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Georgia storms past Arizona State

Sep 21, 2008 - 5:36 AM TEMPE, Arizona (Ticker) -- A rare visit to the desert provided the perfect tonic for Georgia.

Knowshon Moreno scored two touchdowns and freshman wide receiver A.J. Green had a coming-out party as the third-ranked Bulldogs staggered No. 24 Arizona State, 27-10, on Saturday.

Moreno, who had 23 carries for 149 yards, scored on runs of 9 and 3 yards as the Bulldogs raced to a 21-3 lead at halftime. Green had seven receptions for 150 yards and a score in the first half. He finished with eight grabs for 159 yards.

The desert heat - it was 99 degrees at kickoff - didn't affect Georgia, which melted Arizona State with a swarming defense.

"It was hot but a different kind of heat (than in Athens)," Moreno said. "I felt like I could really breathe better in this."

Moreno had a series of acrobatic runs, including the 9-yard score that saw him leap at about the 4-yard line and dive across the goal line.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford went 16-of-28 passing for 285 yards and a score for the Bulldogs. Much of Stafford's success came from his hookups with Green, who baffled the Arizona State secondary in the first half. The 6-4, 200-pound freshman was unstoppable.

"I was able to get the ball into the hands of our playmakers and guys made big plays behind me," Stafford said. "The line gave me plenty of time to throw the ball, which helped a lot."

"I just go out there and try to make big plays for my team when my name is called. It comes from playing every day," Green said. "The older guys have really been helping me out. They help me with my routes and my coach is teaching me to run routes better. I'm just going out there and having fun. I'm just not thinking about it too much, and I'm acting like I'm in high school having fun."

Arizona State (2-2) cut the deficit to 21-10 in the third quarter as Rudy Carpenter hit Andrew Pettes for a 6-yard TD. But the Bulldogs (4-0) came right back with a 29-yard field goal by Blair Walsh to make it 24-10.

"I don't know," said Carpenter, who was 24-of-37 for 206 yards and the score. "I have to watch the tapes. It just felt like we were throwing it a lot. We were doing well in the early part of the game. We didn't execute, we didn't convert, we didn't have any big plays really go all the way."

The Sun Devils' air attack suffered because the stiff Georgia defense limited Arizona State to four yards rushing on 18 carries. The Sun Devils came into the game averaging 129 yards on the ground.

"We had some opportunities in that football game early, but when you get a punt blocked and you have two fumbles there early, you can't just beat a team like that," Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson said. "I thought we played hard and stayed in that football game the first half, even though those things happened.

"Then we went down and scored there at the beginning of the second half and had some opportunities but they are so explosive offensively. We had them on the 7-yard line and they went down and were able to score."

Georgia sealed its victory with a five-play, 38-yard drive that was capped by Walsh's 23-yard field goal to make it 27--10 with 5:49 left.

"The defense did a great job,'' Stafford said. "

The Bulldogs ran out the clock and wound up on the Arizona State 1-yard line as time expired. The loss was the second straight at home for Arizona State, which was shocked by UNLV last week.

"I'm very thankful for the victory. I'm proud of our team and proud of our coaches. I thought they did a fantastic job tonight." Georgia coach Mark Richt said after running his road record to 26-4. "Arizona State is an outstanding football team that is very well-coached. We came a long way from home tonight and we played a very good game against a very good team and we came out with a victory. We're just thankful for that."

The game marked Georgia's longest road trip since the 2000 Oahu Bowl, when the Bulldogs defeated Virginia, 37-14, in Honolulu after traveling more than 4,500 miles.

This was the longest journey for a regular-season game since since 1960 when the Bulldogs lost, 10-3, to USC in Los Angeles.

Georgia had not faced a Pac-10 Conference school since a 41-7 victory over Oregon State in Athens in 1987. The Bulldogs are 9-4-1 all-time against Pac-10 schools.