchdowns as No. 15 Georgia defeated Western Kentucky With a sell-out crowd of 92,746 at Sanford Stadium and a Lincoln Financial television audience looking on, the Bulldogs improved to 1-0 on the season. Georgia now has won 10 consecutive home openers. Tailbacks Kregg Lumpkin, Thomas Brown and Danny Ware all had rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Ware paced Georgia with 68 yards on six carries. Tereshinski, making his first career start at quarterback at home, was 7-of-17 passing for 90 yards and a touchdown. Tereshinski s touchdown pass covered 18 yards to Mario Raley in the first quarter. Stafford, a freshman who saw action in the fourth quarter, went 3-of-5 for 40 yards and a touchdown. He fired a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Coleman Watson. Georgia began the scoring in the first quarter when Mikey Henderson returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Brandon Coutu added a 37-yard field goal as the Bulldogs opened a 17-0 first-quarter lead. Lumpkin and Brown each had 2-yard scoring runs in the second quarter for the Bulldogs. The Hilltoppers got on the scoreboard when quarterback Justin Haddix delivered a 17-yard scoring pass to Curtis Hamilton as Georgia led 31-7 at the break. Coutu s 30-yard field goal in the third quarter pushed the Bulldogs advantage to Ware opened the fourth quarter with a 41-yard scoring run. The Hilltoppers scored the next points as Georgia was flagged for holding in the end zone, resulting in a safety, and kicker Chris James hit a 45-yard field goal. The Bulldogs capped the scoring with a minute to play as Stafford connected with Watson. Georgia s game captains against Western Kentucky were Quentin Moses, Nick Jones, Gordon Ely-Kelso and Tony Taylor. Led by Mikey Henderson s 143 yards, Georgia rolled up 178 on punt returns, which ranked third in school history. Henderson also scored on a 67-yard return. Moses was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. Michael Turner (TT), Charles Johnson (DE), Jeff Owens (DT), Kade Weston (DT) and Ramarcus Brown (CB) made their first career starts. WKU = 12 Georgia = 48 GA-Mikey Henderson 67-yard punt return (Brandon Coutu kick), 9:28 1Q GA Mario Raley 18-yard pass from Joe Tereshinski (Coutu kick), 7:56 1Q GA Coutu 37-yard field goal, 3:32 1Q GA Kregg Lumpkin 2-yard run (Coutu kick), 13:20 2Q GA Thomas Brown 2-yard run (Coutu kick), 7:08 2Q WK Curtis Hamilton 17-yard pass from Justin Haddix (Chris James kick), :37 2Q GA Coutu 30-yard field goal, 9:22 3Q GA Danny Ware 41-yard run (Coutu kick), 14:12 4Q WK Team safety, 10:03 4Q WK James 45-yard field goal, 3:32 4Q GA Coleman Watson 13-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Coutu kick), 1:00 4Q The score doesn t necessarily mean the offense played well. We did some good things, but the defense provided a lot of opportunity. We ve got a whole lot of potential. WKU Georgia First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) (39.5) (42.3) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 37:42 22:18 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Hayden (WKU) Ware (UGA) Haddix (WKU) Tereshinski (UGA) Hamilton (WKU) Brown (UGA) Siewert (WKU) Ely-Kelso (UGA) Boyd (WKU) K. Johnson (UGA) Georgia Bulldogs

2 SOUTH CAROLINA September 9, 2006 Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, S.C. Brandon Coutu kicked three field goals and Georgia s defense pitched a shutout in honor of Erk Russell as the Bulldogs defeated South Carolina 18-0 in front of 82,513 at Williams-Brice Stadium and an ESPN television audience. The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the Southeastern Conference, while the Gamecocks slipped to 1-1 and 1-1. Georgia now has won five straight games in the series and improved to all time. Georgia starting quarterback Charles Johnson Joe Tereshinski left the game in the first quarter and did not return due to a right ankle injury. Freshman Matthew Stafford came in for Tereshinski and went 8-of-19 for 171 yards and three interceptions. He also ran twice for 34 yards. A day after the death of Russell, the longtime Georgia defensive coordinator, the Bulldogs held South Carolina out of the end zone and off the scoreboard. The Gamecocks gained 255 yards, but missed a field goal and were stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 1- and the 2-yard lines by the Bulldogs. It was Georgia s first shutout since a 30-0 win at Clemson to start the 2003 season. The only other time a Steve Spurrier team was held without points came during his first year as a college coach in 1987, when Duke lost 7-0 to Rutgers a span of 193 games. In honor of Russell, the Bulldogs wore a black ERK emblem on the back of their helmets. Georgia s defense even got in on the scoring as defensive end Charles Johnson tackled the Gamecocks Mike Davis in the end zone for a safety. Johnson was credited with five tackles, including four for loss. Safety Tra Battle led Georgia with eight tackles. Coutu s field goals covered 46, 46 and 42 yards. He also kicked an extra point for Georgia. Tailback Danny Ware scored on a 9-yard run for the Bulldogs. Tailback Thomas Brown paced Georgia with 69 yards, while Ware added 43. Georgia s game captains against South Carolina were Tony Taylor, Quentin Moses, Nick Jones and Stephen White. For the first time since 1982, the Bulldogs shut out an SEC opponent on the road. The last team blanked was Florida (44-0). Charles Johnson was named the SEC s Defensive Player of the Week. Brandon Coutu is now 11-for-13 in his career for field goals between 40 and 49 yards. Georgia = 18 S. Carolina = 0 GA-Brandon Coutu 46-yard field goal, 9:24 1Q GA Danny Ware 9-yard run (Coutu kick), 10:05 2Q GA Team safety, :51 2Q GA Coutu 46-yard field goal, :00 2Q GA Coutu 42-yard field goal, 14:06 4Q One of the things we talked about was trying to honor Coach Russell, and the best way to do that was to play like Junkyard Dogs. That was the phrase he always used, and that s what our guys did. Georgia USC First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) (47.7) (42.0) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 30:52 29:08 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Mitchell (USC) Brown (UGA) Mitchell (USC) Stafford (UGA) Newton (USC) Milner (UGA) Succop (USC) Ely-Kelso (UGA) Sapp (USC) Battle (UGA) Georgia Bulldogs 29

3 UAB September 16, 2006 Georgia pitched consecutive shutouts for the first time in 26 years and the Bulldogs got touchdowns from four different players in a 34-0 victory against Alabama-Birmingham. After a video tribute honoring the late Erk Russell was played at halftime, the Bulldogs posted their second straight shutout since the national championship year of 1980 when Russell was the Bulldogs defensive coordinator. For the game, Georgia (3-0) held the Blazers (1-2) to 163 total yards. Georgia has allowed just 12 points in the first Prince Miller 2006 Game Summaries three games, the fewest since Tailback Kregg Lumpkin, quarterback Matthew Stafford and fullback Brannan Southerland scored offensive touchdowns for the Bulldogs, while defensive back CJ Byrd posted a special teams touchdown following a blocked punt. Kicker Brandon Coutu drilled three more field goals, including a 55-yarder. Lumpkin opened the day s scoring as he scampered in from eight yards out in the first quarter. Coutu added the extra point for the 7-0 lead. Lumpkin paced the Bulldogs with 54 yards on 10 carries. Georgia led 10-0 at the break as Coutu connected on the 55- yard field goal, the third-longest of his career. Coutu opened the third quarter with a 38-yard field goal to make it Then, defensive back Prince Miller shot through to block a Blazers punt and Byrd scooped it up and ran it in from 11 yards out for the touchdown. Coutu s extra point pushed the lead to In the fourth quarter, Stafford, who made his first career start, ran in from four yards out. Coutu again booted the PAT for a 27-0 advantage. Stafford finished the game 10-of-17 passing for 107 yards. Southerland capped the scoring with a 1-yard run. Coutu s kick accounted for the final margin of Georgia s game captains against UAB were Nick Jones, Martrez Milner, Charles Johnson and Tony Taylor. Fernando Velasco was selected as the Southeastern Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week. The shutout at home was the first since the Bulldogs blanked New Mexico State 37-0 in In the Mark Richt era, the Bulldogs have blocked 13 punts and have recorded 10 special teams touchdowns. UAB = 0 Georgia = 34 GA-Kregg Lumpkin 8-yard run (Brandon Coutu kick), 9:42 1Q GA Coutu 55-yard field goal, 5:09 2Q GA Coutu 38-yard field goal, 10:35 3Q GA CJ Byrd 12-yard blocked punt return (Coutu kick), 7:18 3Q GA Matthew Stafford 4-yard run (Coutu kick), 9:16 4Q GA Brannan Southerland 1-yard run (Coutu kick), 4:24 4Q I am so proud of the defense, both the players and the coaches, particularly Coach Martinez. We know how good a job Coach Garner, Coach Jancek and Coach Fabris are doing also. Maybe they are still trying to honor Coach Erk. It s so good to know you can win games when you are not hitting on all cylinders offensively. We are a work in progress on offense. I am glad we have the potential that we do. UAB Georgia First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) (36.8) (49.3) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 32:18 27:42 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Burks (UAB) Lumpkin (UGA) Hunt (UAB) Stafford (UGA) Mencer (UAB) Harris (UGA) Mullins (UAB) Ely-Kelso (UGA) Smith (UAB) Oliver (UGA) Georgia Bulldogs

