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
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:04 pm
katherine…..
Hard to chill when college football is on TV…..you can do that watching baseball.
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:04 pm
this is far from over at this rate
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:04 pm
Smh. Gotta put the nail in the coffin. I’m not impressed. SC will kill us next week if we play D like this.
watching...
September 29th, 2012
5:04 pm
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:03 pm
Horrible F’kin defense.
^ Not only an idiot. But a damn idiot.
short memories
September 29th, 2012
5:04 pm
All set up by Bobo’s conservative complacency
Smyrna Ga
September 29th, 2012
5:05 pm
@Bill – I totally agree. PLEASE GET RID OF BOBO!
Jeff Schultz
September 29th, 2012
5:05 pm
Obviously best drive of day for Tennessee. It’s just a 10-point game despite Georgia’s seeming domination 27-17.
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:05 pm
tampa i love college football and baseball and the nfl…you are allowed to like more than one sport…
BobDawg
September 29th, 2012
5:05 pm
Welcome back Rambo and Tree… now get your butts in game shape….
Here we go again...
September 29th, 2012
5:05 pm
May be an idiot, but knows a soft defense when he sees one…
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
September 29th, 2012
5:05 pm
Game is a loong way from being over, will Dooley out coach CMR?
watching...
September 29th, 2012
5:06 pm
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:04 pm
Smh. Gotta put the nail in the coffin. I’m not impressed. SC will kill us next week if we play D like this.
ROTFLMAO. If Murray throws a pick, you are bitching and griping. Just watch the game and learn how to not make stupid comments.
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:06 pm
Boys……the Tennessee WRs had a very hard time getting open and catching the ball on the Florida defensive backfield. And could not run it much either. Georgia needs work on the defensive side of the ball…..but especially in the secondary.
rivercard
September 29th, 2012
5:06 pm
One dropped ball and this is a 3 point game. Still want to brag about that D dawgoneit?
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:06 pm
Defense looks worse WITH Rambo and Ogletree back.
When will Mark Richt win a National Title @ UGA
September 29th, 2012
5:06 pm
South Carolina and Gators will beat UGA.
Stretch
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
The announcers are really pulling for Tennessee. “If they can only get one more score before half, and chip away at Georgia….”
D-bags!
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
The D doesn’t give up a TD until late in the second quarter and people are already bi**ching.
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
i think so too mike…i dont see how rambo and ogletree are making any difference really
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
Katherine….
You can somewhat chill watcing regular season NFL games……..too.
Patrick
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
I mentioned it earlier–this is where we see what kind of team ison the field for UGA. This is when the focus–the committment to greatness–is proven. Hopefully CMR has been working on the consistency issues…we’ll see,
short memories
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
6 runs in a row. Bobo sucks
Bill
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
Bobo you’re killing us…
Here we go again...
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
We have stopped blocking.
Jeff Schultz
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
Oh boy. … Fumble. New ball game.
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
omg this is a nightmare
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
Ooooopppppssssss…..
Mike Franklin
September 29th, 2012
5:07 pm
Oh well.
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:08 pm
See what I mean. Falling apart right in front of our eyes. Smh.
Patrick
September 29th, 2012
5:08 pm
oooops!
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:08 pm
if you say so tampa
Here we go again...
September 29th, 2012
5:08 pm
Murray is not protecting the ball. What a bad play…
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
looks like the ball was out….but you never know with replay officials.
dawglova
September 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
Damn. The might get more interesting than I had hoped.
Bobo sucks
September 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
Georgia was celebrating too soon today. Again no discipline by the coaching staff
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
It was out.
John L. Smith
September 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
SMILE TS A FUMBLE!
Mike Franklin
September 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
If those fans in faded orange start singing floppy top, I’m gonna turn the sound off
oldfart
September 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
Call on the field will stand.
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
i feel sick
Russa
September 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
soft defense, soft play calling by not even attempting to pick up the first down on a pass when they were pinned deep ….. maybe this is the kick in the teeth UGA needs in order to pick up their play
BobDawg
September 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
Hurry up halftime…
Sid
September 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
friends of mine who live in Tampa say Murray is a prima donna….a joke.
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
We get up 27-10, and stop doing what works. I don’t get it. You have a team like Tennessee down, and you have a chance to put the game away before half and here they are right back in it. That missed extra point could come back to haunt us.
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
Murray does not like to get hit….does he?
watching...
September 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
I remember a unfielded punt that shifted the field position…..
John L. Smith
September 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
Its a fumble! SMILE!
J.J.M.
September 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
Lol that’s what happens when you keep runnig the sweep play
Bill
September 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
Murray, our turnover machine…
dawglova
September 29th, 2012
5:11 pm
First crucial block missed by either freshman all season