Georgia enjoys a laugher and tries not to wonder, ‘What if?’
Celebration time: Carlton Thomas is mobbed after a first-quarter touchdown, igniting a 43-0 rout. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
ATHENS – Since Georgia is way past concerns about where it ranks in the Harris Poll, there’s little in the way of buildup for the unveiling of the first BCS standings Sunday. Certainly, there’s no reason for fans to reflect and wonder: “Will Vanderbilt’s record hurt our strength of schedule?”
But that shouldn’t matter right now. There is a pulse.
One week after thumping Tennessee 41-14, the Bulldogs boat-raced Vanderbilt 43-0 on Saturday.
That’s two wins by a combined 70 points. The only lingering depression following consecutive dismemberings stems from the fact the schedule is now exhausted of teams from the Volunteer State.
Seven weeks into the season, a 3-4 record is not what anybody in Athens had aspired to. But aesthetically, it’s far more appealing than 1-4 was — or what 1-4 seemingly projected to.
The latest win even inspired two Capital One Bowl officials to sit in on coach Mark Richt’s postgame news conference. A tad premature, perhaps.
Consecutive wins over bad teams at home don’t reveal a lot about how good a team is. But it certainly makes everybody stop guessing where the bottom is. It also says something about character.
As Richt summarized neatly: “It looks like we’re getting better. It looks like we’re playing with more passion. We’re getting some momentum.”
Next week at Kentucky will be a slightly tougher test. (The Dogs are 0-3 on the road.) The following week against Florida will be significantly tougher. (No reason to revisit inglorious history right now.)
Win those two games, and suddenly two Capital One Bowl officials won’t look so out of place. Uga VIII would be elevated to deity status.
If Georgia manages to turn this season into something special, people are going to start showing up at Uga’s doghouse, asking him to lay paws on their forehead.
The Dogs weren’t without some minor flaws Saturday. Among other things, Richt and his team burned three timeouts in the first five minutes of the game. But what followed was mostly a performance that gave them the look of a wrecking ball. Richt was even allowed to even joke about the early management issues. When asked about officials not checking replay when a seeming touchdown pass to A.J. Green was ruled incomplete, the coach cracked he couldn’t debate it because: “I didn’t have any timeouts left.”
"Big Bad Bruce" (Uga VIII) fell asleep during the game, apparently having concluded, "My work is done here." (AP photo)
But when a defense pitches a shutout and limits an opponent to 140 yards and an offense amasses 547 yards, there’s not a lot to pick on. The offensive line blocked. The running backs ran hard, broke tackles and didn’t fumble (Washaun Ealey: 123 yards, one touchdown). Aaron Murray threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns, and Green didn’t even account for most of that (he was the third-leading receiver after Kris Durham and Tavarres King).
The Dogs’ only challenge will be not looking back, not asking: What happened in Columbia? And Starkville? And Boulder?
“Obviously it hurts, especially when you look at the way we’re playing now,” tackle Clint Boling said. “Where was this two or three weeks ago? But we just have to move on from it. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”
“We just have to control what we can control,” Durham said. “Just get wins. That’s all we can do and hopefully get some help along the way.”
A two-game winning streak shouldn’t inspire parades. But it represents a breakthrough. Georgia hadn’t won consecutive games all season. They hadn’t won consecutive SEC games in 13 months — September of last season over South Carolina and Arkansas. Those were the same two opponents that started the spiral this year. Before the win over Tennessee, the Dogs were 2-7 in their previous nine SEC games. Now they will go to Kentucky with a chance to balance the season record.
Forget the BCS. Right now, it’s about cleansing, winning and landing somewhere north of Shreveport.
Durham again: “We were embarrassed the way we were playing before. We’re trying to get tougher as a football team.”
They are. We’ll soon find out where it gets them.
♦
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540 comments Add your comment
Winston Wolfe
October 17th, 2010
12:29 am
Katherine…………you’re wasting your time our slightly manly western friend. Just acquiesce to his vastly superior intellect and maybe he’ll just go away.
Delbert D.
October 17th, 2010
12:30 am
SECWest – One of my best friends with whom I worked with several years ago was an Auburn Civil Eng. grad and an ex-Navy Nuke submarine officer.
