Georgia’s embarrassment grows more historical by week
Mississippi State's Arceto Clark leaps high to catch a touchdown pass over Branden Smith, one of many plays to not go Georgia's way Saturday. (AP photo)
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Was this convincing enough? Georgia just made Mississippi State look like a major force in the SEC. It’s seldom a force even within state borders.
Last week the Bulldogs lost to Arkansas for the first time in 17 years. This time they lost to another conference opponent for the first time in 36 years.
Doesn’t that suggest this isn’t some aberration?
The Bulldogs are 0-3 in the SEC. They stand alone in the conference in that regard. Behind Mississippi State, behind Vanderbilt, behind the schools you used to joke about. They are no longer the team that can beat everybody except Alabama and Florida. They are the team that can lose to every team well below Alabama and Florida.
After a 24-12 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday night, Georgia is 2-7 in its past nine SEC games. That’s not trivial, and it’s certainly not an aberration. The opponents in those seven losses are LSU, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi State.
Such widespread failure screams this isn’t about missing one suspended player, no matter how good A.J. Green is.
“We’ve got to fix a lot of things,” said the maligned offensive coordinator, Mike Bobo. “It’s not just A.J. Green. We got beat on the field. You’ve got to go earn it.”
Turn back the clock. Cover your faces. The Dogs just lost to Mississippi State for the first time since 1974 and the first time in Starkville since 1951. Their humiliation becomes more historical by the week.
Embarrassed?
“It’s one of those things where you’re not embarrassed to be a Georgia Bulldog,” wide receiver Kris Durham said, “but we’re embarrassed at the way we’re playing.
“Our season could turn into a catastrophe if we don’t stay together.”
Georgia was coming off losses to South Carolina and Arkansas. Mark Richt remained optimistic (of course). He didn’t believe his team would come into Starkville in a funk. But in the first three minutes of the game, the Dogs went three-and-out on offense and allowed Mississippi to drive 53 yards to a touchdown in four plays.
If that’s not a funk, it’s the early stages of rigor mortis.
Offensive-line play remains mediocre, particularly in the running game. The offense had three red-zone possessions in the first half, resulting in a net of six points (two field goals, one fumble). Georgia’s only touchdown came with less than two minutes left.
At least give Bobo credit for throwing himself under the bus: “You can’t turn the ball over, and you can’t have penalties. That’s coaching. It’s our fault.”
Starkville is cowbell central. Think vuvuzelas, only slightly less obnoxious, thanks to an SEC rule that allows fans to ring their bell only during the pregame, timeouts and following Mississippi State touchdowns and field goals. The video board at Davis Wade Stadium even carries the message, “Respect the bell.”
Regardless, coach Dan Mullen implored Mississippi State fans to make life as miserable for Georgia as possible. Just 15 minutes before kickoff, he stood in the end zone with a microphone and yelled: “Our team is ready to go, and I know our students are ready to go!”
Glad somebody was.
Many of Georgia’s early problems were self-inflicted. Washaun Ealey fumbled at the Mississippi State 1 following a 20-yard run after he was clocked by safety Nickoe Whitley. The Dogs also fumbled when a Mississippi State punt inadvertently was touched by Bacarri Rambo, then quickly recovered by the home team.
The offense has gone from a mild concern to a five-alarm blaze. Bobo has replaced Willie Martinez, the departed defensive coordinator, as fans’ primary punching bag.
But this is about more than one assistant coach or one suspended player. Once again, Richt did not have his team ready to play. The Dogs should have played desperate. They didn’t. They certainly didn’t play smart or play well.
They are 0-3, having lost three in a row under Richt for the first time. They are somewhere south of ordinary. And it’s not a blip.
♦
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1,247 comments Add your comment
Delusional dawg fan
September 26th, 2010
10:25 am
Marky Richt is a good man, we should keep him. He has a nice tan.
Wait til next year!
Dan Mullen
September 26th, 2010
10:25 am
WE SHOWED THEM MUTTS HOW TOO PLAY REAL SEC FOOTBALL
PappyHappy
September 26th, 2010
10:25 am
WELL HERE WE GO AGAIN!! Another UGA football player arrested for DUI!! This is why they are lethargic on the field!! Where is the discipline?? Where is the leadership?? WHERE ARE THE COACHES — ESPECIALLY MARK RICHT?? They are paid way too much for how little they produce.
