Oct 26, 2002
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By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Georgia played without three of its best players on offense, and it was hard to tell the Bulldogs missed them.
David Greene and D.J. Shockley combined to throw a school-record six touchdown passes Saturday, sending the No. 5 Bulldogs to a 52-24 rout of Kentucky.
The Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) produced 529 total yards despite missing leading rusher Musa Smith, second-leading receiver Fred Gibson and offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb. All were injured last week against Vanderbilt.
“It made other guys step up and make big plays. This is the best game our offense has played,” said Greene, a sophomore who improved to 7-0 as a road starter.
Georgia quarterbacks had never even thrown five touchdown passes in a game. They had thrown four touchdown passes 10 times, the last time in a 45-7 win over Northwestern State on Sept. 21.
Greene finished 16-of-32 for 251 yards and four touchdowns, and Shockley went 10-of-14 for 102 yards and two more scores.
Georgia coach Mark Richt replaced Greene with the more mobile Shockley about every third possession and the system worked without a hitch.
“It was perfect,” Richt said. “I believed both players could play and they both had great performances. I’m thankful they both played well on the same day.”
Terrence Edwards caught five passes for 127 yards, becoming Georgia’s career leader in receptions. He also had three touchdown catches.
The Bulldogs are trying to win their first conference title since 1982, when they started 11-0 and lost to Penn State in the Sugar Bowl. They can clinch the SEC East with a win over Florida next week.
“We still haven’t done anything,” Richt said. “Our goal is the SEC East and it’s not in our hands yet.”
Kentucky (5-3, 1-3) lost to a Top 10 opponent for the 40th straight time.
Jared Lorenzen, who had thrown for a combined 905 yards in his previous two games against Georgia, started 6-of-7 but finished 13-of-27 for 208 yards.
Georgia beat Kentucky for the sixth straight time, but by the widest margin since a 40-7 win in 1992. The previous four meetings in Lexington were decided by an average of four points.
“We knew we could play with this team. We’ve done it the last two years, but we didn’t make plays,” Kentucky cornerback Derrick Tatum said. “They were rolling and we were giving them chance after chance to make plays. We couldn’t stop them.”
Kentucky scored first for the seventh time in eight games on Artose Pinner’s 33-yard touchdown run 2:23 into the first quarter. Greene threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Damien Gary two minutes later.
Lorenzen was 4-for-4 on Kentucky’s second possession, and Aaron Boone made a diving catch in the end zone to put Kentucky up 14-7. Shockley replaced Greene for Georgia’s third possession, and promptly led an 80-yard touchdown drive.
Pinner, who ran for only 10 yards against Georgia last season, ran for 53 yards on Kentucky’s next drive to set up Taylor Begley’s 24-yard field goal.
Greene returned in the second quarter and drove the Bulldogs for their first lead. Edwards made a diving catch in the end zone with 13:34 left in the half. After a Georgia punt, Lorenzen heaved a pass to Derek Abney, who fought off Georgia cornerback DeMario Minter for a 60-yard touchdown.
Georgia retook the lead for good on Greene’s 41-yard touchdown pass to Edwards 2:32 into the third quarter. It was Edwards’ 182nd career reception, tying the school record set by Brice Hunter (1982-85).
Edwards set the record with a 22-yard reception on Georgia’s next drive. He caught a 12-yard touchdown pass a minute later.
The Wildcats had 271 yards at halftime, but mustered only 29 yards and two first downs in the decisive third quarter.
“The only thing that changed was Georgia,” Kentucky coach Guy Morriss said. “They came out and hammered us.”
The Bulldogs sacked Lorenzen four times in the first three quarters after sacking him just twice in their previous two games with Kentucky.
Shockley returned midway through the third quarter and his 8-yard touchdown pass to Gary with 2:25 left in the period was Georgia’s sixth TD pass. Ronnie Powell added a 1-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds left in the game.
“I don’t know that anything we would’ve done in the second half would’ve mattered,” Morriss said. “We couldn’t cover anybody. They just have the horses.”
