Georgia’s win proves team at least still has a pulse
Georgia coach Mark Richt told his players to "represent the G" on their helmets. They did that Saturday, albeit against a 1-AA opponent. (Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@AJC.com)
ATHENS — With no drama, limited glory and those throwback helmets and jerseys from yesteryear — both were red — the Georgia Bulldogs reacquainted themselves with a forgotten corner of the universe Saturday. They dominated an opponent.
Now, maybe an SEC team beating Tennessee Tech 38-0 doesn’t prove a whole lot, except possibly what you hoped did not need reaffirming: The Dogs would rule in the Ohio Valley Conference.
But with the season having veered off in that unfortunate direction toward Shreveport — and what was the Capital One Bowl doing with press box credentials, anyway? — and ugly losses to Florida and Tennessee in the rearview mirror, and blogs, message boards and sports talk radio morphing into giant blast furnaces, is there even a trace of solace knowing that this team still has a pulse?
“It felt good to have that experience,” quarterback Joe Cox said.
The most maligned of the Bulldogs — at least those not on the coaching staff — Cox spent the Sunday following the Florida loss wondering if he was going to be benched. He wasn’t. He responded by coming out Saturday and leading his teammates in a collective cleansing breath. Georgia drove to touchdowns on its first four possessions. Cox threw for two scores. Tennessee Tech didn’t manage even a first down until its fifth possession. Georgia didn’t punt until two minutes remained in the third quarter.
Washaun Ealey's 44-yard touchdown run made it 28-0 in the second quarter. (Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@AJC.com)
And everybody in Sanford Stadium — short of the 7,000 to 10,000 who’ve apparently overdosed on misery and decided to eat their tickets — remembered: So this is what it feels like. If every game this season had unfolded like this, the masses would be pushing for bronze statues, not changes.
“It felt good to move the ball and just have fun with everybody,” Cox said. “It’s been a stressful year. There’s a lot of times when you could just see it in people’s eyes — the stress that we’ve had on us from the expectations we didn’t meet. To have a game where the running backs are running all over the place, and guys are catching balls and making plays and running on the field laughing — it’s fun. That’s what fooball is. You’re supposed to have fun playing it.”
What does it mean? Nothing in the rankings. Nothing in the BCS. Nothing in the SEC.
But players will tell you they are not devoid of motivation. If they were, we wouldn’t have seen them outrush Tennessee Tech 304 to minus-13 (totals yards: 469-55, despite downshifting when the score was 31-0). We would not have seen the defense post its first shutout in three years.
“It’s something to build on,” said Richt.
Possible overstatement. This might prove to be little more than a mound of sand just before the tide rolls back in. The Dogs are one and done with their I-AA opponents. Next week: Auburn. The reality is, Georgia is nine games into the season and still one win short of being bowl-eligible.
“We just needed a win,” said Branden Smith, whose 52-yard touchdown run made it 21-0 in the first quarter. “That’s all we’re thinking about.”
You cling to what you can. Two months ago, they started with a loss at Oklahoma State. Chaotic wins over South Carolina, Arkansas and Arizona State followed. Then came the losses to LSU and Tennessee, and eventual doom in the SEC. When the Dogs returned to Sanford Stadium for the first time in a month, it was a muted homecoming.
Cox again: “This year really hasn’t gone the way we expected. But we still have games to play. People can complain about what’s happened in the past. But we still have three regular-season games, and we can still finish up as possibly a 9-4 team. That’s not what we planned on and not what we wanted, but it sounds a lot better than anything else that we can be.”
It’s all they’ve got.
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420 comments Add your comment
Tom Jones
November 7th, 2009
5:52 pm
Yes we can still dance now!!!!!
Denver Dawg
November 7th, 2009
5:53 pm
Next week will be a true test, and a big win….
Bling and blang
November 7th, 2009
5:55 pm
Boy the Ginger Avenger thinks we can 9 – 4 huh ? Prove it Clown!
Sonny Clusters
November 7th, 2009
5:58 pm
Jeff, was they any girls on the other team?
SOS Dawg
November 7th, 2009
5:58 pm
Dawgs still have a long way to go. Still an undisciplined team. I really wasnt all that impressed today. Sorry fellow dawg fans.
Sonny Clusters
November 7th, 2009
5:59 pm
“Backup quarterback Logan Gray, given a series late in the first half, threw into double coverage in the end zone for Israel Troupe. Tennessee Tech free safety Mary Jones intercepted the pass for the only turnover of the game.” – AJC
See what we mean?
