Dog vs. Dog: Battling to emerge from SEC’s loser’s bracket
Russ may be the interim mascot, but he's still going to be top dog in Starkville. (University of Georgia)
A coworker came up to me this week and said, “Mississippi State a favorite over Georgia? Really!!??”
OK, so it’s only a 1-point spread, which basically means a toss-up, but yeah, as Georgia prepares to enter Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville Saturday night for one of those rare SEC battles of the Bulldogs, there’s no denying it: Things have gotten ugly. It’s a match between the only two teams in the conference to both have two conference losses already, battling to keep from being declared irrelevant in their division race before September is even over.
Still, I’m always up for a little good-natured smack talk, so I asked my friend Harvey, the only Mississippi State grad I know, for his take on this week’s game.
As Harvey noted, since the two schools don’t play all that often, “there isn’t the kind of venom” between the two fan bases that you get with a division rivalry. But we’ve got that whole who-are-the-real-Bulldogs thing going. Although bulldogs have been part of MSU’s tradition since early in the 20th century, the bulldog didn’t become the school’s official mascot until 1961. Before that they were the Maroons. (My high school team also was formerly known as the Maroons but switched to the Trojans. Seems no one wants to be called a Maroon.)
Bully, the MSU mascot, better get ready for Russ marking his territory at Davis Wade Stadium. (Mississippi State University)
I asked Harvey how it felt to be the “other” Bulldogs in the SEC.
His reply: “Actually there are no other Bulldogs other than MSU. To this day, when I hear Bulldogs I don’t think of UGA first. It’s like Carolina trying to call themselves USC. Any true SEC fan knows there’s only one group of Bulldogs and they where the maroon and white. Gooooooo Dawgs, Sic ’em!”
Aren’t delusional college football fans fun?
As for the game itself, Harvey first tried to blind me with science by predicting, “We’re going to win because I predicted after looking at the schedule we’d be 2-2 after facing Memphis, Auburn, LSU and Georgia, and Georgia is our last hope to make that prediction come true.”
Yeah, well,my preseason prediction for Mark Richt’s Dawgs was 10-2, and so there’s no margin for error left on our side, either.
Anyway, Harvey continued with a summation of where the Maroon Bulldogs stand: “Even though our record may not see improvements this season, the team is a much better team, veteran O-line, one of the best young defensive coordinators in the country and even though they’ve struggled, the QBs are the best we’ve been a that position in the last 6-8 years. The atmosphere is going to be wild. The game sold out about 2 weeks ago and the cowbells will rule.”
It’s not all blue skies, though, for MSU fans. “Quarterback is the biggest worry,” Harvey said. “Five interceptions last week. The best thrower is a redshirt freshman and the starter can’t throw that well especially down the middle of the field. They don’t turn the ball over, we win. Dogs 24, UGA 16.”
Sorry, Harvey, but I think that score’s more likely to be flipped. True, MSU has a pretty stout secondary, but they’re susceptible up the middle, Georgia’s getting Caleb King back and the UGA offensive line is overdue to finally put it all together. Plus, State has only gotten four sacks so far this season, so Aaron Murray’s likely to be able to stay upright and with his helmet on.
I will admit the prospect of Todd Grantham’s unpredictable troops facing Dan Mullen’s spread option offense worries me a tad, especially when Chris Relf, the running quarterback, is taking the snaps. But they don’t have a big, punishing tailback, MSU’s offensive line also has been disappointing so far, and they don’t have much of a downfield passing attack, so Georgia can pretty well load up the box to stop the run. And then things can get interesting, as both Relf and State’s other QB, Tyler Russell, have shown a propensity for throwing picks. Georgia has the decided edge in special teams, too.
So when the last cowbell has clanged Saturday night, I think the true and proper Bulldogs will be victorious.
Over a bunch of Maroons.
Woof woof!
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176 comments Add your comment
Selective Memory
September 25th, 2010
11:33 am
History Rules appears to be in denial about their own program or attends a school without one. Didn’t Kemp end up in a psych ward?
UGA is missing AJ Green, King, Chapas…. All with a RF QB and a new DC.
Caleb is the starter because of his pass protection (or Ealey’s lack thereof) and because he’s not as likely to fumble as much as Ealey (see SC’s gift). I don’t see his injury mentioned often. FL and AU will not be facing the same team that SC and Ark had the luxury of facing. Along with all of the key players returning, Murray, for all practical purposes, will no longer be a RF either. Should be fun… GT should be REAL fun.
