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Bulldogs Upset By Vanderbilt 31-27
ATHENS, Ga. - The
Vanderbilt Commodores (4-3, 1-3) outscored No. 15 Georgia (4-3, 3-2)
17-0 in the second half to capture their first SEC victory of the year
while handing Georgia their second-consecutive SEC loss 31-27 Saturday
afternoon in front of a crowd of 40,350 at Vanderbilt Stadium in
Nashville, Tenn.
Redshirt-freshman quarterback Patton
Robinette replaced starter Austyn Carta-Samuels, who was injured the
second quarter, and completed 9-of-15 passes for 107 yards and an
interception, and also scored a rushing touchdown for Vanderbilt.
Jerron Seymour carried the ball 19 times for 75 yards and two
touchdowns in the Commodore's victory.
Aaron Murray (16-28-1,
114 yards) became the SEC's all-time leader in total yards with a
seven-yard completion to Arthur Lynch in the first quarter of
Saturday's game, moving him past former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow's
record of 12,232 yards.
The Bulldogs were able to strike first
thanks in large part to two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against
Vanderbilt. The first of which came on the Commodores punt, which set
up Georgia with a short field as the drive began on their own 47-yard
line. The Bulldogs later faced a third down and ten and were unable to
convert, however, a second unsportsmanlike conduct call against the
Commodores allowed the drive to continue. Marshall Morgan capped off
the nine-play, 49-yard drive with a 22-yard field goal.
Vanderbilt
quickly responded as quarterback Carta-Samuels orchestrated an 11-play,
76-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown run by Seymour. The
Commodores ate up 5:29 of the game clock and only faced one third down
on a drive that featured five completions to Jordan Matthews for 41
yards, as Vanderbilt was able to take a 7-3 lead over the Bulldogs.
After
both teams were forced to three-and-out drives, Georgia's run game was
able to power the Bulldogs back on top 10-7 with an eight-play, 53-yard
drive. Freshman Brendan Douglass (17 car., 84 yards) carried the ball
four times for 41 yards, including a bruising 16-yard run up the middle
that landed Georgia at the one-yard line, where Murray was able to
sneak the ball in for his first rushing touchdown of the afternoon and
fourth of the season.
The Commodores again responded quickly,
taking a 14-10 lead on the following drive. Head coach James Franklin
dialed up a fake field goal attempt that resulted in a three-yard
touchdown run by kicker Carey Spear. Vanderbilt's 11-play, 69 yard
drive was given a boost from a targeting penalty against Ray Drew that
resulted in Drew being ejected from the remainder of the game.
Freshman
cornerback Shaq Wiggins provided a momentum-changing play for Georgia
with a 39-yard pick-six to put the Bulldogs back on top 17-14.
Carta-Samuels had just completed two-consecutive 15-yard passes to
Matthews and Trent Pruitt and looked to be conducting a promising
drive. Wiggins jumped a screen pass intended for Matthews and was
uncontested on his way to the end zone. The interception was just the
second of the season for the Georgia defense.
Two offensive
plays after the interception, Carta-Samuels injured his right ankle on
a sack by Jordan Jenkins. Carta-Samuels had completed 12-of-20 passes
for 111 yards and had also tallied 12 yards rushing on four carries.
Murray
kept the momentum going on the Bulldogs' next offensive possession,
capping off a 10-play, 54-yard drive with his second rushing touchdown
of the afternoon. Murray rolled out on a play-action pass on
fourth-and-one from the two-yard line, and scrambled into the end zone
to increase Georgia's lead to 24-14 heading into half time.
Douglas
continued to pound the Ball for the Bulldogs on their second possession
of the second half, tallying six carries for 27 yards on Georgia's
12-play, 51-yard drive that resulted in a 23-yard field goal by Morgan.
Morgan's second field goal of the afternoon increased the Bulldogs'
lead to 27-13, as they were able to eat up 4:29 on the game clock.
Georgia's
defense came up with a big play again on the following drive, as Corey
Moore was able to pick off Robinette on a tipped pass intended for
Jonathan Krause. Vanderbilt had worked their way into Georgia territory
through Seymour, who had carried the ball four times on the drive for
31 yards. Robinette's interception came on a first down pass attempt
from the Georgia 42-yard line.
Moore's pick was the second
interception of the game for the Bulldogs' defense, and marked the
first time all season that Georgia had recorded two interceptions in
the same game.
Georgia's special teams woes continued as
Damian Swann muffed a punt at the end of the third quarter that was
recovered by Vanderbilt at Georgia 36-yard line, symbolizing a shift in
the momentum.
Vanderbilt elected to go for it on
fourth-and-four from the Georgia 30-yard line, but the intended pass
for Krause was knocked incomplete on a big hit by Ramik Wilson. A late
flag was thrown, however, penalizing Wilson for a personal foul, which
gave Vanderbilt an automatic first down and kept the drive alive.
Georgia's
defense forced another fourth down for Vanderbilt following the
personal foul and again the Commodores elected to go for it. Seymour
ran the ball up the middle for a gain of three yards to set up
Vanderbilt with a first-and-goal, and Robinette was able to run in for
a two-yard touchdown just two plays later. Robinette's first-career
touchdown put Vanderbilt within six, down 27-21 with 10:38 left to play
in the fourth quarter.
Vanderbilt looked poised to continue
their momentum after forcing Georgia to another three-and-out, as
Robinette completed a 41-yard bomb to Krause on first down. Four
straight run plays and two completions to Matthews put Vanderbilt in
the red zone with an opportunity to take the lead.
Wilson came
up with a big sack on second-and-seven that dropped Robinette for a
loss of 13 yards back to the 23-yard line to put the Commodores in a
third-and-18 situation. Robinette fired to the end zone but Swann was
able to tip the ball away incomplete. Spear knocked a 40-yard field
goal through the uprights to cut the lead to three, 27-24 with 4:44 on
the clock.
The Commodore's held Georgia to another
three-and-out on the ensuing possession before Georgia's special teams
committed another vital mistake. Collin Barber couldn't handle a high
snap and was forced to fall on the ball on Georgia's 13-yard line.
Seymour took a run to the left side in for the go-ahead touchdown on
the next play to give Vanderbilt a 31-27 lead with 2:53 remaining in
the fourth quarter.
Murray looked to lead Georgia to yet
another fourth-quarter comeback, but Jake Sealand forced Douglass to
fumble the ball, which was recovered by Andre Hal at the Georgia 33
yard line to ceil the game at 31-27.
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