4 COLORADO September 23, 2006 Quarterback Joe Cox came off the bench to throw two fourthquarter touchdown passes and lift Georgia to a win over upset-minded Colorado in front of 92,746 at Sanford Stadium and a Lincoln Financial television audience. Cox, a redshirt freshman, connected with tight end Martrez Milner with 46 seconds remaining for the second Martrez Milner touchdown. Kicker Brandon Coutu s extra point provided the final margin of victory. With 9:11 remaining in the game, Cox tossed a screen pass to fullback Brannan Southerland, who took it 23 yards for the score. Coutu kicked the extra point to make it Cox finished 10-of-13 for 154 yards and the two touchdowns. Starter Matthew Stafford went 8-of-16 for 76 yards. Linebacker Tony Taylor, who recorded a game-high 13 tackles, ended Colorado s last threat by intercepting a pass at midfield with three seconds to go. Safety Tra Battle added nine tackles and safety Kelin Johnson contributed eight. The last 1-point victory recorded by the Bulldogs was their decision against LSU in Georgia (4-0) found itself down 13-0 entering the final period, the first time it had been blanked through three periods since the Auburn game in The Buffaloes (0-4) got a 26-yard field goal from kicker Mason Crosby to go ahead 3-0 and snap the Bulldogs scoreless quarters streak at eight. Georgia entered the game having blanked South Carolina and Alabama-Birmingham in consecutive games. In the second quarter, Colorado quarterback Bernard Jackson bulled in from a yard out. Crosby s extra point sent the Buffaloes into the break with a 10-0 advantage. Crosby added a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter to make it Georgia s game captains against Colorado were Nick Jones, Quentin Moses, Gordon Ely-Kelso and Tony Taylor. Joe Cox was named the SEC Freshman of the Week as well as The Sporting News College Football Player of the Week. Georgia overcame its largest fourth-quarter deficit in the Coach Mark Richt era. Dale Dixson s blocked field goal was the first one for Georgia since the 2003 SEC Championship Game. Colorado = 13 Georgia = 14 CU Mason Crosby 26-yard field goal, 3:14 1Q CU Bernard Jackson 1-yard run (Crosby kick), 10:08 2Q CU Crosby 36-yard field goal, 11:25 3Q GA-Brannan Southerland 23-yard pass from Joe Cox (Brandon Coutu kick), 9:11 4Q GA Martrez Milner 20-yard pass from Cox (Coutu kick), :46 4Q We dodged a big bullet, like dodging a big bazooka. The main reason the game got the way it did is Colorado has a lot of pride. I give a lot of credit to Coach (Dan) Hawkins and the Colorado Buffaloes.... Joe came through in the clutch, and you have to give him credit. Colorado Georgia First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) (41.0) (45.0) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 34:09 25:51 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Jackson (CU) Lumpkin (UGA) Jackson (CU) Cox (UGA) Geer (CU) Milner (UGA) DiLallo (CU) Ely-Kelso (UGA) Jones (CU) Taylor (UGA) Georgia Bulldogs 31

5 OLE MISS September 30, 2006 Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Oxford, Miss. Fullback Brannan Southerland scored two second-half touchdowns to help lift No. 10 Georgia (5-0, 2-0 SEC) to a hard-fought 14-9 victory over Mississippi (1-4, 0-2) in front of an ESPN2 television audience and 57,184 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Georgia trailed 3-0 at intermission, but rallied in the second half to improve its record in road games under Coach Mark Richt to Cornerback Paul Oliver s interception with 1:32 remaining sealed the win. Tailback Kregg Lumpkin rushed for a career-high 101 yards for the Kregg Lumpkin Bulldogs. Southerland had a 1-yard run to cap Georgia s first possession of the second half. The Georgia scoring drive was aided by Thomas Brown s 46-yard kickoff return and Lumpkin s 23-yard run on a fourth-and- 1 play. Southerland s 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter pushed Georgia s advantage to The touchdown was set up by receiver Demiko Goodman s 32-yard reception from Stafford. Kicker Brandon Coutu added both extra points. The Rebels grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second quarter as kicker Joshua Shene converted a 23-yard field goal. The Rebels began their drive on Georgia s 10-yard line after Cassius Vaughn blocked Gordon Ely-Kelso s punt, but the Bulldogs defense was able to keep Ole Miss out of the end zone. Ole Miss touchdown came on a 49-yard scoring pass from quarterback Brent Schaeffer to receiver Dexter McCluster. The Rebels were unable to convert a two-point conversion. Linebacker Tony Taylor paced the Bulldogs with 11 tackles. Defensive end Charles Johnson had two sacks, while defensive end Roderick Battle and safety Kelin Johnson each had one. Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis led Ole Miss with 135 yards. Georgia = 14 Ole Miss = 9 UM Joshua Shene 23-yard field goal, 4:12 2Q GA-Brannan Southerland 1-yard run (Brandon Coutu kick), 10:58 3Q GA-Southerland 1-yard run (Coutu kick), 14:01 4Q UM-Dexter McCluster 49-yard pass from Brent Schaeffer (Schaeffer pass failed), 6:17 4Q It was a good win for us. We blocked better and made a play or two to pull out the win in the second half. Our offensive line did a good job of protecting the quarterback, which I thought was the difference in the game. Paul Oliver s interception was huge at the end. Once he caught it, the game was basically over. The two blocked punts that Ole Miss made on us were disappointing and scary. We have to tighten down on that. It was the first time in five years, I believe, that we had punts blocked. Kregg Lumpkin ran the ball extremely well for us. I was definitely proud of him. Georgia Ole Miss First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) (33.1) (38.0) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 30:26 29:34 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Lumpkin (UGA) Green-Ellis (UM) Stafford (UGA) Schaeffer (UM) Goodman (UGA) McCluster (UM) Georgia s game captains against Ole Miss were Ken Shackleford, Martrez Milner, Thomas Brown and Tony Taylor. Defensive end Charles Johnson was chosen as the Southeastern Conference Defensive Lineman of the Week. For the first time since 1995, the Bulldogs have had three different starting quarterbacks in one season. Mike Bobo, Brian Smith and Hines Ward all lined up under center that year. Ely-Kelso (UGA) Park (UM) Taylor (UGA) Hardy (UM) Georgia Bulldogs

6 TENNESSEE October 7, 2006 No. 13 Tennessee scored 27 fourth-quarter points to pull away from No. 10 Georgia in front of a sold-out crowd of 92,746 at Sanford Stadium and a national ESPN television audience. The Bulldogs (5-1, 2-1 SEC) held a lead through three quarters before the Volunteers (5-1, 1-1) began their final-stanza rally. In a span of one minute and 26 seconds, Tennessee scored 14 points on a pass and a blocked punt recovered in the end zone to take a lead it did not relinquish. Fullback Brannan Southerland scored two touchdowns for the Bulldogs, while Mikey Henderson and Thomas Brown each posted touchdowns on long returns. Kicker Andy Bailey converted two field goals and three extra Thomas Brown points. Southerland had a 1-yard scoring run and an 8-yard pass reception from quarterback Joe Tereshinski for touchdowns. Henderson returned a punt 86 yards for a score, the Bulldogs sixth-longest return ever and the longest since Jake Scott went 90 yards against the Volunteers in Brown s 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown tied the school record set by Lindsay Scott in Bailey s 22-yard field goal in the first quarter was his first since the 2004 season. Bailey was subbing for Brandon Coutu, who was lost for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. Tereshinski returned to his role as the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs. He had been out of action since early in the South Carolina game due to an ankle injury. He went 12-of-20 for 164 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Tailback Kregg Lumpkin had 78 yards to pace the Bulldogs on the ground. Tennessee = 51 Georgia = 33 GA Andy Bailey 22-yard field goal, 4:52 1Q UT Bret Smith 16-yard pass from Erik Ainge (James Wilhoit kick), 4:52 1Q GA Brannan Southerland 1-yard run (Bailey kick), :00 1Q GA Mikey Henderson 86-yard punt return (Bailey kick), 12:30 2Q GA Southerland 8-yard pass from Joe Tereshinski (Bailey kick), 4:50 2Q UT Arian Foster 1-yard run (Wilhoit kick), :50 2Q UT Ainge 1-yard run (Wilhoit kick), 11:47 3Q GA Bailey 34-yard field goal, 6:32 3Q UT Wilhoit 37-yard field goal, 2:44 3Q UT Robert Meachem 15-yard pass from Ainge (Wilhoit kick), 14:18 4Q UT Antonio Wardlow 0-yard blocked punt return (Wilhoit kick), 12:52 4Q GA Thomas Brown 99-yard kickoff return (Tereshinki pass failed), 12:34 4Q UT Foster 1-yard run (Wilhoit kick failed), 8:15 4Q UT Foster 1-yard run (Wilhoit kick), 2:54 4Q We were just not able to stop them.... There was not enough good to offset the bad. Tennessee Georgia First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) (48.0) 1-0 (0.0) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 33:43 26:17 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Lumpkin (UGA) Foster (UT) Tereshinski (UGA) Ainge (UT) Massaquoi (UGA) Meachem (UT) Georgia s game captains against Tennessee were Quentin Moses, Nick Jones, Thomas Brown and Tony Taylor. Ray Gant started at defensive tackle for the first time this season. Tight end Tripp Chandler got his first career start as the Bulldogs opened in a two tight-end set. Tennessee s 51 points marked the second-most points scored against the Bulldogs ever at Sanford Stadium. Team (UGA) Colquitt (UT) Jackson (UGA) Wade (UT) Georgia Bulldogs 33

