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
Jeff Schultz
January 1st, 2013
1:26 pm
Murray definitely off target early.
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:26 pm
Murray is looking terrible right now. Not throwing accurately at all.
Bama
January 1st, 2013
1:26 pm
Murray not helping his case for nfl
UGA89
January 1st, 2013
1:26 pm
Throw it to Tavarres!!!!!!!!!!
Jeff Schultz
January 1st, 2013
1:27 pm
That was kind of open. 9-0 (assumes PAT)
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:27 pm
Do I look stupid now? It’s bound to be 9-0, 10-0 if they go for two. More points OFF the safety!
Jeff Schultz
January 1st, 2013
1:27 pm
How does a guy get that wide open.
GT Fan
January 1st, 2013
1:27 pm
Lynch..TD….Great
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:27 pm
I would say, “Great play!”, but it appears as if Nebraska thought Lynch was another tackle.
Where in the world was any defender in that particular situation?
5150 UOAD
January 1st, 2013
1:27 pm
35:55minute Murray is ALIVE and well. Who will EGG Murray’s house first tonight? PMS…Pad My Stats against crappy teams is living up to form.
UGA89
January 1st, 2013
1:27 pm
It took too long for UGA to score. Go Dawgs!
Mariage Parfait Gueze
January 1st, 2013
1:27 pm
That’s my point Benjamin…..Both were going for the ball in the turf.
Scrappy
January 1st, 2013
1:27 pm
ARTIE! He was so wide open he had time to look around before taking it to the house.
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:27 pm
It’s 9-0 instead of 7-0.
Larry
January 1st, 2013
1:28 pm
Lynch ran in that TD like he was expecting to be tackled the entire way…lol.
GT Fan
January 1st, 2013
1:28 pm
man he was home alone…
Dawgs1965
January 1st, 2013
1:28 pm
We’ll take it. Go Dawgs!
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:28 pm
You didn’t look “stupid” before, Jason, Just saying that, in general, you always take the touchdown over the safety in that particular situation.
Middle Dawg
January 1st, 2013
1:28 pm
Jason
January 1st, 2013
12:28 pm
Oh and Wet Willie, Florida is a top team. We actually dominated them. They didn’t score a touchdown at all. Gurley rushed for his usual 100 yard game. Florida has a better defense than Alabama and that’s the truth.
#####################################33
Idiotic post of the day
DawgFan
January 1st, 2013
1:28 pm
Hell yea. Great start although not always pretty to watch.
AM
January 1st, 2013
1:29 pm
Jeff we picked the guy covering lynch that is how he was wide open
Jeff Schultz
January 1st, 2013
1:30 pm
Yardage totals: Georgia 104, Nebraska 2.
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:30 pm
Samantha Steele is hot! Mmmmm
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:31 pm
Jarvis Jones didn’t know they were playing on turf? Oy…
5150 UOAD
January 1st, 2013
1:31 pm
PMS Murray has another Worthless UGa passing record…………………….
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:31 pm
Told you weren’t stupid, Jason. Good call on Ms. Steele.
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:32 pm
And our run defense appears again. We gotta get that fixed before next year. We’re facing Clemson, South Carolina, and LSU in the month of September. Wow!
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:33 pm
Taylor Martinez said UGA’s defense was just another “typical Big 10 defense” Don’t prove him right!
5150 UOAD
January 1st, 2013
1:33 pm
Nebraska…………just RUN the ball and control the clock……
LagDawg
January 1st, 2013
1:33 pm
Going to have to stop the run. Run defense looks awful and Murray’s decision making is still suspect. UGA need to sign Adams and Johnson. Should have kept Kelsey Griffin.
blamegame
January 1st, 2013
1:34 pm
Hello Defense?
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:34 pm
Georgia has gotten GSU, Georgia Tech, and Nebraska in three consecutive weeks.
Talk about a consistent upgrade in challenges of similar-minded offenses…
Troubled
January 1st, 2013
1:34 pm
UGA’s defense is moving in slow motion today.
Dawgs1965
January 1st, 2013
1:35 pm
This is gonna be a game.
Mariage Parfait Gueze
January 1st, 2013
1:35 pm
Jeff Schultz
January 1st, 2013
1:30 pm
Yardage totals: Georgia 104, Nebraska 2.
Since when?
TD Nebraska…..Try to keep up
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:35 pm
Secondary sucking today. Defense is going to be hurting next year.
Jeff Schultz
January 1st, 2013
1:35 pm
Nice answer by Nebraska offense. Went straight down field in 7plays.
Larry
January 1st, 2013
1:35 pm
With all this defensive talent, I still have trouble not believing that Todd Grantham isn’t vastly overated. What will next year bring?
blamegame
January 1st, 2013
1:35 pm
Is this going to be a shoot out?
seenthisbefore
January 1st, 2013
1:36 pm
evidently with our defense, the Chrstmas gift-giving continues…
Scrappy
January 1st, 2013
1:36 pm
Not sure they beat the play clock on the TD.
5150 UOAD
January 1st, 2013
1:36 pm
WOW the clock ran out but that has happened a few times this year. If you watched the GHSA High School Championships in the DOME the play was ignored a lot of the time.
That NO CALL was almost as bad as the USC MADE FG the was not to score the first points in the TECH v USC game.
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:36 pm
Meanwhile, on ESPN, Ace Sanders is fast.
14-3 Gamecocks after a 60-something yard punt return.
Mariage Parfait Gueze
January 1st, 2013
1:37 pm
You UGA fans are a sad bunch. Enjoy the game and stop crying about every little thing.
North Ave. Faithful
January 1st, 2013
1:37 pm
How do you not know what kind of turf your playing on.
01HAWK
January 1st, 2013
1:37 pm
Benjamin
January 1st, 2013
1:31 pm
Jarvis Jones didn’t know they were playing on turf? Oy…
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He had to be joking……………………………..No one would be that crazy not to know that.
Flat Tire doesnt live in Delusionalville Ga.
January 1st, 2013
1:38 pm
Does Grantham know how to stop the run
Jason
January 1st, 2013
1:38 pm
Georgia’s defense has no pride today. Taylor Martinez called Jarvis Jones “another player” and he called UGA’s defense “Big 10″ WOWWWW! If I was a Georgia defender, he’s hurting! GATA!
Dawg Patrol
January 1st, 2013
1:38 pm
I hate to say it but they ran the ball on us as easy as Bama did.
Mariage Parfait Gueze
January 1st, 2013
1:38 pm
I see now…..Nebraska cheated