2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team

2007 Georgia Bulldogs football
SEC Eastern Division co-champion
Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 41–10 vs. Hawaii
Conference Southeastern Conference
Division Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches No. 3
AP No. 2
2007 record 11–2 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach Mark Richt (7th year)
Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo (1st as Coordinator, 7th Overall year)
Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez (3rd as Coordinator, 7th Overall year)
Home stadium Sanford Stadium (92,746)
Uniform
2007 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Eastern Division
#12 Tennessee xy   6 – 2         10 – 4  
#2 Georgia x%   6 – 2         11 – 2  
#13 Florida   5 – 3         9 – 4  
South Carolina   3 – 5         6 – 6  
Kentucky   3 – 5         8 – 5  
Vanderbilt   2 – 6         5 – 7  
Western Division
#1 LSU x$#   6 – 2         12 – 2  
#15 Auburn   5 – 3         9 – 4  
Arkansas   4 – 4         8 – 5  
Mississippi State   4 – 4         8 – 5  
Alabama   4 – 4         7 – 6  
Ole Miss   0 – 8         3 – 9  
Championship: LSU 21, Tennessee 14
  • # – BCS National Champion
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Alabama had 5 victories vacated by the NCAA in 2010. As such, the official record for Alabama is 2–6 (1-4).
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed on behalf of the University of Georgia in American football against teams from other colleges and universities. The Bulldogs tied for first place in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) but lost a tie-breaker with the University of Tennessee. The team finished its season by defeating the Hawaii Warriors in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. This was the Georgia Bulldogs' seventh season under the guidance of head coach Mark Richt.

Preseason

Two key players from the 2006 season, defensive end Charles Johnson and running back Danny Ware, decided to leave school early to enter the NFL draft.[1] Another junior, defensive back Paul Oliver, considered a move to the NFL, but decided to return to the Bulldogs for his senior year.[2] Despite coming back for his senior year, Paul Oliver became academically ineligible and decided to enter the supplemental draft. The Bulldogs were led on offense by rising Sophomore QB Matthew Stafford. Sean Bailey and Mohammed Massaquoi led the receivers and Thomas Brown at Tailback. The defense saw the emergence of Asher Allen and Kelin Johnson in the Secondary. In addition, Dannell Ellerbe was the leader of the Linebackers while Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens anchored the Defensive Line.[3]

Regular season

The Bulldogs started off strong with an impressive win at home against Oklahoma State. Though, the Bulldogs failed to score a touchdown the following week against South Carolina. The Dawgs rebounded against Western Carolina and enjoyed the thrill of an overtime victory on September 22 at Alabama. This was a legendary call for Scott Howard, the new play by play announcer replacing the legendary Larry Munson. Other high moments during the season were the upset win against Florida 42-30 and the win against Auburn 45-20 as Georgia wore Black jerseys for the first time. The season ended on a high note as the Bulldogs defeated Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana 41-10. The Bulldogs crushed the undefeated Warriors and their high-potent offense lead by NCAA record-setting quarterback Colt Brennan

Rankings

Ranking Movement
Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Final
AP 13 11 23 22 15 12 24 21 20 10 10 8 6 4 4 2
Coaches 13 12 25 21 16 11 23 21 20 10 10 8 6 4 4 3
Harris Not released 15 12 23 20 19 12 11 9 7 4 4 -
BCS Not released 20 18 10 10 9 7 4 5 -

Schedule

Before the season, CNNSI.com ranked the 2007 UGA schedule the 14th hardest in the country.[4]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 1 6:45 pm Oklahoma State* No. 13 Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia ESPN2 W 35–14   92,746
September 8 5:45 pm South Carolina No. 11 Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia ESPN2 L 12–16   92,746
September 15 1:00 pm Western Carolina* No. 23 Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia CSS W 45–16   92,746
September 22 7:45 pm at No. 16 Alabama No. 22 Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL ESPN W 26–23 OT  92,138
September 29 1:00 pm[5] Ole Miss No. 15 Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia LFS W 45–17   92,746
October 6 3:30 pm at Tennessee No. 12 Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee (Rivalry) CBS L 14–35   107,052
October 13 6:00 pm at Vanderbilt No. 24 Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee (Rivalry) ESPN2[6] W 20–17   39,773
October 27 3:30 pm[7] vs. No. 9 Florida No. 20 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida (Florida–Georgia game) CBS[8] W 42–30   84,481
November 3 1:00 pm Troy*dagger No. 10 Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia LFS W 44–34   92,746
November 10 3:30 pm No. 18 Auburn No. 10 Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia (Deep South's Oldest Rivalry) CBS W 45–20   92,746
November 17 12:30 pm No. 22 Kentucky No. 8 Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia LFS W 24–13   92,746
November 24 3:30 pm at Georgia Tech* No. 6 Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate) ABC W 31–17   54,990
January 1 8:30 pm vs. No. 10 Hawaii* No. 4 Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans (Sugar Bowl) Fox W 41–10   74,383
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

Game notes

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State at #13 Georgia
1 234Total
Oklahoma State 7 700 14
• Georgia 14 777 35

Sophomore quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs cruised past the Cowboys from the Big 12 in a much-hyped season opener. Georgia won its first game of the season for an 11th consecutive season.

