Even if Florida is ripe to be had, has UGA ripened yet?
In 2008 Florida scored at least 30 points in all nine games against SEC opposition, including the one it lost to Ole Miss. Its average margin of victory in those games was 30 points.
In 2009 Florida has scored 30 points against one SEC opponent, that being Kentucky. The Gators managed 23 against Tennessee, 13 against LSU, 23 against Arkansas and 29 against Mississippi State. Their average margin of victory in those five games was 13.4 points.
As silly as it sounds to say of the nation’s No. 1 team as led by the nation’s No. 1 player, Florida isn’t playing well. It was lucky to beat Arkansas in the Swamp — remember, Georgia scored 52 points against the Razorbacks on the road — and needed a phantom interception to escape Starkville with a 10-point victory. (Remember, Georgia Tech beat MSU by 11 points on the same field in a game that was only cosmetically close.)
Tim Tebow ranks 45th in the nation in total offense. By way of comparison, Joe Cox ranks 53rd. After the Mississippi State game Tebow didn’t meet the media, which was an utter shock. (He said later he wanted to spend time with MSU coach Dan Mullen, formerly Florida’s offensive coordinator, and family.) But Urban Meyer acknowledged this week: “Tim Tebow is not playing at his highest level.”
Tebow told reporters on Monday: “It’s kind of new and it is frustrating.”
Put simply, Florida is vulnerable. And looky who the Gators play this Saturday.
Georgia is coming off its most impressive game of 2009, albeit against Vanderbilt. It has had a week to rest and ready a new end-zone dance. (Sorry. Couldn’t resist.) When last the Bulldogs had a bye before Florida, they beat the Gators and Tebow in a performance so stunning it rankled Florida for the next calendar year.
But let’s get serious. Georgia is 4-3. It needed a last-gasp pass breakup to beat South Carolina and a last-second field goal to subdue Arizona State. It lost by 26 points — the second-worst defeat under Mark Richt, topped only by 49-10 in Jacksonville last season — to unranked Tennessee. It led Vandy only 17-10 after 40 minutes.
Some team is going to beat Florida. Georgia, sorry to say, is not that team. It doesn’t defend well enough, and it isn’t going to score many points against Charlie Strong’s inspired bunch. (Florida ranks No. 1 in the nation in total defense; Georgia ranks 70th.) The Bulldogs will play hard and keep it close for a half, and then superior forces will carry the day/night.
It’s weird. Georgia hasn’t beaten a No. 1 team since it stunned Florida 24-3 in 1985, and these Gators don’t look nearly as impregnable as those Gators did. But this isn’t a vintage Georgia team. In almost any other year it would be easy to pick the upset. Not this time.
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563 comments Add your comment
Georgia Tech
October 27th, 2009
10:22 pm
Cautiously Optimistic,
they we loose to SC as well and hopefully FSU, these two are hopes though .The SC game is at SC. Chickens need to beat 10RC
jason
October 27th, 2009
10:25 pm
Here’s an idea. Charles and White TE post to the middle of the field. UF plays their Safeties deeper than anyone to keep from giving up the big play. There has to be 10-15 yrd. routes in the middle of the field to the TE. Also take some shots deep with Green and King. Even if the are not successful, it will keep the safeties back and the middle open for the TE.
45ACP
October 27th, 2009
10:25 pm
The Jackets are pulling for the Dawgs (or should be). I love it.
College football is fantastic!
jason
October 27th, 2009
10:26 pm
Unless UF has been holding out, they don’t have a vertical passing game. That in itself will help our DBs. All they need to do is wrap up and stop YAC. The TE for UF is key. UGA needs to chip him off the line every snap.
jason
October 27th, 2009
10:28 pm
45ACP, your post on the sacks is fact. We will need Houston in full force. How about going with Houston and Atkins at DE with Owens and Weston at DT?
45ACP
October 27th, 2009
10:35 pm
I like it. Atkins, Owens and Weston are big boys.
The Dawgs just need to keep the pressure on Tebow.
jason
October 27th, 2009
10:39 pm
Atkins at DE will limit Tebow from running freely. He will have to account for who’s on the field. I know we keep hearing about Gamble playing DE in the 3-3-5 or basic nickel. That would be great to see alot more of in passing situations.
