LIVE BLOG: Georgia seeks bowl bid (and revenge vs. Tech)
Georgia players, angered by a home loss to Tech in 2008, planted the "G" flag after last year's win at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
(This will serve as the Georgia live blog when the game starts. We’ll also have a Tech live blog on, as they say, another network.)
ATHENS — Hello and welcome to the last game this season that anybody at Georgia or Georgia Tech will remember.
The Jackets (6-5) still have a low-level bowl game to play. The Dogs (5-6) hope to still have a low-level bowl game to play. But tonight’s meeting is really about the final opportunity for either school to create a highlight in a
The memory of Tech players (like wide receiver Andrew Smith) mangling the hedges lingers with Georgia players.
mostly miserable season.
As Georgia defensive end Demarcus Dobbs said, alluding to the last four years of his senior class: “I don’t know if we’ve left a legacy. But I know if we don’t make it to a bowl game, that will be one legacy that we leave. … We’ve done a lot as a class. But the only thing that matters is how you finish. Nobody going to talk about the Sugar Bowl. They’re going to talk about what we did our senior year.”
Kickoff is still several hours away. But there’s no reason to wait until then to start the banter. This will serve as your live Bulldogs’ blog during the game. I’ll update it later when I get to the stadium.
A few thoughts before kickoff:
♦ Georgia is favored by as much as two touchdowns. Sounds about right. While strange things happen in rivalry games, the only absolute about either team is that the Dogs can put up points, led by the Aaron Murray-to-A.J. Green connection. In the last six games, Georgia has put up point totals of 41 (Tennessee), 43 (Vanderbilt), 44 (Kentucky), 31 (Florida), 55 (Idaho State) and 31 (Auburn). I realize Mike Bobo bashing is a favorite pastime of fans but offense hasn’t been the problem, defense has. And about defense . . .
♦ The only way I see Tech winning this game — other than via multiple Georgia turnovers and penalties — is if the Jackets run for a ton a yards and dominate in time of possession, keeping Georgia’s offense off the field. So the onus is on defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and the Dogs’ defensive front. The Jackets are without starting quarterback Joshua Nesbitt and their offense isn’t nearly as fluid with backup Tevin Washington.
♦ Tech coach Paul Johnson knows his team is undermanned this game. He’ll have to “steal” a possession or two. So a couple of trick plays, like a fake punt, wouldn’t be surprising.
♦ Neither team has a win over a quality opponent. The difference is Georgia still needs a win to become bowl eligible. If it can’t beat Tech, it doesn’t deserve a bowl. The Jackets had lost three straight until having to scramble to beat 3-8 Duke last week.
Now, about this rivalry. The road school has won the last three meetings. Tech has split two since Johnson’s arrival. But if the high point for this Georgia senior class was going 11-2 and winning the Sugar Bowl in 2007, one of the low points was losing to Tech at Sanford Stadium two years ago.
To punctuate the upset, Jackets’ players tore off pieces of the hedges — something Georgia coach Mark Richt has reminded his players of this week.
“Coach Richt’s definitely been quick to tell us about that,” guard Clint Boling said. “We’ve got pictures all over the locker room. We definitely know what they did last time they were in Sanford Stadium.”
Wide receiver Kris Durham, another senior, said: “That sticks out more to me than [beating Tech] last year. It’s something you remember. You can still Google and see the pictures. They’re very vivid online.
“Those [hedges] are sacred to us. That gets to you a little bit. We didn’t protect our own house. We didn’t protect the hedges. We can’t say anything bad about them tearing up our field because we didn’t prove it between the lines and they did. They beat us.”
OK, that’s it for now. If you missed it, here’s a link to my interview with athletic director Greg McGarity earlier in the week. He’s standing behind Richt and says the coach will be back next season, and I agree. While I’ve been critical of Richt and the direction of the program in the last two years, my view is he has earned the chance to turn this around.
I’ll check back later.
♦
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2,645 comments Add your comment
Damon Evans
November 27th, 2010
3:17 pm
Vance Dauuley don’t forget about my finger and the red panties
Eddie
November 27th, 2010
3:17 pm
If Paul Johnson can’t blow out the Georgia team this yea,r like so many mediocore teams have, he’ll never be able to.
G Tech should win by at least 60, with Georgia’s freshman QB issues and all.
The Regulator
November 27th, 2010
3:17 pm
@Winston Wolfe: are you still proud of voting for Hussein Obama?
