Columnist
ATHENS, Ga. --- Where to begin? Let's start with the end.
In another installment of never-a-dull-moment Georgia football, it seems the officials would prefer something a little more mundane.
After losing the lead with 2:53 remaining against the No. 4 team in the nation, the Bulldogs drove 79 yards in six plays to score the go-ahead touchdown on a spectacular A.J. Green reception with 1:09 remaining. If ever there was a moment for college kids to exhibit regal stoicism in front of 93,000 screaming fans, this was it.
Right?
Though nobody in Sanford Stadium not wearing black-and-white stripes noticed anything out of the ordinary, Georgia apparently was a little too pleased with what for a few moments felt like a miraculous and significant Southeastern Conference victory over undefeated Louisiana State University.
But the officials whistled Green for unsportsmanlike conduct in the celebratory aftermath, which guaranteed the Tigers a shorter field for a potential game-winning field goal. The officials claim that after a brief team celebration, Green made a gesture to the crowd "drawing attention to himself."
That was news to Green and everyone else.
"All I did was shake my head and everybody came over and jumped on me," said Green, who didn't even know a flag had been thrown. "I definitely didn't feel like I did anything to put up a flag like that."
After the ensuing kickoff from the Georgia 15, LSU got possession at the Bulldogs' 38. Two plays later, Charles Scott bounced off the left side and sprinted 33 yards for a touchdown that after a two-point conversion put the Tigers up 20-13. Scott simply pointed with both hands into the stands and got congratulated by his teammates, drawing the obligatory make-up celebration call after the damage was already done to the outcome of the game that previously had been in the hands of the players.
"I think they were within their celebratory rights as well," said Georgia coach Mark Richt, coining a new judicial phrase that should lead to sweeping this idiotic statute from the football rule book. It is ironic that former Georgia coach and athletic director Vince Dooley was instrumental in putting the excessive celebration law on the books in the first place.
The judgmental implementation of the rule flies in the face of the passion that makes college football great in the first place.
"It must have been really bad if they throw it when you score a touchdown against the No. 4 team in the country with one minute left," said quarterback Joe Cox, giving the refs the benefit of the doubt. "I know I was excited. But I don't think it's the right thing to do. Football is an emotional game and a game of passion. I understand you want to get rid of the taunting and the talking, but when you're celebrating with teammates after a big play, I don't see why you penalize a team."
Coaches always tell players not to do anything stupid after a play, but how do you keep teenagers engaged in organized combat in straitjackets?
"I didn't do a good job of saying if you get a big TD at the end of a ballgame, don't celebrate," said Richt, who said he thought his players displayed "the right amount of celebration."
Up until the moment the officials decided that they needed to play a bigger role in determining the outcome of the game, there was plenty of data to analyze in yet another nail-biting Bulldogs encounter.
It is apparent that Green is the most unique and special offensive talent that Georgia has had since Herschel Walker. The guy makes plays such as the fourth-quarter touchdown catch (which was an over-the-top grab against textbook coverage by 6-foot-1 cornerback Chris Hawkins in the right corner of the end zone with both feet inbounds) look routine. He could set every conference receiving record by the time he's eligible to become an NFL millionaire after his junior year.
The only play he couldn't make was when Cox overthrew him wide open on what should have been a 95-yard touchdown pass in the opening quarter.
"I never felt like I could overthrow him," Cox said. "That was something tough to shake off when you miss a chance like that."
It also is apparent that true freshman Washaun Ealey from Emanuel County Institute needs to jump to the top of the running back depth chart now that his redshirt option is burned. With LSU disrespecting Georgia's running game to the point of playing nearly constant Cover 2 defense, Ealey saw his first action in the third quarter and provided a rushing spark that Georgia has simply lacked all year. Though his 35 yards on eight carries was modest, it was the best the Bulldogs had to offer.
"He definitely helped his cause," said Richt of Ealey. "Now that the redshirt is over, we'll try to get the best back in the game."
That will be essential if the Bulldogs are ever going to establish some kind of identity other than a penchant for deadline drama.
Both the offense and defense seem to suffer from bipolar disorder, never playing the same way in consecutive weeks or even halves. An offense that has been involved in wild shootouts couldn't muster but one first down in the first half against LSU.
The only reason Georgia still had a chance is that the often-maligned defense kept it from being an early blowout and limited LSU to two first-half field goals.
If you see a pattern, the Georgia coaching staff will welcome your call.
"It's been a very unusual year in regard to knowing what you're going to get on a week-to-week basis," Richt said. "It's been pretty sporadic."
Yet for a silly celebration penalty, the Bulldogs' SEC momentum might still be intact heading to Tennessee. But when you constantly live on the edge like Georgia has all year, the risk of celebration dissolving into dejection is always just a play away.
Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.
