Georgia loses to Kentucky, and the song stays the same
This is the picture? Do you really need to know more? An interception by Kentucky's Shane McCord of a Joe Cox pass set up the Wildcats' winning touchdown in a 34-27 upset of the Dogs.
ATHENS — They got bruised in Stillwater, blindsided in Knoxville and humbled in Jacksonville. Also, their dog died.
Nobody intended for Georgia’s season to unfold like a country-western song. It just sort of turned out that way.
So what were the objectives Saturday night? Easy. To create a memory for seniors who were playing their final game in Sanford Stadium. To diminish chances of the season ending in Shreveport. To look convincing enough in a win over Kentucky — whose 6-4 record entering the night mirrored Georgia’s — that the Bulldogs’ somewhat jaded fan base would start salivating over a possible upset next week on North Ave.
They whiffed.
With representatives from the Independence and Liberty Bowls in attendance, the Bulldogs held a 20-6 halftime lead over Kentucky, then unraveled like they have far too often. They committed four second-half turnovers. The Wildcats scored four touchdowns. Georgia went down, 34-27, in its final home game of the season, and it’s just as well because there probably are not a lot of folks around Athens who wanted to be subjected to another game this season, anyway.
Mark Richt is going to have a chore trying to keep his players pumped up after this one.
Most fans in the students section wore black. At this point, we can’t be certain if they were mourning the sudden loss of Uga VII, or the passing of significant bowl game hopes.
The Dogs just lost a home game to Kentucky for the first time in 32 years. Their record is now 6-5. It’s the most losses ever for a Mark Richt team. They would need to upset Georgia Tech and win whatever low-grade bowl game that takes them just to match Richt’s all-time low win total at Georgia in 2001 (final record: 8-4).
By any measure, it has been a dreadful season.
This won’t make things any easier for Richt. He has been fielding questions about the future of the program and what changes he might make, both in direction and his coaching staff. All this has been going with games still left in the season. Richt has been trying to lay out some tangible goals for his players –one of them was to close the season with five straight wins, which would have led to a respectable final record of 9-4.
Last week, the Dogs responded with a win over Auburn in possibly the team’s best performance of the year. But this was one of their worst — at least the second half was.
It looked like it might be an easy night. Four straight scoring possessions (two touchdowns, two field goals) to close the first half gave the Bulldogs a 20-6 lead. But if you throw out the Tennessee Tech game, do you know how many easy games this team has had this season? Zero. What could not have been predictable was a complete collapse.
It started when Branden Smith fumbled the second-half kickoff return. That set up one Kentucky touchdown. Joe Cox connected with Rantavious Wooten for a 43-yard touchdown to restore the Dogs’ 14-point lead at 27-13. But no lead has been safe with Georgia’s defense, not even against pedestrian teams like Kentucky. It’s why defensive coordinator Willie Martinez may have coached his final game in Athens, at least as the defensive coordinator.
The defense did nothing to help secure Martinez’s future. Late in the third quarter, the Wildcats closed to 27-20 when quarterback Morgan Newton hit La’Rod King for a 21-yard score. Early in the fourth, tailback Derrick Locke got behind the defense down the left sideline, snared a pass from Newton and blasted off for a 60-yard touchdown, tying the game.
Instead of responding with a score, Georgia responded with a meltdown. On the ensuing drive, Cox threw a pass over the middle right to defensive tackle Shane McCord. That set up the Cats at the Dogs’ 8-yard-line and led to Randall Cobb’s second TD of the game and a 34-27 Kentucky lead.
The meltdown was soon complete: While driving for a would-be tying score, Washaun Ealey fumbled a pitch at Kentucky’s one-yard line with 2:21 left. Another possession ended with an inteception. Checkmate.
This was not how Georgia expected its final home game to go. But it also didn’t expect the losses to Oklahoma State and Tennessee and so many other messes this season. The song never changed.
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1,377 comments Add your comment
DawgFan24
November 22nd, 2009
12:37 am
The fans leaving early was a total SHAME. Bunch of classless rednecks that never attended the University. This DAWG fan would never do that. Im sorry for the University, players, and coaches, and the rest of the NATION that saw that on national TV.
you sux
November 22nd, 2009
12:37 am
what cha got to talk about now on that radio David Pollack, has been HACK
Nurse Ratchet
November 22nd, 2009
12:37 am
OK guys- don’t forget the color is red for the Tech game. RED UP!!
Worst game ever...
