Fan talk: Can a true UGA fan ever pull for Tech against anybody?
Ben Jones celebrates Georgia's 2009 win over Tech at Grant Field. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
OK, here’s your quickie post-Thanksgiving summation of Georgia vs. Georgia Tech:
In-state rivals. Nation’s No. 2 rushing offense meets No. 2 rushing defense. Uh-oh, triple option. Cut-blocking. Who can play tailback? Which Aaron Murray shows up for this game (the one who tore Auburn apart or the erratic one against Kentucky)? Will the Jackets continue to put it on the ground? What about Harton and Malcome? Will the Dogs be looking ahead to the Dome? Does anyone other than the Tech band still play the Budweiser theme?
Bottom line: If Georgia wins the turnover ratio, Georgia wins the game.
Now, before you tuck into another one of those turkey sandwiches, let’s get to some Junkyard Mail. …
Jackie Grimes writes: I know you’ve made it pretty clear over the years that like most Georgia fans now you can’t stand Georgia Tech. But have you never rooted for the Jackets at any time? Not even against Notre Dame in 1980 when Tech tying the Irish elevated the Dawgs to No. 1?
I have to admit I’ve always relished the irony that the Jackets were responsible for the Dogs first topping the polls in 1980. But, no, I didn’t root for Tech to win that game. I didn’t pull for the Irish to win, either. I was too fixated on what was going on in Jacksonville. But the end result, a tie that helped Georgia, couldn’t have been more perfect. I’ve actually never rooted for the Jackets. I know a lot of Georgia fans of my Dad’s era pulled for the Jackets except when the played the Dogs, but I never could contain the rivalry to just one week. To me, the perfect day is a Georgia win and a Tech loss. Any day. Any sport.
In reply to my list earlier this week of favorite Georgia wins over Tech, Jon from Savannah writes: Thanks for the memories. To this day, I still look for the long ball on the opening play of the game like the one in 1981 to Lindsay Scott. Too sweet of a memory. One of my favorite plays of all time. And Reggie Ball. No Georgia fan can forget him.
Ah, Reggie Ball. The gift to Georgia from Chan Gailey that just kept on giving!
Timothy Hyman wrote to share his favorite Georgia-Georgia Tech memories, which included this: 1997 in Atlanta. I was at the game with my Dad in the Tech section. He went to Tech and worked there. So [we] were in enemy territory. Tech scored to take 24-21 but Bobo led UGA down the field. On fourth down Tech called for pass interference after they thought they had stopped us. Bobo throws touchdown to snatch victory when everyone thought we had lost. [I was] jumping up and down in a sea of gold. The looks on everyone’s faces around us … priceless.
A great day, for sure.
Scott Watson writes: Bill, I believe the team should wear something Saturday on the jersey or helmet to honor Larry Munson. He would hate it, but I think it’s the thing to do. We need to also honor him by totally demolishing Tech. Your thoughts? And Walker Garrett adds: Wouldn’t it be cool if the Dawgs wore jerseys with “Munson” on the back of all them, as a tribute to Larry! [The way the military] academies wear USA, Honor, Bravery, etc. on the back of their jerseys.
I definitely think the Dogs should honor Munson and Mark Richt has indicated that they will, with some sort of decal on the helmets. What it will be, they haven’t said. I’ve heard speculation ranging from Munson’s initials to a cigar to a microphone. But I know what I think would be perfect for the decal: a hobnail boot!
Justin Cade writes: Bill, I’m going to my first game at Tech this Saturday. Assuming you’ve seen the Dawgs at Bobby Dodd before. Are you aware of any decent pregame activities in the area? Are any of the local establishments relatively Dawg-friendly? Thanks for any advice you (or any of the other readers) might have. Go Dawgs!
I don’t really know of any pregame activities. After the 2009 game, I did really enjoy seeing the glum faces on all those Tech fans on the walk back to the MARTA station. As for the most Dawg-friendly place to grab a bite around the Joke by Coke, I’d say the Varsity would probably be your best bet. You’ll probably see as many folks there in red and black as in Tech colors.