7 VANDERBILT October 14, 2006 Kicker Bryant Hahnfeldt s field goal with two seconds remaining lifted Vanderbilt to a win over No. 16 Georgia in front of a sell-out crowd at Sanford Stadium and a Lincoln Financial television audience. Hahnfeldt converted from 33 yards away as the Commodores (3-4 overall, 1-3 SEC) handed the Bulldogs their first back-toback losses at home since the end of the 1995 season. It also was Georgia s first Homecoming loss since The Bulldogs (5-2 overall, 2-2 SEC) had pulled ahead in the fourth quarter on linebacker Tony Taylor Tony Taylor s 24-yard interception return with 9:22 remaining. Quarterback Matthew Stafford s two-point conversion rush attempt was stopped short and the Bulldogs led Georgia s lone offensive touchdown came on a 23-yard scoring pass to tight end Martrez Milner from quarterback Joe Tereshinski in the second quarter. Tereshinski went 11-of-17 for 151 yards and the touchdown, while Stafford was 9-of-13 for 86 yards. Tailback Thomas Brown paced the Bulldogs with 75 yards rushing. Kicker Andy Bailey converted three field goals for the Bulldogs, covering 23, 20 and 19 yards. For the Commodores, quarterback Chris Nickson threw a pair of touchdown passes and tailback Cassen Jackson-Garrison had a scoring run. Nickson went 15-of-29 for 190 yards, while Jackson- Garrison rushed for 38 yards. Georgia s game captains against Vanderbilt were Nick Jones, Daniel Inman, Thomas Brown and Jeff Owens. Tony Taylor s interception was the first returned for a touchdown since Tim Jennings did so in the 2005 SEC Championship Game. Ironically, Jennings, who plays for the Indianapolis Colts, was on the Georgia sideline during the game. Tailback Thomas Brown was lost for the remainder of the year with a torn ACL. Vanderbilt = 24 Georgia = 22 GA-Andy Bailey 23-yard field goal, :10 1Q GA Martrez Milner 23-yard pass from Joe Tereshinski (Bailey kick), 5:11 2Q VU Earl Bennett 13-yard pass from Chris Nickson (Bryant Hahnfeldt kick), 2:50 2Q GA Bailey 20-yard field goal, :00 2Q VU Cassen Jackson-Garrison 3-yard run (Hahnfeldt kick), 12:45 3Q VU Sean Walker 35-yard pass from Nickson (Hahnfeldt kick), 2:25 3Q GA Bailey 19-yard field goal, 10:40 4Q GA Tony Taylor 24-yard interception return (Matthew Stafford run failed), 9:22 4Q VU Hahnfeldt 33-yard field goal, :02 4Q The bottom line is they played better than us. They made the plays when they needed to. Vanderbilt is a good football team. They ve been knocking, knocking, knocking on the door, and they finally knocked it in on us. They played a good game. Vanderbilt Georgia First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) (37.4) (39.2) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 26:35 33:25 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Brown (UGA) Nickson (VU) Tereshinski (UGA) Nickson (VU) Milner (UGA) Bennett (VU) Ely-Kelso (UGA) Upson (VU) Taylor (UGA) Moore (VU) Georgia Bulldogs

8 MISSISSIPPI STATE October 21, 2006 Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes as Georgia snapped a two-game losing streak with a win over Mississippi State in front of a sell-out crowd at Sanford Stadium. Defensive end Charles Johnson sealed the win by stripping State quarterback Michael Henig of the ball at the Georgia 23 and recovering Kenneth Harris the fumble. The freshman Stafford set career-high totals for attempts (32), completions (20), yards (267) and touchdown passes (two) in the game. With the win, Georgia improved to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Southeastern Conference. State dropped to 2-6 and 0-4. Stafford fired second-quarter scoring passes of 21 yards to tight end Tripp Chandler and 11 yards to receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. The 21-yarder to Chandler came on a fourth-and-1 situation and was the first catch of the sophomore tight end s career. Massaquoi s scoring catch was set up by his own 24-yard reception the play before. Fullback Brannan Southerland and tailback Kregg Lumpkin each had rushing touchdowns for Georgia. Southerland ran in from a yard out on the first play of the fourth quarter. Lumpkin s 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter opened the day s scoring. The drive was set up by safety Tra Battle s 53-yard interception return and was aided by Stafford s 41-yard pass to receiver Kenneth Harris, career bests for each player. Kicker Andy Bailey went 3-for-4 on extra points for Georgia. For State, halfback Anthony Dixon posted three rushing touchdowns. His runs covered five, five and three yards. Kicker Adam Carlson, who tacked on the extra point, later added a 36-yard field goal. MSU = 24 