LIVE BLOG: Georgia tries to avoid ‘trap’ against Tennessee
Bulldogs safety Bacarri Rambo goes through warmups at Sanford Stadium. (Brant Sanderlin)
ATHENS – So is this affirmation week or trap week?
Georgia plays Tennessee today. Honestly, I was a little surprised when the Glantz-Culver line (adopted by the AJC and Weekend Predictions, Inc. as the official point spread ) opened with the Bulldogs as a 15-point favorite and it immediately dropped to 13½ (though it has inched back up to 14).
The Dogs are ranked No. 5, and look like legitimate
Alec Olgetree, along with Bacarri Rambo, returns from a four-game suspension. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
title contenders. Other than some first-half hiccups in the SEC opener at Missouri, they have looked strong defensively and leveled Vanderbilt 48-3 last week. Tennessee isn’t as bad as some people think – Derek Dooley inherited a mess and really isn’t doing a bad job – but for the Volunteers’ defense to give up 555 yards at home in a 37-20 loss to Florida speaks to where the program is.
The “trap” concerns come from the fact Georgia plays at No. 6 South Carolina next week, in a game that conceivably could decide the SEC East. And, fact is, Georgia has laid some eggs against Tennessee in the past: a 45-19 loss at Knoxville in 2009, 35-14 loss at Knoxville in 2007, 51-33 loss in Athens in 2006, 19-14 loss in Athens in 2004.
But I think it’s more about this: People are waiting for something to go wrong. Georgia is 4-0, including 2-0 in the conference. It hasn’t started this strong since 2008, when it was 4-0 going into the infamous “blackout” game against Alabama, only to be body-slammed 41-30 at home.
In fact, the Dogs have not won their first three conference games in a season since 2005, when they started 5-0 (7-0 overall). Quarterback D.J. Shockley was injured and they lost the next game to Florida 14-10, as well as Auburn the following week. But they still won the SEC title that season.
The biggest news going into today’s game is the expected return of both safety Bacarri Rambo and linebacker Alec Ogletree. Coach Mark Richt has played coy on the subject all week but it has been widely reported that both players had been suspended for four games.
That’s all I’ve got for now. Time to open the cyber-venting lines. I’ll be back to chat shortly.
What are you thoughts about today’s game?
By Jeff Schultz
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1,545 comments Add your comment
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
September 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
#5 team falling apart…
Been there, done that..
September 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
Over rated..
dawglova
September 29th, 2012
5:17 pm
B.smith ain’t the worst in CFB. He’s good just not quite big enough against biggwr wodeuts
Bill
September 29th, 2012
5:17 pm
My gosh, every Georgia player has lost his brain-power…we are a team of knuckleheads!
Bobo is Not the Problem
September 29th, 2012
5:17 pm
This is what you get with Mark Richt football. Barely beating a team that was tied at Akron at the half. At home.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:17 pm
I’m so disappointed in this Georgia team right now. They get ahead and let it go.
evil empire
September 29th, 2012
5:17 pm
good thing uga didn’t waste that money on a special teams coach…
Russa
September 29th, 2012
5:18 pm
sounds like CBS knows more about UGA than UGA knows about UGA
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:18 pm
I am sorry….I fake the run there and throw the ball down the field….maybe even for a 99 TD….especially with the way Bray is throwing the ball on Georgia.
Sam
September 29th, 2012
5:18 pm
Wow, Georgia is self destructing. Run, run, pass, and punt bobo
DAWGFAN
September 29th, 2012
5:18 pm
This is a bunch of BULL! Throw the ball on 2nd down to get some room IDIOTS!!!!!!!! Its hard waching thiscoaching staff!
Patrick
September 29th, 2012
5:18 pm
Can we be watching the wheels come off our season? Is Spurrier smiling big right now? Time will tell….
DawgNole
September 29th, 2012
5:18 pm
Russa
September 29th, 2012
5:12 pm
i thought they weren’t looking ahead to next week … maybe I was wrong
__________________
You were dead wrong. No maybe to it.
meagain
September 29th, 2012
5:18 pm
Vols have 8 guys in the box. Hard to run. Why the bone head plays on fielding punts and kick offs are so bad.
Draw play here.
oldfart
September 29th, 2012
5:18 pm
The play calling went conservative because the no-catch punt put them on the 1. That ain’t Bobo. The D totally slacked on the 50 yard drive. That ain’t Bobo. The O line missed an assignment and Murray was hit by an unencumbered defender. That ain’t Murray. Gurley just totally muffed up the kickoff so now Bobo will be blamed again. You guys need a lesson in blame assignment because there is plenty to go around right now.
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:18 pm
Sounds like CBS wants Tennessee to do this. Have we passed the ball at all in the 2nd quarter? Doesn’t seem like it. Bobo has shut this offense down.
Bill
September 29th, 2012
5:19 pm
Ok, all CMR apologists can move to the top of the blog…
Silly Bloggers
September 29th, 2012
5:19 pm
Georgia offense = 20 points.
Georgia defense = giving up 10 points. but getting 7 with pick.
Murray = 14 points for Tennessee.
By my math, Murray has been good for six net points this game.
dawglova
September 29th, 2012
5:19 pm
Give Tenn. credit for not folding the yent
Been there, done that..
September 29th, 2012
5:19 pm
Our defense sucks ars….Maybe Ogletree and Rambo should smoke a joint at half time..
Hairy Dawg
September 29th, 2012
5:19 pm
Big first down there.
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:19 pm
Great call there…..
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
5:19 pm
evil empire
September 29th, 2012
5:17 pm
good thing uga didn’t waste that money on a special teams coach…
__________________________________________________-
You don’t know college football. You can only have 9 coaches and no team dedicates a coach just for special teams in college.
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
Did he fumble>>>>>>>>>>
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
This is a damn shame. It just doesn’t make sense.
Jeff Schultz
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
Another fumble.
Russa
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
haha lol
Patrick
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
OMG ….version 2.
Hairy Dawg
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
Christ. We’re giving gifts today.
Been there, done that..
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
We double suck..
01HAWK
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
WOW…………………………………………SELF DESTRUCTION
Bobo is Not the Problem
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
J.J.M.
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
Coaches fault for running the ball
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
Like I said…..I play Gurley 95 percent of the time at RB.
meagain
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
Theius is getting schooled.
DAWGFAN
September 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
WOW I cant watch this!
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
Sad, sad day if we lose this game.
Hairy Dawg
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
We’ve got all day left to play. At least we had a big lead to lose.
meagain
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
How can there not be a personal foul on TN.
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
i hope we regroup at halftime
zzggyy
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
HOLY S*%T!
Sam
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
Hahaha. Just have to laugh
Bill
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
If we fall behind at half, Richt should have entire team run suicides the entire halftime show.
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
We were gashing them running to the left and now we continue to run to the right behind a freshman who is getting run over. Go figure.
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
WHY THE HELL is Gurley not in the game anyways?!?!!!?!!?!?! Dumb azz coaching staff.
01HAWK
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
DARINGTON SENTIMORE…………………………X-BAMA REJECT RECOVERS FUMBLE .Kicked off team by SABAN. LOL
Big Crimson 75
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
Darrington Sentimore — another Bama outcast.
We can't give this one away, can we?
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
Too many mistakes….
MattMD
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
Same old Georgia.
Same old Georgia.
Same old Georgia.
Patrick
September 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
30-27@ the half….?