UPDATE: Just got word of this today: The crew from “1980 Dawgs” will once again be joined by Georgia football legends Scott Woerner, Rex Robinson and possibly other members of the 1980 team at the Varsity on North Avenue before and after the game on Saturday, where they will be meeting fans, signing copies of “1980 Dawgs” DVDs and talking Georgia football. That’s Saturday, 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and right after the game for two hours.
David writes: Can anyone tell me why the cutoff for orders to the SEC Championship was last week before they even beat Kentucky? And why season ticket holders were not even notified? UGA has lost a supporter.
I’d have to say your devotion to UGA wasn’t very deep if that’s all it takes to lose you. But to answer your question, they offered Bulldog Club members (Hartman Fund donors aka season ticket holders) the chance to place orders for SEC championship tickets in advance (just like they do with all the possible bowl destinations) in order to be able to process them quickly once it was official. And if you’re a season ticket holder and you didn’t get either an email (several, actually) or something in the mail, then you ought to check with the folks at the Bulldog Club office in Athens and see whether they have your correct contact information. By the way, on Wednesday they announced the Hartman Fund cumulative contribution cutoff points for the 16,000 tickets Georgia is allotted to the SEC game. All contributors who ordered with a cumulative score of 100,000 and higher will receive up to 6 tickets. All contributors who ordered with a cumulative score between 52,500-99,999 will receive up to 4 tickets. And all contributors who ordered with a cumulative score between 12,050-52,499 will receive up to 2 tickets. UGA faculty, staff and students also were eligible for tickets, depending on various priority factors. The tickets were put into the mail Wednesday via the U.S. Postal Service.
Brian Cheshire writes: Hey Junkyard, I was just wondering if you have heard anything about Coach Richt stepping down after this year? If so why is he telling these recruits (Theus, Marshall) he is going to be there?
You’re referring to the rumor reported this week by GamingToday.com that claimed Richt would voluntarily leave Georgia at the end of the season. I put no credence in the report, which cited “sources in the South Carolina/Georgia area.” Hmm. South Carolina? Think anyone there might want to manufacture a rumor about the coach of the team that aced out the Gamecocks for the SEC East? The report, which didn’t have any credibility to spare, pretty much veered off into fantasy land when it said that the top candidates to replace Richt were Mike Bobo and Derek Dooley. And when Richt was asked this week on local radio whether the rumor was true, he indicated he wants to coach about another nine years and isn’t looking to leave UGA.
Charles from Albany writes: Bill, I was thinking about this after the weekend upsets. If instead of UGA playing Boise State in the opener, [they had gone] ahead with playing and beating Louisville, where do you think we would be in the discussion of one-loss teams playing for the BCS Championship? Love the Blawg.
Thanks. If Georgia had not lost to Boise State and was the SEC champion then, yes, I think a one-loss UGA might well have made the BCS championship. But no use thinking about might-have-beens. As it is, if Georgia wins out and is the SEC champion, the conference likely will get three teams into the BCS.
Tyler Knight writes: Bill, what are your thoughts on Ken Malcome? When he runs, he looks like a legit running back. I know he had the bad fumble, but he looks much more like an SEC running back than Brandon Harton or even Carlton Thomas. I think we should have given him more playing time.
You generally win playing time in practice and Malcome obviously did not impress Georgia’s coaches as much as Richard Samuel or Thomas did. From what little I’ve seen of him running, I’d say he had the potential to possibly be as useful as Samuel, assuming he could hold on to the ball, but he hasn’t developed the consistency the coaches were looking for. If he sticks around the program, who knows?
Finally, Brett Lassiter writes: Blair Walsh’s field goal game went into the tank this year, practically forcing the offense to make more plays in the clutch (not that UGA Nation preferred FGs to TDs). What I have noticed, though, is that his extra point game has still been pretty much dead center. What do you think are the chances that Blair has been throwing FGs in order to get the offense to do more?
A lot of folks love conspiracy theories but I’m not seeing Walsh on the grassy knoll in this case.
Got a question for the Junkyard Blawg? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
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— Bill King, Junkyard Blawg
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234 comments Add your comment
WnE
November 25th, 2011
10:32 am
I wish Crowell would transfer out to make room for some running backs who have heart. All of you bootlicking dawg fans make me sick by buying into Richt’s koolaid. Unless we’re winning the national championship, we aren’t doing anything. There are games every year that we should win, but don’t (Boise this year).
