Ealey, King run through Tech
November 30, 2009 by FLETCHER PAGE
Filed under Sports
“I run this state.”
The phrase was inscribed on both Georgia tailbacks Saturday night – on Washaun Ealey’s eye black and Caleb King’s arm.
And in the Bulldogs’ 30-24 win over Georgia Tech, they did just that, combining for 349 yards.
The two backs didn’t just rush the ball. They gashed the Yellow Jackets repeatedly, averaging more than nine yards a carry.
“I knew the offensive line was going to come out and work hard,” Ealey said, “and I knew that our guys were bigger and stronger than theirs were. I knew they would try to arm tackle, and that really doesn’t work against us.”
Translation: Tech’s defense is soft. And Georgia exploited the weakness.
The Bulldogs crafted their entire game plan around the run and wanted to prove they are still a power football team.
“We felt like we could handle them up front, and we were going to run it until they stopped us,” Georgia quarterback Joe Cox said. “And they didn’t.”
Georgia uncharacteristically chose to receive the opening kickoff, and then offensive coordinator Mike Bobo called 10 consecutive running plays on the way to the end zone.
“You have to give Georgia some credit,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. “They said they were going to run the ball and they came in and ran the ball.”
In fact, Georgia didn’t attempt a pass in the first quarter. The offense didn’t need to.
Now that’s a statement. Tech knew Georgia was running the ball and couldn’t do anything to stop it.
“It didn’t surprise anybody,” Johnson said. “We kind of knew that’s what they wanted to do. We just couldn’t stop it.”
Both Ealey (183) and King (170) set a career high in yards, with two Georgia backs topping the century mark in the same game for the first time since 2004 when Thomas Brown and Danny Ware accomplished the feat.
Georgia’s 339 yards rushing as a team is the most Tech has given up on the ground since 1994.
That’s 15 seasons of football.
Ealey and King were the stars, but coach Mark Richt gave credit for the success to the whole offensive unit.
“Just a great job of blocking up front,” he said. “I know our tight ends blocked well. I know our receivers blocked well.”
And fullback Shaun Chapas played a major role, frequently picking up linebackers all game.
Richt also praised Cox for making the correct reads and proper adjustments at the line-of-scrimmage.
For all intents and purposes, this was the perfect game.
“I know we wanted to run the ball,” Richt said. “I know we wanted to control the clock as much as possible. I never would have dreamed we would have done quite that well.”
