With Lattimore out, Dogs’ hopes rest on Florida game
Mark Richt didn't like what he saw at Vanderbilt but his team's in a good situation.
Not that anybody wants to see a great athlete have his season ended by an injury. But could anything more possibly go right for Georgia?
South Carolina has lost running back Marcus Lattimore for the season with a torn knee ligament. Lattimore was the key to the SEC East title last season. It was reasonable to think the Gamecocks might be able to overcome the personal and career meltdowns of quarterback Stephen Garcia and still win the division if they could get reasonable play from backup Connor Shaw. But losing Lattimore might be too much.
What does that mean for the Bulldogs? Just this: Beat Florida in two weeks and there’s a good chance they’ll be in the SEC championship game (against either Alabama or LSU).
Consider the top three teams in the East and the remaining schedule:
• SOUTH CAROLINA (4-1): The Gamecocks hold a tiebreaker edge over the Dogs for their win in game two. They probably will still win their game at Tennessee in two weeks, but sweeping the final two games at Arkansas and home against Florida will be difficult. Actually, they could lose both of those games. A split leaves them at 6-2. But minus Lattimore, 5-3 may be more likely.
• GEORGIA (4-1): If the Dogs sweep their final three conference games against Florida, Auburn and Kentucky – all at home – they’ll almost certainly win the division with a 7-1 record. If they beat the Gators, they’ll eliminate Florida and likely finish at least 6-2 (assuming a win over Kentucky). In that scenario, they would need South Carolina to lose to both Arkansas and Florida (assuming a win over Tennessee). If the Dogs to Florida, they probably would drop a game back, allow the Gators back in the race and lose tiebreakers to both division competitors. They could finish 7-1, 6-2 or 5-3.
• FLORIDA (2-3): The Gators need to sweep their final three games to have a shot in the East. That’s possible, particularly if injured quarterback John Brantley comes back from a leg injury. (Coach Will Muschamp said he hopes to get Brantley back for the Georgia game.) After Georgia, Florida’s only remaining SEC games are against Vanderbillt and South Carolina. They’ll finish 5-3, 4-4 or 3-5.
Most of the Dogs’ shortcomings were on display at Vanderbilt Saturday night. Mistakes and the lack of discipline upset coach Mark Richt. But they’ve won five straight and getting back to the SEC title game now may hinge on just beating Florida. Which, of course, has been a problem over the last two decades.
By Jeff Schultz
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374 comments Add your comment
Snoop Dawg
October 16th, 2011
10:39 pm
@kerryb:
You acknowledged that you didn’t go to UGa, nor did you graduate. You are not an alumnus. You don’t get a vote, so go play with yourself somewhere in private please. We don’t care what you think.
UGa will not get back on the good foot until they get rid of Marjoe Markt Wrecked and his trusty assistant Bozo.
Our record only attests to the losers we have played and the fact that we have the easiest SEC schedule of any team in the past 40 years.
The UGA football team today is a joke.
Great player potential, incompetent coaches.
Get some quality coaches and you will see championships again because the State of Georgia is filled with talent and UGA is the state’s flagship university with a history of football excellence.
Richt is an imposter of the first order.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
10:40 pm
Buckhead Bulldog, with some of the fans on here who needs opponents.
Buckhead Bulldog
October 16th, 2011
10:41 pm
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
10:36 pm
It comes with the territory of being a fan. Fan…short for fanatic, ya know? Relax bro’ or you will blow a gasket on here reading some of this stuff. Sic”em Dogs!
UGAKev from Columbus GA
October 16th, 2011
10:41 pm
SEC Fan,
In thats the case your opinions won’t mean much soon. I’ll be sure to send you some red flowers in a black vase with 2011 SEC east champs on it
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
10:43 pm
Snoop Dawg, go do some stupid thug rap. At least I’m honest. Just because someone comes on here saying they donated this and that doesnt mean they do. I’ve been a UGA fan going to games since 1980 so that gives me the right to talk all I want.
cloudodust
October 16th, 2011
10:44 pm
I said it back in August and I repeat, Georgia beats Florida this year. Problem is, I pity the team from the East in the Dome in December and it’s looking more and more like Georgia has the inside track for my pity.
SEC Fan
October 16th, 2011
10:44 pm
Florida is better than Vandy without Brantley. Just because they aren’t better than Auburn shouldn’t give you a sense of relief. Auburn will crush Georgia this year – but only after the Gators get their turn.
