LIVE: Georgia hopes for easy day against Georgia Southern
Mark Richt wants his players to focus on game but BCS standings are on Sanford Stadium scoreboard.
ATHENS — For the first Saturday of the season, Georgia will take the field today as SEC East Division champions. And by the time this game ends, the Bulldogs hope nothing will have happened to dampen that title.
A week after clinching the East title at Auburn, the Dogs play host to Georgia Southern. Nothing against the Eagles, who have an impressive winning tradition at the Division 1-AA/FCS level, but this one shouldn’t be close.
Georgia has three simple goals: 1) Tune up defensively for next week’s game against Georgia Tech, which, like Southern, runs an option offense; 2) Build a big enough lead to get into position to pull starters in the second half; 3) Get out of this game without any significant injuries.
A berth in the SEC championship against Alabama is secure, but Georgia could have more on the line after that. The Dogs’ No. 5 ranking in the BCS creates an outside possibility they could still sneak into the national championship game. In short, the Dogs would need to win out over Southern, Tech and Alabama, and then hope that two of the other three teams ahead of them in the BCS — Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame — lose a game. Click the link for how it breaks down.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Georgia come out a little flat today against Southern. A letdown after a four-game winning streak and last week’s 38-0 blowout of Auburn seems only natural. Conversely, Georgia Southern (8-2) will be pumped. It’s a big deal for an FCS team any time it can face an FBS opponent, and I’m sure a lot of GSU’s players dreamed of playing in Athens. So I could foresee a final score of something like 48-21.
Here’s some more reading material if you’re looking to pass the time:
• Chip Towers on Georgia trying to stay focused while keeping an eye on the BCS.
• Chip on Todd Gurley on trying to become only the second true freshman running back in UGA history to go over 1,000 yards. (You know the other guy.) With four more games, there’s still a slim chance Gurley (973) can catch Walker’s freshman season rushing record of 1,616 yards, but he would need to average 160.7 per game.
• Here’s my three-second view of the game and other investment advice in Weekend Predictions.
Finally, in case you missed it, WSB Channel 2 picked up the broadcast for this game. So pull up a couch and follow along while you’re commenting here.
And with that, I’m going to open the cyber-venting lines now. What are you looking for in today’s game?
By Jeff Schultz
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522 comments Add your comment
Joey
November 17th, 2012
3:58 pm
I like that – thought it was a cop-out til I thought twice.
I’m pulling for “neither” also . . .
Jeff Schultz
November 17th, 2012
3:59 pm
Rambo hurt … limping pretty badly.
Greg
November 17th, 2012
3:59 pm
Georgia ball!
Tech Hottie
November 17th, 2012
4:00 pm
Questioning my gender? I post with my husband, thank you…
hit a single
November 17th, 2012
4:01 pm
God Bless Coach Erk Russell, I am so thankful that he touched both of these programs. He built one from nothing and added to the traditon of the other so much. This should be called the Coach Russell Bowl.
That chip towers will ban you!!!!
November 17th, 2012
4:01 pm
hey tech hottie ..your name Adam or Steve?
45 ACP
November 17th, 2012
4:01 pm
Now that’s an oxymoron.
Voyceofreason
November 17th, 2012
4:02 pm
Jeff I used to work in sports at the Athens paper some years back, and Dan Magill wrote columns once a week for us so he’d bring them in, typed with what appeared to be the first typewriter ever built. And every time someone related to UGA in any manner would pass away, he’d always come in with stuff. One day someone died, I’ve forgotten who now, and he came in with a letter Ty Cobb had written him or maybe his grandmother! I was like, Coach, where did you GET this? He said he has some kind of storage place/attic or something, no big deal, acting like everyone had a letter like that. Moral: Somewhere in Athens is an attic containing what I’d guess is millions of dollars in sports memorabilia…
Dawgs Eat Tiger Meat
November 17th, 2012
4:02 pm
Dawgs killing Eagles. Overrated ND is a moron.
Mike Franklin
November 17th, 2012
4:02 pm
Anymore on Rambo?
Greg
November 17th, 2012
4:03 pm
38-7 Dawgs! And the game ain’t even over!
Tech Hottie
November 17th, 2012
4:03 pm
Stacy,why?
Greg
November 17th, 2012
4:04 pm
Georgia has set a single season record for touchdowns with 55. Who said Bobo needs to go?
Jeff Schultz
November 17th, 2012
4:04 pm
Nice catch and run by Chris Conley … Make that 38-7. .. UGA’s last five possessions since 7-7: FG-TD-TD-TD-TD. This one is over.
Tech Hottie
November 17th, 2012
4:04 pm
Overrated Notre Dame putting Oxy Clear on his face is also an oxymoron.