TalibanDawg
November 25th, 2011
10:33 am
Interesting comment! So some of you would root for the Taliban over Tech? WOW! That’s all I needed to read. I skipped the rest. How many UGA fans actually root for the enemies of the United States? I would think you would move to Afghanistan and join the Taliban. You’d get a chance to hurt, maim or kill Americans. Go Dawgs?
I know it means nothing to you, but have a happy holiday season (it’s an American “thing” you might not understand)
Freddy Blassie
November 25th, 2011
10:36 am
Yeah, my wrassling trunks were gold lame because I always liked Georgia Tech. Down at the old Atlanta Municipal Auditorium we always had a few Tech students in the audience.
After Tech beats Georgie tomorrow, I am considering pulling for Georgie in their game against LSU. It will make the Tech win a little sweeter. Tech will have beaten the SEC champions and that will be pretty cool. The problem will be at Grant Field, some of the Georgie fans might misbehave and make it tough to pull for them. I hope the Tech boys don’t hurt any of the Georgie players so that they are at their best against LSU.
Georgia Southern and their high school offense put 21 on Alabama and I suspect that Georgia Tech might be a better team than Southern and Alabama might be a little better than Georgie.
To Redandblackdawg
November 25th, 2011
10:42 am
There’s a very good reason many Tech fans this year share a special resentment towards dawg fans, and it mainly has to do with one of your best and brightest that frequents the AJC and several other bulldog fan blogs around the web. He even created one himself to harass Georgia Tech recruits, commits, and current athletes (firepauljohnson.blogspot.com). That goes above and beyond the typical “hate” that exists between the two fanbases. It is being taken care of though : )
OoltewahDawg
November 25th, 2011
10:42 am
Gotta agree with you on that one, TalibanDawg. You will find in one of my previous posts that they almost got my nephew yesterday.
Demosthenes
November 25th, 2011
10:43 am
They hate UGA, so we hate them back. I’d pull for Tech if they were fighting the Kaiser, but then, Yellow Tech cowards elect to play sports instead of going to war, so that wouldn’t happen.
To Redandblackdawg
November 25th, 2011
10:43 am
Did I mention he pretends to be a tech fan elsewhere? Your boy needs to get a life. Since you want to talk about “hiding behind names” and the like. Who contacts high school students to try and persuade them to not come to a certain school? A sociopath who would welcome a visit from Sanduskey. That is who.
catlady
November 25th, 2011
10:44 am
I pull for Tech unless they play Georgia, Florida State, or Duke. If they played Tennessee or Alabama, I wouldn’t pull for them, but they never play them. I especially pull for them when they play a Yankee school.
BTW, Alabama fans are the worst in the SEC, bar none. Tennessee and Georgia fans are bad, but nothing like Alabama fans. I know; I graduated from all 3 schools.
R Jackson
November 25th, 2011
10:46 am
Many years ago Tech’s basketball team played the Russian olympic team and nobody I know could pull for Tech.
OoltewahDawg
November 25th, 2011
10:51 am
uncalled for, Jason. Get a life.
ARDawgfan
November 25th, 2011
10:55 am
Wow. I just saw that fpj blog and is that guy a psycho or what? I promise all dawg fans are not like that.
IL Jacket
November 25th, 2011
10:56 am
OoltewahDawg, our prayers go out to your nephew and we hope he makes it home safely. Also to all of the other fine young people, whether they be Dawg or Jacket fans, serving our country with distinction. Hopefully, those in Iraq at least will be home by Christmas. A Happy Thanksgiving to all.
OoltewahDawg
November 25th, 2011
10:57 am
Anybody else haveing trouble getting their posts to show up?
JB
November 25th, 2011
10:59 am
The wrong question was asked. Can Tech ever pull for the Dawgs, and the answer is NO. I’ve been reading these blogs for a couple of years now, and I would say you see 1 or 2 civil Tech people on here toward Georgia, but mostly it’s hate and envy while about 20% of Dawg bloggers are able to support Tech when not playing the Dawgs. Tech folks are taught and encouraged to hate any and everything UGA.
