LIVE: Georgia tries to forget SEC ending, close with win
Aaron Murray high-fives Xzavier Ward before the Capital One Bowl. (Brant Sanderlin)
ORLANDO — When asked the other day if he viewed this season as a missed opportunity to win SEC and BCS championships, Georgia coach Mark Richt said, “Every year is a missed opportunity, I think.” And that’s probably the right thing to say, even if it’s not every season the Bulldogs come within one tipped pass of winning the SEC title and going to the BCS championship game.
When Georgia faces Nebraska today in the Capital One Bowl, the question is whether we’ll witness any hangover from the last game. The Dogs (11-2, coming off a 32-28 loss to Alabama, No. 7 BCS) may be a more talented team than the Cornhuskers (10-3, coming off a 70-31 loss to Wisconsin, No. 16 BCS). But that doesn’t always mean anything in bowl games. Witness Georgia Tech vs. USC. Or witness Georgia’s last two bowl efforts — losses to Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl two years ago and Michigan State in the Outback last season.
I ran into this guy in the parking lot. Who's his dentist?
OK, a few quick things about today’s game and then I’ll open the cyber-venting lines:
– The Dogs’ defensive front will have to put up a better effort than it did against Alabama (350 yards rushing). Nebraska ranks ninth in the nation in rushing at 254.5 yards per game but only 81st passing, although quarterback Taylor Martinez has thrown 21 touchdown passes.
– The defensive line will be missing nose tackle John Jenkins, who is academically ineligible, and possibly end Abry Jones (ankle), who is questionable. Kwame Geathers will start for Jenkins.
– Nebraska’s defense ranks first against the pass, but that’s a little misleading. Opponents seldom have had to throw against the Huskers because they’re so weak against the run (97th, 194.8 per game). Also, the Big Ten is not full of wide open offenses. So expect a heavy dose of Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall today.
Final thought: I think Georgia wins today. Finishing the year with a win and losing the last two bowl games should be motivation enough. A victory also could leave the Dogs as one of the top five ranked teams in the nation.
But if Georgia players are thinking about the SEC championship or the NFL draft, everything goes out the window, and they’ll lose today.
What are your thoughts? The floor is yours.
– Jeff Schultz
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1,585 comments Add your comment
Flat Tire doesnt live in Delusionalville Ga.
January 1st, 2013
3:20 pm
Grantham is still laughing all the way to the bank
Reese Bobby
January 1st, 2013
3:20 pm
Nebraska Cheerleader are hotter than the Dawg Cheerleaders!
50 ways to leave your lover
January 1st, 2013
3:20 pm
Willie Martinez couldn’t do any worse than Grantham.
What HS athlete would want to play for UGAcoaches?
Jason
January 1st, 2013
3:20 pm
Maybe Grantham gets fired this offseason? We need some chances. How in the hell is Kwame Geathers getting HANDLED?!
son's who?
January 1st, 2013
3:20 pm
UGA has three defenders in the middle to block. Three.
Wes Durham
January 1st, 2013
3:20 pm
Defense lookalike players are running away from tackles.
Macclenny_dawg
January 1st, 2013
3:20 pm
Well Dawgs still on vacation!!! Richt letting team vacation as usual. Just 1 time I would like to say its business as usual!!!
SOS Dawgs
January 1st, 2013
3:21 pm
Grantham. Get your Fat A&& back to the NFL.
LagDawg
January 1st, 2013
3:21 pm
This is a pathetic defensive showing. The DL outweighs some of the Neb. OL by 60lbs and they are just laying on them. There is no penetration into the backfield and they are getting gashed. Great, another bowl loss for UGA. Need a new coaching staff. So what if they won 11 games. They looked bad winning and losing. That’s why Ala. and South Carolina look so good on defense, they get penetration into the backfield and stop plays, not 10 to 20 yards down field.
GTAE70
January 1st, 2013
3:21 pm
Come on Dawgs, make the state of Ga proud
ToolMan
January 1st, 2013
3:21 pm
SEC(All Overhyped Conference) looing good in bowl games.
Jason
January 1st, 2013
3:21 pm
Kwame Geathers (6′6, 355) is getting HANDLED by Nebraska’s center.
Middle Dawg
January 1st, 2013
3:21 pm
Somebody needs to tell Georgia that Nebraska has more history in regards to NCAA Championships than they do.
01HAWK
January 1st, 2013
3:21 pm
LSWHO and MISS STATE both go down………………………SEC not looking good.
oldbird
January 1st, 2013
3:21 pm
Looks like three years in a row that Richt does not have the Dawgs ready for the bowl game. This is pitiful.
Big Wally
January 1st, 2013
3:21 pm
Ogletree is the softest middle linebacker in Ga. history.
Scrappy
January 1st, 2013
3:22 pm
Pathetic.
