Shockley shines in first college start

ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia's new starting quarterback was pinned against a wall in the locker room, surrounded by reporters and cameras, when one of his teammates yelled out: "D.J. Shockley for Heisman!"

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Yep, the wait was worth it.

After showing remarkable patience the last four years, Shockley finally started his first college game - and what a debut it was.

Five touchdown passes. Another touchdown running. And absolutely no questions about whether he was capable of replacing the winningest quarterback in major college history.

"Man, with all the pressure being on D.J., it's amazing how well he dealt with it," receiver Sean Bailey said. "He made big plays with his feet, with his arm and with his head."

When it was done, Shockley had guided 13th-ranked Georgia to a stunningly easy 48-13 rout of Boise State, a team that went 11-1 last season and came in with its first preseason ranking ever at No. 18 (if figures to be short-lived stay when the new Associated Press Top 25 is released Tuesday).

"There's no way I ever could have imagined something like this in my head," Shockley said. "It's too big."

Not that he didn't have plenty of time to ponder how his first start might go.

Shockley came to Georgia in 2001 as one of the nation's top-ranked high school quarterbacks. The Bulldogs already had David Greene, but the left-hander had yet to play a down. Shockley figured he would be the No. 1 QB in no time.

Instead, he went 1,758 days between his last start at North Clayton High School in suburban Atlanta and his first start for the Bulldogs.

"He deserves everything he gets," Bailey said. "He's been really patient. He always worked hard. He never moped. He's a great leader."

Greene won the starting job as a redshirt freshman, relegating Shockley to a redshirt season and, as it turned out, a career spent mostly on the bench. Greene went on to set an NCAA record with 52 straight starts and a Division I-A mark with 42 wins.

Shockley considered transferring after the 2002 season, but he liked the atmosphere at Georgia, enjoyed his teammates and wondered what he would be getting himself into at another school. So, he decided to stay.

Coach Mark Richt tried to appease Shockley, usually getting him into two or three series a game. But that wasn't nearly enough snaps to show what he could really do, so he became pigeonholed as the running quarterback who provided a change of pace to the slow-footed Greene.

"People knew I could run," Shockley said. "I wanted to show them the real D.J. Shockley."

Did he ever. In addition to leading the Bulldogs in rushing with 85 yards on five carries, Shockley completed 16 of 24 passes for 289 yards - numbers that would have been even better if not for four dropped balls. The five TD passes tied a school record set, appropriately enough, by Greene just last year.

And Shockley did it all in a little less that three quarters. He headed to the bench after his final touchdown, in which he checked into a different play and lobbed a 5-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Bailey for a 45-7 lead.

Just as striking was the affection that Shockley's teammates have for him. The quarterback of any team is expected to be a leader, but it's clear the rest of the Bulldogs would go above and beyond for this guy.

They appreciate Shockley for staying at their side when many other players in a similar position would have been out the door. After scoring the first touchdown on the game on a 14-yard run, he was mobbed at the back of the end zone by everyone on the offense.

"He never complained," Bailey marveled. "He came to work every day. It makes us want to go out and fight that much harder for him."

Shockley's performance was in stunning contrast to Boise State's Jared Zabransky, who was being touted as a possible Heisman contender after he accounted for 29 touchdowns - 16 passing, 13 running - as a sophomore.

Zabransky didn't even make it through the first half, his candidacy crumbling as he threw four interceptions and lost two fumbles. With his team down 24-0, he wanted the rest of the game from the bench, a white towel draped over his head.

The Broncos were impressed with the quarterback on the other side of the line.

"He is really athletic and hard to bring down," linebacker Korey Hall said. "He's a competitor."

For Shockley, the wait was worth it.