What We Learned

	Jared Zabransky turned the ball over six times, but it's hard to credit the Bulldogs' defense for all his mistakes. Bob Rosato/SI

Georgia: The Bulldogs owe a huge debt to Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky, who turned the ball over six times. Defensively, Georgia looked pretty strong, though it's hard to credit them for creating all those turnovers when the opposing quarterback was in full meltdown. On offense, especially in the first half, the Bulldogs were a bit inconsistent, scoring mostly on short fields after turnovers. In the second half, however, things began to click. Quarterback D.J. Shockley isn't as strong a passer as David Greene, but he doesn't seem prone to mistakes (though the Broncos didn't put much pressure on him). What Shockley is, however, is a terrific runner. Georgia was at its most dangerous when he was on the run.

Boise State: The Broncos are going to have a hard time shaking the image that will stick to them after this game, an image that exposes them as a WAC-wonder almost completely dependent on its home-field advantage. Was last year's narrow Liberty Bowl loss to Louisville a fluke? Boise State scored 40 points in that game, and this was basically the same team. The Broncos looked completely out of synch, most notably the tandem of Zabransky and wideout Legedu Naanee, who was the target on three of the quarterback's four interceptions. Coming into the game, the Broncos weren't sure who their backup quarterback was. Now, after a mistake-free performance by sophomore Taylor Tharp, you have to wonder if the new backup is Zabransky.

Player Who Impressed Me

Georgia QB Shockley: The senior struggled with his accuracy at times, but don't be fooled by his eight incomplete passes, as several of them were dropped by an inconsistent Bulldogs receiving corps. Shockley ran well, threw well -- albeit without facing much of a pass rush -- and made no major mistakes. And he got better as the night went on. All told, he accounted for 374 yards tonight (85 rushing, 289 passing). His five touchdown throws tied a school record set by Greene, the man he backed up for the last few seasons.

Boise State RB Ian Johnson: The redshirt freshman is currently stuck behind three senior tailbacks, but that arrangement won't last if he keeps running like he did tonight. Johnson rumbled for 48 yards on just six carries. Keep an eye on him. He'll be a 1,000-yard rusher very soon.

Locker Room Confidential

After the game was over, Broncos head coach Dan Hawkins could be heard through the locker room door screaming at his team. Among the printable things that were said was this nugget: "We're a good football team! You've still got a chance for an awesome season." Hawkins has a reputation as a positive motivator. It will be interesting to see how Boise State rebounds in Corvallis next week.

The Broncos took the field tonight in bright orange pants. Even the Boise State media representatives were surprised. We probably won't ever see the garish trousers again. When asked after the game if he hoped the Broncos left the pants in Georgia, offensive lineman Daryn Colledge said, "I hope so. I don't know why we wore them. But still, we should be able to come in here wearing pink or green and play better than that."

The Big Picture

Boise State's bid for a BCS berth was probably killed. And their schedule doesn't get much easier from here. Next up is a game at Oregon State, then Bowling Green on the smurf-turf, then a game at Hawaii when conference play begins. When they make that trip, the Broncos could easily be 0-3. This has the makings of a disastrous stretch for Hawkins and his team.

If you're a Georgia fan, I honestly don't know what to tell you. Yes, you won big and you should be happy, but the victory was against a team that basically choked all over the Sanford Stadium field. Let's take a hard look at the Bulldogs again when they play a quality team that doesn't turn the ball over at all.