November 22nd, 2009
12:38 am
To everyone talking about the fans leaving at the end of the game…
Have a year like we’ve had then talk. Have a HC that refuses to make changes even when it becomes obvious that change is needed(can’t stand obama but i’m borrowing that line). Have a QB that makes Joe Terishinski look like Joe Montana. Have a special teams coach that refuses to kick the ball ouf of the endzone.
Understand now why the fans were leaving. Not because they are bandwagon fans but because of what a joke UGA football has become. In 2 years we’ve gone from being the #1 team to an SEC bottom-feeder, and we lost a QB and a RB…big deal.
Billy
November 22nd, 2009
12:38 am
I would like to apologize for any of my Tech brethren who treat the passing of UGA VII as anything other than a tragedy. Finding humor in the death of an animal says more about you than it does about the team in Athens. My heart goes out to the fans of UGA for the loss of their mascot.
coach smith
November 22nd, 2009
12:38 am
I’d rather lose as a Dawg than win as a Techie or Gator
Super Dawg
November 22nd, 2009
12:38 am
Why was Kam Fong “Chin Ho?” Couldn’t they have just used his real name?
Bama2010
November 22nd, 2009
12:38 am
NEWS FLASH: DECEMBER 2010
RICHT TO FSU, UGA TO HIRE HATCHER
revwreck
November 22nd, 2009
12:39 am
sccatfan1
yeah lets go with that…..makes perfect sense….
sanford project
November 22nd, 2009
12:39 am
Next year Sanford Stadium will undergo a major expansion. The aisle ways will be widened to allow for easy and early mass exits. The Football program really sucks and the university recognizes the need for this project.
CPJ rocks
November 22nd, 2009
12:39 am
DAWG5, we can pull anyone out of an alley or cave to coach our bb team and the record would not be any worse
GTBUZZ81
November 22nd, 2009
12:39 am
Wait till next year?
trailertrash
November 22nd, 2009
12:40 am
Trash from the tailgaters, trash on the field, trash in the stands. Bullsh*t nation…the cesspool of the south…
Dawg5
November 22nd, 2009
12:40 am
Engy:
I’m taking pot shots at the Tech basketball team because if you look over on the first page of comments, your stupid fans were taking pot shots at UGA for losing to Kentucky and UAB in the same day.
coach smith
November 22nd, 2009
12:40 am
Large Orange
an azz whoopin??????
did you see the game?
UGA stomped UK up and down the field…Short field turnovers were the difference
Willie Martinez WILL NOT survive this as the d-coordinator
DawgFan24
November 22nd, 2009
12:40 am
Worst Game Ever…
No, that’s called being a classless redneck.
YelloJacket
November 22nd, 2009
12:40 am
I never thought I’d say this, but where the heck are all the UGAg fans we at Tech have come to hate? You guys used to accused us of being fair weather fans? Quit your damn whining and support your team! Cox is a student-athlete…..he’s not a freaking professional. It’s gonna be no fun beating you while you’re all whining…..get proud and arrogant like usual…..so we can kick your butts with pride!!
And seriously…our sympathy on UGA….it wasn’t his fault some jerk made him your mascot. I’ll bet his entire doggy life he dreamed of being reborn as a Yellow Jacket!!
UGA GT
November 22nd, 2009
12:40 am
Fact is, UGA has nothing to lose and GT will get caught looking forward to the ACC-CG. UGA 31 GT 24. Second fact is…GT needs to stay healthy to beat Clemson and won’t risk it all like UGA will. Not the attitude to have as a Tech fan, but its a gut feeling that doesn’t sit well.
JSS
November 22nd, 2009
12:40 am
FCMR…
This just in… Kentucky wins!!! Pull out another bottle of Boones Farm!!! You lost to Kentucky!!! AGAIN!!! And bless his little genetically altered heart, the Dog is dead too!!!
TECH
November 22nd, 2009
12:40 am
UGA lost to Kentucky. Auburn lost to Kentucky. UGA beats Auburn. Ole Miss beats LSU. Tennessee beats USC. UGA beats USC. Auburn lost to Tennessee. Tennessee beats UGA. I can go on and on…. Don’t tell me that crap about how strong the SEC is…..
Willie Martinez
November 22nd, 2009
12:41 am
Hey Kiffin and Strong,
If you had to practice against Joe Cox every day in practice, your defense would suck to.
The Golden Rule
November 22nd, 2009
12:41 am
Only a hayseed Kentucky fan would call himself “sccatfan1″. Dude that is just gross.
Finger N Cider
November 22nd, 2009
12:41 am
hey carrie prejean!
Tom
November 22nd, 2009
12:42 am
Are “Droves” a make or model of tractor?
Someone mentioned UGA fans were leaving early in them.
