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
Dawgs1965
January 1st, 2013
3:58 pm
Bad news for Nebraska: Uga is naked.
tmc
January 1st, 2013
3:58 pm
Signs of a poorly coached team:
-number of bad penalty’s (consistently)
-using timeout’s early in halves (consistently)
-poor clock management (consistently)
We excel in every one of these area’s!
(and i would add, inability to stop the other team, consistently)
SpikeTheBallStupid!!!
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
Yes yes yes
goFalcons
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
phil
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
Nice play there though!
Hairy Dawg
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
What a catch by Marshall. Yikes.
Scrappy
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
What a catch!
Jimmy Crack
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
We’re BAACK in the saddle agahahain!
We’re BAAAACK…ACK…ACK…ACK!!
45 ACP
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
That’s how ya do it Dawgs!
Jason
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
What a grab by Marshall! Offense is great. Will be lethal next year.
50 ways to leave your lover
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
Jarvis Jones is highly overrated. A smart NFLteam will not waste a good draft choic on him or swallow the propaganda…
50 ways to leave your lover
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
Jarvis Jones is highly overrated. A smart NFLteam will not waste a good draft choic on him or swallow the propaganda…
catlady
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
Someone seems to have blood sugar issues with the delayed substitutions. It looks like how I feel when hypoglycemic.
Jeff Schultz
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
Not sure if that was an intentional back shoulder pass from Murray or not but great adjustment/catch by Marshall for 24-yd TD and Georgia takes lead.
What happened to GA's D?
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
Great catch on a mediocre throw!
SpikeTheBallStupid!!!
January 1st, 2013
3:59 pm
Great friggin catch
DawgNole
January 1st, 2013
4:00 pm
GT Fan
January 1st, 2013
3:13 pm
I have more faith UGA will win than some of you dawg fans..have a little faith in your team. Its not over yet.
________________
Shouldn’t be close.
Murray to Marshall–FINALLY!
Lonnie
January 1st, 2013
4:00 pm
Gurley and Marshall!!!!!
45 ACP
January 1st, 2013
4:00 pm
doggie style haters!
Scrappy
January 1st, 2013
4:00 pm
How fast can Marshall learn pass routes?
phil
January 1st, 2013
4:00 pm
The catch was average…
You blind homers crack me up.
UGA89
January 1st, 2013
4:00 pm
Buckeye your ranking is MEANINGLESS. Are you so dumb that you can’t figure that out. At least UGA is “in” the game. OSU can’t even compete.
Buckeye
January 1st, 2013
4:00 pm
89,
I say, go trash, urinate and defecate on campus like the dogs do.
Erk Russell's Dog
January 1st, 2013
4:00 pm
UGA 89
Ohio State was not punished so much for cheating as for lying to the NCAA about it.And it turned what would have been just a couple of player suspensions into a major violation.
goFalcons
January 1st, 2013
4:00 pm
tmc——–Signs of a good coach team——Just look at UGA’s winning percent under CMR…Enough said on that topic
GTAE70
January 1st, 2013
4:00 pm
I hope all you Murray haters go back under your rock now.
Buckeye
January 1st, 2013
4:01 pm
89,
Ya, against “slow” B1G.
sicemdawg
January 1st, 2013
4:01 pm
tHERE IS NO WAY TODD GRANTHAM SHOULD NOT BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY
Lonnie
January 1st, 2013
4:01 pm
Alright defense you had some rest and got the lead!!!!!
SpikeTheBallStupid!!!
January 1st, 2013
4:01 pm
May be murals first bowl win…..unbelievable
50 ways to leave your lover
January 1st, 2013
4:01 pm
Remember, folks, these are the same Cornhuskers that unrated Wisconsin hung 70 on last game…
Buckeye
January 1st, 2013
4:01 pm
89,
The AP is meaningless?
Jason
January 1st, 2013
4:01 pm
Personal foul for that hit? Oh come on!
SpikeTheBallStupid!!!
January 1st, 2013
4:02 pm
May be murrays first bowl win…..unbelievable
Buckeye
January 1st, 2013
4:02 pm
89.
“We run this State” is meaningless.
catlady
January 1st, 2013
4:02 pm
What is with all the personal fouls penalties?
Bama
January 1st, 2013
4:02 pm
Nice blowout
Jim Jack
January 1st, 2013
4:02 pm
Thank God Almighty for our offense!!!!!!
FIRE GRANTHAM!!!!!
Dawgs1965
January 1st, 2013
4:02 pm
I wish David Pollack would punch Jesse Palmer in the mouth and yell “DAWG PWNCH!”
Georgia
January 1st, 2013
4:02 pm
I just sexted one of the Nebraska Cheerleaders, man. She’s gonna meet me underneath the bleachers at midnight tonight.
Scrappy
January 1st, 2013
4:02 pm
Man, the tv coverage is no better than the defenses.
Buckeye
January 1st, 2013
4:02 pm
Let me guess,
The refs will turn on the dogs, again.
Hairy Dawg
January 1st, 2013
4:03 pm
phil,
No team in this state could please the trolling alter-ego you’re using here because you are provided with too much enjoyment feeding off the stupidity and ignorance of 95% of sports blog commenters.
Go Vols
January 1st, 2013
4:03 pm
Interesting game…does it seem to anyone else that Pollack seems a little testy?
Lonnie
January 1st, 2013
4:03 pm
3rd and 8. C’mon dawgs!
Yes
phil
January 1st, 2013
4:04 pm
Murray’s pass was awful….
Marshall saved his butt!
Dawg Patrol
January 1st, 2013
4:04 pm
There’s a whole lot of football left. Dawgs need to play heads-up and mistake free.
Bama
January 1st, 2013
4:05 pm
WE run your state
Erk Russell's Dog
January 1st, 2013
4:05 pm
Buckeye
You are starting to sound like a Tech troll!
Go home lil clemson boy
January 1st, 2013
4:05 pm
CLEMS@N TIGERS ARE BACK!!!
Last time the Dogs played in “death valley” in 2003, we blanked your preseason Top5 arses 30 to ZIPPO. Georgia has played Clemson 62 times and leads the series 41-17-4. The Dogs have won the last five games.