SEC : Sizzling start carries Tide

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted on Sunday, September 28, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/238650/

ATHENS, Ga. — The Alabama Crimson Tide turned the blackout into a knockout.

Just don’t tell Nick Saban that he has a national championship contender, not even after a decisive victory over third-ranked Georgia.

“After five games ?” Saban said with a tone of disbelief late Saturday night. “Let’s see when we get a full body of work at the end of the season.”

But No. 8 Alabama sure looked as impressive as anyone in this young season by whipping Georgia 41-30, the score not really as close as the final. The Tide raced to a stunning 31-0 lead over the first two quarters, and the Bulldogs managed a couple of cosmetic touchdowns in the waning minutes.

Backed by stout play on both sides of the line and John Parker Wilson’s accurate passing, Alabama (5-0, 2-0 SEC ) put this one away before Georgia’s “Redcoat Marching Band” got on the field for the halftime show.

The Tide scored on its first five possessions.

“That was nice,” said Wilson, who was 13 of 16 for 205 yards and 1 touchdown. “That is what you practice for, that is what you strive to do on every drive.”

Georgia (4-1, 1-1 ) became the third team in the top four to fall on a devastating week for ranked teams, joining No. 1 Southern Cal and No. 4 Florida in the loss column.

“We just got whipped,” Coach Mark Richt said. “There’s no excuses, and don’t expect any from me.”

Alabama is poised to move up at least three or four spots when the new poll comes out today, though Saban isn’t concerned about getting to No. 1. Not yet, anyway.

“It doesn’t matter now. It doesn’t matter until the end,” he said. “We have a lot of good football teams ahead of us.”

Wilson had plenty of time to throw, and freshman Julio Jones was his favorite receiver with five catches for 94 yards, including a touchdown. Glen Coffee ran for a couple of touchdowns.

Not even the most optimistic Alabama fan could have expected Saban, who won a national championship at LSU, to turn the Tide so quickly. This looked far more like Bear Bryant’s Tide than Saban predecessor Mike Shula’s.

“I’m happy,” said Saban, who spent much of his postgame news conference berating the Tide’s second-half performance. “I know I don’t look happy, but I am.”

Looking for a motivational edge, Georgia came out wearing black jerseys, and most of its fans at 92, 000-seat Sanford Stadium also took part in the “blackout.” But the biggest cheers came from the whiteclad Alabama fans sprinkled throughout the massive stands.

Georgia showed some disturbing tendencies even while winning its first four games, and those came back to bite the Bulldogs. They were flagged twice in the opening half for roughing the passer, crucial but familiar mistakes for a team that already was the most penalized in the SEC. Also, an offensive line featuring two freshman and two sophomores was no match for Alabama’s massive front led by 365-pound Terrence Cody.

“We’ve got some young pups up there,” Richt said.

Knowshon Moreno had only nine carries for 34 yards, and quarterback Matthew Stafford spent much of the game running for his life as Georgia’s 11-game winning streak ended. Stafford took a knock to the head and didn’t hang around to talk with the media, though Richt said it wasn’t serious.

The Bulldogs said it’s way too early to give up on a season that started with them at No. 1 but now has gone into recovery mode. They pulled it off a year ago, winning their last seven games to finish second in the rankings.

“It’s just the beginning of the season,” Moreno said. “You saw last year that anything can happen. This is not the downfall of our team. We can still bounce back.”