Georgia = 27 GA-Kregg Lumpkin 2-yard run (Andy Bailey kick), 4:34 1Q MS Anthony Dixon 5-yard run (Adam Carlson kick), :43 1Q GA Tripp Chandler 21-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Bailey kick), 7:20 2Q GA Mohamed Massaquoi 11-yard pass from Stafford (Bailey kick), :45 2Q MS Dixon 5-yard run (Carlson kick), 9:35 3Q MS Carlson 36-yard field goal, 5:28 3Q GA Brannan Southerland 1-yard run (Bailey kick failed), 14:48 4Q MS Dixon 3-yard run (Carlson kick), 10:26 4Q We sure haven t done a good job with turnovers. Some of that is due to the inexperience of guys. The passing game did have a lot of things happen, though. We re just not good enough at this moment. People are starting to appreciate all victories. Miss. State Georgia First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) (40.0) (36.0) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 28:50 31:10 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Lumpkin (UGA) Thornton (MSU) Stafford (UGA) Henig (MSU) Harris (UGA) Burks (MSU) Georgia s game captains against Mississippi State were the members of the senior class. Georgia improved to 16-2 all-time against Mississippi State, including a 9-2 mark in Athens. Center Nick Jones made his team-leading 27th straight start and the 37th of his career, despite being hampered by a knee injury and missing most of the week s practice. Ely-Kelso (UGA) McAdams (MSU) Taylor (UGA) Culberson (MSU) Georgia Bulldogs 35

9 FLORIDA October 28, 2006 Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, Fla. Despite two second-half touchdowns, Georgia dropped a decision to No. 9 Florida in front of 84,572 in Alltel Stadium and a national CBS television audience. The Bulldogs (6-3, 3-3) got touchdown runs from quarterback Matthew Stafford and tailback Kregg Lumpkin. Florida (7-1, 5-1) scored two early touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead at halftime. Receiver Andre Caldwell had a 12-yard run on a reverse and caught a 40-yard pass from quarterback Chris Leak. The Gators then led 21-0 after Georgia fumbled on the opening play of the second half. End Derrick Harvey knocked the ball out of Lumpkin s hands, and end Ray Mc- Donald returned it nine yards for a Matthew Stafford score. Leak s first interception in four games against Georgia led to a 13-yard run by Stafford to make it Georgia converted another turnover a fumble by backup quarterback Tim Tebow recovered by safety Kelin Johnson into Lumpkin s 8-yard scoring run. Stafford finished the game 13-of-33 for 151 yards. Lumpkin paced the Bulldogs with 43 yards on the ground. Linebacker Jarvis Jackson was credited with eight tackles to lead the Bulldogs. For the Gators, Leak went 14-of-28 for 163 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Florida now has won eight of nine and 15 of the last 17 in the series. Georgia s game captains against Florida were Tony Taylor, Nick Jones, Daniel Inman and Quentin Moses. Tony Taylor recorded an interception for the third straight game, giving the linebacker a team-leading four this season. Matthew Stafford became just the fourth true freshman to start at quarterback for Georgia against Florida, joining Johnny Rauch (1945), Eric Zeier (1991) and Quincy Carter (1998). Danny Ware had his first kickoff return of the season. Florida = 21 Georgia = 14 UF-Andre Caldwell 12-yard run (Chris Hetland kick), 9:11 1Q UF-Caldwell 40-yard pass from Chris Leak (Hetland kick), 9:37 2Q UF-Ray McDonald 9-yard fumble recovery (Hetland kick), 14:28 3Q GA Matthew Stafford 13-yard run (Andy Bailey kick), 4:40 3Q GA-Kregg Lumpkin 8-yard run (Bailey kick), 8:17 4Q We couldn t get a whole lot going offensively in the first half. But in the second half we turned it around. They missed a field goal and we got some points on the board but just couldn t get it done. Some things happened that hurt us. The punt that touched our blocker gave them the ball and we lost momentum. Even on that last stop we got a face mask. It comes down to this; we turned it over five times again and you just won t beat anyone doing that. I don t enjoy losing to the Gators. But I will say this, when most teams would lie down and die, this team didn t. We ve got some guys with great character. I m proud of them and proud to be a Bulldog. Florida Georgia First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) (45.2) (38.9) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 33:58 26:02 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Harvin (UF) Lumpkin (UGA) Leak (UF) Stafford (UGA) Caldwell (UF) Southerland (UGA) Wilbur (UF) Ely-Kelso (UGA) Everett (UF) Jackson (UGA) Georgia Bulldogs

