UGA fans, what’s an acceptable result in Jacksonville?
Is it possible to lose to the hated Gators and still feel good? (AJC photo by Pouya Dianat)
Georgia heads to Jacksonville unranked, which it almost never is, and a two-touchdown underdog, which it never is. It will be met by a team that hasn’t lost since September 2008, a team tracking a second consecutive BCS title. (Know how many schools have won consecutive BCS titles? None.)
Put simply, Georgia is up against it in a way unaccustomed to Georgia teams under Mark Richt. It lost to Florida 49-10 a year ago in what seemed a coin-flip game going in. This one is no coin flip. This outcome seems foregone.
But hope springs eternal in the breast of every fan, and on the day before Halloween I want to ask Dawg fans this question: What would you deem an acceptable outcome Saturday?
A narrow and honorable loss? (Within a touchdown, say.) Or is actual victory the only satisfactory result? And here’s a twist: If beating Florida convinces Mark Richt he doesn’t need to make changes within his program, would you rather Georgia lose? Or would beating the Gators when they’re ranked No. 1 be worth another year of Willie Martinez?
I’d put up a poll, but I don’t think the parameters of a poll are broad enough. I’m interested in your thoughts. So rather that click on “yes” or “no,” I invite you denizens of Bulldog Nation to avail yourselves of the white comment box below. And I thank you in advance. And you’ll hear from me again Saturday afternoon from you-know-where.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
700 comments Add your comment
UGA COACHING STAFF
October 30th, 2009
3:07 pm
Gosh Willie
Could you pass the Crystal I need an expensive drink to calm the nerves
these so called UGA fans expect to a win against FL
We don’t care if we beat FL never have never will
don’t they know that by now
Isn’t 10 wins enough
I know we don’t win the big games
We don’t care
Is Mr. Belvider back I need that snack
by the way Willie I heard the Ferrari you are goin to buy is super hot
thank goodness those stupid fans keep donating that extra money to buy tickets or we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the finer things in life
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
That was the smartest thing the Athletic Department has done
make those poor wanna b’s spend their hard earned $40,000 a year salary on season tickets
flag boy?
October 30th, 2009
3:08 pm
This is the crap that gets me. . . . .
“Lucy in Mayretta
October 30th, 2009
1:49 pm
“JaxDawg” asks: “Would you sacrafice one game against the most hated rival if it would insure a much needed change and future improvement?”
The answer is a resounding YES! The Dawgs are never going to contend seriously for the SEC and BCS bowls while Richt is the HC. It’s that simple.” . . . . .
Lucy. . darling. . . have you been living under a rock? perhaps this phenomenon called Georgia Football has only just appeared in your life. How many SEC championships has Richt WON at Georgia? How many SEC championships had UGA won in the previous 20 years before Richt was the Head Coach at UGA? How many BCS Bowls had UGA been too in the 20 years before Richt was the HC at UGA? It was only 2 short years ago when there was a legitimate question as to whether UGA should have a place in the National Championship game. . .
We’re having a rough season. Kind to be expected when you lose as much as we did last year. I have no idea just how much of the total offense Stafford, Knowshon, and Mo Mass made up last year, but it had to be a good bit. And still injuries to the starting offensive line, and anyone who knows anything about football knows that if you lose those guys upfront, you’re not going to just “plug” someone else in there and be fine.
I can share the idea of being a little worried if there doesn’t appear to be much to build on for next year (i don’t see a dominant RB. . . . i don’t see a standout defensive player on that side of the ball excluding Curran). . .but to say UGA won’t compete with Richt. . where have you been?
UGA STUDENT
October 30th, 2009
3:09 pm
FIRE COACH RICHT!!! HE DOESNT BELONG IN THE SEC!!! Maybe he should consider the ACC again…UGA will never reach the SEC Championship, much less another BCS game…
GaGator
October 30th, 2009
3:09 pm
UGA has no chance against the GATORS. Do you understand that the Gators have only had four TD’s scored on the defense. 4! The Gators also get 4 starting defensive players
back this week. The Gators 2nd defense is better than UGA’s. The only way UGA possibly scores is on defense or special team play. But, you can bet you’re a$$ it won’t be on a punt return. The Gators lead the nation in punt return yards allowed—-O. Most like score Gators 35 UGA 6.