Would you send your son or grandson to UGA to play football under this crew?? (THAT IS WHY THEY HAVE A RECRUITING PROBLEM!!)
RomewDawg
September 26th, 2010
10:26 am
A least we are not Georgia Tech. Be thankful or that….
TICKED OFF DAWG FAN
September 26th, 2010
10:26 am
I love the DAWGS, but why are people so surprised that GA has a bunch of thugs…. Like Richt, Bobby Bowdon who our coach learned from, wore his religion on his sleeve, yet had many players arrested and in trouble ALL the time…… and CMR was one of the top coaches at FSU when this was going on
Its the same ole same ole…. difference is that FSU was able play for and win championships. CMR did have us on the cusp, but it appears his time has come and gone…….
Keep CHEERING on those DAWGS but know the problems are systemic and start at the HEAD, ie CMR
Dan Mullen
September 26th, 2010
10:26 am
MARK RICHT DESERVES A CONTRACT EXTENSION
JB
September 26th, 2010
10:27 am
I really don’t see him surviving……….Why…..The embarresment is just beginning.
Snake Doc
September 26th, 2010
10:27 am
RomewDawg – Amen!
Washout Ealey
September 26th, 2010
10:27 am
Man if weez beets Vandy dis yeer I am gonna do da “Soulja Boy” dance at midfield.
Me from Kennesaw
September 26th, 2010
10:28 am
Fire the whole staff!! Start with Rodney Garner…..then Bobo and lastly Richt!! Then hire a “Probation Officer” to police the team!!
JB
September 26th, 2010
10:28 am
Mark needs to kick this guy off the team that was arrested last night….and any here after…
play the scout team if need be…..probably more heart there anyway.
Tech Fan
September 26th, 2010
10:29 am
I am declaring a unilateral cease fire with Ga fans, so that we both can mourn together over the state of our football teams.
Name (required)
September 26th, 2010
10:30 am
Fire Helen Hunt!!
CELLAR DWELLER'S
September 26th, 2010
10:31 am
LOOK AT IT THIS WAY……..YOU’RE AT THE TOP WHEN IT COMES TO THE”FULMER CUP”!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
powhownd
September 26th, 2010
10:31 am
looks like another UGA obsessed poindexter has failed to realize he just got lit up at home by a road dog.
nodawg
September 26th, 2010
10:32 am
The dog’s O-Line blocks like 5 midtown waiters. At least they line up in the correct “position”.
mcdaviddawg
September 26th, 2010
10:32 am
FIRE RICHT NOW. HE DOESN’T DO ANYTHING ANYWAY.
bamaguy
September 26th, 2010
10:32 am
In the ten years I have lived in Georgia I have gone from envy on the UGA program (while we were on probation), to feeling we were finally equal to the UGA program, to feeling superior to the UGA program, to feeling sorry for the UGA program. It is just no fun talking football with my UGA friends at the gym anymore.
At this rate, if there is no a new coaching staff and some hope for return to glory, Alabama, Auburn and Florida will cherry pick the best recruits out of Georgia.
Dawgster
September 26th, 2010
10:32 am
Another arrest will hurt recruiting more than the losses. Mothers must sign scholarship forms. We will be limited to only more thugs.
Hunker down
September 26th, 2010
10:32 am
Another DAWG arrested. Man I hope he wasn’t one of the good players.
Rest of the SEC
September 26th, 2010
10:32 am
From Goof to Donnan to Bowden Lite, we love UGA’s hiring decisions. Kiffin may want to come back to the SEC in a year or two. He’d be a great addition to your circus.
Seriously, thanks for the laughs this morning. You leghumpers are killing us!
David
September 26th, 2010
10:32 am
What is the winning % with Richt calling the plays vs BoBo calling them? Anyone know? I think it may be better with Richt.
