Georgia-Florida series: Welcome to the new normal
Ain't it sweet! (Georgiadogs.com)
Old memes die hard.
On “SportsCenter” late Saturday night one of ESPN’s talking heads introduced a recap of the Dogs’ big win over the Gators by noting that “Florida has owned this series” since Steve Spurrier arrived in Gainesville.
That’s just the sort of glib commentary we’ve come to expect from the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports. Yes, we all know the Gators dominated the Georgia Bulldogs during the Spurrier years, with the former Gator QB going 11-1 against the team he hates above all others.
We also know that during that span University of Florida fans developed an interesting amnesia about all the years that went before, acting as if modern football history began in 1990.
It’s understandable that folks in Gainesville like to cite the Gators winning 18 games against Georgia since that time, but it’s also completely arbitrary.
Why start with 1990? Why not start with 1964, when Vince Dooley arrived in Athens? Oh, yeah, he had a 17-7-1 record against the Gators, which they’d just as soon forget.
But the lazy media penchant for playing along with that Gatorized view of football history should have run its course by now. The Visor has been absent from Gainesville for more than a decade and is no more relevant to the discussion these days than Dooley is.
In the years since Spurrier left, the Georgia-Florida rivalry has become ultra competitive. The past nine years? Florida holds a slim 5-4 edge. Over the past six years, it’s dead even at 3-3.
So let’s put to rest this business of anyone “owning” the battle for the Okefenokee Oar, OK?
Unless, that is, we want to start the count with 2011, the Muschamp Era, during which Georgia has won two in a row, making Coach Boom 0-fer against his alma mater.
How’s that for being owned?
A few other thoughts and observations from the Dogs’ win over the Gators …
Jarvis Jones, named Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season, deserves all the plaudits he’s gotten after the Florida game, but let’s give a big woof also to Damian Swann, who forced the fumble that was recovered by Jones on the Gators’ third offensive play of the game, setting up the Dogs’ first score, and also intercepted a Jeff Driskel pass in the third quarter, leading to a Marshall Morgan field goal.
While we’re at it, let’s note that Mike Gilliard, who felt “disrespected” after Shawn Williams essentially called him out earlier in the week by saying Alec Ogletree and Amarlo Herrera should never come out of the game, responded nicely. Gilliard had six tackles against the Gators, which tied him with Williams, Ogletree and Herrera.
Zander Ogletree celebrates with fans after the win over the Gators. (Bob Andres / AJC)
And how about forgotten man Zander Ogletree, who came in at fullback after Merritt Hall got hurt and not only did a good job blocking but caught a pass for a first down on Georgia’s first drive. …
There’s a fine line between inspired play and out of control, and the Dawgs crossed it too many times Saturday, drawing a ridiculous 14 penalties for 132 yards. The challenge for the Georgia coaching staff this week (particularly on defense) is to find a way to keep the players fired up for Ole Miss while getting the penalty situation in hand. …
Georgia hasn’t had very good luck with trick plays this season. Too often, they appear to be successfully completed only to be wiped out by a penalty, as was the case again Saturday with the onside kick. …
Malcolm Mitchell is back where he should be and that produced great results Saturday, with the erstwhile cornerback catching five passes, including the big one for a touchdown. Which prompted one of my favorite postgame quotes from Mark Richt, who shortly before that had pulled Mitchell after an unsportsmanlike conduct call. “I’m glad I put Malcolm back in the game,” said UGA’s master of understatement.
JUNKYARD MAIL CALL
Got something you want to discuss concerning the win over Florida or the upcoming game against Ole Miss? Or maybe a question you want the Junkyard Blawg to tackle? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
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201 comments Add your comment
AltamahaDawg
October 29th, 2012
10:22 am
Big win. Small fans.
Music City Dawg
October 29th, 2012
10:30 am
Just watched a highlight reel of the UGA-FL game from this weekend again. Obviously we all know how well the defense played but kudos to Todd Gurley for his big touchdown early in the game. He made a great cut on his run to get to the endzone. Great running Todd! I hope its the first of many against FLA over the life of your UGA career!!!
And kudos also to Malcom Mitchell for his big catch and 45 yard scamper fighting thru a couple of FL defenders to reach the endzone. Great effort!!!
ARdawg
October 29th, 2012
10:31 am
It’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog!!
The coaching conundrum should be much clearer now. And it is a “coaching” conundrum. How can we be so flat in SC and play like their azz is on fire in Jax?
Shawn Williams needs a few extra bones this week for doing what the coaches couldn’t. I haven’t seen the Bulldogs that physical since the BVG days
AltamahaDawg
October 29th, 2012
10:35 am
How could SC be so flat at the Swamp and play one of the best games of thier careers in Columbia? Coaching?
