Alright, so it wasn’t exactly total domination by the Dawgs defense. Actually, the first half had the home faithful booing like Georgia was losing.

They didn’t lose. Georgia took care of business 45-23. But there was a moment when the issue was kinda, maybe in doubt.

The sixth-ranked team in the nation, which is hanging its hat on its defense, had a hard time stopping a bad team from a faraway land (Upstate New York).

The Buffalo Bulls (not the Bills, they play in the NFL, this team plays in the MAC) had 243 total yards – in the first half. That’s more than the Dawgs D gave up in seven entire games last season.

Georgia fans were having flashbacks of the Willie Martinez days (boooo).

In a related story, UGA had five defensive starters out for various reasons.

The latest was a game-day decision to sit Malcolm Mitchell, the wide receiver turned defensive back, with an ankle injury.

He joined the no-pads brigade led by Sanders Commings (domestic battery charge), Chase Vasser (DUI), Alec Ogletree (violation of team rules) and Bacarri Rambo (ditto).

“We don’t use that as a crutch,” said UGA defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. “You work with the players you have available.”

And in a related, related story -- it was hot, humid and just gross.

“We haven’t practiced in this,” said Coach Mark Richt. “I don’t care what people say, if you don’t play in this kind of humidity it’s going to hurt you and it got to us.”

Still, it’s Buffalo (still not the Bills).

“There’s no excuse for some of the issues we had,” said Richt. “There are a lot of things to clean up. We had some issues that should not happen, but they did.”

Among those issues, no real pressure up front in the first half.

The Dawgs only had one tackle for a loss and it was a sack by the all-world stud Jarvis Jones (he finished with 8 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2.5 TFLs).

Then there’s the running game.

Last year, Georgia gave up an average of 176 yards per game on the ground. They only had three teams rush for more than 200 yards. Today Buffalo had 199. Just as many as Vandy last year and 148 yards more than Auburn.

Buffalo running back Branden Oliver (not exactly Thurman Thomas) had 89 yards in the first half and 112 yards in the game on 30 carries.

Speaking of running, QB Alex Zordich went for 89 yards on 14 carries, a career high for him.

“No offense to him,” said Richt, “but he’s not what you consider a great running quarterback,”

So are you worried? Knowing Georgia fans, the answer is probably yes. If Zordich can run for 89 yards, what will James Franklin (981 yards rushing last year, fourth most by a QB in the country) do?

“I’m sure he’ll be excited that he can get some runs on us,” said Grantham

So is this a sign, or just one of those sluggish Georgia openers?

 “I think we were (holding back),” Georgia color analyst Eric Zeier said during the Locker Room show. We were showing some basic blitzes. We went to zone blitz one time.”

However, that’s “still not the performance you want to see,” said Zeier.

If you’re the optimistic sort (Georgia fans were trained by Larry Munson, so that’s doubtful) look at the second half.

UGA radio network sideline report Chuck Dowdle predicted the Bulls wouldn’t score on the first team defense in the second half. That prediction was probably made, in no small part, based on what he heard in the locker room at half time.

“In the second half they really turned it around,” said Richt.

Not only did the first team defense not allow a point in the second half, but they only allowed just one first down in the second half.

“We made some adjustments and played with more energy in the second half,” said Grantham. But “we got some work to do but we are going to address that.”

Buffalo couldn’t do anything in the last two quarters (143 second half yards). Just as expected. The design of what was probably a solid swift kick in the rear and a few words that are not fit to print.

Paycheck games (Buffalo’s incentive for getting whooped in Athens) usually are just that and don’t point to much down the road.

So did the first half have Bulldog nation upset? Sure. But this isn’t the Willie Martinez’s defense.

If they give up 40 points against Missouri next week then you can freak out.