5150 P.O.A.D.
September 26th, 2010
10:33 am
Snake doc You and Rome are not smart enough to be Tech fans. You have to live your lives through 17-24 yr old black boys carring a football and feeling like part of the TEAM. AHAHHA right. Your mom and sis ain’t hoes they ar sl.ts because they give it away to any drunk that sniffs their butt and has a half full can of beer.
Ironwood
September 26th, 2010
10:33 am
Dan Mullen, you sure did show those mutts how to play SEC football. They were all running their mouths saying “We own Mississippi State.” Good Job! They do not recognize that the past has nothing to do with the future.
Playin' With My Relf
September 26th, 2010
10:34 am
Career night for me. Rematch? Please?
BIG TECH FAN
September 26th, 2010
10:34 am
RomewDawg, Tech is ecstatic that you’re not us!!! I mean, who would want to be associated with the doormats of the SEC?!!! LOL
FLA DAWG
September 26th, 2010
10:34 am
JB,
I honestly believe that McGarity is the man for the job that needs to be done now. His recent arrival is timely. His success and connections give me confidence he will find a fine HC who will in turn hire good coordinators and asst coaches.
We are damn lucky to have McGarity. I just hope he feels the sense of urgency that Dawg Nation feels. We’ve been living with this mess far longer than he has.
tom
September 26th, 2010
10:34 am
coaches are the first line of blame, players second. Both need to be evaluated and the guilty parties replaced.
Artie
September 26th, 2010
10:35 am
Lovin’ every minute of it. Hopefully, the Buffs can keep the slide going. LMAO
And, no, I am NOT a Techie.
Danny G
September 26th, 2010
10:35 am
We have been in the position to win all of the games we have lost. There use to be a term called finish the drill. No one on this team knows how to finish the drill. Bobo, sorry buddy, but you have no clue. The players are not hitting like their opponents. Seems that coaches are not preparing our team to win. No excuses now. Just try to win the next one. Go Dawgs!
Dan Mullen
September 26th, 2010
10:36 am
Ironwood When WE Come To ATHENS, IT WILL BE ANOTHER BLOWOUT. 2011 MSU 35 GEORGIA MUTTS 3
Football is not academics
September 26th, 2010
10:36 am
Maybe the bible thumping absurdly paid glorified PE teacher in Mark RIcht will return some of his millions to the university system and some of its underpaid faculty. But it seems that salaries for the all important football coaches, like those of the CEOs they are modeled on, never go down with bad performance.
And during in the early stages of a recovery from the worst economy in 70 years Georgians have the brilliant idea of paying the washed up Bill Curry $350,000 charged to the students and then to create another one of these all important football teams at Kennesaw. Heaven forbid that education come first, second, and third.
Demetre Baker
September 26th, 2010
10:36 am
Just trying to fit in. So much peer pressure to be drink & drive & get arrested. Heck, I am proud to be the 10th player arrested this year. After seeing our performance in Starkville from the comfort of Athens finest establishments, I figured I needed to show the coaches that I am a team player so that they will allow me to dress for the next game & get some playing time. I mean, what better way to show my team spirit than getting busted for drowning my sorrows and then driving around town.
ad
September 26th, 2010
10:36 am
Ealey can’t pass block and cannot protect the ball. He should not play another down this year.
NoGaGator
September 26th, 2010
10:37 am
My sympathy for McGarity. Above him, he has to deal with Adams/Leeburn and now he is the man in the middle on UGA’s coaching situation.
Like many of the posters on here, I agree that Richt has lost what it takes to be a successful coach. In retrospect, I don’t know if he ever had it. When he was winning in the SEC during his early years, the SEC coaching talent was inferior to today’s. There was no Meyer, Saban, Petrino, et al. An earlier poster suggested that players don’t respect Richt and that Bama’s players stay in line because they fear Saban. Maybe that’s true and maybe that’s what it takes these days but there is clearly something wrong with the culture at UGA. Richt may be a good guy and all but he appears clueless. Just string together his latest comments.
The good news is that UGA is a heck of an opportunity for any college coach with its’ revenues and facilities. They will have no problem getting an “up and comer” with fire in his belly.