Cobbler Ballocks
November 7th, 2009
6:08 pm
Sonny -
Good catch!!!
Jeff – The “Mary Jones” comment was bush league journalism. Clean it up, pal.
Coop
November 7th, 2009
6:08 pm
This column was a total waste of time. For cryin’ out loud. This team has the worst coaching IN THE COUNTRY! Shultz… I just can’t stand it anymore. Is the AJC so crappy that they pay you for this garbage?
D-Man
November 7th, 2009
6:10 pm
SO WHAT THE DAWGS BEAT A LOUSY TEAM. I AM MORE CONCERNED ABOUT NEXT YEAR…WHO WILL BE OUR QB? WILL OUR DEFENSE BE ANY BETTER..OUR OFFENSE…OR SPECIAL TEAMS????? WE ARE DOING NOTHING TO PREPARE FOR NEXT YEAR!!!!
Sonny Clusters
November 7th, 2009
6:22 pm
Could be a guy named Mary. They was a boy named Sue.
Gen Neyland
November 7th, 2009
6:35 pm
D-Man : Enjoy the moment…Enough to worry about in the weeks ahead.
BugKiller
November 7th, 2009
6:42 pm
The only number that matters coming out of this game is ELEVEN.
As in: ELEVEN PENALTIES.
This is the most undisciplined, stupidest football team I’ve EVER seen.
And although this is Richt’s fault for running his program in a way that allows for undisciplined stupidity, we know he more than likely won’t pay for the decline in his program (unless we finish 5-7, which is very possible, and look BAD doing it).
But Willie Martinez MUST pay for it if Richt knows what is good for him.
Reports out of Butts-Mehre say that Richt is FANATICALLY devoted to Martinez and won’t fire him unless pushed to do so.
Damon Evans, time to start PUSHING!
Michael
November 7th, 2009
6:43 pm
Most importantly they covered the 35 point spread. GO DAWGS!
Tom
November 7th, 2009
6:50 pm
We played the Tennessee school for girls…..its nothing special. Only 1 TD in the second half? Let me guess Richt’s “nice guy” attitude didn’t want to score anymore.
Does anyone know the attendance for today?
DawgFan24
November 7th, 2009
6:54 pm
Here we go, do you fair-weather fans have nothing better to do than wait for Shultzy to post his blogs?
Im more pissed how Comcast screwed the signal and none of us picked up the game until 6 mins into the fist quarter. $30.00 friggin bucks for that crap!
Georgia's win proves team at least still has a pulse | Jeff Schultz | Georgia realestate live today
November 7th, 2009
7:00 pm
[...] which proves exclusive that the Bulldogs haven’t depart on the season. Original post: Georgia's get proves aggroup at small ease has a beat | Jeff Schultz Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Bulldogs, florida-, its-loss, quit-on-the, rebounded-from, [...]
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
7:05 pm
D man: yes, special teams will be better, fabris will see to that. offense will be better, bobo will see to that, and best of all, defense will be great. i will see to that.
best, willie
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
7:07 pm
dman, i’ve also discovered cox has another year of eligibility. he will be the qb.
dawg
November 7th, 2009
7:09 pm
ealey need to start next week
Supes
November 7th, 2009
7:13 pm
This win means nothing, it’s Tenn Tech.
As usual CMR showed his lack of killer instinct and took his foot off the gas pedal (to show class), whatever. The team needs work until the whistle blows in the 4th quarter but yeah, we’d rather “win classy”.
Joe Cox “football is fun” comment summarizes the lack of understanding from top to bottom right now at UGA. Winning is fun. You aren’t given a free ride at UGA to “have fun playing football”. College ball at this level is big business. You play to win the game. You have win on your own time “noodle arm” Joe Cox.
I just hope that Cox doesn’t stick around as some sort of coach and becomes Mike Bobo 2.0 that’s all we need…Richt being a blind loyalist and homer to QB who isn’t SEC material.
Tenn 45-19
November 7th, 2009
7:21 pm
And this just in……Tennessee scores again
45-19
Who’s your daddy?!
Thogwummpy
November 7th, 2009
7:26 pm
Wadda you bet Martinez thinks this win saves his job? NO WAY!
Nashdawg
November 7th, 2009
7:26 pm
This is easy. Fire Willie and CSS needs to let Buck Belue go home. What a homer and a big friend of Willie.
