Keep your eye on the ball.

Georgia's offense is somewhat of a shell game, with the Bulldogs' play-action pass game leaving defenses' heads spinning.

Sophomore quarterback Matthew Stafford has proven a quick study in coach Mark Richt's attack while tailback Knowshon Moreno is the player who most opponents study.

Moreno was the Sporting News Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-SEC pick with good reason. A quick 5-foot-11, 207-pound specimen, Moreno changes direction fluidly and has the juice to go the distance once in the open field.

Moreno's 1,273 yards rushing this season rank as the fourth-best ever by an SEC freshman. Moreno stands in the elite company of such stars as former Georgia great Herschel Walker (An SEC freshman record 1,616 yards, 1982), Tennessee's Jamal Lewis (1,341, 1997) and all-time NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith, who ran for 1,341 yards in 1987 for the Florida Gators.

The Bulldogs' (10-2) six-game win streak coincides with Moreno's emergence, Stafford's development and a young offensive line that has gelled.

"You can't necessarily completely stop the run game, and that's what makes them very effective,'' said one SEC defensive coach. "You have to mix things up with different people in the box. You're not going to play with seven in the box and stop their running game.

"They'll run it, and then they stick it to you with the play-action, and Stafford can really throw it deep.''

Junior flanker Mohamed Massaquoi is Georgia's most dangerous target. Athletic and speedy at 6-2, 198, Massaquoi is a playmaker capable of stretching defenses.

Massaquoi caught 27 passes for 437 yards while split end Sean Bailey nabbed 37 catches for a team-high 597 with most defenses paying extra attention to Massaquoi.

And just when you think you've got the Bulldogs figured out, the crafty Richt finds another way to move the ball, as evidenced by the fact that 17 different players caught passes this season.

Georgia has a tradition of slipping tight ends into open spaces in the middle of the field at key times.

Georgia also boasts one of the top blocking backs in the South in 240-pound fullback Brannan Southerland.

With a young offensive line that has continued to develop, allowing a combined six sacks over the past six games, Richt could elect to power the ball at the Warriors should he sense a weakness.

"When they play consistent, like they've been toward the end of the year, they are as good as anybody,'' a rival SEC coach said. "And when Stafford makes plays consistently, they are really, really good.

"He's got real good arm strength and he can throw it anywhere on the field.''

Hawai'i coaches know better than anyone that slowing down Georgia requires sharp execution with few breakdowns. The first step is controlling the run, because if the Bulldogs get the ground game going, the play-action pass comes into play and it becomes a dangerous guessing game for the defense.

Indeed, the Warriors' linebackers and safeties will need to keep a close eye on the ball — or risk getting shelled.

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