Dogs must keep their eyes on the right prize
It's an exciting time for the Georgia Bulldogs, and that can be challenging. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
The biggest challenge facing Mark Richt’s Bulldogs over the next couple of weeks may not be defending the triple option’s fullback dive against Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech or even dealing with those nasty legal-but-shouldn’t-be cut blocks that both teams employ.
Or even thinking about likely SEC Championship game opponent Alabama.
No, what the Dogs have to resist is getting caught up looking even farther ahead to where they’ll be if they manage to win out.
Already, players admitted to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, they’re keeping their eyes on the BCS standings, where Georgia sits at No. 5, with Bama and three undefeated teams ahead of them.
As Christian Robinson put it: “Everybody in the nation knows we’re cheering for other teams, because at this point it’s the only way we would have a chance of getting in” to the BCS national title game.
Richt may have the maturity to be able to not worry about what he can’t control, as he said this week, but his players can’t help but be like a kid looking in a toy store window.
“It’s a great feeling,” cornerback Sanders Commings said. “I came here to be a part of teams like this, and there is no better year than my senior year.”
Of course, you’d expect a bit of that what-if thinking anyway for a Top 5 team at this late stage of the season, but the fact that the eventual SEC champion, whether it’s the Dogs or not, will need help to make it to Miami makes the temptation to be thinking about the national standings even more compelling.
As quarterback Aaron Murray told the Times Free Press, “I’m definitely going to be watching the Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame matchups the next three weeks to see if two of them will lose.”
Fortunately, Murray seems to be doing a good job of keeping it in the proper perspective. “It definitely excites our guys. There is nothing wrong with thinking big and dreaming big as long as we make sure we focus on the next two weeks and finish the regular season strong.”
And that’s where the Georgia coaches come in. Rather than ignore the elephant in the room, they need to acknowledge the team’s excitement and thoughts about what lies ahead and channel it to make sure the Dogs come out against both Georgia Southern and Tech fired up and determined to take control of the game the same way they did against Auburn.
Otherwise, a Bulldog busy thinking about K State or the Fighting Irish might find an Eagle or a Yellowjacket rolling his feet right out from under him.
Got something you want to discuss concerning UGA athletics? Or maybe a question you want the Junkyard Blawg to tackle? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
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— Bill King, Junkyard Blawg
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143 comments Add your comment
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 15th, 2012
10:42 am
Bulldogs for Muschamp Lifetime Contract
10-4
10 wins against unranked teams 4 losses against ranked teams
11-1
10 wins against unranked teams 1 victory against a ranked team 1 blowout loss against a ranked team
Umm no I dont consider it a turn around when you have only beaten 1 ranked team out of 39 games played
Sorry
Bulldogs for Muschamp Lifetime Contract
November 15th, 2012
10:55 am
You are missing my point. The turnaround is that it was done with the same coaching staff as 2 years ago. The 2010 team would be 5-5 right now. Typically, year 2(which this would be if Richt had been fired), is the year where the new coaching staff excels. Richt did it. Meyer did it. Chizik did it. Saban did it.
Richt did it while staying in the job. That’s my point. It was tougher for him because a lot of folks wanted him gone.
AltamahaDawg
November 15th, 2012
11:01 am
No , YOU are missing the point. The point is: You are wasting your time. If we were undefeated and #2 in the nation, he would declare that would only be “2 out of the last 39 games played”.
A “turnaround” this season was always impossible by that logic.