The Truth
January 1st, 2013
3:22 pm
Enter your comments here
Wes Durham
January 1st, 2013
3:22 pm
Poor asscoaching
Mariage Parfait Gueze
January 1st, 2013
3:22 pm
Reese Bobby
January 1st, 2013
3:20 pm
Nebraska Cheerleader are hotter than the Dawg Cheerleaders!
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
I’m a Nebraska fan and I have to disagree
goFalcons
January 1st, 2013
3:22 pm
We are to talented to play D like this!!!!!!!! COME ON MAN! Go Dawgs,,,,,lets get some points now
Georgia
January 1st, 2013
3:22 pm
Did you see that? Still not convinced its the coaching? Please.
Flat Tire doesnt live in Delusionalville Ga.
January 1st, 2013
3:22 pm
I think Grantham was seen at Disney World spinning around on the t-cup ride just 5 minutes ago
son's who?
January 1st, 2013
3:22 pm
Exhausted
Realistic
January 1st, 2013
3:22 pm
Face facts, we are going to end up losing to three of the ranked teams we played this year and the one win came against a team that had I believe 6 turnovers. A defense with that many nfl first round picks is getting manhandled. I guess the silver lining is that we will figure out pretty early next year that we need to make some changes.
Buckeye
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
Booya dogs
01HAWK
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
GEORGIA DLINE is wasted. No DEPTH.
Jeff Schultz
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
Nebraska starts 2nd half with 75 yd TD drive to take 31-23 lead. I think half players have heads in the NFL draft.
Erk Russell's Dog
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
We can hope that coach Grantham follows his NFL players back to the NFL. He might be a good position coach but he can’t coordinate a change of clothes much less a defense.
Larry
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
Jeff,
Can you see the difference in coaching and preparation for this game?
Looking forward to your next blog adressing this.
Sam
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
The same problem as in the sec game. Can’t stop the run
seenthisbefore
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
pathetic, underperforming, emotionless, lackadaisical, undisciplined, poorly coached, uninspired, waste of talent, miserably predictable…welcome to YOUR Georgia Bulldogs.
LagDawg
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
I hope a new DL Coach brings some fire to this team. Oh, it won’t matter. Grantham came with fire and Richt stopped that too. Need a new coaching staff. This is awful. All this NFL talent and can’t win s@#t.
SOS Dawgs
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
Who saw this coming? Anyone who has been watching Richt coached GA teams.
Wes Durham
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
Georgia should be killing this mediocre team. Lay this, once again, on Richt.
blamegame
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
yeah it looks like some of these guys had a good party last night
dan
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
Georgia doesn’t show up in a bowl game again. What a shock. SEC is overrated as they are every year. When will the voters ever learn??
Marquis de Mercury
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
that Grantham junkyard defense really shows up in big games don’t it? the only coach that has showed up on the Georgia sideline seems to be their “trash talk coordinator”…give that guy a raise…losers…
Buckeye
January 1st, 2013
3:24 pm
dogs are quick to turn on dogs.
Cracks me up.
Tampa Gator
January 1st, 2013
3:24 pm
Get ready……go……FIRE MARK RICHT……
Looks like to me that Jones, Rambo, Williams, and company have already punched their clocks for the NFL.
50 ways to leave your lover
January 1st, 2013
3:24 pm
If McGarrity had an ounce of testosterone in his body, or any courage whatsoever, he would fir Richt at the conclusion of this debacle.
Gator CHOMP Champ
January 1st, 2013
3:24 pm
UGA Defensive Front all in one phrase…lol.
Enjoy the Sugar Bowl.
Wes Durham
January 1st, 2013
3:24 pm
No, Jeff, heads not in the draft but rather where the sun don’t shine.
graphite
January 1st, 2013
3:24 pm
Turn out the lights,the party is over…. On to S.Car. to watch a good defensive team play…… RollOn…
01HAWK
January 1st, 2013
3:24 pm
Buckeye
January 1st, 2013
3:23 pm
Booya dogs
Go back to the TATOO PARLOR
kingdaddy
January 1st, 2013
3:24 pm
I’m done bloging till after the game. So far, I’m disappointed to say the least…
tmc
January 1st, 2013
3:24 pm
This game is EXACTLY the reason why a lot of UGA fans are fed up with CMR.
Georgia is playing uninspired, undisciplined, inconsistent on offense, horrible on defense and that’s the players.
Coaching has been poor, more bad clock management and I don’t see any adjustments in the 2nd half so far…
ALL of this against a mediocre at best Nebraska team.
It’s disgusting.
SpikeTheBallStupid!!!
January 1st, 2013
3:24 pm
Give Richt and coaching staff a raise….never mind we already did. SOS
Jim Jack
January 1st, 2013
3:25 pm
PLEASE!!!!!
PLEASE!!!!
FIRE GRANTHAM!!!!!
say it ain't so
January 1st, 2013
3:25 pm
I think too much time at Disney is coming back to haunt the Dawgs!!! This is freaking embarassing to get beat up by the slowest team that we will play all year!!!!
.