MississippiDawg
October 17th, 2010
12:31 am
The negative nellies are unbelievable…”Its only Vandy”, blah blah blah…it was a SHUTOUT against a SEC opponent and we called off the Dawgs in the 4th Qtr or we would’ve scored 60…The Best part is, UGA is getting better while UF and SCar and stumbling and banged up,,,Next weeks KY game is now a huge game for both teams…who would’ve thought that 2 weeks ago, Can SC lose two more times? I think so…as for the Auburn believers, their Defense is HORRIBLE….we can beat them because we CAN stop the run.
Winston Wolfe
October 17th, 2010
12:31 am
dam…..left out the “with”
SECWest
October 17th, 2010
12:31 am
Winston Wolfe – very feeble
Katherine – you claim that you are a “smart” ass and I’m simply an ass. It appears that you have it backwards.
J Clay – nice comeback and appropriate use of sarcasm without being personal.
Delbert D.
October 17th, 2010
12:32 am
Can’t you folks just settle this with a game of Scrabble?
Katherine
October 17th, 2010
12:33 am
lol wow….
Katherine
October 17th, 2010
12:34 am
SECWest did not like someone (me) making a joke about his/her post and has gone off the deep end to impress us all with his/her use of the english language. It’s almost funny now..but mostly just sad.
SECWest
October 17th, 2010
12:35 am
Winston Wolfe – you left out the “n” too. As I said, Katherine started this little spelling insult in reply to my original post. Lighten up Frances.
Katherine
October 17th, 2010
12:37 am
Have a great night everyone
Delbert D.
October 17th, 2010
12:38 am
There have been some issues with stopping the run. Georgia allowed 189 against SC, 166 against Miss. St. and 235 against Colorado.
Delbert D.
October 17th, 2010
12:39 am
Cheers, Katherine.
SECWest
October 17th, 2010
12:40 am
Delbert D. – Microbiology major. I hope your daughter enjoyed her experience at AU.
Delbert D.
October 17th, 2010
12:46 am
SECWest – She did, and we enjoyed visiting the campus. I too a course in microbiology while attending one of my 8 alma maters back in 1978. The prof was a moonlighting U of Pennsylvania guy. Lots of fun growing stuff in McKonkey’s agar, and then figuring out what the bacteria were.
Delbert D.
October 17th, 2010
12:48 am
I probably misspelled McConkey or McKonkey or whatever his name was.
Matt the Brave
October 17th, 2010
12:49 am
Um, when did the SEC east turn into the SEC west? I mean, really? What the heck?
Delbert D.
October 17th, 2010
12:54 am
Matt the Brave – It’s probably related to the reversal of the earth’s magnetic field. I read that it has already started. A large area of the east cost of S. America has dropped by 90%, confusing migrating birds and navigation by compass. No kidding.
SECWest
October 17th, 2010
12:55 am
Delbert D. – Glad to hear about your daughter. Eight alma maters is impressive in its own right. Just curios, what are the eight? Was the professor Dr. Thomas? MacConkey agar is correct but you’re definitely close enough if you only took one course back in the 70’s! No more spelling references though!
Delbert D.
October 17th, 2010
12:56 am
I’m starting to drop letters, so it’s time for me to check out. See y’all later.
SECWest
October 17th, 2010
12:57 am
Matt the Brave – yes, the current SECE resembles the SECW of yore.
SECWest
October 17th, 2010
12:58 am
Sorry, that’s curious, not curios for the spelling police (Katherine).
SECWest
October 17th, 2010
12:59 am
Delbert D. – I’m doing the same thing. Have a great night!
Dawg555
October 17th, 2010
1:02 am
SEC West……Stop! I feel like I need to break up a fight between my two middle school children! Be a gentleman and just let it go! Good luck to Auburn….but, let’s keep this blog about football!
Delbert D.
October 17th, 2010
1:03 am
SECWest – I still have the textbook (really neat drawing of a macrophage that looks like the lunar excursion module.) I don’t know if I have my notebooks anymore. That was the last course I took for my much-interrupted quest for my Bachelor’s degree from Thomas Edison College ( four colleges attended, plus credits in nuclear physics from my Navy service.) I attended 4 more in a 20-year journey to get my MS in Information Systems in 2000.