SEC powerhouse NOT
October 30th, 2009
3:15 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8GuH9oDHrU
Dawg
October 30th, 2009
3:16 pm
Sorry.. I”m still laughing at the fact that pitiful UNC beat the “mighty” Va Tech Cavaliers last night… a team that Tech BARELY beat last week! Guess we know how overranked they really are!!!!!!!!
Swampdawg
October 30th, 2009
3:16 pm
Dogs will win this one 24 – 20!
Beat good Arkansas and Arizona St Teams.
The Tennessee game was a fluke which has happened many times before at Neland.
Played LSU tough until the referee gave it to LSU.
Looked good at their last game with Vandy!
They can win this one! Why not?
Dawg
October 30th, 2009
3:17 pm
Who cares what the score is. Have you seen Gator fans and their a**hole coach? I’ll take our fans and Mark Richt any day… even with zero nat’l championships.
Rick S
October 30th, 2009
3:17 pm
In my humble opinion it’s all about mental toughness which should be instilled from the coaching staff but Georgia does not have the mental toughness and/or mindset to beat Florida except once every three to five years. This was evident in 2008 when Brandon Spikes, Florida Linebacker, leveled Knowshon Moreno and instead of this being a rallying play for Georgia, Knowshon simply laid on his back like a dog run over by a car and the rest of the players and coaches did not use this hit of humiliation to get fired-up and it was at this moment Georgia knew they were defeated. I can guarantee this would not have been the mind set under Nick Saban or Urban Meyer and this is the primary reason why Georgia does not win Championships let alone beat Florida!
Frogger
October 30th, 2009
3:18 pm
If we come out of Jax without WM, it’s a win.
Joe Cox
October 30th, 2009
3:21 pm
I am purple.
bigstack19
October 30th, 2009
3:23 pm
Not getting killed. Injuring Jesus H. Tebow. Having a hard thrown ball smack Urban Meyer in the face. Not having the refs hand Florida the game on a silver platter.
RxDawg
October 30th, 2009
3:24 pm
A win
gdawginkalamazoo
October 30th, 2009
3:32 pm
Frogger, ouch that was brutal dude.
icedawg
October 30th, 2009
3:32 pm
Just saw on ESPN the “rumor” that Charley Strong will be the next UGA coach.
GaGator
October 30th, 2009
3:33 pm
Just wanted to show you what you puppies are up against, you may not like him,
but this Super Bowl Championship coach sure does. I might add Jimmy Johnson, another Super Bowl Championship coach has said Tebow is a high first rounder. The Gators also have at least 5 first rounders starting on defense , 3 in the secondary and #51 and #8.
Dungy also had interesting comments on Tim Tebow. Dungy loves winners. He thinks Charlie Ward would have been a great NFL quarterback because he won at every level. Dungy said that Tebow is like that. He just wins, and that will translate to the NFL.
Dungy said if he ran St. Louis, he’d draft Tebow high in the first round. “Franchise quarterbacks are hard to fine, and I believe in this guy,” Dungy said.
Dan asked Dungy if Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Jake Locker and Jimmy Clausen were available, would he take Tebow over all of them. Dungy said yes, he’d take Tebow.
Good luck!
icedawg
October 30th, 2009
3:37 pm
Tebow an NFL quarterback? Maybe in the wildcat formation. He can run, but his passing is not that accurate, especially for the NFL. He’s a great athlete. Maybe fullback or linebacker. He’s not a that great a dropback passer.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 30th, 2009
3:39 pm
Funny but brutal.
UGA COACHING STAFF
October 30th, 2009
3:41 pm
DAWG SWAMPDAWG and Flag boy
Thanks for the support
Fans like you keep our rich lifestyle going
Times are tough we lost so many players last year
Its hard to win in this league 10 wins is good enough
we as coaches don’t want to beat FL or Tenn all the time if we did expectations on us would increase
We don’t want expectations to increase
We like the Buckhead, Hamptons, and Beverly Hills lifestyle
Hey do you mind sending us a $50,000 donation
We will make sure you get a signed copy of Rachel Madow’s book and an autographed Willie Martinez football
Z.Itchy
October 30th, 2009
3:42 pm
A win, of course!!! That’s why they’re playing the game. I hope that’s all that’s in there heads.
Also, no penalties, more creative and robust playcalling, no dancing on the field unless they’re up by 3 TDs, a pass rush, all would be nice.
And what would be wrong with the old power sweep once in a while, especially on third and long. Our OLs can run.