ScoutDawg
November 27th, 2010
3:18 pm
Damnthebitcher you are a silly nerd imposter. Yeah Awbarn Coach shiznit is going to be the genius again next year when SCAM is gone, or do you think awbarn was just that good due to coaching? Plus GUS is going to be head coach at Vandy next year, so I guess you are going to grow talent like SCAM? You could be St. Simons except he is literate.
TY
November 27th, 2010
3:20 pm
I love it that techies are so envious of UGA that they even go after the mascot. Can anyone say Total Tools!
JacketFan86 – keep the faith bud, if I were a gambling man I would take some of that action in a minute. What a sucker bet! Yes, you would be the SUCKER!
Steve
November 27th, 2010
3:21 pm
Yea Eddie, Aaron Murray is just terrible. He has some of the best stats ever for SEC freshman QB’s. He will destroy the nerds tonight.
TY
November 27th, 2010
3:21 pm
Enter your comments here
Blackberry Pie
November 27th, 2010
3:22 pm
Mutts lose 35-14
TY
November 27th, 2010
3:23 pm
I was laughing so hard at Eddie’s comment about Murray I accidently hit the send button. You will see just how bad Murray is when he throws for 300 plus yards tonight. I look forward to him sucking for the next 3 years!!!!
Steve
November 27th, 2010
3:25 pm
HA HA HA HA. Really Blackberry Pie? UGA will only score 14 against the pathetic Tech defense? Sad that you don’t know or understand college football. 42 – 21 UGA.
ScoutDawg
November 27th, 2010
3:25 pm
No Knutthegrabber, if UGA looses 8 games next year I probably will, with the help of my nerd, track you down on the internet and whip your silly nerd A$$.
ScoutDawg
November 27th, 2010
3:27 pm
Was just kidding about st. simons.
TY
November 27th, 2010
3:27 pm
Consider the handle Steve – Blackberry Pie
That’s nothing but a techie through and through with no clue and a techie that has used several different names! Oh I so look forward to being on here tomorrow laughing at the techies!
Jared
November 27th, 2010
3:28 pm
Tech wins by 35. Murray chokes.
Raynaurd
November 27th, 2010
3:28 pm
Ga Tech 45, Georgia 21.
Peter
November 27th, 2010
3:29 pm
Georgia Tech will win this one by a large margin. Georgia’s just terrible this year, couldn’t even beat Colorado.
layinlow
November 27th, 2010
3:29 pm
ScoutDud, regardless of what happens if Auburn wins out they too will have a national championship so your argument about next year is stupid. I’m a diehard fan and I want a shot at a National title and richt just isn’t getting the job done. We have been mediocre for a while now so how is keeping the status quo going to improve the program. The same cast of characters will return next year and once again we will be looking up at the conference elite. Your okay with that?
TY
November 27th, 2010
3:30 pm
Your nerds are killing me…. I appreciate the humor!
David
November 27th, 2010
3:30 pm
Look for Tech to run all over Georgia, to stack 9 in the box, since Murray can’t throw the deep ball, and crush the Dogs.
Jason
November 27th, 2010
3:31 pm
This is finally Tech’s year. Georgia’s down, Coach J pounces. Knocks Richt out of the Bowl.
Blackberry Pie
November 27th, 2010
3:31 pm
Steve is just another clueless mutt fan of a bunch of thugs that fails to realize that UGA is 5-6. One question steve? Is Georgia’s defense better? Ask colorado, Mississippi State and Cam Newton
Steve
November 27th, 2010
3:31 pm
And Peter, Tech lost to Kansas and almost lost to Duke. Get ready for an a$$ kicking.
Eddie
November 27th, 2010
3:32 pm
Excuse me? Yeah man, Murray looked so scary on his long boms against South Carolina and Miss State. Please, throws 1 a game.
jack bull
November 27th, 2010
3:32 pm
if you like your QB to be good on 3rd down, in the 4th qtr, and in the red zone(which are pretty big catagories to a QB), then you may want to look somewhere other than A Murray. he’s 11th in the SEC in those just ahead of Vandy’s QB.. other than that, he’s pretty dang good…
Blackberry Pie
November 27th, 2010
3:32 pm
TY I look forward to you whining and complaining when the mutts lose. Dawgs will be 5-7 and sitting at home just like Texas
Steve
November 27th, 2010
3:33 pm
UGA’s defense was actually good against Colorado and MSU. The offense was bad in those games. And Cam Newton? Not one team has stopped him all year you moron. Do you have any clue what would happen if Tech played Auburn? 85-21.
