NEW ORLEANS (AP) -Georgia welcomed Hawaii to the BCS by giving the Warriors a heaping helping of SEC speed and power.
Knowshon Moreno ran for touchdowns on Georgia’s first two possessions and the Bulldogs took a 14-3 lead on Hawaii after the first quarter of the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday night.
Hawaii’s first appearance in the Bowl Championship Series, its first chance this season to truly prove that its 12-0 record wasn’t just the byproduct of one of the softest schedules in the country, didn’t start well.
Hawaii’s Malcolm Lane gave Heisman Trophy finalist Colt Brennan and the Warriors’ high-powered offense great field position to start the game with a 36-yard kickoff return to the Hawaii 45.
Hawaii then went backward, its offensive line drawing consecutive false start penalties with the Georgia fans making the Superdome sound like Sanford Stadium, only louder. Brennan misfired on his first two pass attempts and didn’t gain nearly enough on a screen to David Farmer to make up for the two 5-yard penalties.
Tim Grasso’s punt went only 29 yards and Hawaii’s Keenan Jones drew a 15-yard penalty for plowing into Georgia returner Mike Henderson. The result: First-and-10 Bulldogs from their 39.
Nine plays later, Moreno was slicing through a big hole on the left side and dashing into the end zone from 17 yards out. Moreno, the first Georgia freshman since Herschel Walker to run for 1,000 yards, blew a kiss to the Bulldogs fans and it was 7-0 ‘Dawgs less than six minutes into the game.
Brennan got the Warriors moving on their second possession, completing all seven of his throws. But a holding penalty and a 15-yard personal foul on receiver Jason Rivers for a late hit forced Hawaii to settle for Dan Kelly’s 41-yard field goal with 4:20 left in the first.
Georgia got rolling again behind Moreno’s senior running mate Thomas Brown, who popped through tacklers at line for 20 yards.
Moreno finished off another long drive bursting through the middle for an 11-yard touchdown.
The quarter ended with Brennan on his back after a sack by Marcus Howard. Brennan was 8-for-10 for 63 yards in the quarter.
The Bulldogs broke out the black jerseys they wore for the first time earlier this season. The “blackout” back in Athens got the Bulldogs pumped up to beat Auburn.
Hawaii responded to the Bulldogs’ dark side by going with white jerseys and pants with silver helmets for the first time under coach June Jones.
With the Hawaii fans in their white shirts and Georgia fans mostly in black, it was easy to tell who was rooting for whom. The Warriors were well represented, the school ended up selling about 15,000 tickets.
And the Warriors got their supporters riled up about 45 minutes before the game with their foot-stomping, biceps-slapping Ha’a dance at the 50 yard-line.
Georgia came into Sugar Bowl on a six-game winning streak, playing about as well as any team in the country. The Bulldogs were a little miffed about being jumped by LSU in the final BCS standings and losing out on a spot in the national championship game against Ohio State in the Superdome next week.
Brennan and the Warriors were the second consecutive Western Athletic Conference team to break into the BCS. Boise State pulled the trick last season and then went out and pulled off a thrilling overtime upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
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