West Virginia holds off Georgia rally to win Sugar Bowl

By John Onan  |   Tuesday, January 03, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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West Virginia freshman running back Steve Slaton rushed for 204 yards on 26 carries with three touchdowns, including a pair of 52 yard scoring runs, as the # 11 Mountaineers pulled a surprising 38-35 upset of the eighth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs Monday night in the Sugar Bowl.

The game was moved to Atlanta, Georgia this year, due to the destruction left behind by Hurricane Katrina, but being close to home didn't the Bulldogs cause much, as the Mountaineers scored four straight touchdowns to hold a 28-0 advantage early in the second quarter.

Slaton had scoring runs of 52 and 18 yards and freshman WR Darius Reynaud caught a three-yard touchdown pass from freshman signal-caller Pat White and also added a 13 yard run. Reynaud had six receptions for 48 yards to lead the Mountaineers while White was 11-of-14 on the evening for 120 yards. In essence, the bulk of West Virginia's offense came from this trio of dynamic freshmen.

But Georgia would mount a comeback with some impressive performances from their tail backs, as Kregg Lumpkin would score on a 34 yard jaunt and Thomas Brown would add a 52 yard touchdown dash of his own. Those two and Bulldog quarterback D.J. Shockley combined for 216 yards on 26 carries as the two clubs combined for 52 first half points, a Sugar Bowl record.

West Virginia's lead was cut to 31-21 at the half, thanks to Shockley's four-yard scoring toss to Leonard Pope. Shockley was 20-of-33 on the night for 277 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

With Georgia trailing 38-35 in the fourth quarter, they forced West Virginia into a punting situation, but Phil Brady took off running after receiving the snap and gained ten yards to convert a fourth down-and six to wrap up the win.

The Big East Champion West Virginia Mountaineers finished the season 11-1 with the victory while the Georgia Bulldogs fell to 10-3.
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