5+1 reasons UGA’s loss was even worse than it seemed
Here's the first of Joe Cox's several interceptions. (AJC photo by Bob Andres)
1. With Georgia within 14 points and still 10 minutes to play, some 10,000 Georgia backers up and left. Think about that. You’ve paid for tickets, parking, food, hotel and gas/airfare to come watch your team, and your team still has a theoretical chance. (One tipped pass and it’s a one-score game.) And you have so little faith in your team that you walk out. And your program has won 10 or more games six times in the past seven seasons. This would seem to say, at least to me, that Mark Richt is losing his constituency.
2. When Georgia pulled within 14-10, it did its huddle-up-and-jump-around thing on the sideline, and I typed on the live chat, “I smell a late hit coming.” It came on the kickoff. Michael Gilliard, late hit. It is uncanny how this team cannot play by the rules.
3. Florida scored 41 points without doing anything extraordinary. No Gator rushed for 100 yards. No Gator had 100 yards receiving. Tim Tebow’s longest completion was for 29 yards. Not until the game’s final drive did Florida gain 30 yards on a scrimmage play. And the Gators didn’t throw a fourth-quarter pass (though Tebow was sacked once). And a merciful Urban Meyer had John Brantley take a knee with the ball on the Georgia 20. Think Spurrier would have?
Loading ...4. Joe Cox was supposed to be a game manager. Instead the fifth-year senior has been wilder than Matthew Stafford was as a freshman. Stafford had 13 interceptions in 2006 and didn’t start every game. Cox has 12 interceptions in eight games. And the second interception Saturday was just sad: Pressured, Cox tried to throw the ball out of bounds but couldn’t sling it far enough. The exact same thing had happened in Knoxville. Which brings us to …
5. Tennessee. It’s coming fast. If Georgia didn’t figure to finish ahead of Florida in 2009, neither did it seem any other SEC East school posed an imminent threat to the Bulldogs’ hold on second place. South Carolina is ensconced as a 7-5 or 8-4 team, and Kentucky and Vandy are Kentucky and Vandy. But Tennessee has now beaten Georgia and South Carolina and has played Florida and Alabama close, and that’s a scary sign. Because if Tennessee in Year 1 under Kiffin can have the same overall record as Georgia in Year 9 under Richt, what happens in 2010?
6. The black helmets. Just embarrassing.
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1,240 comments Add your comment
Delbert D.
November 1st, 2009
7:04 pm
Lou – Truett Cathy, Sam Walton…
inspiration
November 1st, 2009
7:04 pm
Love it Male staff at the O channel….thank God some body has a sense of humor Christ its only a game….
Delbert D.
November 1st, 2009
7:06 pm
D. Ellis – Sounds like a “Fringe” episode.
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:06 pm
Dellis, you’re right. damon should fire CMR right now and make the the head coach.
Jax Dawg
November 1st, 2009
7:06 pm
Kirby Smart would be a good fit for UGA and he needs to go somewhere to show that he does run the defense. All you hear is how Saban is the mastermind so this would give him a chance to rpove he knows what he is doing on his own. Georgia is loaded with young talent and this would be great oppurtunity for him to prove it.
inspiration
November 1st, 2009
7:06 pm
Great question Willie! I wish…hell I’d pay one for some X-rated chat….
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
7:07 pm
it college football….you have football players for 3 years..4 if your lucky…seasons like this will happen…nothing to get all worked up about..richt has beaten every team out there and will do it again i have no doubt…his pro style offense gets the 4-5 star players to come in and send them off to the NFL when they leave which keeps the 4-5 stars guys coming in…willie def works when the more senior guys are there..thing is he hasnt had a very senior def in like 3 or so years..our guys are leaving early for the NFL…look at tech they have been losing for like 10 or so years and will continue to do so when gailys players leave. paul johnsons high school offense is opnly working because of the players gaily had already on there..wait until those players leave and he brings in the best div 2a players around to run that offense they will get killed by the better teams they play in the acc and sec…that type of offense he runs will not bring in the 4-5 star players to have sucsess in the acc like has has had the past two years…nesbitt is the biggest qb has ever coached and he is a pro style qb that will never see playing time in the pros because he doesnt know how to read defenses or even make the nfl type passes since all he does is throw it straight up as far has he can most games..back yard football as i call it…i feel great about where uga will be in a few years and have no doubt that uga will win the last 4 games of this season when they cut down on the flags and tuernovers….the best defenses are already behind us…
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:08 pm
Mr Cathy and the late Mr Walton werent trying to sell inferior products.
