RED 13, BLACK 3

Carlton Thomas scores the lone touchdown of G-Day on the game's final play (Online Athens).

I was at the Masters on Saturday, so I was not a part of the record spring crowd of 42,458 who attended G-Day. I did DVR the game, watched it a couple times, and observed some good things from both sides. Although, remember it's merely G-Day; we can learn only so much from a spring contest missed by several injured players and lasting less than two hours (and that included TV timeouts!). Most importantly, after finishing spring practice banged up, the Bulldogs did not suffer any additional injuries.

Offensively, quarterbacks Cox, Gray, and Murray, looked sharp overall, completing a combined 21 of 34 passes for 258 yards with no interceptions. These numbers would have been even better if not for six dropped passes. Lets hope the drops don't become an issue as they have been in seasons past.

The defenses certainly stood out. If not for Carlton Thomas, the game would have been limited to a few field goals (photo). His performance of 59 yards on eight carries and the game's only touchdown easily outshined the teams' other rushers. Including Thomas' fine outing and hindered by five sacks by each defense, the Red and Black combined to rush for only 71 yards on 42 rushes. Defensive end Justin Houston of the Black, one of just two healthy defensive ends currently for Georgia, was outstanding. The sophomore recorded three sacks and an additional tackle for loss.

In regard to the low-scoring affair, Coach Richt commented following the game, "I feel better with the score that we had than a 31-30 game." Personally, I totally agree with the coach, especially since our defense gave up a ton of points last season. Again, of course it's only the spring game and we have a long way to go until the season opener on September 5th.