Fools Gold
October 29th, 2012
10:35 am
Big Win. Kool Aid Drinking fans.
SSIgator
October 29th, 2012
10:36 am
Well, well. It only took almost a quarter of a century, but UGA finally prevailed and managed to beat the Gators two years in a row. Congrats to the UGA players because if it had been left solely up to St. Markus Rectumus and his merry band of coaching thieves, it might not have happened.
Gump Dawg
October 29th, 2012
10:36 am
Malcome Mitchell needs to shut his pie hole.
ARdawg
October 29th, 2012
10:36 am
How could SC be so flat at the Swamp and play one of the best games of thier careers in Columbia? Coaching?
YUP
LawDawg
October 29th, 2012
10:38 am
Fools Gold: Beating the #2 team in the country is not “drinking Koo Aid”, which is one of the most overused phrases on this blog. That is defined success.
DJ
October 29th, 2012
10:40 am
Bill, you hit the nail on the head. im so sick of time beginning in 1990. enough!
this victory was much bigger than anything else that will happen this season. i dont care what Mcgarity says about “all games are equally important”…until we get back to beating the gators (which we have now) and go at least .500 with them, we’ll never be “back” where we want.
6 turnovers and only 17 points to show for it
October 29th, 2012
10:40 am
Just shows once again Mark Richt couldnt put the nail in the coffin. Dawgs were still hanging on for dear life at the end of the game…. same ole same ole.
BazookaJoe
October 29th, 2012
10:41 am
Actually overall I think Bobo called a pretty good game. Now the execution of some of the plays were a bit off (and just because a player drops a pass, or trips up doesnt mean it was a bad call)
ARdawg
October 29th, 2012
10:42 am
SSI
Didn’t you read the story? 3-3 in the last six years, 5-4 in the last nine or do I need to remind you of the overall series record? Your lizards were Beeyotch slapped by St. Richt. Took you long enough to show up on the blogs. Is your period of mourning over or is it just your period is over?
SSIgator
October 29th, 2012
10:42 am
Bill King -
“But the lazy media penchant for playing along with that Gatorized view of football history should have run its course by now..”
_______________
Careful Bill, you are speaking of your own “family” now. Not so sure the media uses it because they are lazy, but more than likely because it is a reference point of when the UGA football program started moving in the opposite direction form when Vince was there.
LawDawg
October 29th, 2012
10:44 am
ValDog: If you want UGA to lose to UF, or (at the very least) are disappointed that we won, you are by definition not a UGA fan.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
October 29th, 2012
10:49 am
As predicted…….
Altamaha Dawg has ventured out from hiding in the closet after Richts 1st top 20 victory in 4 yrs
Altamaha Dawg will now be talking up how great the program is in, now that FL was beaten
robodawg
October 29th, 2012
10:57 am
I’m not too worry about the penalty situation for this week. This was a super heated contest. I don’t think we’ll get in a shoving match with Ole Miss in pregame warmups.
Some of those penalties should’ve been no calls — starting with that celebration penalty that still gets applied haphazardly.
But we’ll need to maintain discipline against Auburn and Georgia Tech, who will both be playing with chips on their shoulders.
Regardless, it’s great to be a gator hater!
AltamahaDawg
October 29th, 2012
10:58 am
Hiding?
When was that?
Uncle Kirk
October 29th, 2012
11:02 am
Soon patched…..what games should the dawgs loses? Be careful here.
AltamahaDawg
October 29th, 2012
11:05 am
The problem with your post flat tire is that not one person in here believes either part of that. You just show what a tiny little man you are to say something like that.
Would have suited me fine to have not even discussed this game with you. rather discuss it with folks who appreciated it. But no surprise, you just couldnt resist the need to be a jerk.
Sorry the game didn’t work out for you, Maybe next year huh. But the rest of us intend on moving on with the seaons, anyway.
Uncle Kirk
October 29th, 2012
11:05 am
Should be soooo….not soon
@SSIgator
October 29th, 2012
11:05 am
You got manhandled and you thought you could just show up and win. That is two in a row buddy.
jack bull
October 29th, 2012
11:09 am
it might just be me, but i do think it’s funny that S Williams called people(which evidently worked), but i didn’t hear his name called all night..
i guess that shows the folks up front were doing their jobs? maybe?
Gump Dawg
October 29th, 2012
11:10 am
Malcom Mitchell has been trash talking on the field all year long. Mark Richt tries to chew Mitchell rear end off after a stupid penalty and he walks away . Richt should make him run stadium steps till he pukes. Still a bunch of undisciplined players on this team.