[9]

South Carolina

South Carolina at #12 Georgia
1 234Total
• South Carolina 7 333 16
Georgia 0 336 12

The Gamecocks took a 7-0 lead on their first drive of the game and used stifling defense to hold off the Bulldogs the rest of the way. It was Georgia's first loss in the series since 2001, and the team's fifth consecutive loss to SEC East opponents, dating back to the 2006 season.

[10]

Western Carolina

Western Carolina at #25 Georgia
1 234Total
Western Carolina 3 607 16
• Georgia 3 21147 45

After a slow start, the Dawgs exploded for 42 points in the final three quarters to bounce back with a win over the 1-AA Catamounts. Freshman running back Knowshon Moreno rushed for 94 yards on 13 carries.

[11]

Alabama

#21 Georgia at #20 Alabama
1 234OTTotal
• Georgia 7 3736 26
Alabama 0 37103 23

In a virtual must-win situation, the Dawgs avoided an 0-2 start in SEC play by escaping Bryant–Denny Stadium with an overtime win. Matthew Stafford connected with senior wide receiver Mikey Henderson on the Bulldogs' first play from scrimmage in OT for the winning score.

[12]

Ole Miss

Ole Miss at #16 Georgia
1 234Total
Ole Miss 7 370 17
• Georgia 0 17721 45

Running back Thomas Brown rushed for a career-high 180 yds and three touchdowns in the fifth straight win against Western Division opponents.

[13]

Tennessee

#11 Georgia at Tennessee
1 234Total
Georgia 0 077 14
• Tennessee 7 2170 35

Georgia suffered its worst loss since the 2003 Southeastern Conference championship, a 34-13 loss to LSU, and coach Mark Richt's first loss at Tennessee. The Bulldogs had won their last three games at Neyland, Tennessee's home stadium.[14]

[15]

Vanderbilt

#23 Georgia at Vanderbilt
1 234Total
• Georgia 7 076 20
Vanderbilt 3 1400 17

Senior kicker Brandon Coutu drilled a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give Georgia its second road win of the season, both coming on the game's final play. The Dawgs outscored Vanderbilt 13-0 in the second half to rally from a 17-7 halftime deficit.

[16]

Florida

#19 Georgia vs. #11 Florida
1 234Total
• Georgia 14 7714 42
Florida 7 1076 30

Behind Knowshon Moreno's 188 yards (3 touchdowns) and Stafford's 223 yards passing (3 touchdowns), the Dawgs ended their hex against the rival Gators, who had won 15 of the last 17 games in the series. The game was notable for an all team end-zone celebration following Georgia's first touchdown scored on their opening drive. The team celebration was penalized twice and set the tone for a hard fought game.

[17]

Troy

Troy at #10 Georgia
1 234Total
Troy 10 01014 34
• Georgia 7 171010 44

Knowshon Moreno had another huge game, rushing for 196 yards and three touchdowns, as the Bulldogs avoided a post-Florida hangover with a 10-point win over the pesky Trojans from the Sun Belt.

[18]

Auburn

#17 Auburn at #10 Georgia
1 234Total
Auburn 3 7100 20
• Georgia 10 71414 45

Georgia had their way in The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry for the second consecutive year behind a balanced offensive attack, with 237 yards passing from Matthew Stafford and 180 combined yards on the ground. The Tigers allowed their most points in a game for the entire season to Georgia for the third straight year. It was also the first game in which the Bulldogs wore their black jerseys.

[19]

Kentucky

#20 Kentucky at #9 Georgia
1 234Total
Kentucky 10 030 13
• Georgia 0 7143 24

The Dawgs had to shake off the rust after falling behind 10-0 early and did just that by scoring 24 of the game's final 27 points to complete the SEC schedule at 6-2. Georgia ran their winning streak over the Wildcats in Athens to 15 games.

[20]

Georgia Tech

#7 Georgia at Georgia Tech
1 234Total
• Georgia 3 1378 31
Georgia Tech 0 1403 17

Georgia tied a school-record with its seventh-consecutive win in the series of their rivals from Atlanta. Thomas Brown ran for 139 yards, unlike Moreno, who struggled and left the game with an ankle injury. The Georgia defense allowed just 12 completions on 32 pass attempts by the Yellow Jackets.

