The story of the 2007 Georgia football team has not yet been totally written, but with the twists and turns the tale already has taken, any hope of a happy ending is moving out of reach by the week.

The Bulldogs (4-2, 2-2) head to Vanderbilt (3-2, 1-2) two games back in the division race and as losers of six straight division games, including a homecoming loss to the Commodores last season.

“We have a tremendous challenge here – last year they came into our house and beat us, it was no fluke, they came in and went toe-to-toe with us and came out with a victory,” head coach Mark Richt said. “They know what it is like to beat Georgia, so we know we have a tough one ahead of us, and we are working hard to get back in the win column.”

Georgia has as much talent as the best teams in the conference, but it is finding out the youth on the team needs more time to grow – time the team doesn’t have.

“I don’t think it is a confidence issue, I just don’t think we are a very mature team. We have not had a consistent effort throughout the season,” Richt said.

“I just think we are young more than anything else. Overall, we are just not at the point where we can mentally overcome things like fatigue and momentum going against you. We have to do a better job of that, and we are going to harp on that type of thing this week.”

“I think getting more game experience will help them out. You just got to keep playing hard. That’s all you can do really and just let the rest take care of itself,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said.

Last year, the Bulldogs moved at the pace of Stafford’s development as a true freshman. This season, they are moving at the pace of youth on both lines and in the secondary.

Adding to Georgia’s lack of maturity is the team’s one-two punch at running back has been shuffled slightly with the loss of senior tailback Thomas Brown. Redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno will make his first career start for Brown Saturday. But he will split carries with senior Kregg Lumpkin.

Lumpkin got some carries last Saturday, but this will be his first game in the regular rotation since the season opener.

“It will be interesting to see how Kregg comes back, he will be fresher than most of our guys right now,” Richt said. “I see a fresh Kregg Lumpkin helping us, I would imagine that between him and Knowshon they will probably have the same amount of carries that Thomas and Knowshon had.”

There is still hope in Athens, and that is from where the best stories come.

“We still do have a chance. Having two losses, we can still make it. In 2003, when we lost to LSU in the SEC Championship game, we had two losses, and we still made it. We can still do it,” tight end Tripp Chandler said.

If the Bulldogs can get back on the winning track against the Commodores and in the coming weeks, they can turn their tale around and make it one for the ages.

“We just have to keep in mind that when Tennessee came in and beat us that everything went downhill last year,” safety Kelin Johnson said.

“We waited to the last minute, after maybe two or three losses, and then have a team meeting and then have our leaders step up. It has to step up now. Everybody has to look each other in the mirror and say ‘I’m here for you, and you’re here for me, and I’m going to depend on you to bring the best out of myself.’ That’s what we have to do.”