Bulldogs Run Wild In The Outback
Outback Bowl
The hype about Wisconsin’s size and power was just that. Speed and quickness dominated the Outback Bowl.
Robert Edwards ran for three touchdowns and Mike Bobo finished a near-perfect passing day with 19 consecutive completions to lead No. 12 Georgia to a 33-6 rout of Wisconsin on Thursday.
Edwards ran for 110 yards, while Bobo wound up 26-of-28 for 267 yards and one TD to earn the most valuable player award. Edwards’ backup, Olandis Gary, rushed for 61 yards on just four carries and scored once.
“Mike was on fire,” Georgia coach Jim Donnan said. “I’m trying to figure out the two he missed. I can’t believe it.”
Wisconsin’s superior size, particularly on the offensive line, where the Badgers (8-5) average 324 pounds, proved to be a liability instead of an advantage. Georgia’s smaller but much quicker defensive front dominated the line of scrimmage.
“If you want to get in the Top 10, you do need a lot more speed. But that’s easy to say, you’ve still got to go get those guys,” Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said.
“Now I’m up there in the cold country. I don’t have guys that run around like that. I have to go out and find them. And most of the time those kids don’t like to come to cold country. What we try to do is make the best with what we have.”
Edwards and Gary upstaged Ron Dayne, Wisconsin’s 262-pound tailback who this season joined Herschel Walker and Marshall Faulk as the only runners in NCAA history with over 3,000 career rushing yards as sophomores.
Dayne ran for 1,421 yards and scored 15 touchdowns during the regular season despite being slowed by ankle problems. But he was held to 36 yards on 14 carries by Georgia’s swarming defense.
When the Bulldogs weren’t stopping Dayne, they were making the day miserable for Badgers quarterback Mike Samuel, who was intercepted twice in the first half and finished with eight completions in 27 attempts for 84 yards.
Edwards scored on runs of 2 and 40 yards in the opening quarter, then ran over safety Leonard Taylor at the goal line on a 13-yarder that put Georgia up 26-0 early in the second half.
xxxx Georgia 33, Wisconsin 6 Wisconsin 0 0 0 6 6 Georgia 12 7 7 7 33 GeoR.Edwards 2 run (kick failed) GeoR.Edwards 40 run (pass failed) GeoGary 3 run (Hines kick) GeoR.Edwards 13 run (Hines kick) GeoAllen 7 pass from Bobo (Hines kick) WisRetzlaff 12 pass from Kavanaugh (kick failed) A56,186.
Wis Geo First downs 18 25 Rushes-yards 29-74 41-207 Passing 160 267 Comp-Att-Int 14-36-2 26-29-0 Return Yards 0 28 Punts-Avg. 5-43.6 3-35.7 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1 Penalties-Yards 7-71 5-59 Time of Possession 25:55 34:05 RUSHING-Wisconsin, McCullough 4-37, Dayne 14-36, Martin 1-2, Samuel 10-(minus 1). Georgia, R.Edwards 22-110, Gary 4-61, Pass 3-25, Ward 7-8, Calloway 2-5, Parker 1-2, Cronic 1-0, Bobo 1-(minus 4). PASSING-Wisconsin, Samuel 8-27-2-84, Kavanaugh 6-9-0-76. Georgia, Bobo 26-28-0-267, Ward 0-1-0-0. RECEIVING-Wisconsin, Hayes 5-44, Chambers 4-46, Faulkner 1-22, Austin 1-19, Simmons 1-16, Retzlaff 1-12, McCullough 1-1. Georgia, Ward 12-154, Allen 3-22, Brown 3-20, Gary 2-8, Greer 1-22, C.Bailey 1-11, Small 1-9, Wiggins 1-8, R.Edwards 1-7, Pass 1-6.