Bulldogs for Muschamp Lifetime Contract
November 15th, 2012
11:04 am
My head is kind of sore from beating my head on the desk talking to this guy…………………………
Vance
November 15th, 2012
11:05 am
The winner of the SEC title game should be in the BCS title game. Teams should not be punished for playing in the toughest conference in the land; however, this is not the reality. Hopefully K-State or Notre Dame, will slip up to avoid the obvious…an inferior team ahead of the SEC champion in the BCS title game.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 15th, 2012
11:16 am
How am i missing the point
beating no one is not considered a turn around???? Really
winning the SEC championship and going on to win the Sugar bowl would be considered a turn around not going 11-1 and losing in the SEC championship game and your bowl game
So with next years schedule we lose 3 or 4 games are we going to well we have turned the corner because of the 2012 season which basically we played no one
and River boat Captain give me a break if we were undefeated their wouldn be much to say you hate it when someone comes on this blog and has to bring you and the rest of the Jedi Kool-aid gang back to reality with your firm belief that we have the best coaching staff in all of football
Logic would say wait until the season is over before we crown this season as an achievement cause in reality beating 1 top 20 team in 4 years says we havent gotten there yet
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 15th, 2012
11:17 am
delete Not
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 15th, 2012
11:25 am
It simply amazes me at all the whine boxes on here complaining about how the sports pundits like ESPN, CBS, Brando, Fox, Bill King; and the list goes on, doesnt give respect to UGA; everyone hates us blah blah blah
No they dont hate UGA they just dont drink the kool-aid that most fans like the River boat Captain does
They; like me, realize when a team has only beaten 1 top 20 team in 4 yrs and is 1-10 vs the top 10 and 3-15 vs the top 25 in 4 yrs you arent playing at the level that garners respect
until you beat the bamas and LSU’s in the SEC championship game and dont pull a 2005 and get embarrassed like we did in the Sugar bowl; then and only then will people start to get on the bandwaggon
Jim
November 15th, 2012
11:34 am
Bill assuming Georgia wins out, the odds of them getting in the National Championship game are pretty close to the same as Auburn beating Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Let’s just say Auburn plays lights out and comes up with a win over Alabama. Wouldn’t A&M be the west champion and play Georgia in Atlanta? No one has really talked about this possibility.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 15th, 2012
11:39 am
Jim
I think you might be right but then again LSU beat A&M and LSU has 2 losses as does A&M
So I would like to know what would happen myself
Bulldogs for Muschamp Lifetime Contract
November 15th, 2012
12:02 pm
Who is the riverboat captain and the jedi of the kool aid gang?
What the crap?
I just don’t get how going from 6-7 to 10-4 to 11-1 with the same coaching staff is not a turnaround.
If we had a new coaching staff, this would be year 2. Would we be 11-1 or 12-0? No one knows. Most likely we would have lost a game along the way.
So how is Richt doing basically the same thing not a turnaround? A new coaching staff doing it would have been called a turnaround. I’m not saying we have the greatest coahcing staff either bud, so give that garbage and juvenile name calling crapola a rest.
I just don’t get how you say the program has not turned around from 2010 to now.
Bulldogs for Muschamp Lifetime Contract
November 15th, 2012
12:04 pm
highest ranked team would go since they all beat each other head to head
LSU probably. Bama would be eliminated though because they would have 2 West losses. Then head to head kicks in since LSU and A&M both lost to Florida but LSU beat them
LSU goes
SSIgator
November 15th, 2012
12:08 pm
Vance -
“Teams should not be punished for playing in the toughest conference in the land”
______________
Even though this particular team you speak of has only played two ranked teams and is 1-1. Just proves it is never to early to be high on the Kool-Aid.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 15th, 2012
12:13 pm
Bulldogs for Muschamp Lifetime Contract
Ok so let me ask you this
If we lose to bama and our 3rd bowl game in a row and we add the 3rd loss in a row to SC; first time in history by the way
You are going to sit there and tell me that getting beat by every ranked team last year and then playing only 3 teams this year with a winning record and losing to 3 of the 4 ranked teams you played is what you call a turn around for the program or should I say it another way, the UGA program has turned the corner????
Im sorry but it hasnt if we end up losing to bama and the bowl game we will just be saying hey UGA beat no one and lost to the someone’s
Bulldogs for Muschamp Lifetime Contract
November 15th, 2012
12:23 pm
Florida beat LSU, Texas A&M and we beat them in Jacksonville where they have owned us. Two years ago, we choked versus them. Now since we beat them, they are nothing?