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
7:08 pm
Do you really think Kirby Smart is ready for a head coaching position?
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:09 pm
xman dont take up so much space.
S. Dash
November 1st, 2009
7:09 pm
First, I liked the black helmets and bitches. It was a pleasant surprise. In today’s football, it’s not uncommon for teams to have multiple uniforms. Second, although it’s been a rough season, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to UGA fans that this season is a rebuilding year, as we lost 3 offensive stars to the NFL and other key contributions to graduation/loss of eligibility, and there weren’t any changes to last year’s subpar defense. Third, Tech fans need to get a grip as you guys have only beat UGA one out of the five plus years, and this is probably your best season since the late 1990’s. You shouldn’t talk trash until you can prove you can win consistently.
45ACP
November 1st, 2009
7:09 pm
Just watched it again Friday night.
Great movie.
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:10 pm
cheerleaders: no, i dont. best, willie
Lou Vales
November 1st, 2009
7:10 pm
Dear Delbert, Sorry. I should have said someone who did not own the entity or have responsibily to other individuals.
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
7:11 pm
Are you serious atl xmen?
Speak Easy
November 1st, 2009
7:11 pm
Mark you forgot one more reason. Tech just keeps winning and winning…..and winning.
Dawgman566
November 1st, 2009
7:11 pm
Actually I liked the Black Helmets and Pants. I hope they keep that combination around. However with two weeks to prepare for Florida that was the best they could come up with. How about some new offensive and defensive schemes to go along with the new look.
Dawg Gator
November 1st, 2009
7:13 pm
It’s one thing to talk about ones faith, it’s another to use one’s faith for measuring what takes place on the field…..Richt’s behavior does not do justice to his talk, which does not match his walk when you realize how ‘tolerant’ of thugs he has come to endorse/RECRUIT!! Tebow’s Talk and Walk are VERY genuine….just some food for thought.
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
7:14 pm
why dont wait until kirby has been in the league as a def coord for at least 5 years before you bring him here..willie is just fine and when he starts getting the type players van gorder got when he was here,which i think uga is bringing a bunch of great recruits this year, the defense will be real tough again..we are just too young right now at the ends and corners to be a top 10 defense
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:15 pm
thanks alt xmen. the check’s in the mail. willie
Lou Vales
November 1st, 2009
7:16 pm
The AMAZING thing is this consummate hustler(actually a compliment) will actually get great athletes like Orson Charles to attend Georgia so they can wear their high school number.
I firmly believe the MAJORITY of great high school football players don’t give a DAMN about playing for Championships. They want:
(1)IMMEDIATE PLAYING TIME
(2)IMMEDIATE PLAYING TIME
(3)IMMEDIATE PLAYING TIME
(4)The EXPRESSED PROMISE of IMMEDIATE PLAYING TIME
D.Ellis
November 1st, 2009
7:16 pm
It’s the truth. The foundation that Richt built and came with has been dismantled. Does that mean he gets Fired….no thats not what I’m saying. But it has to start from square one……like the day when he got hired. Now all that entials with making this change….I couldn’t tell ya. I’m not a football coach. But any Joe Scmoe such as myself can see the present foundation that was built has bann dismantled. You don’t repair something like that.
You start from the beginning with a new one.
What is Fringe?
Kirk
November 1st, 2009
7:17 pm
By the time the offense took the field for the second time, it was 14-0 Florida. Willie Martinez had two weeks to prepare for this, and what do we get, Florida driving for TD’s with little or no resistance. What does Alabama, LSU, Florida, and now Tennessee have in common: good defensive coordinators. Please explain to me how this team has created only 7 turnovers this year. Until Mark Richt makes changes in his defensive coaching personnel, we can start looking forward to 7-5’s and 8-4’s with Tech kicking our rears every year.
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:18 pm
Lou: dont forget about the scooters man!
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
7:18 pm
I think atl xmen is sniffing glue.
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
7:20 pm
How does Oregon seem to have a competitive football team every year?
Delbert D.
