Georgia Loses Rematch Against Nebraska in TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl
The Georgia football
team suffered a 24-19 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the
Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl in front of 60,712 fans and a nationally
televised ESPN audience. Georgia ends its season with an 8-5 record,
while Nebraska finishes the year with a record of 9-4.
Hutson
Mason led the Georgia offense, going 21-40 for 320 yards and a
touchdown. Todd Gurley was his top target, finishing with 97 yards on
seven catches. Arthur Lynch added 69 yards on six catches. Gurley was
Georgia's leading rusher, finishing with 86 yards on 21 carries.
Marshall Morgan was perfect in the kicking game, connecting on four
field goals and an extra point.
Leonard Floyd led the Bulldogs
defensively with eight tackles, including seven solo stops and one
tackle for a loss. Jordan Jenkins added seven tackles, including a
sack, while Quincy Mauger racked up six tackles.
After a
scoreless first quarter, the Bulldogs were the first to get on the
board. Mason led Georgia on an 11-play, 38-yard drive that resulted in
Marshall Morgan kicking a 39-yard field goal that put the Bulldogs up
3-0.
Georgia forced Nebraska to go three-and-out on the next
possession, but a muffed punt that was recovered by Nebraska gave the
Huskers the ball back at the Georgia 14. Two plays later, Tommy
Armstrong Jr., found Quincy Enunwa in the end zone for a touchdown that
gave Nebraska a 7-3 lead.
The Bulldog offense got a spark on
the ensuing kickoff, as J.J. Green picked up 48 yards on the return and
set the offense up near midfield. A 37-yard completion to Brenden
Douglas put the Bulldogs in the red zone at the Nebraska 15, but
Georgia was forced to settle for a 28-yard field goal from Morgan that
cut the lead to 7-6.
Nebraska answered on the following
possession, driving 48-yards before Pat Smith was good from 46 that
extended the Husker lead to 10-6.
With just over three minutes
left in the half, the Bulldogs got the ball back and worked themselves
down to the 21-yard line. Highlighting the drive was a 17-yard first
down pass to Lynch. After a seven-yard game to the Nebraska 21-yard
line, Morgan connected on a 38-yard field goal that made it a 10-9 game
going into halftime.
The Huskers took a 17-9 lead at the start
of the second half after Josh Mitchell intercepted a Mason pass and
returned it to the Georgia 38. Seven plays later, Ameer Abdullah rushed
for a one-yard touchdown that made it a 17-9 game, following the extra
point.
With 10:08 left in the third quarter the Bulldogs got
the ball back and after a four-yard rush, Mason found Gurley out of the
backfield for a 30-yard gain to the Nebraska 26-yard line. An 11-yard
gain by Lynch gave Georgia first and goal, but the Bulldogs had to
settle for a field goal, their fourth of the game, cutting the lead to
17-12 after Morgan was good from 30 yards out.
Nebraska added
to its lead with a 99-yard touchdown pass from Armstrong Jr., to Enunwa
that gave the Huskers a 24-12 lead, following the extra point, with
just over six minutes left in the third quarter.
Georgia
scored its first touchdown of the game at the start of the fourth
quarter. The drive started when Shaq Wiggins picked off Armstrong Jr.,
at the Nebraska 39. With the Bulldogs at the 25-yard line, Mason hooked
up with Gurley for a 25-yard catch and run for the score that made it a
24-19 game.
The Bulldogs looked to take the lead late in the
fourth quarter, driving inside the Nebraska 20 on its final two
possessions. Georgia was unable to convert on either fourth down,
allowing Nebraska to come away with the 24-19 win.
|