I’m done dude. Enjoy your day
BigDawg
November 15th, 2012
12:26 pm
It is one game at a time as the Dawgs only control one thing and that is their play against their next opponent and last I looked it was Georgia Southern. As for the South Carolina fiasco the thing that still upsets me is our team not being prepared and then the Coaches not making adjustments to what was happening until halftime. Anyways over the next 3 weeks we will see how it all plays out. Hopefully things will fall into place for us this year.
Go Dawgs
Joey
November 15th, 2012
12:39 pm
Bulldogs for Muschamp,
We aren’t 11-1 yet. It’s still possible that we could lose 2 or more games (Bama, bowl, Tech). We are a broken leg or arm to Aaron Murray, from not even being very good in our last 4 games.
We were feeling pretty good last season at 10-2 going into the SECCG, only to lose the last two games. To a lot of UGA fans, that finish left a bad taste in our mouths. We may win out, (hope so)but we have two potentially-difficult games left, as well as 2 Top 5 teams to beat after that.
After last season’s finish, I’m gonna wait til after the bowl game to verify how much things have “turned around.”
Dogs>bama
November 15th, 2012
1:12 pm
mark this down—GA will beat bama by 10+. Alabama was lucky to beat lsu and got steamrolled by a&m—the dogs will run all over their overrated D. Dogs 30 bama 20! Ga to the BCS!!!!! bama to the capital one bowl
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 15th, 2012
1:24 pm
A&M steam rolled Bama
wow I must have watched another game;
I seem to remember after the 1st qtr bama outscored A&M 24 to 9 and almost won with less than 2 mins left
sc fan
November 15th, 2012
1:24 pm
I would not be suprised if dawgs beat bama, if bama gets there. west is overrated like i said on this blog in august. i think fl, usc and ga could all beat the top three west teams. UGA won east fair and square in spite of a crappy d coordinator. Good luck in atlanta!
UGADOC
November 15th, 2012
2:08 pm
An asside: No TV coverage of UGA-GSU game for my home city: Charleston, S.C. Before UGA was routinely on television, I was able to pull in a faint radio broadcast from Savannah. Thus far, I’ve been unable to locate this station. I’d appreciated any suggestions. Thanks
UGADOC
November 15th, 2012
2:15 pm
Bill. I inquired about a radio station carrying UGA?GSU redio out of Savannah. You said I’d asked the qesstion before. I respond: Not unless I’ve a dual personality I’m unaware of. Oh, Well. Greg
The Gator
November 15th, 2012
2:34 pm
While I have revised my opinion of the odds of UGA beating Bama (from zero to very unlikely but possible), I still don’t see it because all other factors aside, UGA will get out-coached. As for the BCS, that’s sheer fantasy. Even if you were to beat Bama, no team that got blown out 35-7 in one of its games is going to the NC game.
BMOC
November 15th, 2012
3:23 pm
AMEN.
BMOC
November 15th, 2012
3:26 pm
Gator – I would think you’d be more concerned about the Gators & that embarrasing game vs the Ragin Cajun’s… But what do I know..
G-Dawg
November 15th, 2012
3:27 pm
DOC….espn3..online!
BMOC
November 15th, 2012
3:28 pm
sc fan
Thx for having class.
AltamahaDawg
November 15th, 2012
3:31 pm
Try the UGA sports/CBS app on your smartphone. They carry the broadcast. Although it’s not an overly impressive app.
AltamahaDawg
November 15th, 2012
3:50 pm
Funny, how before the game , gator fans refer to themselves as “the #2 team in the country” or a “top 5 team” , but then somehow all we did was barely beat some “ranked” team.
AltamahaDawg
November 15th, 2012
3:53 pm
I guess that goes along with our fans putting Saban’s team on a pedestal all year, but now if we don’t beat them, it’s a failed season.