JSS
October 17th, 2010
1:04 am
@ Matt…
It was during the first half of UGA-Alabama in ‘08… With the exception of Florida’s run, the rest of the SEC West has been taking the SEC East to the woodshed since the “Infamous Blackout II game!”
Delbert D.
October 17th, 2010
1:05 am
Football, oh yeah. What a day. I picked the Wisconsin upset, but I’m still down 3 already this week in Sack Schultz.
SECWest
October 17th, 2010
1:06 am
Dawg555 – Katherine has already retired from the fray, and I am exiting as well, so your post is moot. Have a great night – the blog is yours.
SECWest
October 17th, 2010
1:08 am
Delbert D. – good for you. As I said previously, impressive. Have a great evening; I can’t wait to see what happens with the BCS and new polls after today. Good night.
Dawg555
October 17th, 2010
1:12 am
Well….thank God! It’s been your bickering post until 12:58AM….wait…was that just 10 minutes ago? I am turning in myself. Go Dawgs. May we beat your pompous a$$
JSS
October 17th, 2010
1:21 am
Scary thing is, Barnhardt actually got some picks right, freakin’ miracle!
» SEC links: Florida hits low with home loss to State John Clay’s Sidelines
October 17th, 2010
1:32 am
[...] Georgia enjoys a laugher in 43-0 win over Vanderbilt, writes Jeff Schultz of the AJC. [...]
Greg
October 17th, 2010
3:00 am
wow uo in roswell tnt and all i hear from these idiots is go kentucky. oh they think sc will somehow piss away the sec east. they even have the nerve to say sc will never win anythAng. this is what every fan around these parts laughs at. it’s the delusional idiotic uga fan. yay u beat a bad tenn team. and u just smoked a really bad vandy team. congrats! u win the gold medal. oh wait we forgot those previous 4 games. u see 75% of dawg idiots want to forget those games. they just think about what will happen next week, i laugh so hard about the non graduating dawg fan who cheers SO hard for his team to win today, then for SC to beat KTY, and then to think his awful team still has a shot. Man is that fan base so freaking pathetic.. Wake up LOSERS. You LOST FOUR in a row.
30 Years.......seems so long ago
October 17th, 2010
3:02 am
That’s because it WAS
Stupid rednecks
3-4
BoWeevil
October 17th, 2010
3:12 am
BCS Ranking # 77
Georgia World News | BREAKING THE NEWS BARRIER
October 17th, 2010
3:18 am
[...] Georgia enjoys a laugher and tries not to wonder, ‘What if?’ Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Bulldog Joe
October 17th, 2010
3:56 am
Congratulations Georgia tek, now projected to the
SHREVEPORT BOWL
Bulldog Joe
October 17th, 2010
4:00 am
Looks to me like these teams we LOST to, all were against teams who LOST yesterday :
Missy State already had lost 2 when they KILLED US
Colorado LOST at home again to Baylor Bears, Arkansas LOST again but our offense could not do that, South Carolina LOST again to Kentucky no less
A well-coached UGA team this season easily could have the SEC East wrapped up long ago.
We are not that team obviously. Everyone else is; but, we are not.
kingsx7
October 17th, 2010
4:11 am
JUST WIN BABY 11111
Bulldog Joe
October 17th, 2010
4:37 am
Win ?
We beat Louisiana Lafayette, vols and Vandie – clearly the 3 worst teams on our schedule.
In the meantime, The SEC West is a LOT better than The SEC East, again.
And, The SEC East was there for the taking this season without all these damn ARRESTS / SUSPENSIONS and their resultant LOSSES to 4 teams, none of which have ANY defense as proved again again all season but our offense could do nothing in any of the 4 losses.
T. Kyle King thinks the win watch is important.
Uh, excuse me, we are 41-18 after the 2005 season through this morning, the # 22 team in Won / Loss these 5 years AND # 2 Fulmer Cup Most Arrests / Suspensions after the 2005 season.
SEC links: Florida hits low with home loss to State « Acrylic Sports
October 17th, 2010
5:10 am
[...] Georgia enjoys a laugher in 43-0 win over Vanderbilt, writes Jeff Schultz of the AJC. [...]
