ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s offensive numbers don’t add up.The Bulldogs dominated in yards but settled for modest margins on the scoreboard in wins against Tennessee and Vanderbilt the last two weeks.The No. 9 Bulldogs know they can’t waste scoring chances when they play at No. 11 LSU on Saturday.”They’re a really good team and we know we’ve got to play a really good game for us, sound football, not turn the ball over, things like that that will help you win,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said.Georgia leads the Southeastern Conference with 429.6 yards per game, but lately the big yards haven’t led to big point totals.The Bulldogs had 29 first downs against Tennessee. The Vols had 10. Georgia racked up 458 yards in that game and gave up 1 yard rushing. Yet the final score was 26-14.The stats and points also didn’t match in last week’s 24-14 win over Vanderbilt, when Georgia had a 425-245 advantage in yards but couldn’t put the game away until the final minutes.Georgia (6-1) is tied with Florida for the SEC Eastern Division lead at 3-1, but it hasn’t been scoring style points with poll voters.”I’m not worried about it,” coach Mark Richt said Tuesday. “I’m really not worried about it. Winning to me is pretty stylish, so if we keep winning I’ll be happy — I can promise you.”Georgia has been held under 30 points since opening its season with lopsided wins against Georgia Southern and Central Michigan. Even a 27-10 victory at Arizona State seems less impressive now that the Sun Devils have lost four straight.Stafford said Georgia remains capable of matching its production in the second half of its 11-2 2007 season, when it scored more than 40 points four times during a seven-game winning streak.”I think we can. I think we’ve been knocking on the door the last couple of weeks,” Stafford said. “Just a little bit of a lack of execution in some areas and if we get those things ironed out we’re putting up a lot more points.”There is no shortage of talent.Stafford set a career high with 310 yards passing against Tennessee and passed for two touchdowns against Vanderbilt. The junior leads the league in total offense.Knowshon Moreno had 175 yards rushing and a touchdown against Vanderbilt. He already has 762 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns as he tries to join Herschel Walker as the only Georgia players to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.—-Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at [email protected]
Georgia looking to end the team’s red-zone frustrations
By Charles Odum
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
October 21, 2008