ZinoDawg
November 15th, 2012
5:48 pm
Man I just love seeing SSI Gator, GT Bob, Roll Tide Roll, etc. coming on the GA blog and talking trash. As all college football fans learn, be careful how much crap you talk. Cause a Jarvis Jones, Johnny Football, or Middle Tennessee State may be just around the corner.
GurshallDog
November 15th, 2012
7:12 pm
We have ZERO chance of playing in the Championship game. Our resume is not worthy based on splitting the 2 tough games we’ve played. Schedules and level of competition matter — just has Boise State, TCU etc….
goat
November 15th, 2012
7:41 pm
hey SS1 Gator— 17 to 9
NCDawg
November 15th, 2012
9:08 pm
Ok, the “UGA doesn’t deserve to be in the BCS” crowd needs to rethink their reasoning. A loss is a loss. What does it matter if lose by 1 or by 28? The truth is it is the same as if you win by 1 or by 28. If UGA beats Bama in the SEC championship game-they deserve to be in the mix for the BCS title game. All the rest of the crap doesn’t matter. The key here is beating Bama. Bama has been the measuring stick in college football for the past 3 or 4 seasons. Beating them with a conference championship at stake should be enough to elevate UGA into the equation.
Despite what some people think, teams DO improve as a season progresses. They can also regress. The loss at SC should not define the Dawgs season. A win against the benchmark program in college football should. A&M’s season should not be defined solely based upon their losses either. They beat Bama in their own backyard. They deserve the praise they earned.
The Dawgs, if and I said IF, they beat Bama in the SEC championship game, would richly deserve a shot at the BCS title game… if the undefeated teams fall by the wayside.
Personally, starting out great guns and fading is worse than laying and egg and learning and growing from the experience. That would be the scenario we are looking at if UGA wins out and wins the SEC.
Strat Cat Dawg
November 15th, 2012
10:43 pm
The season consists of one game: UGA vs Ga Southern
Tuna
November 15th, 2012
11:32 pm
And now I am convinced that we just lost the SECC game to Bama, may even be blind-sided by lowly Tech before that happens. Keep these kids away from the press or teach them how to stay focused and provide answers that sound like they are focused. Good Gawd!!!
The Last Word
November 16th, 2012
8:26 am
Alabama Crimson Tide 49, Georgia Fleabitten Mutts 10
It’s a joke for UGA to even be on the same field as the mighty Tide.
AltamahaDawg
November 16th, 2012
8:48 am
I wonder if that truckload of Alabama merchandise is going to make it to the tech book store by next weekend? Judging from the comments in the Georgia Bulldogs blogs, it’ll be in high demand. I’m sure there is a Clearance table outside for all the tech stuff to make room for it.
AltamahaDawg
November 16th, 2012
9:03 am
Gurshall, you seem to be forgetting that we would have beaten Alabama to be in position for the MNC game. 12-1, SEC champs. Beating #2, #4 (or most likely higher by then) , and losing to #6.
If schedule and ranked opponents is your issue, then 2 teams with better resume’ at that point would be?
joe jenkins
November 16th, 2012
9:38 am
We should get to play in the bcs championship game if we beat bama…its as simple as that
John
November 16th, 2012
9:59 am
Jeez Bill that’s some weak writin’ there bud. U must be as bored with the next two weeks as me. No scandals from the players to sensationalize, no coaches to “de-analyze” or anything else that might bring out the ole’ creative juices creepin’ up on ya. Bet ur like a mule next to a corn field with an electric fence around it.
AltamahaDawg
November 16th, 2012
10:47 am
well, its not exactly as simple as that, but it’s for certain not as simple as: based on a partial season, we don’t deserve to be there, as the “Dog” poser states.
GurshallDog
November 16th, 2012
6:56 pm
AltamahaDawg -
So based on a possibly win against Bama in the SEC CG, we would have 2 “quality” wins.
No – 2 quality wins is not going to get it done this year. We played the schedule we were given I realize – but the resume is weak considering we’re an SEC Team this year.