[21]

Sugar Bowl

Main article: 2008 Sugar Bowl
#10 Hawaii vs. #5 Georgia
1 234Total
Hawaii 3 007 10
• Georgia 14 10143 41

Georgia controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage and completely outmanned the undefeated Western Athletic Conference champs from the beginning of the game to the end. The Bulldogs' previously unheralded defensive end Marcus Howard dominated the Warrior offensive line and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. This is only the second time a defensive player has been named MVP in the Sugar Bowl's history. The last defensive player to be named MVP was Walt Yowarsky, who played tackle for Kentucky, in 1951.

Source:"Rivals.com Game Summary". Retrieved January 5, 2007. 

[22]

Postseason

Final ranking

The Associated Press final poll lists the Bulldogs ranked 2nd- the highest ranking since December 6, 1982 and the highest final season ranking since the National Championship year of 1980.[23] Buoyed by three first place votes, the Bulldogs barely outpaced the third ranked USC program.[24] 2007 marks the eleventh consecutive final AP poll which the Bulldogs ranked in the top 25, the current longest active streak. The Bulldogs have been ranked 30 times in the final poll including 14 Top-10 and 9 Top-5 rankings.

The final USA Today poll listed the Bulldogs ranked 3rd – which ties the highest ranking ever in that poll (set in the final 2002 poll).

Players

2007 Georgia Bulldogs by Position[25]

Quarterbacks

  • 7 Matthew Stafford – Sophomore
  • 14 Joe Cox – Sophomore
  • 15 Blake Barnes – Junior
  • 17 Jonathan deLaureal – Freshman
  • 19 Logan Gray – Freshman

Running Backs

  • 6 Kregg Lumpkin – Senior
  • 20 Thomas Brown – Senior
  • 22 Caleb King – Freshman
  • 23 Corry Parker – Freshman
  • 24 Knowshon Moreno – Freshman
  • 33 Kalvin Daniels – Freshman
  • 37 Cortney Newmans – Freshman
  • 29 Cedric Lang – " Freshman"
  • 39 Jason Johnson – Senior

Fullbacks

  • 35 Nick Stiles – Freshman
  • 36 Brannan Southerland – Junior
  • 48 Fred Munzenmaier – Freshman
  • 49 Shaun Chapas – Freshman

Wide Receivers

  • 1 Mohamed Massaquoi – Junior
  • 4 Sean Bailey – Senior
  • 8 Vernon Spellman – Sophomore
  • 9 Marquise Brown – Freshman
  • 12 Percy Croffie – Senior
  • 16 Kris Durham – Sophomore
  • 18 A.J. Bryant – Senior
  • 26 Tony Wilson – Freshman
  • 27 Mikey Henderson – Senior
  • 28 Israel Troupe – Freshman
  • 80 Walter Hill – Freshman
  • 82 Michael Moore – Sophomore
  • 83 T.J. Gartrell – Senior
  • 84 Zach Renner – Freshman
  • 85 Demiko Goodman – Junior
  • 87 Aron White – Freshman
  • 88 Kenneth Harris – Junior

Tight Ends

  • 46 Jeff Potterbaum – Sophomore
  • 81 NaDerris Ward – Freshman
  • 84 Casey Nickels – Freshman
  • 84 Coleman Watson – Senior
  • 86 Tripp Chandler – Junior
  • 89 Bruce Figgins – Freshman
  

Offensive Line

  • 44 Josh Sailors – Freshman
  • 54 Tanner Strickland – Freshman
  • 60 Clint Boling – Freshman
  • 61 John Potts – Freshman
  • 63 Chris Davis – Freshman
  • 66 Micky White – Freshman
  • 67 Chester Adams – Senior
  • 70 Scott Haverkamp – Junior
  • 72 Vince Vance – Sophomore
  • 73 Chris Little – Freshman
  • 74 Kevin Perez – Freshman
  • 75 Fernando Velasco – Senior
  • 76 Ben Harden – Freshman
  • 77 Trinton Sturdivant – Freshman
  • 78 Josh Davis – Freshman

Defensive Line

  • 38 Marcus Howard – Senior
  • 41 Roderick Battle – Sophomore
  • 45 Tripp Taylor – Sophomore
  • 55 Jeremy Lomax – Junior
  • 56 Geno Atkins – Sophomore
  • 58 Demarcus Dobbs – Freshman
  • 59 Michael Lemon – Freshman
  • 64 Kiante Tripp – Freshman
  • 67 Chester Adams – Senior
  • 68 Wes Jacobs – Sophomore
  • 69 Andrew Gully – Sophomore
  • 71 Justin Lyles – Senior
  • 79 Justin Anderson – Freshman
  • 90 Corvey Irvin – Junior
  • 91 Kade Weston – Sophomore
  • 92 Neland Ball – Freshman
  • 93 David White – Freshman
  • 95 Jeff Owens – Junior
  • 97 Brandon Wood – Freshman
  • 98 Ricardo Crawford – Freshman
  • 99 Jarius Wynn – Junior
  

