LIVE: Bulldogs, Jackets vie for more than bragging rights
The early scene from Sanford Stadium, site for the final regular season game for Georgia and Tech.
ATHENS — Good morning. Before we get to the game, I have a small request: Let’s be civil.
I understand emotions (and beer) often cause sports fans to jump the rails a little bit. Because we will have both Georgia and Georgia Tech fans on this blog, the chance for a verbal inferno becomes even greater.
But the same rules apply: no profanity, no profanity that is cleverly disguised with punctuation marks, no racist comments, no sexual innuendo, no stealing of screen names to give the impression that somebody wrote something when they really didn’t, no … well, you get the idea. You can praise, mock, laud and criticize all you like. But let me share something an old editor of mine once told me: If you have to ask, “Can I write this?” the answer is probably no.
Fair enough?
OK, onto the game. Georgia and Georgia Tech is, first and foremost, always about 364 days of bragging rights. But it’s so much more than that today.
– Georgia needs a win to keep hopes alive for a berth in the BCS title. That’s also contingent on the Bulldogs upsetting Alabama in the SEC championship game next week. The Dogs would still play for the conference title even if they were to be upset by the Jackets. But obviously a lot of steam would come out of the game, and certainly it would deflate the fan base.
– Georgia Tech needs a win for a credibility boost and, in that sense. It also would give Jackets fans some hope for the ACC championship game against Florida State and/or a better bowl game. Tech has won three straight. But it has been a largely rocky season and they slipped into the Coastal Division title and a conference championship berth through the backdoor, benefiting from Miami’s decision to bow out in hopes of minimizing expected NCAA sanctions.
Georgia fans have reason to be concerned: Even though the Dogs have shown themselves to be the better and more talented team, there’s a possibility of players being distracted by all of the SEC and BCS talk.
Georgia Tech fans have reason to be concerned: Even with the late-season bounce back and the added skills that quarterback Vad Lee brings to the lineup, the Jackets’ defense hasn’t stopped anybody. Georgia has a balanced offense led by quarterback Aaron Murray (12 touchdowns, zero interceptions since the fourth quarter against Florida) and freshman running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall.
Bottom line: This is a rivalry game, and strange things often occur in rivalry games. At the risk of sounding cliche, I suspect Tech’s best chance to win today will be based on turnovers and winning the special teams battle. Georgia probably also doesn’t want to get into a scoring battle (as was the case in 2008, when the Jackets won 45-42). Red zone production is key for both teams.
That’s it for now. Have fun all. I’m here to serve.
And with that, the cyber venting lines are open.
By Jeff Schultz
Post-Thanksgiving blog blowout sale
• Upsetting Georgia would give Tech needed boost for future
• Weekend Predictions: Georgia will win on Red-and-Black-Saturday
• Vince Dooley: Joy from Georgia’s resurgence, pain from son’s firing
• Wonder why SEC is on top? Look at other conference finals
• Falcons win — but run before somebody changes their mind
• Short takes: Ryan awful, defense great, win important
• Georgia’s new reality: From on the brink to BCS title possibility
• Upsets launch Georgia into BCS title picture (updated game column)
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1,171 comments Add your comment
Since Vince
November 24th, 2012
2:07 pm
This Game is OVA !
Iluvnutella
November 24th, 2012
2:08 pm
The horror…..the horror….
glory between the hedges
November 24th, 2012
2:08 pm
Next week is the real bcs title game
Clem13
November 24th, 2012
2:08 pm
Embarrassing I tell you. Surely Ga Tech will forfeit the ACC Championship Game and any bowl game if offered.
son's who?
November 24th, 2012
2:08 pm
UGA has had 22 Rhodes Scholars, GT has had 3. Just another fact taken out of context to illustrate that perhaps there are a few very bright students who attend UGA.
5150 UOAD
November 24th, 2012
2:08 pm
REFs let the PLAY FINISH.