North ave. faithful
November 25th, 2011
11:00 am
Hoping for a good game sat. and a injury free game. gonna be tough to beat them dawgs, they are loaded with talent, but you gotta play the game. ill go on record to say i think the dawgs have a good chance of upseeting lsu or bama, they did not impress me to much when they played. one more thing, i watched quite a bit of dawgs games this year and i think the kid yall call boo malcome, cant remember his first name, is the best back if ic cant go. and always GO JACKETS!!!
TN Jacket
November 25th, 2011
11:01 am
I disagree JB. I pull for UGA anytime we are not playing them, mainly because I always want to see teams / players from the state of Georgia do well. I have alot of pride in my state. The dawg fan that created the blog to contact our recruits and players makes it harder to do lately however.
IL Jacket
November 25th, 2011
11:01 am
Oh, and by the way, I am rooting for the Dawgs in the SECCG and thereafter in the BCS bowl they will be hopefully attending. As a former resident, with business interests there still, I think anything favorable relating to its state universities brings honor and pride to the State of Georgia and in these times we could all use more of those.
JB
November 25th, 2011
11:03 am
Thanks Tn Jacket and IL Jacket
Kelly
November 25th, 2011
11:17 am
Hope EVERYBODY had a great Thanksgiving. I’d only pull for Tech if it were to help UGA in the standings in a significant way. Since they’re rarely in the position to do that, though, I’m not faced with the problem.
OoltewahDawg
November 25th, 2011
11:21 am
Kelly, you’ve come up with some zingers the last couple of days, brother. LOL
CHDawg
November 25th, 2011
11:22 am
A little bit of good advice on the subject: don’t forget to have fun this week; we have had some classic moments already; be gracious in victory and defeat, and then if the other guy rubs your face in it, you know he is the psycho, not you. A certain former SEC coach comes to mind…Enjoy the actual game, along with the biannual lube job at the Varsity. Remember it could be basketball, tennis, or some other boring season–this too shall pass, and you will have to start reading about recruits and how great they are supposed to be to tide you over. Finally for my fellow Dawg fans, be thankful for Walmart. Woolworth and Kmart never would hire us, so now we all have good jobs. And as always, Go Dawgs!
collegeballfan
November 25th, 2011
11:28 am
I spent a couple of years in grad school at UT and the Vols fans do take first prize in obnoxious at the games. But the Georgia fans take first place for obnoxious away from the stadium.
I firmly believe, that for a reason beyond comprehension, Georgia fans have an inferiority complex about their football team. Maybe it is the lack of mythical NC, maybe it is the run by Florida, maybe it is the other conference teams having so much success on the national stage since Georgia had success 31 years ago. But the inferiority complex is there. And it is real.
Why would Georgia fans go into orbit over beating an average, at best, Tech team? It would be like Tech going into orbit over beating Duke (GT has won 15 of the last 16). And Tech fans never get excited about beating Duke. Georgia has won 10 of the last 11 Tech games, correct? Why is Georgia beating Tech so important? Answer, it feeds the inferiority complex.
OoltewahDawg
November 25th, 2011
11:37 am
IL Jacket, sorry for the delay in my response, but my comments don’t seem to want to post into the blog. Thanks for your prayers and kind words. Brett is scheduled to get more ranger training after Christmas, and will probably be sent back to Afghanistan as a sniper. He now carries an M14 Carbine, and is pinpoint accurate at 1500 yards with it.
Hope Tech gives us a good game (but not too good, LOL)
JB
November 25th, 2011
11:40 am
collegballfan……………..come down here…or over here and live with Tech folk for a year, you’ll see why we enjoy beating them. Before the game, it’s real important to them….after we win, now it’s just football and we’re Tech and it’s just not that important………You gotta live it to understand it. …and also, we better beat them. We attract top ten talent every year while they attract players recruited by Mars Hill types for the most part……………good boys mind you, but not SEC type material.
Kelly
November 25th, 2011
11:47 am
Why would Georgia fans go into orbit over beating an average, at best, Tech team?
Because it’s a traditional rivalry.
AltamahaDawg
November 25th, 2011
11:49 am
You wouldn’t think so, but we have had several Dawg fans in here openly pulling for thier own team to lose, so you never know.