Someone tell Spurrier to score more than 17 pts. before he pops-off about his offense. ML was impressive but he’ll have tougher games.
LHardingDawg
September 25th, 2010
11:33 am
The “cesspool of the south” is in “history rules” very small brain. It’s obvious he has no life, no football team worth a crap, and probably lives in his Mother’s basement.
I do have a life and I’ll see y’all next week!
Let them go
September 25th, 2010
11:46 am
ealey and Green need to be let go. AJ will make tons of $ come February with the NFL draft and he will be fine and ealey can work in a junk yard for wrecked cars ……….mostly his wrecked cars or those of his friends.
This team is damaged goods ………the players are lazy and lack intellect to play SEC football. Ealey refuses to block and the corners and safeties are out of the game like rambo was in the LA-LA game and last week vs Arkansas on that faked run, then TD pass by Mallett.
I have had enough ……….need to clean house and if recruiting suffers ……….it will anyway IF we keep the current staff because good players want to win like at Alabama and Florida and frankly, ALL of the SEC teams except UGA.
Clean house now…………UGA will recover nicely by 2012 and 2013.
Go Dogs.
UGA calss of 71 & 73
ARdawg
September 25th, 2010
1:27 pm
Green made a bonehead and terrible mistake. He was caught and now paying the piper. A dance many a young lads have learned. To infer that the last 2 losses are a result of him not playing is just about one of the dumbest posts on ajc blogs this year. Admit it, you are a bughead for real or in spirit, aren’t you? Ealey is young and still learning. He’s going to make mistakes. We win as a team and we lose as a team. IDIOT
GT76
September 25th, 2010
1:50 pm
The Dawgs have talent and green is a future NFL receiver but you got other weapons to use. you should be 3 – 0. It’s not the team, its the coaches. something is wrong with Richt the last few years and a change is needed. Please just don’t change before we play in Nov.
GT76
September 25th, 2010
1:57 pm
Let them go : It is ALWAYS the head coach! They select the players, hire the other coaches, set up the play book, work the practices and run the team at game time. So, a bad player or two should not kill a season unless the Head coach lets the team go to pot. The players for the most part a young been catered to since their talent first surfaced and come from tough backgrounds. These are reasons, not excuses. A jersey for $1,000? Yes, I’d say about 99% would do that. Don’t blame the kid, blame the coach that put him on the team and taought him the rules and is suposed to keep him legal.
Xenophon
September 25th, 2010
3:06 pm
This game will mark the beginning of the end of The Mark Richt Era. By season’s end, the Urinal will start calling his ability into question and that will only encourage the restless fan base. My mid-season of next year, he’ll be gone. You read it here first.
Vance Duuley
September 25th, 2010
3:23 pm
UGA’s season ends tonight in Starkville.
I love it!
Larry
September 25th, 2010
3:28 pm
UGA folks can brag all you want to about beating Tech in football most years, and that’s perfectly fair. What’s also fair is to point out that with a history of Jan Kemp (Vince Dooley days), Jim Harrick, Damon Evans, and 44 arrests, UGA is truly “The Cesspool of the South,” and is richly deserving of that title. No one outside of Georgia has any respect for UGA or its athletic department, and that is a fact. It has been said many times: “Tech people are proud of their school, Georgia people are proud of their team.” What a legacy to be proud of!
UGA fans can now return to your mobile home parks and resume waiting for your unemployment checks.
And watching those red panties falling from the sky, always a good time-killer for thUGA dawgtards. :-) :-) :-)
Larry is a tool
September 25th, 2010
5:29 pm
Wow Larry. Mobile home parks, red panties, and thUGA dawgtards…you really know how to stick it to dawg fans. By the way, thanks for caring so much about UGA that you come trolling on our boards.
Let "Let them go" go
September 25th, 2010
5:31 pm
I love how everyone was berating Caleb King and yelling for Washaun Ealy to start at the beginning of the season. Now those same people have jumped off the Ealy bandwagon and want Ken Malcome. Next year they will hate Malcome and call for the next guy on the depth chart to start.