Sacks are important, but more than anything UGA needs to hit Tebow in the backfield. Just keep getting hits in the backfield. Slow him down for Curran to clean up the mess.
45ACP
October 27th, 2009
10:43 pm
jason – I concur.
You guys have a great night.
Reality Check
October 27th, 2009
10:50 pm
Um, hello, dumba$$ Gerogia fans, did you forget we just got whipped by Crompton and Tennessee??!!!! I hate to say it, but the reality is that we are worse than Miss State. Just wait until Saturday.
48-13 Gayturds
Georgia Tech
October 27th, 2009
10:53 pm
45ACP and jason,
you startgetting all complicated with weird fronts and scheams when you’v been playing bad basic fundamental defense all along, all you do is make things WORSE. We did this sort of stuff a couple of weeks back and we were TERRIBLE. FSU game is a prime example! Went back to basics and played better, but still not where we need to be. Play good basic coverages, look at the arkensas film, look at Miss State.
Gen Neyland
October 27th, 2009
10:53 pm
Okay Dawgs, remember this : The DANCE is AFTER the game, not during and for sure not in the endzone… Seriously, DISSED is not short for DISCIPLINE…AJ, grabbing the jersey of a DB for your advantage IS allowed per Slive and Redding. Pointing to the sky is NOT… DLmen, you can line up in the neutral zone all day if you want. And if you get into the backfield before the snap, it’s cool…
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
10:54 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe4IsRwLVjI Food for thought DAWG’s!
The North Avenue Songster
October 27th, 2009
10:55 pm
DEAREST PUPPY DAWGS – HERE YOU GO, TO THE TUNE
“BALLAD OF GILLIGAN’S ISLE”
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip
To Jacksonville in Florida, by a team not worth a flip
Their QB was named Joey Cox, he viewed his fans as fools
The little doggies took the field for a 3 hour school , a 3 hour school
The beatdown started getting rough, the pups were whipped and tossed
If not for the one star named AJ, each game would be a loss, each game would be a loss
The puppies tucked their tails and ran across their home state line
The post-game interviews were short, just blame the refs each time, blame the refs each time
With Bobo, and Willie too, “Special” John, and Saint Mark
The Looooosing squad,
Crept back to Athens with the rest
Here in Jax, Floridaaaaaaa
(Applause)
jason
October 27th, 2009
10:56 pm
Georgia Tech, My thoughts on Atkins at DE is that he has played DE off and on all season. I think more beef is needed on the DL to clog running lanes so the faster LBs can make the tackles.
jason
October 27th, 2009
10:58 pm
GT For You And Me, those were the days….
and we are still paying for it.
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
11:00 pm
The difference in your coach and mine………. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4alEq2MACk
Unforgiven
October 27th, 2009
11:05 pm
Guess this has now turned into the blog for gloating fans for other teams (meaning I bought my GT and Florida grill covers at Wal-Mart) and angry Georgia wanna-be fans (gee…..why can’t we win 10 every year).
Let’s play the game and we’ll see how it all turns out. Been watching this sport a long time…….the best attribute is inability to predict the outcome. Just ask the long list of losers in games that were “sure bet”.
Gen Neyland
October 27th, 2009
11:09 pm
..and Dawgs, remember this : It’s not whether you win or lose or how you play the game, it’s that you lose to preserve the cause. Now smile and recall those 2-A-Days last summer.
Georgia Tech
October 27th, 2009
11:16 pm
jason, you just might be right. you still might be paying for it. that might be the differance in this ball game saturday
Georgia Tech
October 27th, 2009
11:18 pm
i had forgotten all about that dance fiasco….that still might haunt yalll. but i hope not. hope that 49 to 10 was payment enough.
HappyDawg
October 27th, 2009
11:19 pm
Strong? Martinez is the best DC in the SEC if not the Country. Willie’s defense will be stout. Martinez is better than Strong could ever wish to be.
Pvt Neyland
October 27th, 2009
11:21 pm
What’s your point?
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
11:22 pm
Please send this video to BOBO before Saturday’s game…….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afu1Ve1D11I
GT For You And Me
October 27th, 2009
11:35 pm
Please send this video to Willie before the game Saturday! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGXXwUKZNMA
Cuz
October 28th, 2009
12:11 am
The Gator Defense is set to stop the run. We have to open up the game with passes to AJ, Orson, Marlong, Michael and anybody who can catch the ball. The passing game will open up the running game.