Delbert D.
November 25th, 2011
11:51 am
OoltewahDawg – The best to your nephew; he is exceptionally talented and dedicated.
OoltewahDawg
November 25th, 2011
11:52 am
JB & collegeballfan, but then there is St. Simons, who showed up on UGA’s blogs every day for an entire year to remind us of the score (only a 3 point difference, but he acted as if the margin was MUCH larger) after Tech beat the Dawgs in 2008. Only the UGA win the next year shut him up.
i hate tech
November 25th, 2011
11:53 am
i’d pull for tech against clemson and all that crappy orange
OC_Dawg
November 25th, 2011
11:56 am
no, and why would they?
IL Jacket
November 25th, 2011
11:57 am
OoltewahDawg, that’s great to hear about Brett. You probably had heard about it already, but I was heartbroken reading in the Wall Street Journal this week about the American sniper killed by friendly fire from a tank division in Afghanistan. It is such an inhospitable place, but to die at the hands of your own men-my heart goes out to that family. I just want our troops home safely and sooner rather than later.
UGA93
November 25th, 2011
11:58 am
Don’t really keep up with Tech week to week, but I would rather the gnats be highly ranked when they receive their smack down after Thanksgiving.
Stings that much more!
Go Dawgs.
UGA93
November 25th, 2011
12:04 pm
I had a Tech alum tell me yesterday they would rather lose all their games and beat UGA than to win all the others and lose to UGA.
I was like, “Really? Wow!”
OoltewahDawg
November 25th, 2011
12:06 pm
IL Jacket, I had not heard about that, but in war, anything can happen, and does. I also feel bad for the men in that tank. They must feel awful after finding out they targeted their own.
hirsutedawg
November 25th, 2011
12:08 pm
Freddy Blassie = St Simon’s
IL Jacket
November 25th, 2011
12:09 pm
UGA93, sorry about that grad, there are always a few nuts in every bowl.
Sun Devil Dave
November 25th, 2011
12:09 pm
Hey CMR – Since UGA fans were calling for your head several weeks ago, Tempe is wonderful this time of year. Warm sunny days, best golf in the world, and you never have to worry about snow and ice!! Just saying.
zbulldawg
November 25th, 2011
12:11 pm
I’m ALL for keeping our ballplayers in state LET the championships come threw The STATE OF GEORGIA !!!!!! GO-DAWGS !!!!!! SICK EM
IL Jacket
November 25th, 2011
12:14 pm
Yeah, Ooltewah, that was the thrust of a lot of the article, the enmity and lack of trust that had sprung up between the armored and sniper units as well as the despondency of the members of the tank unit. Not a good situation. There are enough problems fighting the Taliban to not be at odds with your own men.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
November 25th, 2011
12:21 pm
Moron MUTTS please don’t cheer at halftime then.
11 or so Georgia Institute of Technology graduates that are NASA members will be honored.
You mutts woof when WE Tech fans pay tribute to Munson, but shut your PIEHOLES when We honor the NASA members.
You UGa fan care more about running backs and non-living Dawgs than people that have really done something Great and Courageous for our Country and the Planet.
7576DAWG
November 25th, 2011
12:23 pm
The report that Richt will step down after this year makes no sense.First , he has two more tears left on his contract and second his wife is in her first year of nursing school which takes two years to complete . If Richt was to volunteer to leave at the earliest it would be at the end of 2013.
Now if Richt has already told McGarity that he will not be renewing his contract in two years then if the right coach is available before then but may not be when Richt leaves McGarity would then be forced to make the change before Richt’s contract expires.
So, I think that Richt will eventually leave on his own to do volunteer work in the name of GOD but he is still young enough that one more contract extension would probably be more what works and that would give his wife time to graduate and get about three years experience as a real nurse so she can be really helpful when the Richt’s go to places like Honduras. I would think that Mark Richt would be very receptive to a three year extension which would give him 5 more years. That would also make his youngest child 19 years old so not much education expense left . If CMR got a 5 year extension that would give him 7 years in all which would get his youngest child through college. Make no mistake getting a child through college without having a student loan is a big deal for the parent’s and the child.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
November 25th, 2011
12:28 pm
Demosthenes
November 25th, 2011
10:43 am
They hate UGA, so we hate them back. I’d pull for Tech if they were fighting the Kaiser, but then, Yellow Tech cowards elect to play sports instead of going to war, so that wouldn’t happen
Read my last post and tell me TECH people don’t go to war. many NASA pilots were MILITARY Pilots. Many Tech Engineers work for D.O.D. contractors creating weapons for war. Many of those weapons keep US men & women form being on the battle field in harms way.