Hide & Watch!
Dawg48
October 16th, 2011
10:45 pm
Cry baby dog fans
All yall ever can say to try to “fix” the problem is fire coach richt thatsthe only answer y’all have!
No school is going to be on top every year no school is going tp play the perfect game every weekend! If a Georgia quarterback threw 40 of 41 y’all would cry about that incompletion! If a running back ran for 200 yards you would cry about the one time he got a tackle for a lost! I’m tired of hearing the crying! Just head on over to north ave and join the bugs and help Paul Johnson run his team! I would rather drink coolaid than get soaked by your tears! Any way go dawgs enjoy the weekend off get healthy and go beet some booger eat n gators!
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
10:47 pm
cloudodust, Do you really think you are the first to come on here with the SEC title game talk. You’re not.
Dennis
October 16th, 2011
10:48 pm
Next year in Athens you guys can act like your players and coaches and run onto the field and jump around when you beat Vandy. Tear the goal post down and don’t let anyone get back to Nashville without a black eye. Oh sorry, it seems you have the black eye. I know, rush the field when you play UF while the man of God shouts “that will send a f****** message.” Oh, another black eye. Okay, try this, dance around to Soulja boy while you beat the snot out of Auburn and wonder why the rivalry got nasty. Here’s a novel idea, just play ball and respect your oponent.
Tooth Fairy
October 16th, 2011
10:49 pm
Don’t worry Dawg fans. I’ll sprinkle some of my magic dust on Coach Richt’s noggin and everything will be just fine!
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
10:49 pm
SECFan, with that terrible pass defense Auburn is not capable of crushing anyone. They were lucky against Utah State and Miss St. I watched Clemson torch that pass defense in person. There defense is bad.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
10:50 pm
Dennis,here’s an idea. Get the hell on troller.
BobDawg
October 16th, 2011
10:50 pm
Dawg48, u go Bro!
Dawg48
October 16th, 2011
10:51 pm
@ keeryb
Stop throwing your pearls to the pigs! They are just negative cry babies! When uga wins the east they will be happy and cheer when we beat fla and tech they will come on here and talk crap to the gators and bugs! Then when we lose a game they will fall off the wagon and holler fire the coach cause thts all they know!
SEC Fan
October 16th, 2011
10:52 pm
@kerryb
It is true that Auburn’s defense was lousy early in the season. Unfortunately for their opponents, it seems to have improved significantly in the past few games.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
10:53 pm
SEC Fan, Murray will put 300 yards passing and 3 TD’s on them.
SEC Fan
October 16th, 2011
10:54 pm
That’s probably because Auburn has been playing quality opponents – rather than the cream-puffs Georgia’s been playing.
Alphare
October 16th, 2011
10:54 pm
UGA vs BAMA: 38-7
UGA vs LSU: 45-17
Yo Dog
October 16th, 2011
10:54 pm
Who cares you pathetic UGA fools? Guaranteed to lose in SEC title game no matter what.
SEC Fan
October 16th, 2011
10:55 pm
You’re free to brag and fantasize to your little heart’s content kerryb. Just remember that I warned you when the Dawgs crawl out of Jax with their tails between their legs.
Buckhead Bulldog
October 16th, 2011
10:56 pm
kerryb – Bill King just posted a new blog. More of the same : (
Dawg48
October 16th, 2011
10:58 pm
@ buckhead bulldog
Bill king is a negative cry baby to!
Alphare
October 16th, 2011
11:00 pm
Just checked, Auburn is still ranked, at 19 actually, higher than 25.
Auburn will beat UGA, 27-17.
Florida, I cannot believe they will lose to UGA until I see it.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:01 pm
Dawg48, You got that right. I think thats whats wrong with most of the negativity of the fans is Bill King never seems to write anything positive. I loved Larry Munson but one lasting legacy he left was the constant negativity never thinking we were going to win any week. Hardly ever heard Larry say something positive.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:02 pm
That run of UGA beating Auburn 4 years in a row is about to start again.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:04 pm
Last time I checked Auburn had the same record as UGA.
Brian
October 16th, 2011
11:05 pm
Hey Tech fans, your team lost to Virginia! Get off the Georgia boards and worry about your lousy team. Auburn sucks and unlike Florida, we seem to show up to play them every year. Go Dawgs!
Dawg48
October 16th, 2011
11:05 pm
Bill king is to uga what Bobby louder is to auburn! Pulls down a program bill just does it by provoking negativity in the fan base
Brian
October 16th, 2011
11:07 pm
Auburn sucks, their defense gave up 38 to Arkansas and they have no passing game. LSU is going to kill them on Saturday!
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:09 pm
If Auburn’s pass defense was any better Arkansas that lost to A&M wouldn’t have put 38 points on them.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:10 pm
Auburn wont be ranked #20 in the BCS after next week.
Brian
October 16th, 2011
11:10 pm
Auburn hasn’t beaten anyone who was any good. They don’t deserve to be ranked. They would have lost to South Carolina if Shaw had started. Georgia only scores 17 against one of the worst defenses in the country? The only way Auburn beats us is if Dyer runs for 200 yards and they don’t have to throw the ball.
Brian
October 16th, 2011
11:13 pm
I think we SHOULD beat Florida, but that doesn’t mean anything in this rivalry. They have our number and a mental thing with us. If we have less than 2 turnovers then we win. But we could easily have 4 too. Hope this is the year we beat them, even if that does set us up for a 30 point loss to Bama or LSU. Go Dawgs.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:15 pm
With UGA’s run defense Dyer will NOT run for 200. He will be lucky to get a 100. With our secondary they will not be able to throw to whoever they have at WR. It’s delusional to think that Auburn that could only beat an undermanned UF team starting a Freshman QB starting his first game 17-6 will beat UGA 27-17.
Brian
October 16th, 2011
11:15 pm
SEC fan, Auburn sucks. Just because they are ranked doesn’t mean they are good. Look how much that ranking proved of Tech’s team… couldn’t beat Virginia.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:17 pm
Brian, I dont think it is a mental thing anymore. The young players we have know nothing of it and haven’t experienced it. Last years team torched them in the second half only to lose on an INT in OT.
Brian
October 16th, 2011
11:17 pm
Kerryb, I seriously doubt Auburn will beat us… I was just saying that was the only way they would have a chance. Our run D has been solid most of the year. Auburn is extremly overrated and people still don’t see that even after a close win this weekend and being blown out by Arkansas. After LSU kills them, their fans will shut up. Go Dawgs.
Brian
October 16th, 2011
11:18 pm
I hope you’re right Kerryb. There are a lot of new players, plus we don’t have to deal with Urban Meyer anymore.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:18 pm
Brian, I was just expanding on your comment about Dyer.
dawg78
October 16th, 2011
11:20 pm
So we take the sec east as the least terrible team in a division that won’t have a top 25 team at the end of the year just so we can go to atl budget waxed by lsu or bama? And this is good? Doesn’t change a thing in fact images it worse by forcing us to keep cmr and company.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:20 pm
I think our Jacksonville experience is about to change more to like the 70’s and 80’s than the 90’s and 2000’s.
Bama Mike
October 16th, 2011
11:20 pm
I still do not understand the lack of discipline under Richt. ” I did it because I love him? Crowell unexplained suspension for one quarter. Coach Grantham should have just shook hands ” Tough game both teams played hard” and walked away. Sometimes less is more. The choke sign last year and now this. Poor character display and representation of a class institution who is also his employer.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:21 pm
dawg78, you are only about the 100th person to come in here and make that comment.
dawg78
October 16th, 2011
11:23 pm
Who cares about the Florida game. We have a much bigger problem. You idiots are blogging like his ear matters. Who cares if we beat AU. Unreal you people are.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:24 pm
Bama Mike, just worry about having Satan as a coach. I think Richt meant that he was showing him some tough love because IC apparently violated one of his minor rules. The Grantham thing was caused by Vandy players cheap shotting our defensive players below the knees all night then the Head Coach has the nerve to come up yelling at one of our players and Grantham stuck up for him. Grantham was coming over to shake hands until he did that. Now leave our blog and go ponder your fate with LSU.
dawg78
October 16th, 2011
11:24 pm
Sorry kerryb, I just didn’t read all the prior posts.
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:25 pm
Dawg78, Whose ear????
kerryb
October 16th, 2011
11:27 pm
Bama Mike go find an LSU blog and go talk smack to them. We are not playing you so far so why bother us with your stupid comments.
dawg78
October 16th, 2011
11:29 pm
On a different note, I’ve had it with TG. And I’m not even talking about that pathetic excuse of a D he put out there on sat. They guy is an embarrassment. He strikes me as a low class redneck. Anyone else agree. I might feel different if he had a great unit, but probably not.