Georgia's Derrick Byrd (91), Brandon Tolbert (center) and Greg Bright (45) stop Wisconsin's Ron Dayne after a short gain. Dayne had 36 yards on 14 carries and had just two carries of more than four yards.

Georgia defense corrals Wisconsin's

Web posted January 2, 1998

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By Anthony Dasher
Morris News Service

TAMPA, Fla. - Georgia's defenders had heard the hype and read all the clippings concerning Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne.

But apparently, the Bulldogs weren't impressed with ``Great Dayne'' as they made him look more like a cocker spaniel in Thursday's 33-6 Outback Bowl win.

The 5-foot-10, 260-pound sophomore entered the game with 1,421 yards and a two-year total of 3,530 to join Herschel Walker and Marshall Faulk as the only two backs in collegiate history to surpass the 3,000-yard mark by their sophomore years.

Against the Bulldogs, however, Dayne was never a factor as Georgia limited the Football News All-American to just 36 yards on 14 carries.

``Our defense was in the right place all day long, and for the most part Dayne wasn't getting past the line of scrimmage,'' Georgia linebacker Greg Bright said. ``When you have the defensive line playing like they did today, playing linebacker is the easiest position in the world to play.''

Dayne - who has rushed for more than 200 yards eight times already in his career, including a 339-yard performance last year against Hawaii - had only two carries for more than four yards.

``It was just very frustrating,'' Dayne said. ``Georgia just did a good job.''

Georgia head coach Jim Donnan was quick to give praise as well.

``Our speed really helped us get penetration in their line, and we were just able to get to him before he got started,'' Donnan said. ``He looked a little rusty, but there's no question that he's an outstanding back.''

Wisconsin flanker Tony Simmons said it was almost as if the Bulldogs knew what plays the Badgers were running.

``It was amazing. I'd be on the perimeter ready to make a block, look back, and see that their guys were already in our backfield,'' Simmons said. ``They knew exactly what we were going to do.''

According to Bright, it was about preparation.

``The other linebackers and I had studied their formations all week long,'' Bright said. ``I told Coach (Joe) Kines (Georgia's defensive coordinator) after the first series that if we did any movement at all, I thought it would kill them. After that, it was just a matter of shooting the gaps.''

Kines agreed.

``We knew we couldn't stay in there and play jaw-to-jaw with them,'' he said. ``But we were able to slant a little bit and keep Dayne corralled before he got going.''

Wisconsin's vaunted offensive line, which averaged 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, could do little to slow the Bulldogs down.

``We heard all week how great their offensive line was, but it was our quickness that really made the difference,'' Georgia defensive lineman Derrick Byrd said. ``We did a lot of slanting on the line, and they were never able to pick it up.''

Georgia's down linemen contributed 19 total tackles, including five for losses and three sacks of Wisconsin quarterback Mike Samuel.

``It was kind of embarrassing to us the last two weeks of hearing how they were going to run up and down the field, nickel and dime us to death,'' Bright said. ``The defense just made it a point to go out there and show that size isn't everything.''