SHUT YOUR F……..ing PIEHOLE when you don’t know what you are talking about.
OoltewahDawg
November 25th, 2011
12:28 pm
7576Dawg, the real giveaway was the rumored potential replacements. They went off into fantasy land on that one, by suggesting Bobo or Derek Dooley. Bobo is not ready, and everyone knows it, and Dooley’s contract won’t allow such a move. The rumor was apparently started by someone connected to or in the fan base of South Carolina.
Kelly
November 25th, 2011
12:31 pm
11 or so Georgia Institute of Technology graduates that are NASA members will be honored.
You mutts woof when WE Tech fans pay tribute to Munson, but shut your PIEHOLES when We honor the NASA members.
Let me get this straight. Is the tribute to NASA members still to come? And if so, why do you say that UGA fans shut their mouths if it hasn’t already happened. I’m a little fuzzy on the details here.
OoltewahDawg
November 25th, 2011
12:32 pm
Still, it is obvious that you are letting the stuff people say on here get to you. I would hate for you to have a stroke because of it, so I’ll let you in on a little secret. Demosthenes doesn’t really believe what he posted. He is just trying to get a rise out of someone, and it worked.
Steve
November 25th, 2011
12:39 pm
I root for Tech in all games not against UGA. The simple reason is that the better their record is when they receive tehir inevitable beat down by the Dawgs .. the better it makes us look for smacking them around. It also helps us in the computer rankings.
Realistically, it’s the same reason I root for SEC schools in OOC play. When we beat a 5-5 Tech team we gain nothing from it. It’s like beating Coastal Carolina. When we beat a 9-1 Tech team that is ranked we get credit for winning yet another difficult game.
Plus .. it makes it all the more bitter for Tech fans .. which is ALWAYS a good thing.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
November 25th, 2011
12:42 pm
Kelly……………because more than 1 UGa fan has said they would cheer for the taliban over TECH and read the top of my post where a Dawg says tech people don’t serve in the military.
Dwayne
November 25th, 2011
12:42 pm
I always pull for tech when not playing UGA, i pull for GSU Eagles, the other gsu, Savannah St. and any other Ga. college. It’s called pride.
Still@theKool-aidBAR
November 25th, 2011
12:42 pm
Fierce Dawg
Majors: Hotel Management? Sure some UGA players have soft majors but certainly not all, and i KNOW that LOTS of Tech players had majors like HOTEL MANAGEMENT.
Tech Seniors are BS..Bachelor of SCIENCE degrees not BA Bachelor of Arts meaning Calculus is required.
Ty Rawlings majoring in industrial engineering.
Roddy Jones a three-time Academic All-ACC selection…. served as co-President of Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) in 2010-11… graduated from Tech in December and is playing this season as a graduate student.
Embry Peeples
Preston Lyons ACC Academic Honor Roll for 2009-10 majoring in history.
Rashaad Reid . majoring in management.
Steven Sylvester majoring in sociology.
Michael Peterson made the ACC Academic Honor Roll for 2009-10… graduated in December and is playing this season as a graduate student. majoring in management.
Tyler Melton a management major
Chandler Anderson majoring in business administration.
Jason Peters a graduate student serves on the Student Athlete Advisory Board where he chairs the community service committee. owns a degree in management.
Logan Walls ACC Academic Honor Roll for 2009-10… a two-time Academic All-ACC selection majoring in management.
Kelly
November 25th, 2011
12:46 pm
Hey Kool-Aid (that just came out. Didn’t even mean it) I see what you’re getting at…I can’t really see any truth to it, though, and just to be clear, I would be proud to honor NASA inductees wherever they went to school. I think Oolt was right: they’re just trying to get a rise out of you. Damn…I’m being nice! Must be a tryptophan hangover.