10 KENTUCKY November 4, 2006 Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Ky. Tony Dixon s 3-yard run with a minute left lifted Kentucky to a comeback victory over Georgia, snapping a nine-game losing streak against the Bulldogs, in front of 62,120 at Commonwealth Stadium. Georgia fell to 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the SEC, while the Wildcats improved to Mario Raley 5-4 and 3-3. After Lones Seiber kicked a 48-yard field goal to put the Wildcats on the board first, the Bulldogs scored two straight touchdowns to go up Quarterback Matthew Stafford found receiver Mario Raley on a 9-yard touchdown for the first score. Fullback Brannan Southerland then plunged in from a yard out for the 14-3 edge. That touchdown was set up by safety Tra Battle, who picked off an errant Andre Woodson pass and returned it 32 yards to the Wildcats 1-yard line. Woodson responded by throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to receiver Keenan Burton to pull within Woodson and Burton hooked up again, this time on a 10-yarder, to go ahead The Bulldogs took a lead midway through the fourth quarter on a 3-yard run by tailback Danny Ware. Stafford finished the game 16-of-28 for 230 yards and a touchdown, but he also was intercepted three times. Tailback Kregg Lumpkin rushed for 85 yards. Linebacker Jarvis Jackson had 12 tackles, while linebacker Tony Taylor had 10 tackles, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery. Georgia s game captains against Kentucky were Tony Taylor, Nick Jones, Andrew Williams and Quentin Moses. Tony Taylor recorded an interception for the fourth straight game, giving the linebacker a team-leading five this season. The game was stopped for several minutes in the fourth quarter because of an injury to receiver Mario Raley. Raley suffered a concussion and spent the night in a Lexington hospital. Georgia slipped to 21-3 in an opponent s stadium under Coach Mark Richt. Georgia = 20 Kentucky = 24 UK-Lones Seiber 48-yard field goal, 5:18 1Q GA-Mario Raley 10-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Andy Bailey kick), :24, 1Q GA-Brannan Southerland 1-yard run (Bailey kick), 12:30 2Q UK-Keenan Burton 5-yard pass from Andre Woodson (Lones Seiber kick), 8:03 2Q UK-Burton 10-yard pass from Woodson (Seiber kick), 8:29, 4Q GA-Danny Ware 3-yard run (Bailey kick blocked), 4:37 4Q UK-Tony Dixon 3-yard run (Seiber kick), 1:21 4Q I m sure there are a lot of things to point to, but overall we were just not able to make plays when they counted the most. You just don t win many games when you lose the turnover battle, it doesn t matter who you play. That s the number one issue. We as a unit just were not able to put it together. We win as a unit and we lose as a unit. Georgia Kentucky First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) 1-43 (43.0) (38.3) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 27:51 32:09 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Lumpkin (UGA) Smith (UK) Stafford (UGA) Woodson (UK) Milner (UGA) Burton (UK) Ely-Kelso (UGA) Masthay (UK) Jackson (UGA) Kelley (UK) Georgia Bulldogs 37

11 AUBURN November 11, 2006 Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, Ala. Safety Tra Battle intercepted three passes, including one he returned for a touchdown, as Georgia stunned No. 5 Auburn in front of 87,451 at Jordan-Hare Stadium and a Lincoln Financial television audience. With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 7-4 overall and 4-4 in the SEC, while the Tigers fell to 9-2 and 5-2. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 30-7 halftime lead against the Tigers. Battle picked off three of Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox s eight passes. Battle s 30-yard return for a touchdown was the highlight of the first half for Georgia Tra Battle and capped a 23-point second quarter. Georgia outgained the Tigers and held onto the ball for 38 minutes, 12 seconds. Quarterback Matthew Stafford hooked up with tailback Kregg Lumpkin on a 14-yard scoring pass, then Stafford capped the win with a 9-yard touchdown run. Stafford finished the game 14-of- 20 for 219 yards and he rushed for another 83 yards. Lumpkin paced the ground attack with 105 yards on 21 carries and added a rushing touchdown covering eight yards. Fullback Brannan Southerland scored the Bulldogs other touchdown, his team-leading eighth, on a 1-yard run. Gordon Ely-Kelso, elevated to place-kicker just days before, booted a 34-yard field goal and was 4-for-5 on extra points for Georgia. He also continued to handle the Bulldogs punting duties. Linebacker Tony Taylor was credited with eight tackles. Defensive tackle Ray Gant recorded two sacks as Georgia held Auburn to 171 total yards. Georgia s game captains against Auburn were Tony Taylor, Kregg Lumpkin and Tra Battle. The victory was the 700th in the storied history of the Georgia football program. For the first time in school history, the