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
dumbazz's everywhere
September 29th, 2012
8:19 pm
No of the skid marks posting here have a clue. UGA played a very passive defense to prevent Bray from making the big plays with his arm. They were playing 10-15 yards off the receivers, with our safeties 15-20 yards deep. So we had 6 guys in the box which is why UT was able to run the ball. UT played with 7-8 guys in the box in order to stop the run in the 2nd half.
Shaw at USC is not Bray. UGA will play with 7 guys in the box and will press the USC receivers.
guy
September 29th, 2012
8:19 pm
Ga gave them a bunch of points in the 1st half, mainly due to our offense. It should have been over a long time ago. Tennessee is a very good offensive football team.
Not So Fast
September 29th, 2012
8:19 pm
College football is crazy people on any given day ANY team can be beat.
Pitbull
September 29th, 2012
8:19 pm
I don’t understand how the big tuff Bama football players let their Coaches bully them like small children. Especially Saban, tormentor!
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
8:20 pm
SC is getting punked out by KY.
JB
September 29th, 2012
8:20 pm
LSU is struggling with towson
dumbazz's everywhere
September 29th, 2012
8:21 pm
Pitbull
September 29th, 2012
8:16 pm
Bama would have badly beaten TN. IMHO
So what? I would have great sex with the hot MILF next door. But I didn’t get a chance.
Every game is different. Its a W in the SEC East.
guy
September 29th, 2012
8:21 pm
SEC east is a lot better than anyone thought before the season. LOT
Pitbull
September 29th, 2012
8:21 pm
That’s because SC is wearing their pink lace drawers tonight!
Not So Fast
September 29th, 2012
8:21 pm
How is South Carolina looking to all you trolls now?
guy
September 29th, 2012
8:22 pm
HOw bad is the ramblin wreck?
Pitbull
September 29th, 2012
8:23 pm
Tech has gone to hell in a hay basket for some reason!
bigdawg1
September 29th, 2012
8:23 pm
kerryb: Yes! when Murray fumbled, I thought of SC and UF in OT the year before!
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
8:24 pm
Man, Gurley and Marshall are going to run all over South Carolina next week. Ky is doing a good job of it right now.
Not So Fast
September 29th, 2012
8:24 pm
Anyone see Kentucky running crazy on USC, what do you think Gurshell is going to do?
6-18 Against End of Season Ranked Teams Since '05
September 29th, 2012
8:24 pm
BTW, could we please get a kicker who can make PAT’s?????
guy
September 29th, 2012
8:24 pm
Our team is going to get a lot better as this season goes.
Pitbull
September 29th, 2012
8:24 pm
I just saw one wildcat spanking a gamecocks ass in the background!
dumbazz's everywhere
September 29th, 2012
8:24 pm
Pitbull
September 29th, 2012
8:19 pm
I don’t understand how the big tuff Bama football players let their Coaches bully them like small children. Especially Saban, tormentor!
How is it that no football players get in trouble with the law at AL, but Saban’s daughter is in a drunken brawl with a sorority sister and the only reason anyone knows about it is because of the civil lawsuit filed by the other girl? AL campus police and the AD department show up at the hospital, which is not on campus and attempt to bury it. Just like they bury every other issue related to the football team.
I shi+ on AL ad I shi+ on you. Clear enough?
RunninWithTheDawgs
September 29th, 2012
8:25 pm
I can’t help but wonder what the score would have been without all the turnovers.
DawgNole
September 29th, 2012
8:27 pm
Looks like SC is guilty of the same thing we are–looking ahead to Oct 5. C’mon G’chickens, don’t blow it now–or Game Day will never go to Columbia next week.
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
8:27 pm
Ky is playing inspired right now. Hope they keep it up.
me
September 29th, 2012
8:28 pm
Mitchell does not need to field punts. He has let 2 bounce which resulted in us pinned inside our own 2 yard line. He did the same thing tonight and at MO. Both were momentum killers for us and gave UT and MO short fields.
Murry just needs to take the sack and not turn the ball over.
