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
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:11 pm
better have a tremendous second half
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:11 pm
Sid…..
You are dead wrong on that one. He was very active in charites around Tampo when he lived here. Great kid. Honest kid. Hard working kid.
Josh Smith for 3
September 29th, 2012
5:11 pm
Are we feeling sorry for Tennessee or something? We’re just spoon-feeding them the momentum.
watching...
September 29th, 2012
5:11 pm
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
We get up 27-10, and stop doing what works.
Because a punt wasn’t fielded which gave us the ball on the 1 yard line. What do you want to do there?
kerryb
September 29th, 2012
5:11 pm
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:10 pm
Murray does not like to get hit….does he?
__________________________________________
That’s a stupid comment. What QB does? He didn’t drop the ball because he was hit. The defender pulled his arm away from the ball.
Here we go again...
September 29th, 2012
5:11 pm
Give Tennessee credit. They are not quitting.
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:11 pm
john l smith are you a tennessee fan or a disgruntled tech fan?
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:12 pm
Play like this, and NO WAY we beat SC next week in their house. No way.
John L. Smith
September 29th, 2012
5:12 pm
Visions of SC game SMILE
Silly Bloggers
September 29th, 2012
5:12 pm
As great as Murray can be, he is the weakest QB in the nation when it comes to holding the ball on sacks…ala SC last year and MSU last year. I just want to wring his neck he is so weak when it comes to holding on to the ball.
dawglova
September 29th, 2012
5:12 pm
We need comments on Justin hunter
Sid
September 29th, 2012
5:12 pm
Tampa Gator…i didn’t say it…Tampa people I know said it.
dawglova
September 29th, 2012
5:12 pm
Commings
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:12 pm
Georgia seems to have two concerns from watching them play……cornerback play and OL play. Those two things will make or break the season for Georgia, I think.
Russa
September 29th, 2012
5:12 pm
i thought they weren’t looking ahead to next week … maybe I was wrong
John L. Smith
September 29th, 2012
5:13 pm
SMILE put in Hutson
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:13 pm
Defense has given up 24 points in the second half. Alabama’s defense hasn’t given up 24 points all season.
Here we go again...
September 29th, 2012
5:13 pm
And there you go.
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:13 pm
Sid….
still…not true.
evil empire
September 29th, 2012
5:13 pm
murray has that blank look in his eyes…
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:13 pm
that missed extra point may come back to haunt us
Lakewood
September 29th, 2012
5:13 pm
Is Jarvis Jones playing today? Where he is on the field?
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:13 pm
This is not an all-star game for kickers.
short memories
September 29th, 2012
5:13 pm
Georgia obviously has the athletes, just not the coaching same old s…
MiamiDawg
September 29th, 2012
5:13 pm
Focus Focus Focus
J.J.M.
September 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
Yea give them credit they didn’t quit uga thought the game was over when the 1st quarter ended
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
1st half I mean
BobDawg
September 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
In a shootout we didn’t want now… and a really good game as far as lots of scoring….
evil empire
September 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
track record leans towards sid…sorry
meagain
September 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
Great throw by Bray.
Dawgs continue to rush 4 and it doesn’t seem to be working. Look for changes in the 2nd half.
Jeff Schultz
September 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
Costly fumble — Vols TD but tie Georgia with a missed PAT (is it really that hard?). 27-23 with 2:55 left in half.
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
Lakewood….
LBs are off the field a lot vs., the Vols….with their 4 and 5 receiver sets.
rivercard
September 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
LAkewood – I was wondering same thing. I kept hearing he was the best player in the history of football the last two weeks.
John L. Smith
September 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
Enter your comments here
Been there, done that..
September 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
Looks like the same old dawgs…NO DEFENSE….
dawglova
September 29th, 2012
5:15 pm
Our defense has Ben anything but dominant this season. With the exception of candy and 2nd half of Missouri game.
DAWGFAN
September 29th, 2012
5:15 pm
A few points here, 1 Branden Smith is the worse cornerback in college football, 2 This defensive line for as much acclaim that they get gets pushed around a lot, 3 the conservative play calling on first down of that last drive and 3 down on the drive before that shows that Georgia is just a goodteam not a championship caliber team. This defense is not impressive at all! Whats is so hard about kicking extra points? Also, was that hit that vicious that Aaron Murray had to fumble that ball? M Mitchell does not need to field punts. Aaron Murray 2 turnovers 2 touchdowns!
BobDawg
September 29th, 2012
5:15 pm
TAMPA is right… Murray is a good kid and in charities in Athens also….
Jeff Schultz
September 29th, 2012
5:15 pm
What the . . .?
Mike
September 29th, 2012
5:15 pm
We are falling apart. What is going on?
katherine
September 29th, 2012
5:15 pm
john l smith who is your team
John L. Smith
September 29th, 2012
5:15 pm
Bobo and Richt cant put away nobody… SMILE!
DawgNole
September 29th, 2012
5:15 pm
Shades of ‘11–Murray killin’ us with turnovers. Give somebody else a shot and let him settle down.
Patrick
September 29th, 2012
5:15 pm
OMG
Tampa Gator
September 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
Wow……things are going downhill fast.
DAWGFAN
September 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
Wow now Gurley steps out at the 1 yard line Georgia just cant stay focused for a ball game! Thats coaching all the way!
St. Bernard
September 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
SPECIAL TEAMS!!!!!
Josh Smith for 3
September 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
Unbelieveable
01HAWK
September 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
Best defense in college football………………..NOT !!!!!!!!!
Oh just wait til we get all of our players back. Well, you have all of your players back and now how do you look ?
Oh, they need time to play together will be the next excuse. LOL
meagain
September 29th, 2012
5:16 pm
Another horrible special teams play. If he lets it bouce, it goes either out of bounds (penalty) or into the endzone for a touch back. Too much “me” trying to make plays.