“I really would love to see Knowshon and Matthew play behind a mature, veteran group of lineman,” Richt said. “I think they would have a blast.”
He followed with a wide smile, popped his eyebrows up and down and earned a laugh from the press corps. It sure is a nice idea for the Bulldogs coach, but now he has to face the possibility it won’t become a reality.
“It’s just going to be a real interesting decision,” Richt said. “I am sure between now and then there will be time for them to reflect on where they are. We will spend some time talking to them, trying to get them the best information we possibly can. I think both of them will be interested in what the NFL people have to say. That will be a starting point for them to figure out what they want to do.”
Stafford certainly looked like he belonged in the league on Saturday. He racked up career highs in passing yards (407) and touchdown passes (5), which also tied the Georgia record for TD tosses in a game.
But in the moment after the defeat, dejectedly slouched against his chair, those numbers meant very little to him.
“I don’t care,” Stafford said. “It’s all about getting wins. That is the way I’ve been from the start since I got here and that is way I am going to be for the rest of my life. The quarterback is judged by wins and we didn’t get it done today.”
But he is being judged by NFL scouts. And now he will begin the process of evaluating whether or not he wants to return for a senior season.
“I just got to talk to some people and figure out what is best,” said Stafford, who is being projected as a top five pick by scout.com.
The same reflections will be necessary for Moreno, who stayed equally guarded about his status after running for 94 yards on 17 carries. Scout has Moreno listed as a mid-first round pick. For now, he knows if this was his final game at Sanford Stadium, it would be a bitter memory to end on.
“It definitely would be hard,” he said, “but you never know what is going to happen. I am not thinking about that right now. I am just thinking about this bowl game.”
Richt says there will be more that weighs into the decision between now and that bowl game than just the promise of NFL dollars.
“I know Matthew had some goals besides making it to the NFL,” he said. “I know Knowshon did to. These guys wanted to win championships. These guys wanted to play well enough to be in position for some national awards, though that was not really their primary objective, they had good enough reason to let it cross their minds.”
n MALIGNED MARTINEZ: Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez has taken the brunt of criticism surrounding this year’s disappointing season. Saturday’s game certainly won’t help that cause.
Now having allowed at least 38 points in four of the past five games, it is the worst stretch of points allowed in the Mark Richt era.
Richt would not copy the actions of much of his team’s fan base, however, and throw Martinez under the bus.
“My thought is that a lot of times when things don’t’ go exactly the way you want them to that people want to find somebody to blame,” Richt said. “I am not going to do that.”
Neither was Martinez, but after having two weeks to prepare for the triple option attack and still allowing 409 rushing yards and 45 points, he said it was just a matter of not finishing.
“They were making plays, we weren’t making plays,” Martinez said. “It is just a matter of making plays. It wasn’t a schematic thing where they were leveraging us, out-leveraging us.”
n GOING BOWLING: Georgia now waits to see where it will land in the bowl picture. The Bulldogs appeared destined for the Capital One Bowl, but the loss could push them out of Orlando.
Capital One Bowl representative Billy Crozier was on hand and wouldn’t make any final calls.
“Georgia is a great team,” Crozier said. “But there is a lot of football and a lot of other great teams out there. Georgia has great fans.”