Jeff Schultz Fan
October 17th, 2010
5:43 am
I think UGA Fans are o.k. for the most part. Some do get out of sorts very quickly if the team does not play up to their high expectations. This year
the dawgs will finish well with only one more loss at worst. The UGA fans
should be feeling thankful that their team is turning it around and playing much better regardless of the opposition.
Dawg Rule
October 17th, 2010
6:11 am
Georgia’s back! Richt’s got it turned around. Florida’s terrible—look for a huge UGA win against florida in Jax. SC will lose two more SEC games–Dawgs win the SEC east and will play Bama for the SEC title–mark it down!
mound dawg
October 17th, 2010
6:27 am
looks like a corner MAY have been turned, people dont realize that we lost to a very good gamecock team (that beat alabama), a good arkansas team(took ALA to the wire, shot it out with auburn with a hurt mallet) and a good miss st team (5-2 record, beat UF by holding to 7 pts, only lost to undefeated auburn and LSU). and all at the beginning of the season while trying to break in a new defense and QB (no A.J. didnt help) by the time they lost to colarado their confidence was shot, but i think now we are seeing the real potential of this team
heeldawg
October 17th, 2010
6:32 am
Crazy season.
To add my observations to the bonfire:
1. Say what you will about the fact that this was a mere win over Vandy, the team is better. Much better. Murray looks more comfortable running the offense, the line is blocking more effectively, and the defense seems to finally be figuring out what they are supposed to be doing out there. The last two weeks have been wins. That’s the key. The team that lost to Colorado could have easily lost either of these past two games–but that team is gone.
2. AJ Green’s presence changes other teams’ offensive gameplans even if he does not catch a pass. We are a different team with him on the field. If he had played against South Carolina, Mississippi State or Arkansas, I think we would have won at least two of those games. 5-2 would not have looked nearly as bad as 3-4–and if AJ had been in gameday shape against Colorado and had not been MIA in the locker room during the third quarter, we would have won that one, too. That $1000 jersey has cost Georgia a lot this season.
3. Georgia is a better team right now that Georgia Tech, so if I were a Tech fan, I’d keep my mouth shut. But that’s never been a virtue of their fan base.
4. The Kentucky game is going to be a shootout. But I think the Dawgs will pull out a win.
5. The Gators are very beatable.
6. The Dawgs will end up somewhere in the vicinity of 7-5, which I’ll take after the 1-4 start. Hopefully, the end of this season will set up the beginning of 2011.
7. Cam Newton is the best player in the country. He means more to Auburn than any other player does for their respective team. If he doesn’t win the Heisman, something is wrong.
mound dawg
October 17th, 2010
6:34 am
go dawgs
rosezeee
October 17th, 2010
6:47 am
Murray is a vastly underrated qb – all he does is execute and not make mistakes. One of the few bright spots this year. Coaching and O line still sucks
Still Feels Good
October 17th, 2010
7:25 am
The looks on the faces of those gold chain wearing, zipper head, disco biscuit Florida Gator fans and all the pecker woods from Cack-a-lacky. Where are you trolls now?
Priceless. Couldn’t happen to a nicer group of people. Bet the ranks of pick up truck alumni are severely diminished this week at those two fine schools!
Bulldog Joe
October 17th, 2010
7:34 am
Jeff Schultz Fan,
Sir,
We are at best the # 8 team in The SEC
If you find that doing well, you are OUT OF YOUR MIND
Bulldog Joe
October 17th, 2010
7:38 am
heeldawg,
The game 2 weeks ago is a LOSS
Caleb Freaking King PLAYED IN THAT GAME.
It is one of 2 games this season that
THUG CALEB
started.
The other was Louisiana Lafayette
BOTH are LOSSES
(ineligible player)
FLA DAWG
October 17th, 2010
7:41 am
The last two Blowout Games against a couple of teams that are amongst the worst in The SEC are a mixed bag of blessings.
Certainly we enjoy the victories after the previous miserable losses.
But one must ask why The Dawgs could not have played better against Ark, SC, Miss & Colorado – all of which have lost games.
Having watched all of The SEC Teams this season I see none that The Dawgs of Old could not have beaten.
The stars were lined up for The Dawgs to follow to BCS Land this season. The coaches forgot to show it to them.