SSIgator
October 29th, 2012
11:12 am
Bill King -
“The past nine years? Florida holds a slim 5-4 edge. Over the past six years, it’s dead even at 3-3.”
_______________________
Were you an accountant before you became a writer? You sound like our CPA – number are anything you want them to be. The “trending” story, as the vernacular of today’s world would imply, is the referendum on Richt that has been written about by you and others and his inability to win big games. Another AJC writer stated that Richt was 1-9 since 2008 in such games – he is now 2-11. So I guess the bigger question is now that he is 2-11 in “big games” does that erase all of the negative feelings that the UGA fans have who want a change? Doubtful, but it may turn down the flame until the next disaster by the UGA coaching staff.
2 years = 2 dawg celebrations in a row in Jax
October 29th, 2012
11:14 am
Coach “Boomer” aka Muschamp has never fared well against the dawgs as a coordinator or now as a head coach. When he was the DC at Auburn we went into their stadium unranked and beat the number 4 Tigers by three touchdowns. I am starting to see a pattern forming. We own coach “boomer” the forehead blood vessel popping moron. Sucked as a player at UGA and sucks as a coach against UGA.
@SSIgator
October 29th, 2012
11:20 am
Glad to see you come on here and show some humility. I know how bad it must feel to see your precious grip on UGA slipping and beyond the fact you have lost two years in a row it really stings that you thought you were going to dominate the game. Instead you were shut down completely and lost your #2 ranking, shot at the eastern division crown, a NC, and bragging rights for the next 365 days (now 363). I know it hurts but show some class dude and accept your beating.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
October 29th, 2012
11:21 am
Altamaha Dawg
The point is you have barely post anything this entire season; now Richt finally wins a big game you’ve posted more today than you’ve posted in several weeks
And no the game did actually work out for me as Ive stated in previous years if we beat FL every year I can deal with 9 win seasons so long as the coach isnt paid a top 10 salary for just winning 9 games and fans having to pay so much for season tickets just for winning 8-10 games against cupcake teams
also
the points I make that have gone over your head for years is the childish posts from moronic people on here talking national title every year and once again after beat FL while looking terrible doing it here we go again with the national title talk
sorry but that ended against SC thanks to your favorite snoozing coaching staff not preparing the team once again to play ball
This coaching staff isnt winning a national title much less playing for one
oh
One more thing; as promised 5 yrs ago I made a change to my name since Richt finally beat FL 2 yrs in a row
SC Dog fan
October 29th, 2012
11:21 am
What those talking heads usually don’t tell folks is that Florida had a bye-week advantage before the Georiga date during most of that run. Glad the new scedule did away with that. Now we’re equally exhasted when we hit each other.
AltamahaDawg
October 29th, 2012
11:22 am
Williams made several key plays.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
October 29th, 2012
11:26 am
Admiral James T. Kirk captain of the USS UGA Kool-aid
As I stated before the season started anything less than 11-1 this season is an utter failure; the one loss would come in the SEC championship cause this coaching staff cant win big ball games
So I guess Im ahead of myself cause we arent beating Bama and yea with the schedule and talent we have this year 11-2 is a failure
DAWG258
October 29th, 2012
11:26 am
SSI – your substance is pitaful, just admit it…… your fairy tale is over!
I’m sure we still have our own problems but the “trendy” thing as of this moment is your team got punched in the mouth consistantly for 60 min ——- scratch that – 120 straight minutes proving at this point you sir have the weaker program from top to bottom!
363 more days until you’ll lose again.
own up to the loss and give credit were it’s due!
DBaker
October 29th, 2012
11:28 am
@ Neutral – Of course there is a connection between the schedule and the record. If you go back before the Spurrier era, Florida always played UGA the week after the UF – Auburn game, while UGA had a bye or patsy the week before the UF-UGA game. That’s why UGA has a great record against UF for decades prior to Spurrier fixing the schedule. Now the schedule advantage has been shifted back in UGA’s favor. Also, during many of those decades of UGA domination, UF played most of its games on artificial turf, while UGA played on natural turf. While the UF-UGA game was on natural turf. Spurrier fixed that handicap as well. These things seem trivial, but history shows that they are as influential as players and coaching. Until the schedules get leveled, UGA can look forward to another run of good times.
AltamahaDawg
October 29th, 2012
11:29 am
Sure , flat tire. Keep digging that hole deeper.
