Boise State vs. Georgia: Bulldogs Fail to Live Up to Preseason Expectations

Atlanta — The Boise State Broncos' road to the BCS National Championship has begun. 

With a 35-21 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs - their only tough opponent in 2011 - going undefeated looks as easy as the way Kellen Moore played quarterback tonight. 

For the Georgia Bulldogs, the outcome wasn’t what they hoped for, but they can only blame themselves. 

Mark Richt’s seat has been engulfed in flames now, and he will no doubt hear the Bulldog Nation calling for his head. 

After all, he does coach a team in the best conference in the nation, and they’re supposed to be able to beat up small schools like Boise State. 

The Broncos proved they’re the real deal, but of course their will still be haters that don’t believe they’re good enough to play for a national title. 

After a slow start from both teams, Moore was able to pick apart the Bulldogs’ secondary, completing 28 passes on 34 attempts for 261 yards and three touchdowns. 

A 2011 Heisman candidate, Moore proved to be the better No. 11 tonight. The senior did what he does best, and he’ll keep playing at a high level for the rest of the season. 

As for Aaron Murray, he failed to win a big game for Georgia once again.

“I felt comfortable, but we started out slow in the first half. In the second half, I felt like we played better and got in a more consistent rhythm,” said the sophomore quarterback. 

“We can’t start slow and come on hot in big games like this. We finished strong but we have to make some corrections.”  

The only offense Georgia had in the first half was an 80-yard touchdown run by cornerback Brandon Boykin. Yes, you read that right. It was Boykin’s first career carry, and he took it to the end zone. 

Murray wasn’t the same quarterback we saw from 2010, and that will have to change if Georgia wants to have any success in 2011. 

What hurt Georgia the most against Boise State is that they lost the battle up front. They struggled to keep the pressure off Murray as he was sacked six times, and the defense recorded zero sacks on Moore.

“[Moore] is a very good player….we didn’t get enough pressure on him,” Richt said. “We couldn’t get them off the field once they got going in the second half.”

It was evident throughout the game that the Bulldogs missed Justin Houston more than any other player from 2010.

The Bulldogs were 2-for-13 on third down conversions and 1-for-4 on fourth-down conversions against Boise State.  Georgia’s entire offense clearly has a lot of work to do. 

All the hype around Georgia entering the 2011 season quickly faded away with this loss.

Freshman running back Isaiah Crowell rushed for 63 yards on 15 carries, but he was never able to break any big runs. He still has plenty of time to live up to his hype, but the Bulldog Nation had hoped he would become a star on the national stage.   

Georgia’s defense was sub-par at best tonight, and they didn’t look much different from a year ago. 

Where were the changes? Where were the adjustments? 

Once again, the Bulldogs couldn’t make key stops against a quality opponent. Entering their second year in the 3-4 under Todd Grantham, the expectations for Georgia’s defense were very high. 

The Bulldogs’ defense consistently gave up big plays on short passes, allowed Doug Martin to extend plays because of tons poor tackling and could never make a big stop when they needed it the most.

“It was surprising not to get as much pressure as we thought we would,” said linebacker Christian Robinson. “They had a game plan too. We made adjustments, but they made more.” 

This team still has very far to go, but unfortunately they don’t have much time to work with. 

Georgia hosts the No. 12 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks next Saturday, and if they struggle early like they did against Boise State, they don’t stand a chance.

“We have a whole season left, we can’t put our heads down because there’s still a long ways left to go,” Boykin said. “We know we’re a good team and that we’ll be able to bounce back…the SEC season starts next week, so we have to shift focus to South Carolina.” 

Some bad news from Georgia’s loss were that sophomore linebacker Alec Ogletree injured his foot  and sophomore guard Kenarious Gates left the game with leg injury. Neither returned to action, and their status is unknown for now. These are two starters the Bulldogs desperately need in Week 2.   

One positive thing Georgia can take away from this loss is that freshman wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell looked very good. He caught three passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. He also had a nice reverse run for 18 yards were he was able to fully display his quickness. 

The Bulldogs will do their best to turn things around in Week 2, but right now it’s looking pretty bleak for Georgia. A lot can happen in one week, but I’m afraid Georgia won’t be under going any drastic changes that would warrant enough for them to be capable of beating the talented Gamecocks.

It could be a long season for Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs.