Georgia has far better than ‘puncher’s chance’ against LSU
Aron White, Christian Robinson punctuate UGA's return with school flag . (Johnny Crawford)
This is the column that I didn’t think I would be writing six weeks ago, when Georgia fizzled and nearly self-destructed at Vanderbilt, and a five-game winning streak seemed like the furthest thing from Mark Richt’s mind.
This is the column that didn’t seem plausible three months ago when I looked up at the scoreboard and saw, “Boise State 35, Georgia 21” after looking down on the Georgia Dome field to see a Bulldogs team get beat physically by a Mountain West Conference team and play flat emotionally — the worst possible exacta for a hyped-up season opener.
This is the column that says Georgia can beat LSU.
This is not to diminish anything LSU has accomplished this season. How can one diminish an SEC team going 12-0? The Tigers have played and beaten seven teams that were ranked at the time they played. That includes No. 3 Oregon to start the season (40-27), No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa (9-6 in overtime) and No. 3 Arkansas (41-17). LSU is as legitimate and proven as any No. 1 team that has come along in years.
Which doesn’t mean it can’t lose.
No. I’m not drunk on the Kool-Aid. Something changed in Athens. Maybe the 33-28 escape at Vanderbilt was a wake-up call. Maybe it was just a case of a young team slowly gaining confidence. At the very least, we know players reaffirmed that they believed in — and would follow — their head coach. Because a team doesn’t just rally from a 17-3 deficit to beat its nemesis (Florida), destroy Auburn 45-7 and spin a 10-game winning streak after a 0-2 start because it’s suddenly getting bounces.
After the body-slamming of Auburn, when it became clear the Dogs would win the SEC East, many felt they would have a “puncher’s chance” in the conference title game against the winner of the West, LSU or Alabama. But that short-changes Georgia.
When I hear puncher’s chance, I think George Foreman vs. Michael Moorer. In 1994, when Moorer was the heavyweight champion, he won nine straight rounds against the unranked 45-year-old Foreman. Then he got stupid. Foreman suckered him in. He landed a concrete right hand to Moorer’s porcelain chin. When Moorer looked up from the canvas, he saw little blue songbirds circling above him.
Three months after the loss to Boise State, the Bulldogs return to the Georgia Dome Saturday against LSU. They don’t need to rely on one lucky punch to win. They have become that good. They are playing with a rhythm, a confidence and an edge that we haven’t seen since 2007.
A year ago, when I wrote that Richt deserved to come back this season because of what he had accomplished in Athens, there was a backlash. Many fans wanted him fired. I wasn’t ready to make that leap. But neither did I share the confidence of Richt’s defenders, particularly after the season’s first two games. An unraveling seemed imminent. So did a job change. Clearly, that’s not happening now.
LSU is rolling. But so is Georgia. Aaron Murray is the best quarterback the LSU defense will face this season, and in the last four games he has completed 68 percent of his passes for 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. The offense is loaded with receivers: Orson Charles, Malcolm Mitchell, Tavarres King, et al. (Just when Georgia Tech figured it had everybody covered Saturday, a freshman, Chris Conley, popped open in the end zone. Chris Conley? He’s UGA’s sixth-leading receiver.)
The assumption here is that with Isaiah Crowell being held out Saturday with an ankle injury, he and Carlton Thomas (who had only a few carries against Tech) will be ready for LSU and provide balance to the offense.
Defensively, the Dogs get better by the week. They throttled the Tech’s option offense Saturday and held the Jackets to 10 points until a meaningless touchdown in the final minutes.
Boise State and South Carolina combined for eight offensive touchdowns in the first two games. In the 10 since, Georgia has allowed only 12 offensive touchdowns. That includes one or none in seven of the 10 games. This is the second-best defense LSU will face this season. They managed only three field goals (one in overtime) against the only opponent with a better one, Alabama.
Georgia doesn’t have a mere puncher’s chance in the SEC championship. Georgia has a legitimate chance. The team that will play in the Georgia Dome on Dec. 3 is not the same one that played there on Sept. 3.
Some things you just don’t see coming.
By Jeff Schultz
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November 28th, 2011
12:38 pm
Summers Eve
SEC East Chumps
November 28th, 2011
12:39 pm
I’M GOING TO PUT IT OUT THERE LIKE THIS…LSU 38 UGA 10…THEN IN THE NATIONAL TITLE…IT REALLY WON’T MATTER TO ME WHO WINS BECAUSE IT’LL BE ALL SEC…I ALWAYS PULL FOR THE SEC TEAM IN THE NATIONAL TITLE NO MATTER WHO PLAYS…FL, LSU, BAMA…WAREAGLE…WHOEVER(EXCEPT GA, BUT THEN AGAIN WE WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT…HAHA)…BUT THIS WILL BE ONE FOR THE AGES…I THINK BAMA WILL GET SOME REVENGE THOUGH…BAMA 12 LSU 9…
HAY, YOU GUYS REMEMBER THAT YEAR UGA WAS RANKED #1…WHAT WAS THAT, 06 OR 07…LOL…WHAT A JOKE THE BOODAWGS ARE…LOL
Elmer Fudd
November 28th, 2011
12:41 pm
You wascally mutts are so dewulsional!
Samuel L. Jackson
November 28th, 2011
12:42 pm
uh oh, guess what I just found…. My little UGA Bulldog joke book!
Anybody know how you stop a bulldog from pulling its pud?
You paint his meat orange and blue, that way he’ll only beat it once every 7 yrs
Athens PD
November 28th, 2011
12:49 pm
I hope the ATL PD has enough officers to lock up the mutt fans once they start their usual shennigans.
ARdawg
November 28th, 2011
12:49 pm
We RUN this state!!
Athens PD
November 28th, 2011
12:51 pm
ARdawg …. you run a backwoods, hillbilly state like Georgia? That’s something to be REALLY proud of.
Toomers Corner
November 28th, 2011
12:52 pm
Well at least we didn’t have to clean up toilet paper.
Samuel L. Jackson
November 28th, 2011
12:52 pm
ARdawg,
While you do “RUN your state”, the GA Dome will belong to LSU on Saturday night!!!!
Finebalm
November 28th, 2011
12:54 pm
DREAM TEAM UGA. WE are just LIVING THE DREAM.
Just Sayin'
November 28th, 2011
12:54 pm
You dawg fans going to dome Saturday …. they have a really modern invention that you will see when you get inside. It’s called indoor plumbing. You can actually go to the toilet inside rather than peeing outside like you do at home.
Jborodawg
November 28th, 2011
12:55 pm
Since there’s so many comments having nothing to do with the subject, I’ll pile right on.
Looks like Urban Meyer isn’t worried about his health, spending time with his family, nor his daughter’s volley ball games after all.
How can Charlie Weis or Ralph Friedgen be examples for players to stay in shape and eat right?
Notice how FSU had as many penalty yards against Flawduh as they did yards on offense…and they still won? Now, THAT’s weird.
Mizzou is #25 in the BCS but not ranked in any of the polls. (But they are #18 in the Sagarin ratings.(
Playoff system? Wouldn’t there would be the same controversies we have now about who plays and who doesn’t; who plays whom? The playoffs begin with the first game in September.
As Bisher would say, Selah.
Terry
November 28th, 2011
12:56 pm
Offensive yards against same Teams played
Plays-Net Yards
————-MS—–MISST—-TN———–FL——-AUB——-KY
UGA—82-475—74-315–63-366—-83-354—-74-528—75-317
LSU—58-458—-65-361–69-383—-63-453—-59-393—67-348
Yards given up by Defenses of same Teams played
Plays-Net Yards
————-MS——-MISST—-TN————FL——-AUB——-KY
UGA—56-183- —67-213—63-270—-56-226—48-195—57-165
LSU—-61-195—-59-193—49-239—-48-213—58-248—64-155
Just Sayin'
November 28th, 2011
12:58 pm
Terry …. get out of your mama’s basement and get a breath of fresh air.
Terry
November 28th, 2011
1:00 pm
Jborodawg, Urban Meyer never was spending time with his family, he was working for ESPN, If he really quit Florida to be with his family why take the ESPN job?
Finebalm
November 28th, 2011
1:01 pm
Do the trees at Toomer’s Corner make good fire wood?
Terry
November 28th, 2011
1:03 pm
Just Sayin’, I’m 50 years old, married, own my own home, and retire. What’s you’re excuse?
Harvey Updyke
November 28th, 2011
1:04 pm
Finebalm …. we’ll see in the spring.
Just Sayin'
November 28th, 2011
1:05 pm
Proud of you Terry. How’s your slide rule working?
hobnail
November 28th, 2011
1:07 pm
LSU will win by at least 14 pts. With our weak offensive line, UGA will be lucky to get 200 yds. total offense. But the SEC East title will help recruiting.
Terry
November 28th, 2011
1:07 pm
Just Sayin, Is that the best you can do, how old are you 12?
Just Sayin'
November 28th, 2011
1:09 pm
Actually I’m 32 and have been enrolled at UGA since I was 18. I expect to graduate in 5 years.
Onegood1
November 28th, 2011
1:11 pm
To get into to GA, you now need a 3.75 GPA and over 1350 on SAT’s (well, you need that if you’re white anyway). When I went to Athens, we had a joke about ourselves that said that Jesus could never have been born here because you could never find 3 wise men and a virgin.
Are the good ol boys still at LSU?
You know, they went in dumb, come out dumb too.
Hustlin ’round Hotlanta in their alligator shoes.
Gettin drunk every weekend at the barbque.
Is Randy Newman even still alive?
Just Sayin'
November 28th, 2011
1:12 pm
YOUR excuse, not you’re excuse. I LARNED that in English this year.
bobby
November 28th, 2011
1:14 pm
i don’t know if uga can beat lsu or not but for them to do that they have to play the game of their lives.
philSC
November 28th, 2011
1:15 pm
THEY MIGHT BEAT EM IN WOMEN GYMANSTICS…THATS ABOUT IT! Lsu 45 uga 13
AHAW
November 28th, 2011
1:16 pm
Isn’t this article written by the same guy who kept telling us the Braves would make the playoffs??????
Joe Bob Thibodaux
November 28th, 2011
1:17 pm
shankit
Were LSU to get up more than 21 late in the game, Miles might give the Georgia kid a cameo, just to get him pumped up for next year. I don’t expect the game to be very close, and I think Georgia has a good team. Still, the game has to be played. It will be great to beat Alabama twice in one season, too.
Historical note: LSU played Georgia twice in one season during WWII.
JBT
JBT
Just Sayin'
November 28th, 2011
1:24 pm
I also learned I like coach Sandusky!
Just Sayin'
November 28th, 2011
1:26 pm
I sure do. He reminds me of those days of yester year that I used to spend with Vince Dooley.
Bayou Cowboy
November 28th, 2011
1:28 pm
Beeg game Sattee. I gonna make be some special gumbo, four shore.
Willi
November 28th, 2011
1:32 pm
It’s the Kool-Aid, definetly.