Bulldogs defeated a top-5 opponent on its home field. Georgia is now 22-3 on an opponent s home field under Coach Mark Richt. Tra Battle s three interceptions tied the school record. Georgia = 37 Auburn = 15 GA-Kregg Lumpkin 8-yard run (Gordon Ely-Kelso kick), 9:18 1Q GA-Ely-Kelso 34-yard field goal, 12:07 2Q GA-Brannan Southerland 1-yard run (Ely-Kelso kick), 5:42 2Q GA-Tra Battle 30-yard interception return (Ely-Kelso kick), 4:56 2Q AU-Brad Lester 21-yard run (John Vaughn kick), 4:00 2Q GA-Lumpkin 14-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Ely-Kelso kick), :29 2Q AU-Rod Smith 34-yard pass from Brandon Cox (Lee Guess pass from Cox), 4:27 3Q GA-Stafford 9-yard run (Ely-Kelso kick), 12:28 4Q I am extremely proud of this team. If there has been one saving grace for me through all the bad things that have happened, it has been that we have stayed together and stayed unified. We didn t give in. We kept grinding and we kept working. We did the things we needed to do to win. Georgia Auburn First Downs 20 9 Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) 1-55 (55.0) (38.0) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 38:12 21:48 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Taylor (AU) Lumpkin (UGA) Cox (AU) Stafford (UGA) Smith (AU) Milner (UGA) Bliss (AU) Ely-Kelso (UGA) Herring (AU) Taylor (UGA) Georgia Bulldogs

12 GEORGIA TECH November 25, 2006 Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi caught a touchdown pass with 1:45 remaining to lift Georgia to a victory over No. 16 Georgia Tech in front of a sell-out crowd at Sanford Stadium and a CBS television audience. Massaquoi hauled in a 4-yard pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford to cap a 12-play, 64- yard drive that gobbled 7:05 off the clock. Stafford and Massaquoi then hooked up on a 2-point conversion play to give the Bulldogs the 3-point lead. On Georgia Tech s ensuing drive, cornerback Paul Oliver intercepted a pass by the Yellow Jackets Reggie Ball, and Mohamed Massaquoi the Bulldogs were able to run out the clock. Georgia ends the regular season with an 8-4 mark. Georgia Tech, which will play for the ACC Championship, falls to 9-3. Georgia s other touchdown came in the third quarter when linebacker Tony Taylor returned a fumble for a score. Ball coughed the football up at the Yellow Jackets 29-yard line. Taylor grabbed it in the midst of other players trying to recover it and dashed to the end zone. Kicker Andy Bailey added the extra point. Tailback Kregg Lumpkin paced the Bulldogs with 51 yards, while tailback Danny Ware added 41 yards. Stafford was 16-of- 29 for 171 yards and the touchdown. The Bulldogs now have won six straight games against Georgia Tech and they improved to in the series. The Bulldogs became the first unranked Georgia team to defeat a ranked Georgia Tech squad. Georgia s game captains against Georgia Tech were the members of the senior class, who made their final appearance in Sanford Stadium. Cornerback Paul Oliver was chosen as the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The win was the 60th for Mark Richt as Georgia s coach. Linebacker Tony Taylor s touchdown was his second of the year. He also scored against Vanderbilt. Georgia s final drive lasted 7:05, its longest of the season. Georgia Tech = 12 Georgia = 15 GT-Bell, 35-yard field goal, 11:05 2Q GA-Tony Taylor 29-yard fumble recovery (Bailey kick), 3:10 3Q GT-Bell, 24-yard field goal, 0:16 3Q GT-Tashard Choice 10-yard run (Reggie Ball rush failed), 8:50 4Q GA-Mohamed Massaquoi 4-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Massaquoi pass from Stafford), 1:45 4Q This is a huge win for us. The last two games have been very big. Paul Oliver was guarding the most talented wide receiver in the U.S. He did a wonderful job on him. We put that last drive together, but Matthew (Stafford) had to make the plays happen which is what he did. Mohamed (Massaquoi) did a beautiful job during that last drive making those catches. Kregg (Lumpkin) and Danny (Ware) were both stinging a little bit, but kept going back in and fighting. They both had a great game. We had a lot of people doubting us and have had a lot of trouble. Everybody stayed strong. Everybody stayed motivated. Everybody stayed together. I will never forget the job they did. Georgia Tech Georgia First Downs Rushing: Att.-Yards Passing: Comp.-Att.-Yds.-Int Total Plays-Total Net Yards Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Punts: Number-Yards (Avg.) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Time of Possession 26:14 33:46 Third Down Conversions Fourth Down Conversions Sacks By: Number-Yards Choice (GT) Lumpkin (UGA) Ball (GT) Stafford (UGA) Dunlap (GT) Massaquoi (UGA) Brooks (GT) Ely-Kelso (UGA) Robertson (GT) Taylor (UGA) Georgia Bulldogs 39