78 Dawg
November 22nd, 2009
12:42 am
Dear Not So Fast, At this point I would take any BLANKING school in America showing one iota of interest in the colossal idiot that we have coaching here. We don’t have to worry like Florida because no school in America gives a Rat’s Rectum about Richt. Even those losers at Florida State would not take this stooge back. Well, I’ll tell you one thing. I’m through with the money and everything else until Botox Boy is reloacted to another destination. I thought that inbred jackass was nuts when he said we would NEVER beat him and now I know thta is because he has knowledge of Richt having “pictures”, something is going on.
Proud to look down upon uga trash
November 22nd, 2009
12:42 am
This is going to be a GREAT week! The only thing to avoid is any of the stinking homeless uga horde trying to scarf up of anything in the recycle bins close to BDS@HGF after they cash their unemployment/welfare checks.
GTBUZZ81
November 22nd, 2009
12:42 am
You got to love it!!!!
THWG!!!!!
Doug
November 22nd, 2009
12:42 am
St. Simons, it shows a lot that tech has one loss and you still have to get on our blog to follow football. Martinez should be gone and Bobo right behind him. That should be Bryan Evans’ last game. Thanks CMR for ensuring that we start next year with a qb that has never taken a snap. What did you accomplish by sticking with Cox? Here’s to hoping 11′ is our year.
DisgustedDawg
November 22nd, 2009
12:43 am
What a pathetic effort on the entire team and coaching staff. Total melt down. Should have given another quarterback an opportunity to gain some game experience.I just don’t get it. Please explain. Mr. Evans please take the bull by the horn and do something.
Golden Tornado
November 22nd, 2009
12:43 am
It was reported that the cause of UGA VII death was the result of a nightmare. He dreamed that he was run over by a Diesal truck with a license plate: GT 21. It shook him up so bad his heart could not take it!
Engy
November 22nd, 2009
12:44 am
UGA GT: Really, dude. Really? Sorry, but your delusions of…not even grandeur, but torching us for not focusing on the game in front of us is laughable. Our team will play their hearts out and when all’s said and done, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will carry the day, not the Jawja Bulldawgs.
Proud to look down upon uga trash
November 22nd, 2009
12:44 am
Hey Coach Smith – looks like you’ll be getting your toothless wish for a long time! This is GREAT!
Wicked Willie
November 22nd, 2009
12:44 am
Mark Richt is the best thing that has happened to UGA since Wally Butts. Lighten up, Doggies, you could wind up with a Coach like Gomer Gailey. BUZZ<BUZZ< BUZZZZZZZZ!!!
Donald J.
November 22nd, 2009
12:44 am
Problems———Willie Martinez, Joe Cox———-Always !!!!!
Rocky Top
November 22nd, 2009
12:44 am
I’d give the UGA coaches an “A”
I hope Damon gives them raises and extensions.
Go Vols
WildcatFormation
November 22nd, 2009
12:45 am
That’s cold Golden Tornado. Grow up and grow a pair!
kbatuc
November 22nd, 2009
12:45 am
I live and Cincinnati and can’t believe that the second-string quarterback for the UC Bearcats makes Joe Cox look like a junior high school back up. How can we have been so unprepared for this disaster when we knew Stafford’s slack butt would leave for mega bucks at the BEGINNING of last season when we were supposed to WIN IT ALL. Look at where we are now.
PITIFUL. Time to clean house. Richt, Martinez, Bobo, all need to go, NOW! How we never won the SEC with Stafford and Moreno is incredible enough. Now that they’re gone this is what we had left. Even in 2007 when we went to the Sugar Bowl. we were almost on the verge of a nightmare season in Nashville, when Vandy gave the game to us and we turned it around. Beat Florida? We’re not even in the same league. When will we quit playing them in Jacksonville?
But to you pathetic Tech fans who actually have a chance at winning a conference title for the first time since the dawn of man and are enjoying our blog to jump on and rub it in, don’t wet you lace panties until we see what the Dogs have left next week. You guys don’t play anyone worth a crap all year anyway. Come step up and join the big boys one of these days and play in the SEC all season if you want to talk trash about football with us.
