This has been a difficult season for Georgia quarterback David Greene. Playing with a completely new offensive line and backfield, the Bulldogs’ offense has struggled despite the team’s 10-2 record.
But the 6-foot-3-inch, 230-pound junior played with confidence because the Georgia defense was stalwart. Fortunately, Georgia had junior All-America defensive end David Pollack, and Greene had a little something to do with it.
Greene and Pollack grew up together in Snellville, Ga., which sits between Atlanta and Athens. They had played junior football together from the time they were 6 years old until high school. They went to different high schools when district borders were redrawn and played against each other. Greene, a year ahead of Pollack in school, encouraged Pollack to come to Georgia.
“Obviously, it’s nice to go somewhere where you have a buddy,” said Greene, who was in his freshman redshirt year when Pollack was recruited. “I wasn’t pressuring him to go to Georgia. I wanted him to go where he wanted to go.”
And now Greene has started 38 straight games for the Bulldogs, and his roommate has started 31 for coach Mark Richt, who has a 31-7 overall record. As opponents, Greene’s South Gwinnett High School held a 2-1 victory margin over Pollack’s Shiloh High School.
“Things were different then,” Pollack said. “I was carrying the [ball].”
“And I was a linebacker,” Greene said.
Thursday afternoon, the two will lead the No. 11 Bulldogs (10-2) against No. 12 Purdue (9-3) in the Capital One Bowl. Both Snellville players will face big challenges from Purdue. Greene has a veteran, sack-hungry Boilermakers defense, led by end Shaun Phillips, to contend with, while Pollack will see a spread offense run by quarterback Kyle Orton that’s difficult to stop.
Tight end Ben Watson, flanker Fred Gibson and Greene were the only returning offensive starters from Georgia’s 2002 SEC champions. Inexperience and injuries contributed to a decline in Georgia’s offensive production.
While Greene threw for more yards (2,980) and passed for a higher percentage (.591) than he did for last year’s 13-1 team, his TD production fell from 22 to 10 and his interceptions rose from eight to 11. Bulldogs QBs were sacked a league-high 44 times and the running game failed to produce a 100-yard rusher for the first time since 1972.
“We were a little disappointed in our offense,” said Greene, Georgia’s first left-handed quarterback since 1956. “We had some opportunities to win some more games but we didn’t.”
The Georgia defense, led by the 6-3, 278 Pollack, actually is rated higher than Purdue’s impressive unit.
The Bulldogs, despite losing tackle Jonathan Sullivan early to the NFL, are fourth nationally in total defense, second in scoring defense, seventh in pass defense and 16th in rushing defense.
Pollack has drawn a lot of attention from opposing linemen and has been double-teamed more often than not. His sack total dropped from 14 to 4.5, but he leads the team in quarterback hurries with 28 and has 85 tackles. Other players, like sophomore linebacker Odell Thurman, have emerged.
“We have a lot of guys on defense and a lot of playmakers this year,” Pollack said. “Sean Jones (defensive back) and Thomas Davis (safety) and Odell . . . those three guys were flying around, making plays. Our defense did well, and it didn’t matter if one individual did well. The defense just wanted to help the team win.”
Both Georgia and Purdue, which met in the 2000 Outback Bowl with Georgia coming back for an overtime victory, still have goals to meet. Both are fighting for a possible spot in the top 10.
The Boilermakers hope to have their second 10-victory season in the school’s history. Georgia hopes to show it’s over its SEC championship loss to LSU and is looking ahead with 19 returning starters next season.
“I think this is a good way to wrap up the year,” Greene said.