Linebackers

  • 12 Brandon Miller – Senior
  • 29 Ryan Rearden – Freshman
  • 33 Dannell Ellerbe – Junior
  • 35 Rennie Curran – Freshman
  • 37 Mitchell Pittman – Senior
  • 42 Justin Houston – Freshman
  • 43 Charles White – Freshman
  • 44 Marcus Washington – Junior
  • 46 Ukoha Kalu – Freshman
  • 49 Patrick Williams – Senior
  • 50 Darryl Gamble – Freshman
  • 51 Akeem Dent – Freshman
  • 52 Darius Dewberry – Sophomore
  • 53 Chris Gaunder – Senior
  • 54 Justin Respress – Freshman
  • 57 Benjamin Boyd – Junior
  • 61 Justin Fields – Freshman
  • 65 Will Sullivan – Freshman

Defensive Backs

  • 8 Eric Elliot – Freshman
  • 25 Vance Cuff – Freshman
  • 27 Molloy VanGorder – Freshman

Cornerbacks

  • 2 Asher Allen – Sophomore
  • 3 Bryan Evans – Sophomore
  • 10 Donavon Baldwin – Sophomore
  • 11 Ramarcus Brown – Junior
  • 16 Chad Gloer – Freshman
  • 23 Prince Miller – Sophomore
  • 26 Christian Norton – Freshman
  • 29 Thomas Flowers – Senior
  

Safeties

  • 4 Andrew Johnson – Freshman
  • 5 CJ Byrd – Junior
  • 9 Reshad Jones – Freshman
  • 15 Rowdy Francis – Junior
  • 17 Antavious Coates – Sophomore
  • 18 Brad Arsenault – Junior
  • 24 Robby Bost – Sophomore
  • 30 Kelin Johnson – Senior
  • 31 Quintin Banks – Freshman
  • 32 John Knox – Freshman
  • 47 Andrew Williams – Senior

Punters

  • 13 Drew Butler – Freshman
  • 32 Brian Mimbs – Junior
  • 95 Chris Rogers – Freshman

Kickers

  • 22 Bo Stansell – Freshman
  • 28 Ben Wilson – Senior
  • 93 Andy Bailey – Senior
  • 96 Brandon Coutu – Senior

Long Snappers

  • 57 Andrew Davis – Freshman
  • 58 Matthew DeGenova – Freshman
  • 59 Bo Fowler – Junior
  • 65 Jeff Henson – Junior

Coaching staff

The 2007 Season is Coach Richt's seventh season at Georgia. Neil Callaway, Georgia's offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2006, left at the end of 2006 to become the head coach at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Richt named former UGA quarterback Mike Bobo as the new offensive coordinator.[26] Bobo took over play calling responsibilities during the Georgia Tech game as well as in the 2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl. Callaway also served as the offensive line coach. Stacy Searels, offensive line coach at LSU from 2003 to 2006, was named to the same position at Georgia to replace Callaway.[27]


References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ Steve Megargee, Top 25 toughest schedules, SI.com/Rivals.com, June 21, 2007.
  5. ↑ "The Sept. 29 game against Mississippi at Sanford Stadium will kick off at 1 pm It is not being televised.".
  6. ↑ ESPN2 To Televise Georgia-Vanderbilt Football Game Oct. 13 - GeorgiaDogs.com—Official Athletic Site of the University of Georgia
  7. ↑ Schedules - CBSSports.com
  8. ↑ ESPN - NCAA College Football Schedule, College Football Schedule, NCAA Football Schedule
  9. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com.
  10. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com
  11. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com.
  12. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com.
  13. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com
  14. ↑ NCAA Football - Georgia Bulldogs/Tennessee Volunteers Recap Saturday October 6, 2007 - Yahoo! Sports
  15. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com
  16. ↑ [espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=272860238 Box Score. ESPN.com]
  17. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com.
  18. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com
  19. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com
  20. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com.
  21. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com.
  22. ↑ Box Score. ESPN.com.
  23. ↑ Poll History - GeorgiaDogs.com—Official Athletic Site of the University of Georgia
  24. ↑ "AP Poll". USA Today. November 30, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Georgia Bulldog Roster" (PDF). www.georgiadogs.com. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
  26. ↑ "UGA QB Coach Mike Bobo Named Offensive Coordinator". UGA Sports Communications. December 19, 2006. Retrieved January 5, 2007.
  27. ↑ "LSU's Stacy Searels Named Offensive Line Coach At UGA". UGA Sports Communications. January 6, 2006. Retrieved January 16, 2007.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.