Ground game leads Bulldogs to redemption in rivalry game

ATHENS — A week ago, it was Washaun Ealey’s mishandling of a toss at the goal line that sent Georgia tumbling to its fifth loss of the season — the most in the Mark Richt era for the Bulldogs.

With expectations widely favoring Georgia Tech on Saturday, it was Ealey and the rest of Georgia’s ground game that salvaged a final semblance of success from the 2009 season.

Ealey carried 20 times for 183 yards — a season high for the Bulldogs and a career high for the freshman — to spark a dominant rushing attack for Georgia in its 30-24 win over the Yellow Jackets.

“We knew our guys up front were stronger than their guys up front, so we just came out and ran it down their throat,” Ealey said.

Caleb King had the words “I Run This State” written in silver ink down his arms. Ealey had the same words inscribed on his eye black. For all the talk of Georgia Tech’s unstoppable ground attack, Georgia’s backfield duo had something to prove.

“We were coming back home,” said King, who starred in high school at Greater Atlanta Christian. “I had a lot of calls. I just had to do good this game.”

For King, the matchup was as much a head-to-head showdown as a running back can have.

He was the state’s No. 1 running back recruit in 2006. Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer came in a notch behind. Since then, however, Dwyer’s career has skyrocketed, while King has seen his share of adversity.

Saturday was about resetting the standard by which they would be judged.

King finished with 166 yards rushing — a career high by a wide margin – on 18 carries, including two touchdowns, one a 75-yarder. Dwyer was relegated to just 13 yards on the ground as Georgia’s defense stifled the prolific Yellow Jackets’ attack.

“We had the same recruitment year. I was the top back then, and then it changed,” King said. “I had to try to make a statement.”

For Ealey, redemption was a mission that took just a week to complete. His mishandled catch of a toss sweep at the 1-yard line a week ago was a crucial turning point in a game Georgia lost by seven, and the memories of his missed opportunity ate at him all week.

“Him being so young, having that costly fumble at the end of the game, it was still messing with his head,” King said. “I told him to just shake it off and have a good game. He had a great game.”

Ealey totaled 183 yards on 20 carries, the most by a Georgia tailback since Knowshon Moreno racked up 196 against Troy in 2007. It was a masterful performance for the freshman in just his eighth career game.

“I just knew that I had it in me,” Ealey said. “I made that mistake last game, so I had to come in and prove something, help my guys out and show them that I wasn’t going to give up on them. I came out and fought hard.”

Maligned for his steadfast commitment to balance throughout the season, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo called for one running play after another Saturday, and Tech appeared helpless to stop it. Georgia ran the ball 41 times, and quarterback Joe Cox threw just 14 passes.

Georgia’s first drive — a 10-play 74-yard march down the field — came entirely on the ground. The Bulldogs’ first 13 plays were all runs, and by halftime Cox had thrown just nine passes — all in the second quarter.

Ealey’s 33-yard scamper in the second quarter helped him surpass the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career, and he needed just eight carries to make it happen.

King capped the opening drive with a six-yard run, but it was his 75-yard run in the third quarter that proved to be the showstopper.

Just one year after Tech racked up 409 yards on the ground against Georgia’s bewildered defense, it was the Bulldogs who proved to be more physically dominant Saturday, rumbling over, gliding through and darting past the Yellow Jackets’ defense to the tune of 339 yards rushing — the most ever under Richt.

“I felt like that was a great job by (the line) of playing with attitude,” Bobo said. “I thought they played with heart, played with effort, and they wanted to keep doing it all night even though they had nine or 10 guys in there sometimes.”

The end result wasn’t just a potent offensive attack — although the 30 points represented the sixth time Georgia topped 30 points in a game this season — but allowed the Bulldogs to keep pace in the crucial battle for time of possession. Georgia held the ball for 30:03, but had a five-minute edge in the first half, giving its defense a much-needed break against the Yellow Jackets, who entered play leading the nation in time of possession.

It was the first 100-yard game of Ealey and King’s careers, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Against Tech, the Bulldogs looked every bit the dominant running team they had been when Moreno patrolled the backfield the past two seasons.

More importantly, however, Ealey and King helped erase the demons of last year’s loss to the Yellow Jackets by beating them at their own game.

It was a performance that served notice that the balance of power in the state – both on the scoreboard and in terms of sheer strength of will – hadn’t changed hands just yet.

“From watching film, we knew we could run,” King said. “We opened the game running and we ended the game running, so it was a great day.”