A.J. Green Hero, Goat for Bulldogs

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times for the nearly unstoppable force that is Georgia receiver A.J. Green. After scorching Arkansas (137 yards, two touchdowns) and Arizona State (153 yards, touchdown) in consecutive weeks, Green mixed in a third consecutive dose of awesome (99 yards, touchdown) in catching a leaping touchdown to give Georgia a 13-12 lead over LSU with just over a minute left on Saturday. Then, while being mobbed by teammates he somehow drew a celebration penalty, going 'Locker 2.0' on his teammates.

The penalty was crucial, contributing to a lengthy kick return by LSU's superfast dwarf, Trindon Holliday. Holliday took the kick to the Bulldogs' 42 yard line, almost into field goal position. LSU back Charles Scott did him one better, shedding several tackles on the way to a 33-yard touchdown run several plays later for the eventual 20-13 margin. Effectively, that was ballgame despite Georgia thoroughly dominating the second half in escaping the hole of a nearly game-long 6-0 deficit.

For good measure, Scott's equally mundane celebration -- he dropped the ball in the end zone and pointed both arms into the stands -- also netted a celebration flag. Whatever, the damage was already done. Neither celebration, from what was presented on television, merited such a dire penalty especially given the game atmosphere.

This writeup commenced with the opening line from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities and well, the game was a tale of two halves. LSU dominated the first half in building a 6-0 lead while dismantling the Dawgs' offense. However, Georgia opened the second half snagging three consecutive sacks to throttle LSU's first possession. They later took the game over with an 18-play, 60-yard, seven-minute touchdown drive spanning into the fourth quarter that gave them a shocking 7-6 lead. Georgia converted several consecutive third downs on the drive, frustrating the Tigers' defense while eating up the clock.

In the end it was wasted motion, Green's soaring catch (redemption after having two similar 50/50 balls broken up earlier in the game) being the high water mark that quickly sewed their demise.

Of little consolation but perhaps major future dividends for Georgia, the appearance of freshman back Washaun Ealey sporting Knowshon Moreno's No. 24, seemed to spark the offense. His numbers were pedestrian (4.1 yards/carry, 33 yards) but he ran hard and the offense responded to his style. Established veterans Caleb King and Richard Samuel have been uninspiring, leaving Ealey a window from which to build a case he should be the team's lead back.

Meanwhile, LSU earned the victory and remain undefeated but confirmed many peoples' suspicion that as of right now, they're not a top-five team. The date with Florida next Saturday will go a long way to confirm or deny those suspicions, but for this week, they earn a slight downgrade if folks are being honest about the Tigers.