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
8:28 pm
I don’t care if Gameday goes to Columbia. I want SC with an eastern division loss.
me
September 29th, 2012
8:28 pm
DawgNole
September 29th, 2012
8:27 pm
Looks like SC is guilty of the same thing we are–looking ahead to Oct 5.
We put up 600 yards and 51 points and you say we were looking ahead. My god what an idiot.
JB
September 29th, 2012
8:28 pm
LSU is down 9-7 to towson
Pitbull
September 29th, 2012
8:29 pm
That was real sweet girl, but Sabans daughter had to straighten her up about trash talking the team!
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
8:30 pm
What Mitchell did started that the crap that cost us 20 points. If he fielded that at the 15 yard line like he should have we would have kept moving the ball and all of that wouldn’t have happened.
me
September 29th, 2012
8:31 pm
Pitbull
September 29th, 2012
8:29 pm
That was real sweet girl, but Sabans daughter had to straighten her up about trash talking the team!
I “know” them both and Saban’s daughter loves to yell, “give it to me like the football guys do”.
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
8:32 pm
If Ky is doing this to SC what are we going to do to them. They look really bad. Their O-line has been a problem all year.
me
September 29th, 2012
8:32 pm
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
8:30 pm
What Mitchell did started that the crap that cost us 20 points. If he fielded that at the 15 yard line like he should have we would have kept moving the ball and all of that wouldn’t have happened.
^this. Same thing happened at MO.
Pitbull
September 29th, 2012
8:33 pm
I can’t believe that, everyone knows she is a true virgin!
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
8:33 pm
I also think their was a punt against Vandy he let go and it ended up inside the 5 yard line.
Bulldogs Defense Exposed
September 29th, 2012
8:38 pm
I wonder why did Murray not throw to Marlon Brown in the game except for the two point conversion?
And why is Wooten starting? I believe T.King and Brown are superior Receivers.
I am very impressed with Bray the Vols QB, Georgia was lucky today.
Papa Smurf
September 29th, 2012
8:39 pm
Can anyone understand Lou Holtz? What language is he speaking?
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
8:41 pm
Papa Smurf
September 29th, 2012
8:39 pm
Can anyone understand Lou Holtz? What language is he speaking?
_________________________________________________
It’s called Daffy Duck
Bulldogs Defense Exposed
September 29th, 2012
8:45 pm
The momentum of a game can change so easily, and usually it happens when the opponent makes a big play on offense or defense or our team makes a bonehead play that gives confidence to the opponent. This game changed when Malcolm Mitchell failed to field the punt and allowed it to run to the 1 yard line, and backing up the offense. Georgia could not get out of the hole in that series and Vols siezed the momentum.
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
8:48 pm
The one thing I didn’t get in this game was why we started trying to run to the right behind Theus when Gates and Lee were opening up big holes on the left side in the first quarter.
Bulldogs Defense Exposed
September 29th, 2012
8:50 pm
I see that others on here also believe that Mitchell’s mistake in not fielding the punt cost us big. My neighbors must have wondered what was going on in my house, I was shouting so loud for him to field the punt. I truly believe the game changed on that play.
Bulldogs Defense Exposed
September 29th, 2012
8:57 pm
Rambo did not have one good play that I can recall, I hope it is just rust and he will be better next week against SC.
Bulldogs Defense Exposed
September 29th, 2012
9:00 pm
Can someone close to the program ask Coach Grantham why we were not getting any push from the middle of the defenseive line ? Bray was not sacked once, wheras Murray was sacked and hurried quite a bit.
Sayitaintso Simons
September 29th, 2012
9:08 pm
(((((((((((((((((((( 42-28 )))))))))))))))))))) hahahahahahahaha
Big Dawg
September 29th, 2012
9:14 pm
Give the D time to gell. Theyve played about 30 players and 30 different combinations. It’s the sign of a great team that can pull out an ugly win like today. Our D will be peaking at the right time!
Yellow Fuzz
September 29th, 2012
9:17 pm
I feel awful. Look forward to rolling me an obnoxious, barking dog fan or two in November to cheer me up.
Jeff Schultz
September 29th, 2012
9:20 pm
Closing commenting here.
Here’s link to the game column:
http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2012/09/29/georgia-has-uncomfortable-mix-of-highlights-slapstick/