Georgia will take an ugly win like this any time
Jarvis Jones had a monster game (three sacks, two forced fumbles) to lead Georgia. (Bob Andres/AJC)
Everybody is going to call it ugly. The quarterback was awful for most of the game. The opponent had six fumbles (four lost) and two interceptions. Two of the supposed best teams in the SEC swapped turnovers, penalties and dropped passes. If the late Sid Gillman was watching, he would’ve covered his eyes and screamed, “No! My eyes! My eyes!”
But does it matter?
Ugly is barely beating Kentucky after a bye week. Ugly is looking flawed against Buffalo and Florida Atlantic. Ugly is giving up 44 points to Tennessee. If beating the No. 2 team in the BCS — especially when it’s Florida — is considered ugly, it’s a canvas of ugly that the Bulldogs would wrap themselves in any day or night.
As Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, he of the three first-half interceptions, said Saturday night, “I know I’m going to get stressed out when I look at the film. But it’s still a great win.”
Georgia, drop-kicked at South Carolina three weeks ago, seemingly comatose in the SEC and again floundering in a season of high hopes, rode ugly back to respectability Saturday. The 17-9 win over Florida put the Bulldogs in control in the SEC East. They need only beat Ole Miss and Auburn to secure a berth in the conference championship — and in the process stomped on all those can’t-win-the-big-one claims.
Malcolm Mitchell danced into the end zone with a big touchdown after Aaron Murray's pass beat the blitz. (Bob Andres/AJC)
The win had historical significance: It was the Dogs’ first time winning in consecutive years against Florida since 1988 and ’89. That’s long ago enough that the coach for that first game was Vince Dooley.
The game also had personal significance for Mark Richt. Battered for doing so poorly against top-10 teams (1-9 since 2008), the Georgia coach stayed on the field long after the game was over, going from one end of the stands to the other, celebrating with fans.
Winning this game last season, some believed, may have helped saved his job. Winning the game this season was even more significant because of the Gators’ stature.
Appropriately, it happened because of
Mark Richt was only 1-9 against top 10 teams since 2008 before Saturday.
defense, in general, and Jarvis Jones, in particular. Jones had three sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He knocked the ball loose from tight end Jordan Reed at the Dogs’ 18 with five minutes left, as Florida was moving in for a potential touchdown.
Jones’ amusing self-analysis: “I don’t know my stats, but I think I had a good game.”
The defense, whether motivated by external criticism or the internal slap from safety Shawn Williams, who called his team “soft,” had one of its better games of the season. Florida was held without a touchdown in a Georgia win for the first time since 1988.
Jones again: “I think what Shawn Williams did, he challenged us. Obviously we needed it. … Everybody was calling us names, calling us soft. ESPN, everybody on TV. Soft, soft, soft, soft, soft. As a man, you take it personal.”
Here’s a suggestion for Richt: Have one player call everybody a name every week. Couldn’t hurt.
Georgia led only 10-9 when Murray made amends for a mostly horrible night (12-of-24, three interceptions). On a third-and-5 from the Gators’ 45, he dropped back, beat blitzing safety Josh Evans and completing an 8-yard pass to Malcolm Mitchell. The receiver spun away from cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy and then cut across the field and ran to the end zone, giving the Dogs a 17-9 lead with seven minutes left.
The game’s only other touchdown — a 10-yard run by Todd Gurley — came early in the game following a Florida fumble. Of course. Florida had six fumbles (losing four) and six turnovers (Georgia three). The teams combined for six turnovers in the first half. They didn’t need marching bands — just the percussion section with the sounds of crashing cymbals with every bobble and misfire.
The Gators had only four turnovers in their first seven games. Yet quarterback Jeff Driskel fumbled on two of the first three plays of the game (Jones recovering the second). See, it doesn’t matter how ugly one team is if the other is worse.
Linebacker Jordan Jenkins said the team was inspired by a pregame speech by defensive end Cornelius Washington, who touched on all of the expected themes: no respect, big game, rival opponent.
“It was the craziest and wildest he’s ever been,” Jenkins said. “He was talking about how everybody was doubting us. He had us all pumped up and ready to go out there and knock some heads.”
Sometimes, that’s how games are won. The win is all anybody will remember.
By Jeff Schultz
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844 comments Add your comment
OrlandoDawg
October 27th, 2012
11:18 pm
Energy Vampires – I am just glad SC was great this year! GT fans, all SEC teams are good…some better than others, but Kentucky would stomp Tech…and for all the turnovers…hard hitting causes that…defense wins championships was proved tonight! Go Dawgs!