Dawg Days
November 7th, 2009
7:28 pm
Are you guys really complaining that we didn’t score ENOUGH points? Do we really want to go down to the level of Urban Meyer and run the score up on a pitiful team? You are never satisfied.
Madison Dog
November 7th, 2009
7:29 pm
How bout the Dogs dress out in black pants, black jerseys and red or black helmets for the Auburn game next Saturday night? CMR needs to call for a blackout to get the fans to make Sanford Stadium electric. Remember what happened the last time Auburn came to Athens in 2007? Blackout!!! Forget what happened to Georgia against Alabama in 2008 and against Florida last weekend. These Dawgs need all the firepower they can against a pretty good and motivated Auburn team.
Vanderbilt is next
November 7th, 2009
7:31 pm
Great win against a nobody today Dawgs, a D1AA school who has never beaten a D1 school. So party tonight and feel good about this one. The real teams will be meeting in the Georgia Dome on December 5th for the SEC Title Game, Florida vs. Bama.
Top Dawg
November 7th, 2009
7:32 pm
If I thought 9-4 were even remotely possible, I would be happy at this point. That is not reality though.
Barkin'Dog
November 7th, 2009
7:34 pm
SUPES SUCKS… Richt being a blind loyalist and homer to QB who isn’t SEC material…..
You are a selfish ignoramous!! Cox beat Arky who has looked pretty darn good this season after all. And he virtually beat LSU, until the refs stepped in. Is Cox a championship caliber QB? Evidently not. But he is certainly a SEC-qualified QB, you putz!! Watch him beat Kent. and Auburn the next 2 weeks, too. It’s so-called fans like you who make it impossible to enjoy playing or reading about college football. These are kids, “playing to win the game,” the best they can, while trying to get an education in exchange for their efforts. And you, sitting on your couch, are telling them they aren’t worth spit. Well, Supes, I spit on you.
Alabama Jack
November 7th, 2009
7:37 pm
If the dawgs were in the Ohio Vallky Conference, they would be competitive and not have to worry about becoming bowl eligible.
dagnabit
November 7th, 2009
7:37 pm
Did Jawja beat one of those mixed flag football teams today.
dawgfan
November 7th, 2009
7:41 pm
2 million dollars a year and he can not teach players how to remember the snap count for 5 seconds….sad. What’s worse is CMR inability to instill and enforce discipline. 11 penalties today, and after each one the offender runs to the side line where he is patted on the head before going back in the next play. 11 penalties against Tenn Tech is pathetic and will not ever be corrected because CMR “is not too worried about penalties”, his words! Get used to it dawg nation, we will need a team so dominate that it can beat UF while giving up 100 yards in penalties, and a few turnovers. Auburn will kick UGA’s butt and when they do Buck, Keven, and Hondo will pull their heads out of the sand for a moment and tell us to be good fans and not focus on the bad, only on the good. They acted as if UGA accomplished something today. Today is a false sense of accomplishment and UGA will return next week to committing penalties and turnovers, and a bad Auburn team will beat UGA at home. Don’t worry though, we will be told “we have got to fix the penalties and turnovers” again Sunday and to stay with the dogs. I love my kids, and when they don’t do what they are supposed to I discipline them, Richt and his staff should try that approach. 2 million dollars a year and he can not discipline players? Why don’t we hire Suzane Yoculan? She got results out of her athletes. Pathetic CMR, just pathetic.
td
November 7th, 2009
7:41 pm
Amen Barkin Dog, you are the truth teller. Nashdawg, Buck has forgotten more about college football then you will ever know. True Dawgs do not throw their best from the pass under the bus, so my friend if you can not handle the truth from Buck please either shut your mouth or find another team to root for.
Sonny Clusters
November 7th, 2009
7:42 pm
We was of the opinion Tennessee Tech was where you went to learn TV repair. How did Georgia find them? Yellow pages is a great thing.
Cautiously Optimistic
November 7th, 2009
7:45 pm
I know it’s just Tenn. Tech but I think this team needed this. This meaning an easy win, a cupcake. I think we need the confidence from this game and the week off from the mental standpoint. I think it will be good for the team to come out next week back in conference play with some more inspired play and confidence.Hey it’s something to build on. Hell, I didn’t even expect Willie’s D to do what they did to any team. But then again I didn’t get to watch, but did hear about half on the radio.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
7:47 pm
it will eventually be named the butts/mehre/martinez building.
td
November 7th, 2009
7:48 pm
Dawgfan, Did you happen to watch the LSU Bama game today? If you did you would have seen their best players committing the same penalties as the DAWGS, Satan yelled at them and put them right back into the game.
