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
regina
January 1st, 2013
1:15 pm
gee, Murray, may want to rethink NFL.
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:15 pm
Good D!
regina
January 1st, 2013
1:15 pm
gee, Murray, may want to rethink NFL.
UGA89
January 1st, 2013
1:16 pm
Sorry , not really. But, what is wrong with him??
seenthisbefore
January 1st, 2013
1:16 pm
And Aaron Murray STILL sucks…
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:16 pm
Damn FALL ON IT! LOL
Dawg Patrol
January 1st, 2013
1:16 pm
Ga. better keep the ball on the ground. Murray throwing into double coverage won’t work.
AM
January 1st, 2013
1:16 pm
Too damn funny a safety
Jeff Schultz
January 1st, 2013
1:16 pm
Seriously. Just fall on the kick guys. Should’ve been a touchdown but it’s a safety for Georgia. 2-0 Dogs.
5150 UOAD
January 1st, 2013
1:16 pm
WOW a Touch Back………….no It should be a TOUCH BACK………UGa did that against Tech a few years ago.
cornpone
January 1st, 2013
1:16 pm
whatta bunch of idiots, uhh, git da bal git da ball
01HAWK
January 1st, 2013
1:17 pm
5 DAWGS and no one can get the ball
GT Fan
January 1st, 2013
1:17 pm
Damn..he had a TD..crap! 2 points.
Steve
January 1st, 2013
1:17 pm
Right but it is UGA, who you hate, so why be here? I would not play on a Tech blog for the life of me.
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:17 pm
How many Bulldogs does it take to not recover an easy touchdown off a blocked punt in the other team’s end zone?
More than six, apparently. Wow.
GatorBait
January 1st, 2013
1:17 pm
This is gona hurt, but Go Dawgs GATA, I’ll always pull for the SEC
UGA89
January 1st, 2013
1:17 pm
Sometimes I feel UGA doesn’t have Lady Luck on our side.
catlady
January 1st, 2013
1:18 pm
Can’t land on the d@mn ball in the end zone. 5 points given away.
GTGuy
January 1st, 2013
1:18 pm
Dawgs roll in this game! Huskers suck!!!
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:18 pm
Hey, we get the ball back with a chance to make it 9-0 or possibly 10-0. I’d rather be up 9-0, 10-0 than be up 7-0.
Bama
January 1st, 2013
1:18 pm
And THAT my friends, is UGA football
5150 UOAD
January 1st, 2013
1:18 pm
Steve…………you don’t watch ALL football games? I do. I love college football so I watch the games and if the blog is on why not chat?
Dawg Patrol
January 1st, 2013
1:18 pm
It has been proven over and over that Murray can’t get going ’till they establish the running game.
Scrappy
January 1st, 2013
1:19 pm
How can you not cover the ball in the end zone when you are the ONLY ONE near it!?!?!?!
Madea gets reassignment surgery
January 1st, 2013
1:19 pm
Apparently Chip Towers is an old Indian name for D Bag……
If you post with a negative perspective on UGA, he will ban you.
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:19 pm
Jason, you always want the points over the football. We needed seven there.
Jeff Schultz
January 1st, 2013
1:19 pm
That’s 2 straight years that Georgia’s first points in bowl game came on a safety. Last year in Outback.
jaxdawgfan
January 1st, 2013
1:19 pm
Cap One officials: Low class move chasing Chuck off the field during coin toss.
demhairydwags
January 1st, 2013
1:20 pm
Seriously MARK RICHT you can’t even TEACH your TEAM to recover a football! it’s time to FIRE MARK RICHT THIS GUY IS GARBAGE still predicting 52-13 win
Dirty Boyd
January 1st, 2013
1:20 pm
How many Dawgs does it take to fall on a kick?
5150 UOAD
January 1st, 2013
1:20 pm
THOMAS BROWN is a self-loathing Dwag fan and he is on all these blogs so what is your point? There are many Dwag lovers that are MAD at UGa that are on the blog so why shouldn’t I be here?
Steve
January 1st, 2013
1:20 pm
Pathetic that they did not get 7 there.
Dum-Bass
January 1st, 2013
1:20 pm
Mark Richt just showed his mindset. Celebrating 2 pts. when it should have been 7. Teach your players to just fall on the ball and bring it in. Four of them fighting each other over it. Bad techniques. Coaches fault. That 5 pts. could be the difference in the game. We shall see.
Scrappy
January 1st, 2013
1:21 pm
Should have taken that touchback.
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:21 pm
I’ll take points anyway I can get em! \
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:21 pm
Nebraska isn’t looking like they are going to take us lightly. Really running hard at us right now. Can’t give them any chances.
That Wisconsin game shouldn’t define them any more than the South Carolina game defined our season. These guys are a good football team.
seenthisbefore
January 1st, 2013
1:21 pm
On a brighter note–Georgia DOES look ready to play
catlady
January 1st, 2013
1:21 pm
Why should Chuck get to be on the field and every other reporter not?
Erk Russell's Dog
January 1st, 2013
1:22 pm
Let’s start a drinking game ,pop a top every time Reece Davis Says Motivation , we will all be plastered by halftime.
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:22 pm
I love Todd Gurley.
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:23 pm
Nebraska’s defense is going to be spent by the time the 4th quarter hits.
Dawgs1965
January 1st, 2013
1:23 pm
I need more coffee. We need more points.
Name: (required)
January 1st, 2013
1:23 pm
Todd needs to change his last name to “Girly”
Mariage Parfait Gueze
January 1st, 2013
1:23 pm
Surprised it is not 28 – 0 by now based upon some of the idiotic predictions I’ve seen…..
Bama
January 1st, 2013
1:23 pm
Demhairydogs- yep, fire richt. Moron uga fan
5150 UOAD
January 1st, 2013
1:24 pm
That should be a CATCH
Dawgs1965
January 1st, 2013
1:24 pm
Nice read by Marshall.
Mariage Parfait Gueze
January 1st, 2013
1:25 pm
How is that PI?
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:25 pm
Doesn’t matter, Mariage. He caught the ball anyway.
Go Dawgs.
Dawgs1965
January 1st, 2013
1:25 pm
Dazzling, Bobo, dazzling.