Dostoyevskiy
September 25th, 2010
9:56 pm
UGa rode Joe Cox outta town on a rail. (Murray makes Cox look like an All-American.). I guess they’ll just lynch Murray, since UGa doesn’t have any rails left. How will CMR get outta town?
stendek
September 25th, 2010
10:09 pm
The UGA football Bulldogs have hit rock bottom! It simply does not get any worse than this shet. Time to fire not only Mark Wretch and Mike Dodo but the whole bunch of clueless losers! This was a total embarrassment from start to finish. What is it with that idiot #3? The football was less than a foot from him. All he has to do is make one football play, one, for a touchdown! How did this ignoramus get into college. Oh. I forgot. It is UGA also known as Thug U! Completely unspirited debacle. Enough to make every true Bulldog fan outraged. I AM! Very much so. This cannot be tolerated. Firings are long past due. Bulldogs are official laughingstock of Southeastern Conference! Truly sad. I am too utterly disgusted and nauseated to comment further. Damn this!
DawgByte
September 25th, 2010
10:24 pm
Welcome to the Ray Goff era part II.
Baz
September 25th, 2010
10:24 pm
Dogs are really bad. This IS Mark Richts fault. HE has to go. A few weeks ago I was so excited having a new defensive coordinator. Now, I don’t think we have anything but a punter and place kicker. No defense, no offense. Both lines of scrimmage are terrible. I cannot watch any more of this. Alabama wouldn’t take it. Florida wouldn’t take it. And we shouldn’t take it. Fans, call in on Monday nights show at 8 pm and tell the coach how you feel. I feel abandoned. His niceties just aren’t enough. Alabama and Florida have firey coaches. We need a firey coach to put fear into the players.
DawgByte
September 25th, 2010
10:26 pm
Both our OL and DL’s suck. I’ve never ever seen a UGA team where both LOS are so weak. That’s a result of poor recruiting and coaching. This is the worst UGA team I’ve seen since the Goff era. Our program is in total chaos.
Pitbull
September 25th, 2010
10:47 pm
Listen, this year is a waste. I thought we might could beat Fla and still have some good come out of it. But I don’t think we can beat Fla. Our play calling sux. Richt made a bad decision when he gave Bobo a job. He should have taken a proven commidity. Ga is too big a program to be hiring unknowns. To big a program to be a learning on the job situation. Now it has come back to bite Richt big time. Like the saying “you make your bed, you have to sleep in it”. Richt is tossing and turning in it lol.
hahah
September 25th, 2010
10:48 pm
What a joke. phaggots
Pitbull
September 25th, 2010
10:50 pm
Lets talk about something that is FUN. Like ‘RED PANTIES”!
Stephen Garcia's Parole Officer
September 25th, 2010
10:50 pm
Jeez Ralph, if Richt is a “fantastic coach”, what would a mediocre one look like? Other than Ray Goff, that is.
Pitbull
September 25th, 2010
10:54 pm
People quit talking about Ray Goff. He was a damn good hard nosed player and he Coached well enough. He just came up against Spurrier in his prime. Spurrier was beating everybody, not just the dawgs. If he stayed to long it wasn’t his fault! He didn’t hire and fire himself!
Baz
September 25th, 2010
10:59 pm
Pitbull, you are wrong. Ray Goff’s record at UGA was 46-34-1. You too, would have fired him!! Now, Mark Richt must go!
Wow, uga pups really suk
September 25th, 2010
11:15 pm
0-3 in the SEC! You butt sniffin ball lickin pups really suk!
Wagtheworld.com » Georgia Football: How Do The Dogs Love Richt Now? Take The Poll and See – Bleacher Report
September 26th, 2010
7:05 am
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Ewok Killer
September 26th, 2010
10:22 am
I TOLD YOU SO!
What a freaking disaster in Athens…. it couldn’t of happened to a worse bunch of trash talking delusional drunken losers like you people.
I LOVE IT
Bill
September 26th, 2010
11:29 am
Mark Richt is a great coach and a good man. All of his former players have great regard for him. Ask David Pollock, David Greene and Matthew Stafford what kind of coach and man Richt is. People who know Richt, who have played for him or coached with him will tell you the same. He is a great coach and a better man. If you Richt haters get what you want it will be 10 years before GA will even be on the radar again. It is totally foolish to think of bringing Boise or TCU or SMU coach here. Richt is having a tough couple of years. He will be fine. Team will be fine. He is going to lead us through this. I am confident that the AD and President will strongly support CMR. I hope that you Richt bashers do not get what you want. To lose Richt would hurt UGA. What a lack of vision you, “what have you done for me lately” fans are. The sad story in UGA’s losses is not the coaching staff but the fair weather fans who when the going gets tough have one answer and it is to fire everyone in sight. Sad. Sad. Sad. Grow up. Get a vision. Support our coach. Lets not lose CMR.