81Dawg
November 24th, 2012
2:08 pm
I really hope we keep scoring and beat them as bad as possible. Tech is terrible and we are one of the best teams in the country. Bring on the Tide and ND.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 24th, 2012
2:08 pm
GTBob…I hope you are right there
dean
November 24th, 2012
2:09 pm
USMC Dawg..are you a WM? (Nothatthere’sanytingwrongwitthat.)
GTBob
November 24th, 2012
2:09 pm
It’s funny because PAUL JOHNSON loves to run the score up when he has a chance.
Nah, he knows our defense is so bad that we need a 40 point lead in the 4th quarter to even have a chance.
Iluvnutella
November 24th, 2012
2:09 pm
If this guy we have is such an offensive genius, why havent we scored yet?
439the
November 24th, 2012
2:09 pm
5150…you don’t know football…you only have to break the plane of the goal line if you have possession. You have to complete the play on a pass into the endzone…typical uninformed tech fan…at least learn the rules of the game before you come on here talking trash…then excuses…
Will
November 24th, 2012
2:09 pm
Tech won’t beat FSU next week either. No way in hell. Georgia has a better chance to beat Alabama than Tech does to beat FSU and that’s real.
Iluvnutella
November 24th, 2012
2:10 pm
He cant recruit, he cant coach, he cant score…..what can this POS of a coach do?
phil
November 24th, 2012
2:10 pm
We’re not THAT good until we beat Bama….
Murray never has played well when it mattered.
Why should he now?
The Grinch
November 24th, 2012
2:10 pm
GTBob, what’s the punt ratio now for the Dawgs and Jackets?
UGA 2013
November 24th, 2012
2:10 pm
UGA just took the lead in forced punts: 2-1. Dawgs lead.
Sierra Dawg
November 24th, 2012
2:10 pm
The Jacket ball-carriers are gonna need a LOT of Advil after the game.
Iluvnutella
November 24th, 2012
2:11 pm
I wouldnt have minded if we gave a good fight, but this is the 4th yr and Johnsons recruits are seniors. Talk about the Peter principle…..
GTBob
November 24th, 2012
2:11 pm
Seeing that our guys are quitting, I hope UGA puts up over 60 now.
phil
November 24th, 2012
2:11 pm
Fire Bo Bo anyway!!
ScoutDawg
November 24th, 2012
2:11 pm
Wow, that sorry UGA D just making it look easy now. If only we hadn’t given up all of those first half points…
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 24th, 2012
2:11 pm
Jarvis Jones is just as good as Gurley, just on the other side of the ball.
45 ACP
November 24th, 2012
2:11 pm
There are some WWE superstars on this defense.
Will
November 24th, 2012
2:11 pm
@Phil aka Tech fan…this game matters to get to where we want to go and he’s putting on a clinic. In fact, every game since the SC game has counted for something and he’s been on fire ever since.
phil
November 24th, 2012
2:12 pm
Quitting? You guys are just in over their pitiful wittle heads….
Mr. Silly Wreck
November 24th, 2012
2:12 pm
Alright now, I’m about to get upset and start talking about Alabama and other future games in which Tech is not involved! I mean it!
kingdaddy
November 24th, 2012
2:12 pm
I have always liked Tech, just not when we play each other. Your obnoxious fans cause a lot of crap all year on our blogs. To the classy Tech fans I say hold your heads up, it will get better…
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 24th, 2012
2:12 pm
Hate to tell you, with this loss, the winning record of the teams UGA has beat… 49-65? Figuring on a UF loss and not taking into account some of the other losses the teams UGA beat will have today, such as Missouri and such.
Love the conversation about Murray in the NFL, I love it. They know, just like everyone outside of Athens knows, when he plays a good team he’s horrible. He’s fantastic against bad teams.
Didn’t you egg his house and put a moving van out front… 2 months ago??!?!?
RTR
David S.
