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
evil empire
September 29th, 2012
6:49 pm
bray is doing a horrible brett farve imitation…
KDS
September 29th, 2012
6:49 pm
DAM
Ward
September 29th, 2012
6:49 pm
No pressure again…
sicemdawg
September 29th, 2012
6:49 pm
DEFENSE CAN NOT COVER OR PRESSURE QB
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
6:49 pm
Well….that was one great throw….look for 2 or 3 horrible ones to follow
Hairy Dawg
September 29th, 2012
6:49 pm
Christ, is Falcon-era VanGorder calling our zones today?
KDS
September 29th, 2012
6:50 pm
Send a blitz
JB
September 29th, 2012
6:50 pm
this thing ain’t over
deadrednecks
September 29th, 2012
6:50 pm
shudhaf hyred dooly. dooly bettr n richt. FIREH HIM HIRE A DOOLY!!!!!!!!!!!
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
6:50 pm
……what did I tell you…..at least Bray is consistenly good and bad.
Ward
September 29th, 2012
6:50 pm
Urban Cryer 5-0…damn.
Keith
September 29th, 2012
6:50 pm
Wow, I think the defense was better without the brownie eaters
sicemdawg
September 29th, 2012
6:50 pm
NOT A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM NOT EVEN CLOSE
katherine
September 29th, 2012
6:50 pm
lol i know who you are brownies..you have issues with women who arent your mom or blow up doll
dawglova
September 29th, 2012
6:51 pm
I’ve met Verne three different times. The man enjoys his cocktails
Ward
September 29th, 2012
6:51 pm
No one in middle…damn.
SOS Dawgs
September 29th, 2012
6:51 pm
Defense SUX out loud.
Russa
September 29th, 2012
6:51 pm
all those guys in the box and they couldn’t stop the run
deadrednecks
September 29th, 2012
6:51 pm
FIRE RICHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KDS
September 29th, 2012
6:51 pm
Mark is smiling while the defense sucks!!!
Ward
September 29th, 2012
6:52 pm
Amarlo finally makes him hit the grass.
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
6:52 pm
Bray thought he saw a car in a parking lot on that throw.
Here we go again...
September 29th, 2012
6:52 pm
I am a horribly pathetic human being. I am out of Makers.
JB
September 29th, 2012
6:52 pm
We ain’t man enough to go 12-0
SOS Dawgs
September 29th, 2012
6:52 pm
If Buffalo had another chance they would beat us.
KDS
September 29th, 2012
6:52 pm
A simple draw
Brownies for everyone
September 29th, 2012
6:52 pm
Defense needs work..
Dawgz81
September 29th, 2012
6:52 pm
Bama would have a field day with us….
Maybe LSU too….
Scarolina?
Florida?
Ward
September 29th, 2012
6:52 pm
Man with the talent on offense I would love to see what Chris Petersen and company could do with this team…
katherine
September 29th, 2012
6:53 pm
geez you all are not fans at all..its pathetic…if you hate georgia so much then find another team
Keith
September 29th, 2012
6:53 pm
Another TN first down!
Ward
September 29th, 2012
6:53 pm
I think that only Bill Cowher could save this defense.
SOS Dawgs
September 29th, 2012
6:53 pm
Of course that crap defense could not stop him.
Silly Bloggers
September 29th, 2012
6:53 pm
We need 20 people on the field…need this clock to start ticking. 30 seconds is too much at this point.
KDS
September 29th, 2012
6:53 pm
It’s hard to be a Georgia fan during a game you should win by 30
JB
September 29th, 2012
6:53 pm
have we stood them up in the hole all day
deadrednecks
September 29th, 2012
6:53 pm
DOOLYS SISTER COAH BETTERN RICHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brownies for everyone
September 29th, 2012
6:54 pm
Yes you have me I d. What was the first clue?
jerry
September 29th, 2012
6:54 pm
Good coaching, play conservative, turn it over to Grantham’s defense.
good call, huh?
dawglova
September 29th, 2012
6:54 pm
Gotta go fellas. Talk to y’all later in the week.
katherine
September 29th, 2012
6:54 pm
what is coah bettern?
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
6:54 pm
Boy…..the Tennesse offensive line is dominating the DL for Georgia….sad to say.
oldfart
September 29th, 2012
6:54 pm
Is Jarvis Jones in the game today?
Brownies for everyone
September 29th, 2012
6:55 pm
Katherine richt is that you?
KDS
September 29th, 2012
6:55 pm
HEY KAT, it is what it is
deadrednecks
September 29th, 2012
6:55 pm
RICHT COACH LIKE A GURL. FIRE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keith
September 29th, 2012
6:55 pm
That is the Junkyard defense son!
Dawgz81
September 29th, 2012
6:55 pm
Katherine,
Being honest doesn’t make you a fair-weather fan. Most of us are still watching, rooting ‘em on, losing our voice, buying tickets, etc.
BUT, with the talent & recruiting we have every year, these PapaJohn’s bowls aren’t going to cut it. We shouldn’t be satisfied looking the way we look today. That’s all….
DAWGFAN
September 29th, 2012
6:55 pm
Georgias defense looks tired ass crap! Where are the subs! Jarvis Jones is tired and he hasnt pressured the QB all game.
dawglova
September 29th, 2012
6:55 pm
Bill cowher……..really