Stay in Tebow’s backyard. Florida has a better Defense this year but their offense is not up to par. First offensive play for Florida send everybody including the Water Girl. Hit Tebow with everything we have. Not to hurt the guy, I kinda like the dude, but to stop him and disrupt his pattern.
If we do the opposite of what I have said, lose by the 17.
FranktheFalcon
October 28th, 2009
12:36 am
We will not win a National Championship as long as Coach Martinez is the Defensive Coordinator. Even though our offense has had a couple of bad games this year, the offense overall for the last several years, has been pretty good. The sad thing is that the weakest part of the defense is the secondary, and that is supposed to be Coach Martinez’s specialty. I am sure that Coach Martinez is a wonderful man, but he is hurting the football program. I am a Georgia fan, but if I had a son that had NFL potential, my first concern would be the development of my son, and that unfortunately would rule out him playing for Coach Martinez. Coach Richt, please make a change! I know you are loyal to Coach Martinez, but your first loyalty needs to be to the players. Don’t let your love for Coach Martinez limit the potential of our program. Coach Richt, let me ask you something? Did our defense look well coached against Colorado’s tight end two years ago? How long did it take to make an adjustment? Forever! Did our defensive secondary look well coached against Tennessee a couple weeks ago? No, it was embarrassing! How many times were the receivers wide open when Crompton ran a bootleg? Too many to count! How long did it take to make adjustments? Forever, or never. A good Coach can look bad here and there, but a good coach and his staff make adjustment shortly. Coach Martinez does not even make decent adjustments. You want to see a good coach make adjustments? Watch Coach Paul Johnson at GT. Several times this year another team came into the game with a great gameplan to shut down a phase of his offense. And they shut it down for a series or two or even longer, but then he makes an adjustment and kicks their butt the second half. That is what I want out of our defensive coaches at Georgia– the ability to figure it out and make the necessary ADJUSTMENTS. That is called COACHING!!! Coach Martinez is getting paid to be a good coach, but he apparently has not figured it out. PLEASE HIRE SOMEONE WHO CAN FIGURE IT OUT! Coach VanGorder could make adjustments, Coach Kirby Smart can make adjustments, Coach Tenuda can make adjustments, BUT IT IS OBVIOUS THAT OUR CURRENT DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR CAN NOT AND HAS NOT FIGURED IT OUT! I live in Athens and I love Georgia, but the Truth is the Truth!
FranktheFalcon
October 28th, 2009
12:55 am
HappyDawg, I laughed at your comment! What have you been smoking? It has to be illegal! Are you a cousin of Cheech or Chong? Have you had a head injury lately? Are you from outer space? I admire your loyalty to Coach Martinez and Georgia, but at some point you have to not be stoned and be alert enough to see things clearly. After a Coach has been given ample opportunity and time to show what he can do, and consistently underperforms, it is time to give someone else a chance. Coach Richt is a great Christian man and a great Head Coach, but his greatest strength (LOYALTY), is also his greatest weakness. I hope that he will see that he is first and foremost responsible to see that the players get the best coaching that they can get. Unfortunately, right now it is not happening! In essence, he is not being loyal to the defensive players right now! He is not providing them with the coaching that they should get!
Even if Florida is ripe to be had, has UGA ripened yet? | Mark Bradley | Job Fair News
October 28th, 2009
1:57 am
[...] the original post: Even if Florida is ripe to be had, has UGA ripened yet? | Mark Bradley Share and [...]
Even if Florida is ripe to be had, has UGA ripened yet? | Mark Bradley | TypicalGames.Com
October 28th, 2009
4:54 am
[...] More here: Even if Florida is ripe to be had, has UGA ripened yet? | Mark Bradley [...]
OrlG8r
October 28th, 2009
7:17 am
It’s gonna get ugly……
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/10/28/florida.injuries.ap/index.html
HappyDawg
October 28th, 2009
7:17 am
Frank the Falcon, I appreciate your sentiments and yes I am a loyal dog. I think coach Martinez is the best DC in the US. He can outcoach Strong all the way. His talent level is high at UGA, but he has no FOOTBALL players. Just because the players are fast, doesn’t make them great players. Martinez coaches them up, but lousy football players are lousy football players. He can’t be blamed for stupid plays by players. Urban Meyer has outrecruited Georgia badly on the Defensive side of the ball, not only in quickness, but in football smarts. A great track star does not necessarily make a great football player.