November 24th, 2012
2:12 pm
The Professor… from a life long Jacket to you…. SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!!!!!! NO reason to insult you loser…. Sit back and take it like a man, and hope like hell CPJ gets fired this season… We will be getting our asses kicked like this again next week… Do us a favor Tech administration, and please do not accept a bowl game…. But to all the Tech fans who will get on here and insult the Dawgs, you can go to HELL… I wouldn’t even schedule Tech anymore if I was UGA…
JB
November 24th, 2012
2:13 pm
This no fun for either side. Most folks like a game.
Jeff Schultz
November 24th, 2012
2:13 pm
Going into this drive: Todd Gurley 12 for 97 (8.1 avg), 2 TDs. … Aaron Murray 11 for 13, 174 yds, 2 TDs.
Rabbit
November 24th, 2012
2:13 pm
“Alabama, you’ve got the weight on your shoulders that’s breaking your back.
Your cadillac has got a wheel in the ditch and a wheel on the track.”
time to focus on the red elephants we control our destiny, entirely the pressure is on them
oh, the irony one win away from the grudge match from 1980 from Herschel to Gurshall in 32 years
trey
November 24th, 2012
2:13 pm
Georgia fans have reason to be concerned
LOL. Thanks for the laugh Jeff
phil
November 24th, 2012
2:13 pm
Well, Will, we’ll see next week.
I hope he plays well. Doubt it though.
son's who?
November 24th, 2012
2:13 pm
I’ve never had Pumpkin Ale, GTBob, but I have had homemade “Apple Pie”. I’m not much of a drinker any more, but I still love food and college football. Even when my team stinks, I still love them.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 24th, 2012
2:13 pm
Nutella, there are very few seniors playing for Tech, and only five senior starters
ignition
November 24th, 2012
2:13 pm
It’s a glorified scrimmage…
Chalupa Batman
November 24th, 2012
2:14 pm
@supersize did u see tx a&m beating al? And if you say yes you are lying.
We will win. Its our destiny. Its our year. Bring on bama, who is beatable. You go back to rooting for your little jackets in the acc champ. Bigger fish to fry i guess….
Buzzman
November 24th, 2012
2:14 pm
Come on put the third string in, don’t make it any more worse. Or maybe if it really is bad coach CPJ will quit at the end of the game.
BuzzMan
November 24th, 2012
2:14 pm
Unfortunately, we are so so out manned and out coached. We just keep getting worse under PJ – sad but it is looking like a 6-8 season. Good luck to the Dawgs against Alabama.
USMC DAWG
November 24th, 2012
2:14 pm
“USMC Dawg..are you a WM? (Nothatthere’sanytingwrongwitthat.)”-.-Deano
Sorry Deano, I can’t help you out there. I just don’t feel like acting like a classless jerk towards Tech Fans… Does that make me sound like a woman???
The problem we have as UGA Fans and players is that we NEVER act like a #1 team.
playmeortrademe
November 24th, 2012
2:14 pm
I’m sure F$U is loving the fact they get to play Tech in a mostly empty stadium in Charlotte with nothing to gain except an Orange Bowl trip. The ‘Noles can’t wait for that phone call from the Big 12.
son's who?
November 24th, 2012
2:14 pm
Too many flags to be beat Alabama.
Will
November 24th, 2012
2:15 pm
Georgia Southern gave us a better game.
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 24th, 2012
2:15 pm
At what point do we put a few of the starters up and save some for Alabama ?
Chalupa Batman
November 24th, 2012
2:15 pm
Btw its no guarantee we play al anyways. Could be tx a&m or lsu. Unlikely, but so was ore and ksu losing last week.
blamegame
November 24th, 2012
2:15 pm
GT is a full standard deviation lower than the superior DAWGS
Jeff Schultz
November 24th, 2012
2:16 pm
I like Richt stepping on it there on 4th down.
dean
November 24th, 2012
2:16 pm
So, predictions for ATL- TB tomorrow?
27-24 ATL is my feeling.