A season of frustrations and subpar performances ended on a high note for Georgia as the Bulldogs easily and resoundingly took care of Texas A&M 44-20 in the Independence Bowl.
While the statistics would seem to indicate an Aggies win or at least a tightly-contested game -- they outgained the Bulldogs 471-366 in total offense -- two second-half interceptions thrown by A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson and an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Brandon Boykin helped negate the yardage advantage and lead to the blowout.
The game was actually close in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 14-7 lead in the locker room, but the Aggies imploded in the second half as they were outscored 30-7.
Senior Joe Cox tossed two touchdown passes in his final game for the school he grew up rooting for, with both going to seldom thrown-to tight end Aron White.
Caleb King ran for two scores, while Washaun Ealey led the Bulldogs with 79 yards rushing. All told, the Bulldogs gashed the Aggies’ run defense for 209 yards rushing.
While A&M’s Johnson threw for 360 yards, he was an erratic 29-of-58 passing, and could’ve easily doubled the number of interceptions he ended with. Johnson’s performance should be all the more surprising given the state of the Georgia defense.
The fact that UGA had fired three defensive coaches -- including defensive coordinator Willie Martinez -- shortly after the end of the regular season and were facing a talented Aggie offense had some fearing that UGA could get roped into a high-scoring shootout; as it turns out, it was a one-sided shootout in which the Aggies failed to live up to their pregame hype.
The Aggies came into the game averaging 33.9 points per game, good for 14th in the country. They failed to score until just under three minutes were left in the first half, then went another 25 minutes without scoring following a Johnson TD pass early in the third quarter before a meaningless score in the final two minutes accounted for the final score.
Georgia finishes the season at 8-5, while Texas A&M stumbled below the .500 mark at 6-7. Head coach Mike Sherman is now 10-15 during his two seasons in College Station.
