Blazers Fall To Ninth-Ranked Georgia

Saturday, September 16

Athens, Ga.

1:00 PM

UAB

Georgia

Blazers Fall To Ninth-Ranked Georgia

9/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football

Sept. 16, 2006

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ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Georgia freshman Matthew Stafford scored his first touchdown in a winning debut as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback and No. 9 UAB put up their second straight shutout, blanking the Blazers, 34-0 Saturday.

C.J. Byrd scooped up a blocked punt and returned it 12 yards to the end zone midway through the third quarter, which gave Georgia (3-0) a 20-point lead and essentially finished off a team that couldn't muster anything offensively.

After beginning the season with a surprisingly close 24-17 loss at Oklahoma, UAB (1-2) managed only 163 yards against a defense that shut out South Carolina 18-0 the previous week. The Bulldogs opened with a 48-12 victory over Western Kentucky, giving up a field goal in the closing minutes.

UAB was shut out for the first time in 45 games, dating back to the Sept. 21, 2002 contest against Louisiana-Lafayette. The score against the Ragin' Cajuns (34-0) was the same as UAB experienced against ULL in 2002.

"We just got beat soundly," said head coach Watson Brown. "They are a very good football team. Their kicking game is so good, you just stay back up the whole time. Their defense is so good and you can't take it long distances against them. The had field position the whole day. They're very good. This is the best team I've played against in quite awhile."

The first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Bulldogs since 1998, Stafford completed 10 of 17 for 107 yards. He did lose the ball on a big hit while dropping back to pass, but Georgia recovered the fumble and kept him from being tainted by any major mistakes.

Stafford was eager to avoid turnovers after throwing three interceptions against South Carolina.

Brandon Coutu kicked two more field goals for the Bulldogs, including a 55-yarder. He is 7-for-7 on the season.

Georgia went straight down the field on its first possession, taking advantage of excellent field position. Thomas Flowers, returning from a two-game suspension, brought back a punt 26 yards to give Stafford the ball at the UAB 44.

It took only six plays to reach the end zone. Stafford completed three straight passes for 12 yards, UAB was penalized for a personal foul, and Kregg Lumpkin finished it off with an 8-yard run around right end. Stafford trailed about five yards behind the running back which both arms in the air.

Georgia passed up a chance for a short field goal after a penalty, then failed to convert on fourth-and-1. But Coutu got another chance from long range and barely cleared the crossbar on his 55-yarder, the third-longest kick in school history without benefit of a tee. He also holds the first two spots on that list, connecting last season from 58 and 56 yards.

Coutu made a 38-yarder early in the third quarter, then Georgia turned to its special teams to provide a comfortable margin. Prince Miller broke through to smother a punt by Parker Mullins, Byrd scooped it up on one hop and sped to the end zone.

Sam Hunt, getting the start because he's a Georgia native, completed 6 of 10 for 49 yards. Williams was 5 of 10 for 46 yards.

UAB was only able to gain 68 yards on the ground (37 carries).