2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed on behalf of the University of Georgia
in American football
against teams from other colleges and universities. The Bulldogs tied for first place in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC)
but lost a tie-breaker with the University of Tennessee
. The team finished its season by defeating the Hawaii Warriors
in the 2008 Sugar Bowl
. This was the Georgia Bulldogs' seventh season under the guidance of head coach
Mark Richt
.
, decided to leave school early to enter the NFL draft. Another junior, defensive back Paul Oliver, considered a move to the NFL, but decided to return to the Bulldogs for his senior year. Despite coming back for his senior year, Paul Oliver became academically ineligible and decided to enter the supplemental draft.
Unexpectedly, ESPN announcer Mike Patrick
, while covering this game, started talking about Britney Spears
's career situation right before the final play of the game. Source: youtube . com / watch?v=5pfs6LNk7Po (remove the spaces to get the URL)
Source:
program. 2007 marks the eleventh consecutive final AP poll which the Bulldogs ranked in the top 25, the current longest active streak. The Bulldogs have been ranked 30 times in the final poll including 14 Top-10 and 9 Top-5 rankings.
The final USA Today poll listed the Bulldogs ranked 3rd - which ties the highest ranking ever in that poll (set in the final 2002 poll).
, Georgia's offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2006, left at the end of 2006 to become the head coach
at University of Alabama at Birmingham
. Richt named former UGA quarterback Mike Bobo
as the new offensive coordinator. Bobo took over play calling responsibilities during the Georgia Tech
game as well as in the 2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl
. Callaway also served as the offensive line coach. Stacy Searels, offensive line coach at LSU
from 2003 to 2006, was named to the same position at Georgia to replace Callaway.
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
in American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
against teams from other colleges and universities. The Bulldogs tied for first place in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC)
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
but lost a tie-breaker with the University of Tennessee
2007 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 2007 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the college football season of 2007–2008. They won the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference before falling to the eventual national champion LSU Tigers in the SEC Championship Game...
. The team finished its season by defeating the Hawaii Warriors
2007 Hawaii Warriors football team
The 2007 Hawaii Warriors football team represented the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in the 2007 NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision college football season....
in the 2008 Sugar Bowl
2008 Sugar Bowl
The 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game. It was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was the 74th Sugar Bowl...
. This was the Georgia Bulldogs' seventh season under the guidance of head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Mark Richt
Mark Richt
Mark Richt is the head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team. His previous affiliations include fourteen years at Florida State University, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and one year as offensive coordinator at East Carolina University.-Early...
.
Preseason
Two key players from the 2006 season, defensive end Charles Johnson and running back Danny WareDanny Ware
Danny "DJ" Ware is an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Georgia....
, decided to leave school early to enter the NFL draft. Another junior, defensive back Paul Oliver, considered a move to the NFL, but decided to return to the Bulldogs for his senior year. Despite coming back for his senior year, Paul Oliver became academically ineligible and decided to enter the supplemental draft.
Rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | 13 | 11 | 23 | 22 | 15 | 12 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Coaches | 13 | 12 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Harris | Not released | 15 | 12 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 4 | - | |||
| BCS | Not released | 20 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 5 | - | ||||||
Schedule
Before the season, CNNSI.com ranked the 2007 UGA schedule the 14th hardest in the country.Oklahoma State
Sophomore quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs cruised past the Cowboys from the Big XII in a much-hyped season opener. Georgia won its first game of the season for an 11th consecutive season.South Carolina
The Gamecocks took a 7-0 lead on their first drive of the game and used stifling defense to hold off the Bulldogs the rest of the way. It was Georgia's first loss in the series since 2001, and the team's fifth consecutive loss to SEC East opponents, dating back to the 2006 season.Western Carolina
After a slow start, the Dawgs exploded for 42 points in the final three quarters to bounce back with a win over the 1-AA Catamounts. Freshman running back Knowshon Moreno rushed for 94 yards on 13 carries.Alabama
In a virtual must-win situation, the Dawgs avoided an 0-2 start in SEC play by escaping Bryant-Denny Stadium with an overtime win. Matthew Stafford connected with senior wide receiver Mikey Henderson on the Bulldogs' first play from scrimmage in OT for the winning score.Unexpectedly, ESPN announcer Mike Patrick
Mike Patrick
Mike Patrick is an American sportscaster.-Career:Patrick began his broadcasting career in the fall of 1966 at WVSC-Radio in Somerset, Pa. In 1970, he was named Sports Director at WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Fla., where he provided play-by-play for Jacksonville Sharks' World Football League telecasts...
