Georgia rolls past LSU, Tide tops Tennessee
Jimmy Carter
Issue date: 10/29/08 Section: Sports
Knowshon Moreno ran for 163 yards and a touchdown as No. 7 Georgia (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) pulled away from No. 13 LSU in the second half, going on to win 52-38 in front of 92,904 fans at Tiger Stadium.
Moreno's 68-yard touchdown sprint with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter gave the Bulldogs a 38-17 lead, and they never looked back.
"We played a team that is one of the finest in America, certainly one of the winningest program in the Southeastern Conference in the last five years and they've won a couple of national championships as of late," said Georgia coach Mark Richt. "We just did enough to win. It was fantastic and I'm very thankful."
Georgia jumped in front on the game's opening play when sophomore linebacker Darryl Gamble intercepted LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee's pass and returned it 40 yards to paydirt, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 advantage a mere 20 seconds into the contest.
"We went over that play a lot," Gamble said. "We watched it a lot on film. When LSU was coming up in that slant formation, I read it. Coach Martinez prepped me for it. I was ready, and I came up big."
The opening sequence of events assured Richt that his team had come ready to compete.
"You never know how a game is going to go," Richt said. "You don't know if the team is ready or not and when you get an interception for a touchdown on the first play it definitely energizes your football team. I think we were energized and ready to play anyway, but when something like that happens it definitely gives you a boost of energy and adrenaline."
LSU rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the second period, pulling to within 21-17 when junior running back Charles Scott scored on a 2-yard plunge.
The Bulldogs answered after safety Reshad Johnson intercepted Lee's pass, setting up Blair Walsh's 50-yard field goal with 1:36 before intermission, giving Georgia a 24-17 lead.
In the third quarter, Georgia extended their lead to three touchdowns following freshman sensation A.J. Green's 49-yard touchdown from quarterback Matt Stafford and Moreno's 68-yard jaunt.
Moreno's 68-yard touchdown sprint with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter gave the Bulldogs a 38-17 lead, and they never looked back.
"We played a team that is one of the finest in America, certainly one of the winningest program in the Southeastern Conference in the last five years and they've won a couple of national championships as of late," said Georgia coach Mark Richt. "We just did enough to win. It was fantastic and I'm very thankful."
Georgia jumped in front on the game's opening play when sophomore linebacker Darryl Gamble intercepted LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee's pass and returned it 40 yards to paydirt, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 advantage a mere 20 seconds into the contest.
"We went over that play a lot," Gamble said. "We watched it a lot on film. When LSU was coming up in that slant formation, I read it. Coach Martinez prepped me for it. I was ready, and I came up big."
The opening sequence of events assured Richt that his team had come ready to compete.
"You never know how a game is going to go," Richt said. "You don't know if the team is ready or not and when you get an interception for a touchdown on the first play it definitely energizes your football team. I think we were energized and ready to play anyway, but when something like that happens it definitely gives you a boost of energy and adrenaline."
LSU rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the second period, pulling to within 21-17 when junior running back Charles Scott scored on a 2-yard plunge.
The Bulldogs answered after safety Reshad Johnson intercepted Lee's pass, setting up Blair Walsh's 50-yard field goal with 1:36 before intermission, giving Georgia a 24-17 lead.
In the third quarter, Georgia extended their lead to three touchdowns following freshman sensation A.J. Green's 49-yard touchdown from quarterback Matt Stafford and Moreno's 68-yard jaunt.
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