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Todd Gurley Introduces Himself and the Defense Struggles: Remembering the Season Opener

Posted by on January 8, 2013 in Blog, Georgia Bulldogs, SEC | 4 Comments

This is the first of 14 Post-Season Game Recaps.

On September 1st the Georgia Bulldogs opened their 2012 campaign against the Bulls from Buffalo.  The Bulldogs won the game 45-23 behind a stellar outing from freshman running back Todd Gurley and a three-TD performance by Aaron Murray.

What We Saw: 

  • Todd Gurley introduced himself in a big way rushing for 100 yards and two TDs on just eight carries and adding a 100 yard kickoff return for a score.
  • Murray hit on 15 of his 26 passes for 258 yards and 3 TDs.
  • Tavarres King had 100 yards receiving and Michael Bennett added 76.
  • The Georgia defense failed to force a turnover.
  • Buffalo racked up 199 yards rushing.

 

What We Learned: 

Everyone in Sanford Stadium that day came to see Keith Marshall.  Five minutes into the game everybody was there to watch Todd Gurley.  Ten minutes in I half-jokingly wondered if Keith Marshall had transferred yet.  We learned that Todd Gurley was a force in this game.  Ten touches for 227 yards and three TDs was hard to hid.

What We Should Have Learned: 

We should have learned that the Georgia defense was going to be inconsistent at stopping the run.  Two Bulls ran for over 80 yards and each scored a TD.  Many, myself included, wrote it off as a meaningless game with missing personnel (several defensive stalwarts were suspended).  That proved not to be the case as Georgia struggled throughout the year against the run.

Long-Term Implication: 

Aside from the glaring deficiency in defending the run (a problem that directly resulted in a loss to Alabama), this game held no long-term repercussion.  The Dawgs’ got the victory, slid just one spot in both the AP and Coaches Poll and moved towards Missouri.

Looking Forward:

Georgia won’t play Buffalo in 2013, so there is little value in hypothesizing about a potential matchup, but if won did exist I’d have to expect another lopsided win for the Bulldogs.

That’s all I got/

Andrew