Georgia running back Sony Michel (1) prepares for a game against Georgia Tech in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Brett Davis)The Liberty Bowl was not Georgia's destination of choice when the Kirby Smart era began last football season, but the way the Bulldogs finished in Memphis has been a point of emphasis for the coach in recent weeks.
Georgia trailed TCU 16-14 at halftime of their Dec. 30 matchup, but the Bulldogs overpowered the Horned Frogs with a 17-7 second half for a 31-23 victory. The tailback tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel combined for 187 rushing yards in the second half and 9.8 yards per carry.
"The demeanor you want to create, I think, came out in the TCU game," Smart said earlier this month. "We try to dominate the line of scrimmage on offense and defense and to break peoples' will. You want to be able to run the ball when you have to run the ball. Obviously we have to improve in a lot of areas on our team, and one of them is throwing and catching and developing our quarterback and wide receiver skill sets, but that will come with a little more experience.
"If we can keep that demeanor and that attitude of, 'We're more physical and tougher than you,' that's what you want to have."
The Bulldogs took their first possession of the second half and marched 52 yards in 12 plays, gobbling up six minutes and 44 seconds of possession time and taking a 21-16 lead on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Eason to Javon Wims. Their second drive netted 56 yards on seven plays and produced a 30-yard Rodrigo Blankenship field goal that put the Bulldogs ahead to stay at 24-23.
Georgia's third drive of the second half was nine plays for 70 yards and ended with a Chubb 13-yard touchdown run that capped the scoring. The fourth possession for the Bulldogs took place with just 1:14 remaining, and a couple of Chubb runs netted 28 yards before Eason took a knee twice.
The win resulted in an 8-5 record and some momentum for the offseason, with the Bulldogs already being projected to win the SEC East, a feat they last accomplished in 2012. Georgia, which hasn't won an overall Southeastern Conference title since 2005, is No. 13 nationally in ESPN's "way too early" poll.
"We've got to improve in a lot of areas," Smart said. "We've got to improve in our kicking game, both our coverage units and return units. We've got to be more productive on offense when it comes to scoring. If we run the ball successfully and move up and down the field, we've got to score points. We've got to score touchdowns when we get in the red area.
"Defensively, we did a good job with turnovers, but we did not do well in the red area. We've got to do better in the red area on both sides of the ball."
Enhancements coming
Sanford Stadium's west end zone will be getting 120,000 square feet of new and improved space that will include a new locker room, a hospitality lounge for recruits, a new plaza for fans and a larger video board. The construction, which will take an estimated 17 months at a cost of $63 million, was approved by the university's athletic association board of directors this week.
"This project is unique to Georgia and to Sanford Stadium," athletic director Greg McGarity said. "It really focuses on the locker room and the recruiting space, which will be usable by so many units of the university at certain times. It also covers many areas of fan amenities, such as restrooms and concession points of sale opportunities."
McGarity added construction needs to begin before April in order for the enhancements to be ready before the 2018 season.
Moses services set
Visitation for former Georgia defensive end Quentin Moses will be from 1 to 7 p.m. Friday at Grandview Funeral Chapel in Athens. His family will greet guests from 5 to 7.
The funeral service is at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cornerstone Church in Athens. Moses, who ranks second in Bulldogs history with 44.5 career tackles for loss, died early Sunday morning in a house fire in Monroe, Ga.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.