, while covering this game, started talking about Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
's career situation right before the final play of the game. Source: youtube . com / watch?v=5pfs6LNk7Po (remove the spaces to get the URL)
Ole Miss
Running back Thomas Brown rushed for a career-high 180 yds and 2 tds, this was the 5th straight win against Western division opponents.Tennessee
Georgia suffered its worst loss since the 2003 Southeastern Conference championship, a 34-13 loss to LSU, and coach Mark Richt's first loss at Tennessee. The Bulldogs had won their last three games at Neyland, Tennessee's home stadium.Vanderbilt
Senior kicker Brandon Coutu drilled a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give Georgia its second road win of the season, both coming on the game's final play. The Dawgs outscored Vanderbilt 13-0 in the second half to rally from a 17-7 halftime deficit.Florida
Behind Knowshon Moreno's 188 yards (3 touchdowns) and Stafford's 223 yards passing (3 touchdowns), the Dawgs ended their hex against the rival Gators, who had won 15 of the last 17 games in the series. The game was notable for an all team end-zone celebration following Georgia's first touchdown scored on their opening drive. The team celebration was penalized twice and set the tone for a hard fought game.Troy
Knowshon Moreno had another huge game, rushing for 196 yards and three touchdowns, as the Bulldogs avoided a post-Florida hangover with a 10-point win over the pesky Trojans from the Sun Belt.Auburn
Georgia had their way in The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry for the second consecutive year behind a balanced offensive attack, with 237 yards passing from Matthew Stafford and 180 combined yards on the ground. The Tigers allowed their most points in a game for the entire season to Georgia for the third straight year. It was also the first game in which the Bulldogs wore their black jerseys.Kentucky
The Dawgs had to shake off the rust after falling behind 10-0 early and did just that by scoring 24 of the game's final 27 points to complete the SEC schedule at 6-2. Georgia ran their winning streak over the Wildcats in Athens to 15 games.Georgia Tech
Georgia tied a school-record with its seventh-consecutive win in the series of their rivals from Atlanta. Thomas Brown ran for 139 yards, unlike Moreno, who struggled and left the game with an ankle injury. The Georgia defense allowed just 12 completions on 32 pass attempts by the Yellow Jackets.Sugar Bowl
Georgia controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage and completely outmanned the undefeated Western Athletic Conference champs from the beginning of the game to the end. The Bulldogs' previously unheralded defensive end Marcus Howard dominated the Warrior offensive line and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. This is only the second time a defensive player has been named MVP in the Sugar Bowl's history. The last defensive player to be named MVP was Walt Yowarsky, who played tackle for Kentucky, in 1951.Final ranking
The Associated Press final poll lists the Bulldogs ranked 2nd- the highest ranking since December 6, 1982 and the highest final season ranking since the National Championship year of 1980. Buoyed by three first place votes, the Bulldogs barely outpaced the third ranked USC2007 USC Trojans football team
The 2007 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning a share of the Pacific-10 Conference Championship and winning the 2008 Rose Bowl...
program. 2007 marks the eleventh consecutive final AP poll which the Bulldogs ranked in the top 25, the current longest active streak. The Bulldogs have been ranked 30 times in the final poll including 14 Top-10 and 9 Top-5 rankings.
The final USA Today poll listed the Bulldogs ranked 3rd - which ties the highest ranking ever in that poll (set in the final 2002 poll).
Players
| 2007 Georgia Bulldogs by Position | ||||||
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Fullbacks
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Line
Defensive Line
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Cornerbacks
|
Safeties
Punters
Kickers
Long Snappers
|
|||
Coaching staff
The 2007 Season is Coach Richt's seventh season at Georgia. Neil CallawayNeil Callaway
-External links:**...
, Georgia's offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2006, left at the end of 2006 to become the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
at University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
. Richt named former UGA quarterback Mike Bobo
Mike Bobo
Mike Bobo is an American college football coach and the offensive coordinator of the University of Georgia football team.-Playing career:...
as the new offensive coordinator. Bobo took over play calling responsibilities during the Georgia Tech
2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the college football season of 2006-2007. The team's coach is former Dallas Cowboys, Samford Bulldogs, and Troy Trojans coach Chan Gailey...
game as well as in the 2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl
Chick-fil-A Bowl
The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and before that simply called the Peach Bowl, is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta....
. Callaway also served as the offensive line coach. Stacy Searels, offensive line coach at LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
from 2003 to 2006, was named to the same position at Georgia to replace Callaway.