Classof1983UGA
November 22nd, 2009
12:45 am
Mistakes in execution like fumbles, interceptions, blown assignments, missed tackles…can only be partially blamed on coaching and preparation. UGA seemed to have solid offensive and defensive plans. The routes and passes were working pretty well for most of the game, the running game was strong, and the defensive scheme played pretty well considering that UK was given a short field so often. Players make mistakes for many reasons, but not a single player in red and black made a mistake on purpose or from lack of devotion to the university or a desire to win. How dare you fans boo and leave early. Someone name me a single coach better that Richt who would take such a job if we fired him or (more likely) he left on his own.
notarichtfan
November 22nd, 2009
12:45 am
The lineman just plain quit tonight in the second half. Stupid penalties and too many missed assignments. I would blame this season on Richt’s unwillingness to go to his star freshman early on along with a tough, tough schedule which did not allow for player development. Bobo is a joke and is a major reason we’re in this mess. I’m not a WM fan but he’s done okay the last two weeks. Fabris needs to donate his check to charity this year as he sure as hell didn’t earn it. There is great young talent on this team but they’re making mistakes now that most freshman made earlier in the season due to lack of opportunities early on. Why did we get away from going to Charles late in the game? It’s coaching pure and simple and I hate to say it but I’d clear out the whole bunch as Richt won’t do what he has to do. What a sad and wasted season.
revwreck
November 22nd, 2009
12:45 am
uga gt
same response as 12:39
sccatfan1
yeah lets go with that…..makes perfect sense….
Buckhead Bulldog
November 22nd, 2009
12:45 am
Does anyone else remember good old Damon jacking up the minimum donations and ticket prices last year when the Dogs were preseason#1 this and preseason #1 that? He also played a little seat shuffle with long time season ticket holders and contributors(20 years, here).
I hope Damon invested that money wisely. Just saying…
marseilles mutt
November 22nd, 2009
12:45 am
Wow! What a special teams disaster!
That, and the inability to make adjustments ‘on the fly’. There is a decided lack of direction being communicated from the coaching staff to the team, especially on game day.
We appear to have become totally stagnant in our game day preparation. Case in point, while offensive game plan was working well, we should have been aware that there would be adjustments, and prepared for them- the adjustments that is. Wonder who made the ‘adjustment’ that removed Orson Charles from the game plan in the second half?
The QB play is but one example. Confusion reigns, where there should be consistincy and cohesion on game day.
But after all is said and done, you cannot fault the effort. We can beat Kentucky- and several of our other opponents- but we seem to constantly lose to ourselves. I feel extremely bad for the team…..and Baylie.
In the future, when firing is discussed, perhaps the offer of a blindfold and cigarette might help get the point across.
Ah, heck! THWGT!
Get ‘em in Atlanta dogs!
The Golden Rule
November 22nd, 2009
12:45 am
Hey UGA GT…”fact”…”gut feeling”…you are an idiot…aren’t you?
Brian
November 22nd, 2009
12:46 am
Hey, DAWG fans, I hear there’s a bunch of girls hanging around the girl’s dorm in Athens, masquerading as a football team!
WildcatFormation
November 22nd, 2009
12:46 am
And learn how to spell!
anyone can recruit in georgia
November 22nd, 2009
12:46 am
and another thing, tech has not beat us yet. they probably won’t. they’re not as good as kentucuky.sure kentucky sucks but they are better than us and they’re better than tech. just because I am upset with our program, does not mean that tech is good. who have you dorks beat that is worth a poop? we’ll all find out next week. enjoy crowing now. you’ve done in prematurely many times in the past and then you usually disappear. I assume it will happen again this year even to our pathetically coached squad.
Nov 28 2009
November 22nd, 2009
12:46 am
Sorry I’m all dawg but wow, Im glad this season is all most over. Georgia has too much talent to look that bad at times. no, they don’t need to fire Mark Richt, but he has to change the people around him. but Georgia is also a young team….But our defense can cover anyone, Let’s pray Georgia Tech doesn’t pass the football and then we might have a chance!
Open Wide DDS
November 22nd, 2009
12:46 am
Hey, let us calm down a bit. Let’s look at the bright side.
Most of us- that with any brain cells- were predicting 4 or 5 losses this year.
Every team has its down year, this is yours. Who cares if one of those losses are to KY? You almost beat LSU; allowed 9 less points and score 7 more points against UF this year; and had a shut out against Tech. (Tenn Tech that is.)
Who cares if your team is leading the nation in penalties and turn overs? You have enough talent to come over that, and you can say that you’re leading the nation in SOMETHING.
You still may pull an upset against GT next week.
Then again… win over GT is now an UPSET. Happy Uga VII did not have to watch tonight’s game.
GTBUZZ81
November 22nd, 2009
12:46 am
I guess UGA VII is rolling in his grave?
Dawg5
November 22nd, 2009
12:47 am
Rocky Top:
Don’t you have some football players you should be bailing out of jail right about now? Why are you wasting time talking to UGA/GT fans…I’m sure there’s an armed robbery happening somewhere in Knoxville right about now.