45 ACP
November 17th, 2012
4:06 pm
Nice halftime adjustments by the defense.
Since Vince
November 17th, 2012
4:06 pm
This game is OVA… now time for Richt and Boo Boo to go vanilla.
Overrated Notre Dame
November 17th, 2012
4:07 pm
Uh, Bobo needs to go. How many tds did Dawgs have against SC? Wait, tds against dividion 2 teams count more…
Joey
November 17th, 2012
4:07 pm
Wow, go Conley. I must put my comment to Joe Jenkins earlier today about Conley, just to show how smart I am (sarcasm).
*******************************************************************************
Joey
November 17th, 2012
9:42 am
Joe, Chris Conley could start for any team in the country and that’s a fact. It was our almost embarrassing WR depth keeping him on the sideline.
Keep an eye on him the last 4 games, because he will be the one who doesn’t see double coverage, and may have some huge games.
Mike Franklin
November 17th, 2012
4:07 pm
No disrespect for GSU but… they line up like a HS team on O
Greg
November 17th, 2012
4:07 pm
@ Since Vince, they’ve been passing the ball…is that Vanilla?
Overrated Notre Dame
November 17th, 2012
4:08 pm
That pitch was a b itch…
Bubbatavious
November 17th, 2012
4:08 pm
Hey Fella’s …whats the score?
hit a single
November 17th, 2012
4:09 pm
UGA linebackers still don’t do a very good job of taking on power plays. They look like they have trouble taking on blocks and sticking their facemasks on the numbers of runners. I promise you we better be able to take on Bama’s power running.
Since Vince
November 17th, 2012
4:10 pm
@ greg…. it time to go vaniila.
Overrated Notre Dame
November 17th, 2012
4:10 pm
Voyce and work have never met.
Mike Franklin
November 17th, 2012
4:10 pm
hey Jeff… picked UCLA over USC
Not So Fast
November 17th, 2012
4:11 pm
For all the trolls what was the Bama vs GSU score last year?
Dawgs Eat Tiger Meat
November 17th, 2012
4:11 pm
You leave for 20 minutes & Dawgs score 3 tds. Wow!
Since Vince
November 17th, 2012
4:12 pm
should hang 50 on these guys but Richt doesnt like Style Points
Voyceofreason
November 17th, 2012
4:12 pm
“Voyce and work have never met.”
I wish.
Auburn True
November 17th, 2012
4:14 pm
Why couldnt we have played Dawgs today?
Martin
November 17th, 2012
4:15 pm
Put a fork in it Ga southern. Beginning of the 4th quarter and you are done! Go Dawgs woof woof woof
Overrated Notre Dame
November 17th, 2012
4:16 pm
Buy Voyce passed by work every day.
Dawgs Eat Tiger Meat
November 17th, 2012
4:17 pm
Name your dog Inconsistent in honor of Aaron Murray!
Voyceofreason
November 17th, 2012
4:19 pm
“Buy Voyce passed by work every day.”
OK, I admit … this one kinda lost me.
Since Vince
November 17th, 2012
4:19 pm
NC state 21 … clem & Son 13 1st. Basketball conference.
Overrated Notre Dame
November 17th, 2012
4:20 pm
But Ga. Southern put their 3rd string in against Alabama in 2nd half last year.
Greg
November 17th, 2012
4:22 pm
Don’t give up any garbage points D!
Dawgs Eat Tiger Meat
November 17th, 2012
4:22 pm
I think that moron meant but instead of buy. What a douche….
Greg
November 17th, 2012
4:22 pm
@ Overrated Notre Damn, why would they do that?
Dawgs Eat Tiger Meat
November 17th, 2012
4:24 pm
It could be sweet if Stanford beats Oregon tonite.
Overrated Notre Dame
November 17th, 2012
4:25 pm
Saved starters for Div. 2 playoffs.
Greg
November 17th, 2012
4:26 pm
If Stanford beats Oregon tonight, the winner of the Georgia vs. Alabama matchup will play for it all IMO. I think Notre Damn loses to USC.
Voyceofreason
November 17th, 2012
4:26 pm
Dawgs, he very well might be a douche but he is right about one thing: Notre Dame is overbated.
Joey
November 17th, 2012
4:28 pm
Auburn True: “Why couldnt we have played Dawgs today?”
**********************************************
Just be glad you didn’t play Georgia Southern today . . .
Classic
November 17th, 2012
4:28 pm
What’s the status of Rambo?
AAAAA Athens Bail Bonds R Us
November 17th, 2012
4:28 pm
Any more dawgs arrested today?
Greg
November 17th, 2012
4:30 pm
We haven’t had a player arrested all season. Your argument is moot.
Dawgify
November 17th, 2012
4:32 pm
Good to see a drive from these backups.