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:19 pm
SEC East belongs to the Dawgs,
Ole Miss and Auburn will be crushed.
phil
October 27th, 2012
11:19 pm
Look, Notre Dame is the golden child. Always has been, always shall be when they win.
If they win out, they’re in. Period.
If Bama wins out, obviously they’re in. If we somehow won out, including beating Bama, you can bet your ass that Oregon or another team like K State gets the nod, unless they both lose TWICE down the stretch.
Just the way it is.
DawgNole
October 27th, 2012
11:19 pm
DawgVoiceofReason
October 27th, 2012
11:13 pm
Agreed DawgNole,
We’re seeing the last spasms and whining of Jimmy, 10-2, and USCe loss, some pathetic sad-sacks who only find misery where everyone else finds joy, who only predict disaster when everyone else is still relishing today’s triumph on the field of play. .
_________________________
We can only hope we’re seeing the last spasms and whining of all of them. I must confess I’m as pessimistic about that as they are about UGA.
Big Crimson 75
October 27th, 2012
11:20 pm
Marquis Lee had 345 yards receiving today for USC!!
That’s impressive.
Kittens team still lost.
Good.
kerryb
October 27th, 2012
11:20 pm
I’ve come to the realization that Jimmy is either a disgruntled Gator fan or a Tech fan that’s just miserable with his pathetic team.
10-2 is a good year! Right?
October 27th, 2012
11:20 pm
@ Southern Comfort
Agree about wearing out a back, but Lattimore’s injury was a freak thing that could’ve happened on play #1 of the first game of the season. Lattimore’s foot stuck in the ground when the UT player hit him right on his knee. There was no give and the leg or knee just snapped. It looked like Theismann’s injury.
10-2 is a good year! Right?
October 27th, 2012
11:21 pm
Feel bad for the kid, hope he comes back like Edwards did.
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:22 pm
two years in a row
Jimmy
October 27th, 2012
11:22 pm
Do you think a Bama fan would be a pollyanna like some of you daisies?
Nope. I live in Bama. Their fans would commit proverbial suicide if their team played like ours.
When they were losing, they went out and paid for a good coach.
They want to win.
You UGA haters are so drunk on koolaid that you accept mediocrity…in your team and your posts.
Southern Comfort
October 27th, 2012
11:22 pm
Damn guys, I will admit to a bottle or two of wine tonight celebrating the win over FLA but I still submit that Lattimore is being used by Spurrier to the point of exhaustion due to his reliance on him. Yes, I know that it was the hit that did it but my point is that Spurrier interest is winning at the expense of his players.
Now, come on and admit that I am not the only one that has been drinking tonight. LOL
kerryb
October 27th, 2012
11:22 pm
Lattimore’s leg looked like it broke between the knee and the ankle. Just hope he didn’t tear his knee ligaments too.
10-2 is a good year! Right?
October 27th, 2012
11:23 pm
Why would any one of be disgruntled Tech or Florida fans? Yeah, disgruntled fans of the UGA’s rivals want UGA to be better than what it is today…. wow, some real sharp minds at work in here.
ARdawg
October 27th, 2012
11:23 pm
Jimmy is a fan and a realist and a DGD
DawgNole
October 27th, 2012
11:24 pm
Big Crimson 75
October 27th, 2012
11:20 pm
Marquis Lee had 345 yards receiving today for USC!!
That’s impressive.
Kittens team still lost.
Good.
_____________________
Good is right!
kerryb
October 27th, 2012
11:24 pm
Jimmy, quit saying “ours” you are not a UGA fan. No UGA fan would fixate on a loss that happened 3 weeks ago after we just beat UF. You are a pretender
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:24 pm
Thanks for the victory, Dawgs.
Jimmy
October 27th, 2012
11:24 pm
DawgNole:
I promise you…I’ve had such fun here tonight speaking truth that I will be back.
Sure hope we do win the MNC…I’ll come here just to bother you and your ilk.
Life is too short not to have fun.
Dripper
October 27th, 2012
11:25 pm
It was windy in the first half, when Murray threw those 3 interceptions, the ball just moved around a lot.
But at halftime, the wind stopped swirling, and Murray looked a lot better.
heartofdarkness
October 27th, 2012
11:25 pm
I’m watching the World Series, thinking maybe our pitchers should start growing beards and our corner players should start carbing out at Denny’s.