Richt's Ruckus
November 7th, 2009
7:48 pm
Mark Richt invites you to a Ruckus to watch the SEC Title Game
December 5, 2009
5 P.M.
0 BCS Avenue- Athens, Ga 30605
B.Y.O.B.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
7:49 pm
CMR knows how to disciplin players. i just want him to get that water girl under control. today she got us another sideline warning.
Michael McClure
November 7th, 2009
7:49 pm
Why didn’t we schedule TTU for the first game. WE could have seen that we still have no talent in our coaching staff and CMR has let this team go to the leve that Fulmer did at Tennessee…no control over the players or coaches. WE have too many assistant head coaches and they don’t do jack. Our offensive line is terrible and isn’t Stacy the assistant coach for the running game…well that says it all. What does Bobo do? WE are now on the level of Mississippi State. Our football program has no leader. Mark you’ve lost control of the program…it’s really sad. I was hoping for 4 straight wins over Auburn, but with Osborn Cox – not a chance. What ever happened to starting freshmen? Aaron Murry???? We’ve lost our class and drive.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
7:50 pm
dont forget richts ruckus: that means bring your own bible.
Brandon Spikes (and gouges)
November 7th, 2009
7:51 pm
Dat wunt da same teem dat playt us las week. jes ax corch myers.
Tech sucks
November 7th, 2009
7:51 pm
Big game next Sat night. Can’t wait to be back in Athens.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
7:51 pm
we have talked to damon evans about this tough, tough schedule. all that guy wants is money. puleease!
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
7:52 pm
or bring your own bride. or bring your own bimbo, whichever is the case.
jdawg
November 7th, 2009
7:54 pm
As usual you idiot $7 per hour, ex-sandlot football coaches are at it again. It’s nice of you Jeff to point out how we took advantage of an overmatched opponent, albeit 9 games into the season. Unlike your beloved jackets and/or every other team who have played UGA this year. But I digress. Let me hear from all of you stupid-a$$, never played a down of football since 2nd grade rec league, yell at your kids at soccer, loosers with all of your genius advice as to how we can get better “Dawg Fans”. What didn’t we do to suit you today? I know, we had too many penalties. We also could have scored 65 points instead of 38. If only we didn’t have that p–sy loser of a coach called Richt. I mean why can’t we be more like Florida, or Bama. Now those are two winners! If you don’t believe it just look at who’s in the championship this year. And if that isn’t proof enough that we are totally out of the picture in the SEC, they were there last year too! We’ll never be any good again until VanGorder comes back as head coach! Now there was a guy who commanded respect! Don’t bother me with the details that he was run out of Statesboro after 1 year and 2 wins, he was God on earth, and that p–sy Richt has never been the same since “The Man” left UGA. And if we can’t get him back, maybe we can get Dooley, who won 3 SEC championships in 20+ years. Come on Dawg fans, you know that the whole 2 yards and a cloud of dust strategy would have us in the SEC championship every year! Just like we used to be…………oh…….that’s right we weren’t. Oh well I don’t care about that. All I care about is other people striving, and working, and preparing, so that I can live vicariously through them. And if they aren’t able to perform to the level that I wish I could then I should be able to voice my opinion, and I should be heard!! Because I am a fan!!!!! and a loser…….but don’t tell and one that.
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
7:54 pm
dont bring any booze tho. the grape juice is as strong as we get.
dawgfan
November 7th, 2009
7:54 pm
My problem is not with the players, my problem is with coaches that are to comfortable in their jobs. It is the coaches fault that UGA had 11 penalties today. This has been going on for over two years now and I am sick of it. There will be four seats available in section 321 next year. Have fun watching the yellow flags fly as UGA will continue to be the lauhing stock of the SEC!
Brandon Spikes (and gouges)
November 7th, 2009
7:55 pm
dit tenusee tek try an grouge yo eyez tewday. i ax corch myers an he dint no.
Doyle Hargraves
November 7th, 2009
7:56 pm
For $29.95 and a couple cases of High Life, me and my band will come to your house and entertain you like you were watching Floyd or Bruce Hampton or a circus freak show, or at the least their roadies. Don’t worry about the noise cause I play cards with JD Shellnut chief of police, the laws on my side and your side to. LLYFF
willie martinez
November 7th, 2009
7:56 pm
jdawg, get a life. dooley is 80. he would have never been anything except for herschel. mediocre at best. 4 sec titles in 25 years? gimme a break.