November 1st, 2009
7:20 pm
Lou – George W. Bush, then?
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:20 pm
new uga athletic requirement: a valid driver’s license.
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
7:20 pm
very serious…uga will be fine..what good will it do to fire coaches who we have won with for the past 9 years? Kirby smart? he has what? 6 or seniors on his defenses
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:21 pm
scratch that last requirement.
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
7:21 pm
let get back to more interesting discussion….the poor state (lack of hotness) of the UGA cheerleaders and how much sexier Barbara Dooley is than Water Girl
GT Rules State
November 1st, 2009
7:21 pm
The thug crap doesn’t only rest with UGA, sorry to say … but all of us ‘others’ have it going on too. Gotta get back to football and it starts with the coaches. all of them. So refeshing to get Vick out of town and start hearing some traditional music mixed in. The rap is fun, but let’s pick songs that are morally right. Sorry to say, but this music and the chants that go with it leads to disorder and penalties.
Coach Willie
November 1st, 2009
7:22 pm
I won’t change my game plan until somone scores 100 points on us.
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
7:22 pm
ore plays in the pac 10 for 1 ..it doesnt take much to win the there..and they just startyed winning the past few years..
Red Elephant
November 1st, 2009
7:22 pm
Vince Dooley would have never fielded such a bush league group. Coach Bryant used to say of Dooley’s teams, “When you play Georgia you have to strap it on tight because they are smart, tough on defense and don’t make mistakes.”
Your guys are now stupid, lazy on defense, kill yourself with penalties, and constantly turn the ball over to the other team.
But hey, look at it this way, at this rate all you need are a few more color combos with the uniforms and you could be the Oregon of the SEC.
Michael
November 1st, 2009
7:23 pm
Have you seen Oregon’s uniforms? Different ones every week. They beat the Hell out of USC, the media’s darlings. Lay off the uniforms. I’m tired of the same ole traditions @ UGA. The Silver Britches suck and look awful. Let’s wear a different uniform every week. What you wear doesn’t matter; how you play does. The media has nothing else to focus on but what UGA wears? On a positive note, UGA has a lot of good young players. Let’s hope CMR makes the changes in the coaching staff that is needed and these young players can make a difference in the next few years. Go Dawgs!
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
7:24 pm
No need for a drivers license. We’ll just hear about more DUIs
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:24 pm
Son, get off this blog and go to bed
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
7:24 pm
all those teams you just mentioned have more jr and seniors starting on the defense that is what they have in common..you guys really need to pay attention before you bash a guy who knows more football than all you guys put together..that incluse all you pop warner coaches..
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:25 pm
all i meant by hollering “fall back” those first 2 drives was just reminding my guys of the time change. sheesh
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:26 pm
cheerleaders, better than hearing about all the iud’s
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
7:26 pm
all those mistakes can be corrected..and will be as soon as these guys grow up..they are just kids..
jack bull
November 1st, 2009
7:26 pm
for those of you wanting to fire CMR, tell me this, who is better? and available? really, tell me who all of you mighty wise men of college football would bring in..? and who would be your OC and DC? and, who you be your STC? that’s Special Teams Coach, for all you know it alls…
inspiration
November 1st, 2009
7:26 pm
Good for you Micheal. Love the fashion commentary.
dandydawg
November 1st, 2009
7:26 pm
Look…the adminstration, president and the AD of UGA are at fault too. Adams wants a new job and he isn’t going to make any move with our coaches while that is going on. We are stuck because our president doesn’t care and says he chooses academics over atheletics…ala “the vince dooley firing” And then our AD is younger than our coach and doesn’t have the balls to do anything…so as a fan the only thing that we can do is sit here and watch this train wreck…
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:27 pm
wait, CMR’s on the phone. how did that guy get my cell number?
inspiration
November 1st, 2009
7:28 pm
wow….denial is an incredible defense mechanism.
bobbydoddsghost
November 1st, 2009
7:28 pm
I find it unnecessary for the University of Florida to run up the score on that historically black college from Grambling. Show some class and play your third string after the half, UF.
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
7:28 pm
nope. just some crank calling himself the water girl.
Delbert D.
November 1st, 2009
7:28 pm
D. Ellis – Fringe is the TV drama that investigates strange stuff happening. This current situation is strange on the surface, but how this all came together is posibly could have been predicted.