Jimmy
October 27th, 2012
11:25 pm
ARdawg
October 27th, 2012
11:23 pm
Jimmy is a fan and a realist and a DGD
———–
Woof! Woof! Woof!
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:26 pm
Muschamp still has his 5 year plan to work on,
Spurrier needs to retire and play golf.
ugalee
October 27th, 2012
11:26 pm
Great win but most are going to see this as a fluke. Ive been watching the post game shows and nobobdy is really talking about uga. It is going to take at least another win against ala\lsu and a quality bowl win before we convince anyone that we didnt just take advantage of an off day by an overrated fla team.
#1 in the summer, go dawgs
October 27th, 2012
11:26 pm
Congrats to ga on their Super Bowl victory!
kingdaddy
October 27th, 2012
11:27 pm
75
Thank you bro. Love your class and never skip over any of your post. Bama is the best team in the country as far as I’m concerned, but in the crazy world of football, on any given day, David can defeat Goliath. UGA is not as disciplined or as deep as Bama, but the Dawgs have heart, which they showed tonight. It was good to see some fire from Richt tonight. Hope it carries over into the rest of our games.
Anybody hear from Tamp yet???
Jimmy
October 27th, 2012
11:27 pm
10-2 is a good year! Right?
October 27th, 2012
11:23 pm
Why would any one of be disgruntled Tech or Florida fans? Yeah, disgruntled fans of the UGA’s rivals want UGA to be better than what it is today…. wow, some real sharp minds at work in here.
————-
Ah…the true “voice of reason”!
kerryb
October 27th, 2012
11:27 pm
Mussberger was about to get his jolly’s off when he just yelled out that NOTRE DAME IS RELEVANT AGAIN! The media is just beside themselves over ND
Big Crimson 75
October 27th, 2012
11:28 pm
BCS likely looks like this :
1. Bama
2. Oregon
3. K-State
4. ND
5. LSU
6. UGA
7. Oregon st
8. Florida or Florida st
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:28 pm
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA 17
fla 9
DawgNole
October 27th, 2012
11:28 pm
phil
October 27th, 2012
11:19 pm
Look, Notre Dame is the golden child. Always has been, always shall be when they win.
If they win out, they’re in. Period.
If Bama wins out, obviously they’re in. If we somehow won out, including beating Bama, you can bet your ass that Oregon or another team like K State gets the nod, unless they both lose TWICE down the stretch.
Just the way it is.
______________________
Agreed. But I have to hand it to ND tonight–winning solidly in Norman. Just hope they lose at some point.
East Alabama Gator
October 27th, 2012
11:30 pm
Congratulations to Georgia and the Bulldog Nation. Regardless of the turnovers, the Bulldogs deserved to win. As bad as I hate it came against my team, congrats to Coach Richt, truly one of the good guys in the game. Maybe the haters will cut him some clack for a change.
I have to say I had a bad feeling about this game all week. Maybe it’s because of the dreams the Gators have had dashed in Jacksonville.
As for the Gators, maybe this will bring the Gator Nation back down to earth. This team still has some major issues and I still say I’m not sold on Muschamp yet. I know tempers flare in the heat of battles but I was thoroughly embarrassed how some of our players acted late in the game. We still need to learn to win with class and also lose with class. I know the coaches don’t play the game but undiscipline play such as cheap shots, personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are a reflection of the coaching staff.
But again, congrats Georgia. Keep up the same intensity as you all showed today. Represent the East well because I’m ready to see Alabama go down and go down hard. Every team has good fans and bad fans … bama just seems to have more bad ones, or at least in East Alabama.
Big Crimson 75
October 27th, 2012
11:30 pm
Tampa must be working on that novel!!
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:30 pm
the poor gators will be crying all night down in the swamps
kerryb
October 27th, 2012
11:30 pm
Jimmy, speaking truth? Now that is the funniest thing you’ve said the whole night. Why don’t you just get your negative Richt bashing a** off the blog.
GwinnettDad
October 27th, 2012
11:31 pm
Congratulations to UGA for the win. I must confess I was among the doubters, quite cynical, as a matter of fact. An inspired defense made the difference. Aaron Murray has yet to show poise or talent in big games. The way the defense played, UGA could have won far more convincingly.