Tim
November 27th, 2010
3:33 pm
Tech is #1 in the run. Georgia is #71 in their run.
Advantage Bees.
jack bull
November 27th, 2010
3:34 pm
of course, Tevin Washington couldn’t hold Murray’s jock strap…although i think he’d like too…
Tim
November 27th, 2010
3:34 pm
If our dumbo OC knew how to call a runnign play the way Ga Tech was, Georgia owuld have won at least 3 more games.
Grady
November 27th, 2010
3:35 pm
Murray gets, what, 4 yards ruhsing a quarter? Our QB gets 15 yards rushing on 1 play.
Steve
November 27th, 2010
3:36 pm
Ah Tim, yet another NERD posting fake stats. Click this link and look in the upper right corner and let me know what it says. Take a close look at the defense also. Tech had a better running game last year and what happened when they played UGA? Moron!
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/teams/page/GA/georgia-bulldogs
Blackberry Pie
November 27th, 2010
3:36 pm
Steve your team only scored 6 points vs south carolina? One player teams beat UGA. Marcus Lattimore and Cam Newton
TY
November 27th, 2010
3:37 pm
hey Blackberry Pie, let me know all the different names you use so I can look for you tomorrow. This game will be over with by halftime!
The truth
November 27th, 2010
3:37 pm
UGA SUCKS
ScoutDawg
November 27th, 2010
3:37 pm
Backdoorinlow, er-layinlow if you think awbarn is going to have a NC, or maybe even a football team next year then I don’t even want to talk to you.
Blackberry Pie
November 27th, 2010
3:38 pm
TY will you eat crow after the mutts lose tonight? Because it will happen tonight loser
TY
November 27th, 2010
3:39 pm
Keep dreaming about your running game NERDS!! Nesbit is your running game and he is OUT!!! No contest! Dawgs up by 21 at the half!
Yes, for me, it would be a whole different conversation if Nesbit was playing. He is not and the Nerd Herd is going to be beaten like a rented Mule!
The truth
November 27th, 2010
3:40 pm
When georgia can beat a real team then you idiots can talk. Even Tennessee is bowl eligible. Geirgia has only beat one team with a winning record and that is Kentucky. How lame is that
reebok
November 27th, 2010
3:41 pm
Don’t underestimate Tevin Washington, Dog fans. He is a skilled option QB and will eventually run the offense better that Josh Nesbitt did…of course, this is only his 3rd game as a starter, so I don’t expect much from him tonight, but remarks about how he couldn’t carry Murray’s jock are way out of line.
On the subject of young Mr Murray, he reminds me a bit of Eric Zeier and I think he will do a great job QB’ing your team for the next 3 years.
TY
November 27th, 2010
3:41 pm
Whatever Blackberry Pie. Keep on dreaming. I know for a fact that you will not be on here tomorrow! You will be crying under your little sisters pillow. “Big brother beat us up again”
Blackberry Pie
November 27th, 2010
3:41 pm
Murray will lose the game tonight, just like the florida game he will CHOKE
ScoutDawg
November 27th, 2010
3:42 pm
Lickitlow, two bad years makes a sorry team? I don’t think so. I think it makes you a bandwagon, trailerpark, no good weak a$$ imposter fan, who married his sister.
Blackberry Pie
November 27th, 2010
3:42 pm
TY keep hiding in your mama’s basement loser because Tech has a winning record, how about the mutts?
Davis
November 27th, 2010
3:43 pm
Murray reminds me of Ron Pawlus.
TY
November 27th, 2010
3:44 pm
reebok – I agree. I think Tevin will be good. He does not have the experience yet. Next year will be a differnt story if CPJ calls the right plays for him. He is a better passer than nesbit! Your OC will have to change the plays around a little to assist with his skills! I look forward to seeing what he can do…. except for one game of course.
Blackberry Pie
November 27th, 2010
3:44 pm
Georgia has played only 3 ranked teams all year and they have a losing record? What happen to the easy schedule this year??? 5-6 losers
ScoutDawg
November 27th, 2010
3:44 pm
The LIE-ertruth, yeah but we ran it up in the vols this year so your point, like your intellect is VOID.
reebok
November 27th, 2010
3:44 pm
Good luck tonight, TY.
TY
November 27th, 2010
3:45 pm
“Tech has a winning record, how about the mutts?”
Not after tonight you TOOL! And you know it!
Stewart
November 27th, 2010
3:46 pm
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