SSIgator
October 29th, 2012
11:40 am
On a side note, wherever you are Nancy, my wife is disappointed did not join our group for a little pregame/post-game fare. She made a special caesar salad (with home-made croutons) and even had your favorite pinot grigiot on hand. Maybe next year darlin’
John Lennon
October 29th, 2012
11:44 am
What’s new? Spurrier still owns Georgia.
dan
October 29th, 2012
11:44 am
Ole Miss will be a tough out, especially if we stink up the joint like we did on offense vs. Florida. That being said, I just don’t think Ole Miss has the horses to pull off the upset. And Auburn is dreadful, as in the worst Auburn team I have ever seen. Dawgs won’t blow these two games.
Ringo Star
October 29th, 2012
11:52 am
What’s old? UGA whipped Spurrier when he was a player to the point he will never recover and despite all his success as a coach he can’t make up for that disappointment. If you ever played sports you would know nothing replaces winning as a player. No coaching job in the world makes up for your playing days.
AltamahaDawg
October 29th, 2012
11:53 am
Hopefully that lettuce was crisp enough, so she didnt have to listen to her husband embarrass himself with the constant juvenile attempts at being the group clown, yet another year.
ARdawg
October 29th, 2012
11:53 am
Dan
Ole Miss doesn’t have the defense FL. Some kudos to FL here. They have a good team, make no mistake. With the bipolar UGA defense, when the good “high” guys show up, few teams will get in the endzone. When the “low guys” show up anybody can
Ole Miss will not be a challenge or, shouldn’t be anyway
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
October 29th, 2012
12:00 pm
Altamaha Dawg
What hole am I digging Master Jedi kool-aid drinker
I mean its hilarious that you have posted like a mad man today yet have been so quiet all year
AltamahaDawg
October 29th, 2012
12:16 pm
Excluding the dozens of times I posted in the days going into this game? I posted twice as much on Friday as I have today, And Friday I was bantering with folks who were telling me that we had already lost, so don’t even try that running away crap. Big liar.
Actually I have posted very little today relative to normal, with the exception that YOU keep directly addressing me. Feel free not to do that.
Good luck trying to find one person who believes I have been quite all year. You are grasping at straws and embarrasing yourself at this point, little man.
SSIgator
October 29th, 2012
12:21 pm
AltamahaDawg -
She did consider inviting you as well, but after reading some of your posts she decided to keep the tailgate a little more festive instead of having to listen to you nitpick every comment that someone might have made. Sorry, maybe next year.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
October 29th, 2012
12:28 pm
Altamaha Dawg
Ok yea you have posted so much this year compared to previous years
Anyway Jedi Kool-aid master UGA will win the national title this year
and next year
and next year
Richt is better than Meyer and Saban
blah blah blah Bobo is the best OC in the nation by far
And that about sums up you
AltamahaDawg
October 29th, 2012
12:33 pm
Wow.
AltamahaDawg
October 29th, 2012
12:35 pm
It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
October 29th, 2012
12:49 pm
AltamahaDawg
The only train wreck that we have watched over and over is the current UGA coaching staff is the best in the nation garbage from you the past several years
MA English 1975
October 29th, 2012
12:58 pm
@ P-Man, Amen to everything you said!!!
MA English 1975
October 29th, 2012
1:01 pm
Also, I don’t think any Bulldogs have been arrested this season. AAABail, if that’s all you can say, I don’t think you are a true Dawg fan.
Jborodawg
October 29th, 2012
1:09 pm
P-Man@10:26pm and KBP…I agree…T Landry and T Dungey are great examples of remaining calm during the battle and still being successful. I question these ‘experts’ saying CMR is ’soft’ or ‘unemotional’. Far as that goes, Muschump and Chizik are pretty emotional on the sidelines. Saying that it’s too bad it takes a player to fire up the team is specious too. Like you said, unless you’re at practice every day and on the sidelines every game, you have no idea who motivates whom; who has fire; who plays hard, etc etc. One of the better ones is the continuing comment that CMR has ‘throttled back’ CTG.
P-Man@8:43am…right on again. Too many ‘expert fans’ expect nothing less than a NC. I believe a team almost has to have a Heisman winner/candidate to win a NC; stars have to align, BCS ranking, etc. There are about 20 or more ‘top programs’ that these ‘fans’ should call out.
Then ya got your perennial, “CMR/Bobo should have_________”; or “They need to__________”
They watch all the games on TV or played a little HS football and seem to know more about play-calling than the coaches. EG, “Should have run Gurley more.” Well, we ran the ball 35 times and passed it 24 times. Should have run more?
And AltamahaDawg…the usual voice of reason. I don’t understand why your ‘main detractor’ hasn’t gone over to Bama…or LSU…or Awbun. Yeah, Awbun has a recent NC; great program…and a very fiery, emotional coach on the sidelines.