Adams: Georgia looks familiar : govolsxtra.com

ATHENS, Ga. — You might recognize this team.

It rarely mounted more than a trickle of a pass rush. Its defense missed tackles and got beat on long and short passes.

Its special teams gave up a 42-yard kickoff return. Its offense failed to convert on third-and-2 and fourth-and-2. One receiver dropped two passes.

Get my drift. The Georgia Bulldogs could have passed for the Tennessee Vols on Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium.

But you couldn’t tell it on the scoreboard, which read: Georgia 45, Ole Miss 17.

“The score absolutely didn’t tell what kind of game it was,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “The game was not on TV, so people will say we just whipped Ole Miss. That’s not the case at all.”

He was preaching to the choir, a media assemblage that was still trying to figure out how a 17-17 game late in the third quarter had become a 28-point mismatch.

Ole Miss had a huge say in the turnaround. It’s ranked last in the SEC in defense for a reason.

Georgia ravaged it for 328 yards rushing, including 50- and 41-yard touchdown runs by Thomas Brown. Although he’s only 5-foot-8, he presents a big challenge for UT as well next Saturday in Neyland Stadium.

Brown and fellow tailback Knowshon Moreno are short, quick running backs, who are strong for their size and have the ability to run through or fake defenders, as they demonstrated repeatedly against the Rebels. Remember the damage a similar running back, Cal’s Justin Forsett, inflicted on the Vols in the season opener?

But Georgia’s pass defense reminds you of something else. It reminds you of last year’s Georgia defense — the one that swooned in the second half of UT’s 51-33 victory.

The Rebels opened the game with an eight-play, 86-yard touchdown drive. They followed that with a 72-yard drive to the Georgia 1, only to turn the ball over when quarterback Seth Adams fumbled a snap on first down.

By then, the Rebels had established they could run or pass on the Bulldogs. In case anyone forgot during halftime, they opened the second half with an 18-play, 84-yard drive that took more than nine minutes and tied the game at 17-all.

“They might not have a good record (1-4), but they’ve got a good offense,” Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said of the Rebels. “Missouri couldn’t stop them. They played Florida tough. They’re good.”

After watching Ole Miss lose to Florida 30-24 and outplay the Bulldogs for almost three quarters, I’ll admit to underrating the Rebels’ talent. Why, these guys might even fool around and win an SEC game.

But Georgia’s defense, like Florida’s, lacks experience. It also lacks a couple of other elements that had been evident since Richt took over the program in 2001.

There’s no Charles Grant, David Pollack, Quentin Moses or Charles Johnson to rush the passer. Adams wasn’t sacked and was seldom hurried on his 35 pass attempts.

There’s also no hard-hitting safety like Sean Jones, Thomas Davis or Greg Blue to bruise receivers and running backs. There’s not even a Tra Battle, who hit way harder than a 175-pounder should.

Georgia starting strong safety Kelin Johnson missed most of the Ole Miss game after suffering a concussion in the first quarter. Georgia’s strong safeties are supposed to cause concussions, not get them.

Given the success Adams had against Georgia (24-for-35 for 228 yards), you should expect UT quarterback Erik Ainge to pick up where he left off last season against the Bulldogs.

And given the way UT has tackled this season, you also should expect Brown and Moreno to pick up where they left off Saturday afternoon.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.