Then, of course, was the lack of disclipline and emotional control, the mark of a CMR team.
kerryb
October 27th, 2012
11:31 pm
East Alabama Gator
October 27th, 2012
11:30 pm
Congratulations to Georgia and the Bulldog Nation. Regardless of the turnovers, the Bulldogs deserved to win. As bad as I hate it came against my team, congrats to Coach Richt, truly one of the good guys in the game. Maybe the haters will cut him some clack for a change.
I have to say I had a bad feeling about this game all week. Maybe it’s because of the dreams the Gators have had dashed in Jacksonville.
As for the Gators, maybe this will bring the Gator Nation back down to earth. This team still has some major issues and I still say I’m not sold on Muschamp yet. I know tempers flare in the heat of battles but I was thoroughly embarrassed how some of our players acted late in the game. We still need to learn to win with class and also lose with class. I know the coaches don’t play the game but undiscipline play such as cheap shots, personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are a reflection of the coaching staff.
But again, congrats Georgia. Keep up the same intensity as you all showed today. Represent the East well because I’m ready to see Alabama go down and go down hard. Every team has good fans and bad fans … bama just seems to have more bad ones, or at least in East Alabama.
__________________________________________________________________
Obviously you haven’t read any of Jimmy’s post.
DawgNole
October 27th, 2012
11:32 pm
10-2 is a good year! Right?
October 27th, 2012
11:20 pm
Agree about wearing out a back, but Lattimore’s injury was a freak thing that could’ve happened on play #1 of the first game of the season. Lattimore’s foot stuck in the ground when the UT player hit him right on his knee. There was no give and the leg or knee just snapped. It looked like Theismann’s injury.
10-2 is a good year! Right?
October 27th, 2012
11:21 pm
Feel bad for the kid, hope he comes back like Edwards did.
_____________________
Damn, I actually agree with you–for once. Mark it down.
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:32 pm
wait til next year
Jimmy
October 27th, 2012
11:33 pm
Here is some truth for you…
East Alabama Gator is a “true” fan.
Not afraid to say his team has some issues.
Our team has issues…the biggest is the inconsistent coaching of Richt.
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:33 pm
Muschamp made a mistake or two
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:34 pm
Coach Richt is a good, Jimmy is a punk.
DawgNole
October 27th, 2012
11:34 pm
Jimmy
October 27th, 2012
11:22 pm
Do you think a Bama fan would be a pollyanna like some of you daisies?
Nope. I live in Bama. Their fans would commit proverbial suicide if their team played like ours.
________________
So they’d commit suicide after a win over their biggest rival? Shows you how dimwitted they are.
East Alabama Gator
October 27th, 2012
11:34 pm
kerryb,
I’ve said every team has good fans and bad fans. Some of my best friends are Alabama fans. Some of our Gator fans are great, some I’d rather never show up to watch the Gators play. It’s part of the game.
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:35 pm
Muschamp will be evaluated at the end of the season.
Jimmy
October 27th, 2012
11:36 pm
kerryb
October 27th, 2012
11:31 pm
East Alabama Gator
October 27th, 2012
11:30 pm
I know tempers flare in the heat of battles but I was thoroughly embarrassed how some of our players acted late in the game. We still need to learn to win with class and also lose with class. I know the coaches don’t play the game but undiscipline play such as cheap shots, personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are a reflection of the coaching staff.
————
Yeah…it is what I’ve been saying about my own team. How many unsportsmanlike conduct and personal foul penalties did we have? That reflects coaching win or lose.
phil
October 27th, 2012
11:36 pm
Oh yes. ND earned it. Of course, Okl is a bunch of thugs so good to see them lose since someone had to.
Class act, east bama gator. Thx.
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:36 pm
Muschamp may request a coach in waiting to help him weather the storm.
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:38 pm
Florida might fly Charlie Weis down from Kansas to help Muschamp reorganize the program.
DawgNole
October 27th, 2012
11:38 pm
Southern Comfort
October 27th, 2012
11:22 pm
Damn guys, I will admit to a bottle or two of wine tonight celebrating the win over FLA but I still submit that Lattimore is being used by Spurrier to the point of exhaustion due to his reliance on him. Yes, I know that it was the hit that did it but my point is that Spurrier interest is winning at the expense of his players.
______________________
I’ll never disagree with something negative posted about spurrier.
World's Largest Outdoor Gator Beating
October 27th, 2012
11:39 pm
Muschamp behaved relatively well on the sideline today.