GaGator
October 30th, 2009
3:47 pm
Hey icedawg, Tebow not an accurate passer???, for you information he only has the highest completion percentage in SEC history, but he can’t throw a lick——NOT!
ugaaccountant
October 30th, 2009
3:51 pm
What ‘areas’ is UGA matching up well in?
Our punter will start FL deep on most possessions.
Our DL is well suited to slowing the gators regular runs.
Our defensive secondary is good enough to match up reasonably well with Florida’s surprisingly mediocre receivers.
AJ Green matches up against anyone.
And Tebow hasn’t been great since his concussion.
Super Dog
October 30th, 2009
3:51 pm
GaGator
He won’t make it in the NFL unless he starts eating spinach and gets more zip to his passes
Cuz
October 30th, 2009
3:56 pm
Virginia Tech Cavaliers? Has the drinking already started?
Any truth to the rumor that Kim Z. will sing “Tardy to the Cocktail Party” at the Landing on Saturday?
Cuz
October 30th, 2009
3:57 pm
Mark, I take it you are already in JAX.
Delbert D.
October 30th, 2009
3:58 pm
Take Bud Foster off your “dream coach” list. Beamer’s boys spent too much time looking for more phantom chop block “film” to send to the ACC instead of breaking down the upcoming opponent. The result: VaTech goes down to UNC.
I’m really glad tha Ga. Tech has kept scheduling SEC teams. The ACC is not fun to watch. We’ve got Bama, Auburn and South Carolina in upcoming years, should I live that long.
Mark Bradley
October 30th, 2009
4:01 pm
Nope. Going tomorrow morning.
Dr M
October 30th, 2009
4:03 pm
A win is all that matters. I’ll gladly take WM for another year in order to beat UF. I’m disappointed by the inconsistency of UGA’s play given the tremendous talent and I want to see consistent, high quality play. But tomorrow, all I care about is winning.
King Gator
October 30th, 2009
4:05 pm
Dawgs get blown out,CMR leaves for FSU, Gators win another NC, and Tech becomes the dominate team in the state of Georgia.. talk about a halloween nightmare for the Dawgs!
gdawginkalamazoo
October 30th, 2009
4:06 pm
GaGator, thing is Dungy would pick Mik Vick over Tebow anyday.
GaGator
October 30th, 2009
4:09 pm
ugaaccountant
October 30th, 2009
3:51 pm
What ‘areas’ is UGA matching up well in?
Our punter will start FL deep on most possessions. EVEN, FLA PUNTER HAS ZERO RETURN YARDS THIS YEAR
Our DL is well suited to slowing the gators regular runs. NOT, THE #6 RUSHING TEAM IN THE NATIONA AGAINST THE #54 RUSHING DEFENSE
Our defensive secondary is good enough to match up reasonably well with Florida’s surprisingly mediocre receivers. AGREE
AJ Green matches up against anyone. HE IS GREAT, BUT FLA IS THE ONLY TEAM THAT CAN PLAY HIM MAN COVERAGE, BOTH OF THE GATOR CORNERS ARE 1ST ROUND NFL PLAYERS
GaGator
October 30th, 2009
4:11 pm
WHOOPS, Left this out
And Tebow hasn’t been great since his concussion. AGREE
BUT I STILL THINK THE GATORS WIN
Delbert D.
October 30th, 2009
4:15 pm
DAWG – I can tell you don’t watch the ACC games either. That was the VaTech Gobblers/Hokies that were upended last night. Georgia Tech but the UVA Cavaliers last Saturday.
ugaaccountant
October 30th, 2009
4:16 pm
Punts – We’ll have a coupe of net yards advantage here though as Butler’s #1 in the country.
I don’t analyze tape to death, but I did see florida running inside alot imo, and we do have big senior defensive tackles, one of whom had a dominant performance last game. This is more of my feel for how FL might attack us and think we’ll stand up well.
AJ – I’ll take man coverage on AJ. Maybe Cox will throw his way more often. I’d trade say one interception for one big touchdown to AJ.
I’m no expert on x’s and o’s but that’s just what I see.
Jesse Jackson
October 30th, 2009
4:17 pm
Who cares about UGA/Fla. The U.S. Treasury just needs to keep printing the checks.
Delbert D.
October 30th, 2009
4:22 pm
The refs are going to bo so afraid of making calls due to the claims of mob/BCS/NCAA/alien conspiracies, you can probably run a 12th guy out on defense occasionally.
Delbert D.