You've got to give us credit - we've got a lot of nerve
November 28th, 2011
1:47 pm
We have no running back. The ones we are down to on the depth chart fumble the ball. We have a quarterback who throws interceptions and fumbles the ball. We cannot cover punts. We cannot cover kick-offs. We lost to every football team who is ranked in any poll today, all year long, every one. We cannot score touchdowns when we get into the Red Zone, and we miss the field goals we always settle for, too. Our little quarterback gets sacked every couple sets of downs and when he runs the ball even against cupcakes, he averages one (1) yard per carry his entire career. Our Quarterback has been on campus since December 2008 when we were practicing for the Michigan State bowl game and yet he has not beat a single team who ends any season in the top 25 in any poll whatsoever yet. Our offensive coordinator thinks 3rd and 10 means sprint draw. And we stole him from JAX State where he was their QB coach. Our Running Backs’ coach used to be a WR for us. Our WR coach used to be a great RB. Our TE coach is a QB. We have 33 players Mark Richt gave a Scholarship to suit up against LSU who are just gone from the program. Our fans think that is addition by attrition. We haven’t beat a team finishing in the top 10 since 2006. 2006 was six (6) seasons ago. 6 seasons ago in 2006 when we did last beat a team like this who ended up in the top 10, we Lost 4 games that year. The last time we played in the SEC Championship Game was 2005. 2005 was seven (7) seasons ago. 2005 we ended up the # 3 team in The SEC in every stinking poll. If we win this game like we did in 2005 ending up # 3 SEC 2005, we will end up # 5 this year – that’s if we beat LSU. We have no fullback. All we do on punts is fair catch. Our QB throws the football behind the receivers or over their heads, or just throws himself down on the turf so as to not get tackled, he is so small. When he does get the pass off, it gets smacked at the point he threw it to, intercepted, or blocked at the line of scrimmage. We think as a group that we can do whatever designer drugs we want, and Mark Richt has suspended every RB at least twice, some 3 times and lets them play anyway after holding them out for a quarter without announcing the suspension again. We have lost 17 games against absolute nobodies in these 11 years. We have won 3 of 13 games vs teams who finish the season in the top 10. We have nothing but a pass-happy offense. We redshirt guys until like the 5th or 6th game every year, then play them only to see they will play here at most 2 more years. In the meantime all the guys the offensive coaching staff figured would play starter ahead of the redshirted players, end up never catching a thing and always dropping the ball. And, through all this, our fans have the timidity to come into this blog and brag we will beat LSU leaving them wondering what freight train hit them when we always lose such a game, always, and never win such a game. Albert Einstein would have a field day with us. The only consistency we have is that we are inconsistent. Our head coach hasn’t been ranked either of the 2 previous years, and this year has beat nobody and 3 years ago, he beat 1 team who ended up # 13 beating no one themselves – like us. And, 4 years ago we were # 1 in every pre-season poll, before 22 went out to celebrate that very night getting arrested and suspended. And, then we proceeded to lose to every team we played all season long, ending up # 13 in the AP Poll. We won the Fulmer Cup NC for that year and are # 2 Fulmer Cup All-Time Standings under Mark Richt. We kept a DC for years Mark Richt cursing at us that he knows what he is doing. He purposely refused to hire anyone from the NFL, and then on his 5th choice when all the other 4 turned him down, he gets a DC who he then spends all year long yelling at to the press, as he does also yell at all his players in the press after every game for why they play poorly. We rank # 7 in recruiting rankings every year 11 years in a row; and yet over the last 6 years, are not even in the top 25 won/lost record. But, we are the 1st to run in here and proclaim him the # 4 best college football coach when he isn’t even the # 4 best team this season, either in his own conference. And, won’t be if he beats LSU, as well, either. Every year for 11 years in a row, we get a crappy opponent and this year’s edition of cruddy bowl opponent is Nebraska who LOST to Northwestern a 6-6 team or Kansas State who lost to BOTH Oklahoma teams and played no one else and always plays nothing but cupcake city at Kansas State.
You’ve got to give us credit.
We’ve got a lot of nerve.
And, oh yeah we don’t have a special teams coach and you can tell that by watching us for about 2 seconds every game.
Don’t forget now, with 25 seniors this is a young team. Sky’s the limit.
WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR.
PurpleNGold
November 28th, 2011
1:50 pm
Hey Georgie fans, you’re playing LSU this weekend. Why are you still hung up on the Florida win (which I’m sure wouldn’t have happened had your AD been honest about when those drug tests were failed). I realize you only beat FL every 5-7 years but get your heads out of your asses and concentrate on this weekend.
This is gonna be easier than I thought. LSU by at least 30, and the only points Georgie will score will be in the 4th quarter when our 4th stringers are in. But don’t worry, Georgie fans will still crack open a Pabst because they beat Florida!
Jeddy
November 28th, 2011
1:56 pm
Jeff, I take back all the bad names I’ve called you this year.
miles
November 28th, 2011
2:03 pm
Considering that GA Tech is the best team they’ve beaten this year, how can you people delude yourselves into believing you’ll have a chance against LSU? LSU has played a top notch schedule while UGA has played the Coastal Carolinas of the world. Give me a break. With the lack of a pass rush from GT, I coulda passed as well as Murray.
