Third down not a charm for Georgia

He's usually optimistic no matter the circumstance, but Jon Stinchcomb didn't even attempt to put positive spin on Georgia's third-down woes in last week's loss to Florida.

"I've never seen a stat that bad that was so important," said Stinchcomb, a senior offensive tackle for the No. 7 Bulldogs.

The stat was 0-for-13, and it told the story of Georgia's 20-13 loss to the Gators. The Bulldogs (8-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) entered the game as the most efficient third-down offense in the SEC. They finished it dumbfounded after failing to convert even one opportunity.

Given the distance needed on the 13 tries, Georgia's third-down failure isn't a complete shock. The Bulldogs needed fewer than 5 yards on just one of the third downs; the average was 8.6 yards.

"Number one, we've got to stay out of third-and-long," said coach Mark Richt, whose team plays host to Mississippi on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN2). "Statistics will show that you won't make a lot of those."

COUCH TIME: For Arnold Harrison, the only thing worse than the bench is the couch. Harrison, a former Josey High star, was there the past two weeks while the Bulldogs have played on the road.

A redshirt sophomore linebacker, Harrison has missed the past three games with an injury to his left shoulder. He stood on the sidelines in sweats during the Bulldogs' win over Vanderbilt on Oct. 19 and stayed home when Georgia played at Kentucky and against Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.

"It's been real tough," said Harrison, who was the top backup at linebacker before suffering the injury during practice. "When I first went down, I didn't think I would be out this long."

After playing sparingly last year, Harrison was showing improvement before his injury. He tallied a quarterback pressure and 18 tackles in the first six games, including a career-high eight Sept. 21 against Northwestern State.

Harrison said he doesn't expect to play Saturday.

SCREEN SAVER: If you told him his defense would contain Earnest Graham and not give up anything deep, Brian VanGorder would have bet on his unit shutting Florida down.

Instead, the Bulldogs gave up 381 yards - including a season-high 339 passing. The Gators did most of their damage through the air by punishing Georgia with quick screen passes to wide receivers.

VanGorder, Georgia's second-year defensive coordinator, said he's sure Mississippi will try to exploit what appears to be a weakness.

"I would suspect they'd look at that and do the same thing," he said. "We all have a tendency to look at what works."

Florida ran the screens to perfection last week, using excellent blocking by receivers and tight ends to pick up large chunks of yardage.

"We've got to be more physical at the point of attack and not get blocked so easily," Richt said.

The Gators had a significant advantage with big tight ends Aaron Walker and Ben Troupe, a former Butler High star. The two manhandled Thomas Davis, who played his first game at strong-side linebacker.

"Troupe is a big man," VanGorder said of the 6-foot-5, 255-pound junior. "He's got speed, and he's a physical tight end."

Reach Larry Williams at (706) 823-3645 or larry.williams@augustachronicle.com