Dan Mullen
September 26th, 2010
10:37 am
IDAHO STATE HAS TOO BE LICKING THEIR CHOPS RIGHT NOW AT YOU LOSERS
Dawgster
September 26th, 2010
10:37 am
The head of this program is Adams. He’s the one who should go. He hired Florida’s office manager to be AD at Georgia. He’s still only office manager. Adams gives him absolutely no authority.
Snake Doc
September 26th, 2010
10:38 am
For all the apologists out there. Those of us screaming for MR to be fired do care about this team. We want to see a team that has a fire in its belly, goes out and plays hard, smart and hits people in the mouth. We want to see a team that even if it loses you know they went out and gave it their all and left their hearts on the field. Do you see that today? When in the last 4 years have you seen that from this team?
Thats what coaching is. Getting the most out of your players every play and every game! Do you see that type of coaching at THUGU?
Are there some that are too hard on the players? yes. These players are a reflection of coaching and discipline. We must remember its not always the players fault, if they’re a product of coaching, where does the responsibility lay?
Again the answer is coaching!
So what do we do about the poor coaching?
If you have the answer we are waiting to hear it. If your answer is “wait till next year”, well that ain’t much of an answer because we have been waiting for next for 3 years now!
If you’re answer is fire bozo, that ain’t the answer either.
The responsibility is MR’s and his alone. He choose this staff, this is supposedly his team. As Truman once said, “The buck stops here.”
The buck stops with MR!
Darkpassenger
September 26th, 2010
10:39 am
Romedawg and Snake Doc, thanks for reminding me why I find the typical UGA fan so pathetic. I’m not a Tech or UGA fan, but I am a Falcons fan. If the Falcons started the season off 1-3 and that last loss came to, oh say, the Browns, I wouldn’t be saying, well at least we aren’t Carolina. That’s so much of the problem with the state of your sorry football program. Mark Richt has been able to deliver a bunch of wins with superior talent, but has never been able to out-coach anyone and contend for a national championship. But because the standard of success has been “lets be better than Tech” or “lets be the 2nd or 3rd-best team in the SEC,” that has been good enough to satisfy people. UGA fans seem to have so little actual pride in their program. I guess you don’t need it when you’re still living off the memories of what it did 25 years ago.
heartofdarkness
September 26th, 2010
10:39 am
The new lesson of sports: rehashing the cycle of self-defeat.
SEESAW
September 26th, 2010
10:39 am
The whole campus is in disaray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Danny G
September 26th, 2010
10:39 am
I would hate to be the freshman that got arrested last night. He just lost his ticket for an education. By the way, I can ride around Athens for hours and not see a policeman, yet Dawg players can find them anytime, anywhere. Maybe the Athens police should patrol Auburn, Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, Lexington, Nashville, Columbia, Starksville, etc.. and see how many players they can bust.
K. Wittingham
September 26th, 2010
10:39 am
If you have the money (which I know you do) to pay me, then I will come whip that sorry-excuse for a football team into shape. Remember, I am the last coach to beat BAMA
Concerned Dawg Alum
September 26th, 2010
10:39 am
Dear Coach Richt, I respectfully submit that you may need to change up your motivational plan for the Florida game this year. I think the entire team should storm the field to celebrate Georgia’s initial FIRST DOWN. We shouldn’t take any chances on waiting until we get in the endzone this year.
GDAWGS65
September 26th, 2010
10:39 am
UGA has got to have the worst coaching in the NCAA!
DAWG NATION=SECRETARIAT IN REVERSE
September 26th, 2010
10:40 am
THE NAME SAYS IT ALL!!! GO TECH!
JB
September 26th, 2010
10:40 am
It’ll take 4.5 mil, the biggest $$$ in the SEC to get a name…That would be a guy sitting in North Carolina with nothing to do…….It’s thinking outside the Box, But I would love to See Cower roaming our sideline.
Being a wuss would be one problem gone….
heartofdarkness
September 26th, 2010
10:41 am
And kudos to “Football is not academics”
Demetre Baker
September 26th, 2010
10:41 am
Anyone know a good lawyer?
Beast from the East
September 26th, 2010
10:42 am
Don’t know what to say, Dawgs. Never thought this would happen this season. It appears Richt has totally lost control. Keep supporting your team, as things always get better. It does appear that the coaching search should be under way.