SLim
November 28th, 2011
2:04 pm
This is funny… http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a78/nursetpd/LSU/Oh_He_Mad.gif
Mark Richt gladly shakes hands with the coaches who beat him
November 28th, 2011
2:10 pm
Mark Richt will have no problem shaking Les Miles’ hand after the game.
Trust me.
miles
November 28th, 2011
2:10 pm
JEDDY,
You like Jeff now that he’s as deluded as you other Bulldog fans?
I ain't deluded
November 28th, 2011
2:12 pm
Pass the jumbalaya again please
WDE
November 28th, 2011
2:20 pm
You’ve got to give us credit – we’ve got a lot of nerve = Thomas Brown…….
SecFan
November 28th, 2011
2:22 pm
The biggest mismatch is LSU’s pass rush against the fat, slow Georgia tackles, especially the right tackle. Murray will be doing good if he’s able to make it through the whole game still standing. Shultz sure knows how to play to the dawgs.
SEC FAN
November 28th, 2011
2:32 pm
I am an unbiased SEC fan, and I am chuckling at all the comments. Sure GA has a chance, but be realistic here, it is a very small chance. The quality of opponents that each team has played is drastically different and take into consideration what LSU has done to those opponents is amazing. Ga is a very good team, but LSU is on a different level. I honestly don’t think this game will be close.
Smashim
November 28th, 2011
2:33 pm
Chance? Yes….BUT you have to look at who Georgia has played so throw out all those nice GA stats.
Those previous game stats were simply not against any team even close to the caliber of LSU that IMHO will make them fold like a used beer can.
Sorry……….wish I were more optimistic…LSU wins this one big
Evansdawg
November 28th, 2011
2:39 pm
The Dawgs have won many games throughout history that they had no business winning. If there is a 1% chance of UGA winning, its a chance. What chance do you have of winning a conference championship Bama fans, AU fans, SC fans, Tech fans, Florida fans, etc. etc. etc???? So as you pose to be fans of various schools, think about how low-life and truly pathetic your lives really are.
I ain't deluded
November 28th, 2011
2:42 pm
Be nice to us, then.
Have pity on us.
Let our Richt-0-Philes have something to hang their hat on.
Sorry, they already have that. We made it to the game, and therefore he is Saint Richt. Forget how our Athletic Directors for years now have watered down our schedules every single year, now.
It is a race, you see, to see if we can get to 10 wins. Never mind NONE of them over any ranked opponent.
Can’t blame that on Mark Richt they proudly put forth.
Every team ending the season ranked has beat him to a pulp.
Why should LSU be any different ?
Just showing up, you see, he has justified their bragging of him as the # 4 best coach in all of America.
Something about dead/not dead, coaching not coaching, something like that – forget The SEC has 9 NC, and not 1 his.
Forget we never beat the teams we are supposed to beat.
Forget we ALWAYS LOSE A GAME LIKE THIS, unless we lose 4 games that season anyway – making it NOT MATTER.
OUTBACK BOWL for us, no matter what we do.
BCS NC Game for you no matter what you do.
So, be nice. Take it easy. Let us play your 6th team. No wait. That would be your starting QB next year, right ? Zach Mettenberger ?
Yellow Fuzz
November 28th, 2011
3:06 pm
I will be pulling for the dogs against LSU. But not the AH woof woofers. Hope some water boy Boucher decks a few of them barking at him in the parking lot!
WDE
November 28th, 2011
3:10 pm
@Yellow Fuzz at least your starting to wise up bug boy…getting someone else to do the punching us in the mouth for you…do us a favor pull for LSU ……
WDE
November 28th, 2011
3:12 pm
@I ain’t deluded … but your a troll for certain and for sure..
anthair
November 28th, 2011
3:20 pm
This game not only won’t be close…it won’t even be interesting…LSU by 28 or 35 or whatever Les Miles feels like scoring…