(4-1, No. 2 AP)
(3-1, 1-0 SEC, No. 1 AP)CFB 2031 Regular Season, Week 6 - Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia
STAN | 7 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 27
UGA | 14 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 34
This latest instance of the 'Game of the Century' did not disappoint as the top two ranked teams in the country went blow for blow with it coming down to the final play of the game where Georgia's George Boykins intercepted Stanford's Earl Nienhuis to seal the 34-27 win with 20 seconds left in the game.
Stanford survived the initial swarm of the Bulldogs as they found themselves down 27-10 at halftime with Rashard Rachal having thrown for two touchdowns already. Stanford squeezed their game with their running game, controlling the clock and limiting Georgia's possessions, having just one in the third quarter as they cut the lead to fourteen points heading into the fourth and had a chance to make it a one touchdown game if not for Brent Baker's dropped pass on fourth and four from the Georgia 32-yard line.
On the next Cardinal possession, Nienhuis made some timely throws, including a third and five conversion to Alfonso Bramble in traffic and then a screen pass to Anthony Masifilo who swerved through traffic to pick up thirty-three yards and get the ball into the red zone. From there, on third and goal from the six yard line, an injured and hobbled Rodney Cookus got back into the game and caught a touchdown pass.
The lead would quickly be extended once again as Rachal found Emmanuel Okwuebunam for twenty-two yards on third and two from their own 33-yard line and then on third and eight, Okwuebunam won a jump ball from 43-yards out to make it 34-20 with less than five minutes left.
Stanford didn't go down quietly into the good night, however, with Cookus having conversions on third and ten with a fifteen yard grab and then back to back completions of thirty six and then eighteen yards to Shawn Butler and Timmy Neil, the latter going for a touchdown.
After a three-and-out by Georgia's offense, Stanford had the ball with 1:48 remaining and got to the Georgia's 43-yard line where Cookus, still hobbled, caught a ten-yard pass on fourth and six with twenty seconds left to keep the game alive. Nienhuis would be intercepted on the next play trying to throw a jump ball to Dillon Forsett, the six-foot-five tight end.*
*Editor's Note: I pressed the wrong button due to Stadium Pulse hiding my icon and both of them being tight ends
Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
Emmanuel Okwuebunam 32 Yd pass from Rashad Rachal (7:56)
Colt Mixon 2 Yd pass from Earl Nienhuis (1:41) Ezekiel Nzegwu, 1 Yd run (0:05)Quarter 2
Kyrie Smith, 50 Yd FG (8:42) Brian Vallos, 51 Yd FG (6:27) Maurice Irving 44 Yd pass from Rashad Rachal (3:57) Kyrie Smith, 39 Yd FG (1:11)Quarter 3
Brian Vallos, 34 Yd FG (6:57)Quarter 4
Rodney Cookus 6 Yd pass from Earl Nienhuis (7:22) Emmanuel Okwuebunam 43 Yd pass from Rashad Rachal (4:30) Timmy Neil 18 Yd pass from Earl Nienhuis (2:47)Player Stats
QB Earl Nienhuis (R-Soph): 21-34, 234 yards, 3 TD, INT, sacked twice QB Rashad Rachal (R-Jr): 31-46, 420 yards, 3 TD, sacked 3 times HB Rashawn Crouse (Soph): 16 carries, 97 yards HB Trevon Winbush (Fr): 10 carries, 49 yards HB Anthony Masifilo (R-Jr): 5 carries, 59 yards HB Ezekiel Nzegwu (R-Soph): 6 carries, 18 yards, TD WR Rodney Cookus (R-Jr): 7 receptions, 89 yards, TD WR Emmanuel Okwuegbunam (Jr): 11 receptions, 222 yards, 2 TD WR Lester Reiter (R-Soph): 6 receptions, 62 yards CB Kentrell Marvin (Soph): 10 tackles, TFL, PBU LB Richard Caussin (R-Sr): 5 tackles, TFL, sack LB John Duval (R-Jr): 13 tackles, 3 TFL, sack CB George Boykins (Jr): 4 tackles, INT