October 30th, 2009
4:24 pm
Jesse Jackson – You looked really ticked off on MSNBC the other night when they introduced you as the Rev. Al Sharpton.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 30th, 2009
4:24 pm
GaGator, EVEN, FLA PUNTER HAS ZERO RETURN YARDS THIS YEAR. And that should continue because we just love to call for a fair catch EVERY FRICKING TIME. No matter the situation.
ghost dawg
October 30th, 2009
4:24 pm
THe only acceptable outcome is victory, you don’t accept a close second to the gators. Not now or ever.
Yellow Fuzz
October 30th, 2009
4:26 pm
My how big the dog nation was talking back in August compared to NOW-LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
by JaxDawg
August 21st, 2009
9:17 am
RAMBLE ON:
August 21st, 2009
8:36 am
Fleabags start the season getting blown out, and finish the season getting blown out.
Yellow Fuzz:
August 21st, 2009
8:15 am
georgia will be 0-3 when they finally win against Arizona State. BANK on it! georgia will be 5-6 when Tech ends their pathetic season. The only bowl game you azzholes will see for a while is the g-day bowl in the spring. LOSERS.
Thanks for the laugh this morning gentlemen, I needed it. The only thing that will be more hilarious is coming on here around 7:30pm on Sept. 5 and seeing Yellow Fuzz and Ramble On’s posts after we dismantle OSU. Then again it will probably be something like “UGA got lucky, or OSU is overrated, or “they still won’t be able to stop the triple wing T wishbone h-back option” or whatever GT’s running these days.
UGA 38 OSU 24
Go Dawgs!
74 Dawg
October 30th, 2009
4:29 pm
Hasn’t anyone noticed the new toughening of the SEC censorship rule today? Now it is time to fire Mike Slive. If his best response to an issue that is challenging the integrity of his entire conference is to try to silence everyone he possibly can, then he needs to go. Do we as fans really give a sh** how much loot he is bringing in? No. Byt we do care about college football and the SEc. The credibility of his product is what is on the line and silencing critics will not stop this issue. Not in the age of the internet. He needs toget a handle on his officials, and if he can’t or won’t he needs to go. Fans want to see the players decide the games,win or lose. If Fl v. Al plays out as expected, you can be sure there will be questions from other parts of the country and some TV sports announcers about all the one way penalties involved,AND the strong arming of the coaches who simply pointed out the truth.
Delbert D.
October 30th, 2009
4:30 pm
DAWG – or is it Dazed and Confused?
UNC beat the VaTech Gobblers/Hokies last night, not the “mighty VaTech Cavaliers”
Ga. Tech did not “barely” beat the UVA Cavaliers last week, it was 31-9
Delbert D.
October 30th, 2009
4:32 pm
DAWG – Dazed and Confused?
UNC beat the VaTech Gobblers/Hokies last night, not the “mighty VaTech Cavaliers”
Ga. Tech did not “barely” beat the UVA Cavaliers last week, it was 31-9
Georgia sucks
October 30th, 2009
4:37 pm
Va Tech loses on a last second field goal after gift wrapping the game for UNC with a late fumble. They are then called vastly overrated by UGA fans. Alabama should’ve lost in the same fashion to Tennessee, the same team that lost to Auburn and UCLA and had to come back against Ohio to pull out the win. And UGA fans consider that to be “parity in the SEC.”
Nice logic Dawg fans. Worry about your own sorry team. We’ll worry about our BCS-contending Jackets.
now tha't funny
October 30th, 2009
4:40 pm
If Willie was as good a friend to CMR as CMR is to him. HE WOULD RESIGN!! DO US ALL A FAVOR. STEP DOWN!!
jeff
October 30th, 2009
4:42 pm
We desperately need both a DC and strenght and conditioning coach to have a chance at developing these top recruits, otherwise we are stuck a #3 or #4 in the east.
TheAntiMe
October 30th, 2009
4:42 pm
Even if Georgia beats Florida 99-0 it is of little real value since the chronically underachieving Bulldogs aren’t going anywhere other than to the Toilet Bowl this season.
GaGator
October 30th, 2009
4:45 pm
gdawginkalamazoo
Fair catches——-I feel your pain
Super Dog
October 30th, 2009
4:49 pm
I can’t wait to here the crickets when yellow dork watches the dawgs come to atl and beats Tech Terds
Law Dawg
October 30th, 2009
4:52 pm
“here” the crickets? Haven’t you any education young man?