HH
October 28th, 2009
7:27 am
Georgia fans need to look at the game from this perspective. If they should beat FL, and, by some miracle, beat Tech, then they are going to be stuck with Willie for at least one more year, plus the other incompetents on Richt’s overpaid staff. There will be no way Richt will voluntarily get rid of them, and Adams will not force him to fire them. For the long term good of the program, would it not be better to lose convincingly to both UF and Tech in order to make sure that Richt is forced to can Martinez and the other incompetents so that there might be a better future?
GoDawgs
October 28th, 2009
7:46 am
Here is hoping teblow gets creamed worse than at UK……let him watch from the sidelines. Maybe Urban can call another time out also or better yet, maybe we will
gatorsam
October 28th, 2009
8:49 am
The game should be close for a while, but the Gator defense should prove too much for the Dawgs. Fl 31, Ga 10.
HairyDawg
October 28th, 2009
9:49 am
The Dawgs are gonning to blows out the Gaytors by a large amounts of scoring points. AJ’s have field days with Gaytors secondary backs. Gaytors got an arrgogant Myers as coach and overhypered T-blows as QB’s. Teblows is going be out before ending of first quart when Dawgs put him on sacked backside after having offweeks to desigh blitzing against Myers. T-blows is not good this year and is ringing bells in his helment. We just got to confuses Gaytors and then Dawgs beats them. I cannot wait to dancing party from whipping and winning againts Gaytors in Jaxs.
Mobile Dawg
October 28th, 2009
9:56 am
Cuz, I disagree to a point with your game plan. I believe we open the game conservatively, run, short dump passes, run. Don’t make any mistakes offensively giving UF something cheap. However, I don’t believe Richt and Bobo know how to do this. Of course that’s assuming Willie’s D will play with some discipline and keep us in the game. If not we have no choice but to air it out playing catch up, then you’re right on. Each defensive man has an assignment in the spread with so many options. We just have to stick to them and our guy has to make the play.
If playing the Gators isn’t enough motivation alone, remember Urban rubbing it in your faces last year, calling time outs. If that isn’t enough, remember Florida is #1, the Dawgs can ruin the season of their mosted hated, feared rival. If that isn’t enough, remember you’re representing UGA. If that isn’t enough to show up ready to play I don’t know what is.
HairyDawg
October 28th, 2009
9:58 am
Dawgs is exposing stinkyness in Jax of Gaytors.
Go DAWGS! Gaytors stinkyer!
Lorraine in McDonough
October 28th, 2009
9:59 am
With three days before the game, it’s about time for a reality check for Dawg fans who actually think they have a chance to win. The most likely outcome is that the Gators will win by 40-50 points. Florida is going for the BCS ranking, and that means they’ll run up the score as much as they can, just like last year. Putting a very bad UGA team up against Florida is like Washita High School playing the Super Bowl winner, it’s no contest.
Now, in the very best case for UGA, which means that Richt and staff actually make a few smart decisions; UGA players have had enough reading lessons that they can read a playbook; all UGA players who have been arrested are out on parole and have their heavy ankle monitors removed; and Meyer feels in a charitable mood, the Gators will still win by 30 points.
So start drinking early, you’ll need to be seriously anesthesized by game time.
This is going to be soooooo much fun to watch.
Dagny
October 28th, 2009
10:00 am
Florida 56
Georgia 3
Lorraine in McDonough
October 28th, 2009
10:03 am
Maybe they’ll remove the ankle bracelets from the UGA players who are on parole. That would help the Dawgs be a little faster.
Dagny
October 28th, 2009
10:05 am
Is Richt still the head coach at UGA? I thought they got rid of him.
John Galt
October 28th, 2009
10:06 am
Yes, Dagny, Richt is still there. That’s why UGA is losing so many games and has become the doormat of the SEC.
Art Vandalay
October 28th, 2009
10:15 am
UGA fans sound about as football educated as Rutgers fans. Someone on here asked how we get away with not playing Bama…REALLY?! Listen moron, the SEC makes the schedule, stay with me now there is some math involved, its a rotating schedule its 2 years on 3 years off for West Vs. East so if we played them in 2005-2006 what years would we have off? 07,08,09 VERY GOOD! In addition though they were not on the regular season schedule we did play them and beat them last year and likely will again this year…but thanks for playing our game.
shards1967
October 28th, 2009
10:23 am
Dogs lose in another blow out. UGA will be open over the middle with the Florida tight end catching Tebow’s soft lobs and they will destroy UGA all day with that and the Tebow dive and the play action off of the dive. Bryan Evans and Reshad Jones will be lost in space. LOST they will be. They also will catch UGA with a fake punt and a couple of end arounds and that will be enough to totally destroy UGA and Wille Martinez’s D and Mike booboo’s O. Pathetic it will be.
UGA will look like a sloppy peewee football team. THIS GAME might be the trick for the fans to really get up in arms with pitch forks. I for one, sure hope that they do scream to high heavens for change that we can count on.
Until we re tool 100% with new coaches top to bottom, UGA will continue to wallow around on the field. I look for Marvin Brown and one or two others to leave UGA at season’s end because they know that it ain’t what they signed up for.
Who will throw to them in the future? Aaron Murray is 5′10″ and is actually SHORTER than Cox. Logan Gray ??or Zack Mettenberger is 6′4″ and might be the future in TWO MORE years but not right now. Logan at QB? Who knows?? I would use Logan Gray at flanker asap.
Richt has shown time and time gain that he is stubbornly holding on to his staff. Any organization from time to time needs to re tool. UGA is stale with the entire coaching staff. Look at the results for the last two years. It has become a jobs program entirely. Not one coach ( except Garner and Searels) would be lured away to another school. Not one.
The season will take an ugly downturn after the Florida game with an ugly and sloppy UGA win over Tenn Tech, then ugly losses to KY, Auburn and Tech. The conference has passed UGA by and the UGA administrators do not get it. After the two or three losses to either KY, Auburn and tech, maybe they will.
Florida 47-UGA 13
Go Dogs.
UGA, class of 71,73
OrlG8r
October 28th, 2009
10:41 am
Lorraine in McDonough
I like your idea of starting to drink early. It should be a way fun game to watch
Pi$$onaDawg
October 28th, 2009
10:53 am
UGA VII just called the GTAA to ask if he could just start drinking the ANTIFREEZE stright form the FORD TOUGH RAMBLIN WRECK right now.
One tin soldier rides away
October 28th, 2009
10:58 am
Dogs can’t stay on the field, most of Florida’s starter are 21 + years old and most of UGA’s are less than 20. Tebow is UF QB, Joe Cox is UGA’s. UF line has been together for 3 years. This UGA line has been together for 6 days. Actually UGA’s line has done a great job pass blocking. UF’s defense is seasoned and senior based. UGA’s is seaoned somewhat, and coached by WIllie, UF’s is coached by Charlie Strong. UF is the better team, UGA will win the game.
HairyDawg
October 28th, 2009
11:18 am
Its is embareassing that so manys of us UGA fans is taking the smack talks from Gaytors without smacking back. Without Harbins Gaytors aint no good this years and Dawgs will be upsetting specifiscially with an extra week of prepping times.
Final scores: Dawgs 42 – Gaytors 17
Ed
October 28th, 2009
11:41 am
Dawgs are big underdogs, but we’ve been there before. Georgia has a long history of upsetting heavily favored Florida teams, even in the post-Dooley era. We were supposed to have no chance in ‘75, or ‘85, or ‘97. 2007 is the latest example. When you look at what Ron Zook-led Florida teams did to us in ‘02 and ‘03, it’s easy to see that being the favorite means little in this game. It’s time to party like its 1985.
Besides, Florida’s one of the least impressive undefeated, No. 1 ranked teams I’ve seen in a long time, and there’s no way that Georgia is that bad. They have to get hot on both sides of the ball sometime this season, might as well happen on Sat. after two weeks to prepare.
Georgia 27
Florida 17
OrlG8r
October 28th, 2009
11:59 am
In a Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara kind of way, the bull puppies might have a chance in this game. But to the rest of us who actually live in reality…. it’s gonna get real ugly. And all the Hairy Dawgs and Mr. Ed’s ain’t gonna make a bit of difference. Come Halloween night.. the hounds will be a howling to go back home.