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)

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?

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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.

1,240 comments Add your comment

cheerleaders

November 1st, 2009
7:28 pm

iuds? Please tell me more Willie….

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:29 pm

your right inspiration. fantisizing is much more fun!

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:29 pm

kinda on the personal side cheerleaders. i hate giving that lecture over and over.

WTF?

November 1st, 2009
7:30 pm

Dawg Gator

Careful what you post! Timmy and Richt comparrisons concerning religion are on shaky ground. Anytime you confess a specific belief with religion you have opened yourself up to criticism AND hostility. What do you think Jesus went through? Do you believe?

It is amazing that of all things fans could complain about, the religion that Richt has chosen is a focus for so many. Not the X’s and O’s or the Jimmy’s and Joe’s associated with the GAME. GAME being the key word!

That being said, this epitomizes the stae of our Nation! Go Obama!! Where is my money!

atl xmen

November 1st, 2009
7:30 pm

tech doesn’t seem to know it yet but they are will be hurting real bad in about two years..thank goodness for a coach who actualy played football..pj is just a big bully of a coach who doesnt give a crap about his players going on to the pros to make good living for themselves…

dandydawg

November 1st, 2009
7:30 pm

We need to fire our AD now also!!! He runs the athletic department to make money…great we make money. Is that our point???? We should be winning championships not making money. Jeremy Foley is 10x the man that our AD is.

Delbert D.

November 1st, 2009
7:30 pm

willie – I tried 4 times to get a post about checking the obvious (like a driver’s license) during recruiting on Tony Barnhardt’s blog on friday and it got censored in every version.

cheerleaders

November 1st, 2009
7:31 pm

I got to tell you I think Oregon would kick our ass this year

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:31 pm

uh, oh. mike adams on the phone now. what’s that guy mean by ncaa?

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:32 pm

del, my posts dont get edited because i’m always giving bradley scoops.

high school offense

November 1st, 2009
7:32 pm

Hey ATL XMEN…. First of all Tech hasn’t had a losing year in the last 10 years as long as i can remember. Also, we dont need to recruit 4 and 5 star players like Georgia does. We run an actual offense that noone can stop unlike UGA’s pitiful offense (our defense may allow 30 or so though-lol). CPJ Will get his guys he needs to run that offense and we will continue to score 40 or 50 pts a game. Why don’t you get your facts straight before you write something stupid and bogus like you just did. Oh yeah: Those black helmets were ugly as crap yesterday. Wow how things have changed in Athens the last year and a half.

atl xmen

November 1st, 2009
7:32 pm

dandydawg..you can always go watch that train wreck at tech..uga program will never be a train wreck as long as richt is there..9-4 season is hardly a train wreck

Coach Willie

November 1st, 2009
7:33 pm

What do Willie Martinez and President Obama have in common?

Neither are willing to change their defensive strategy to win.

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:33 pm

haha! adams thinks bend but dont break is some kind of biological thing!!

cheerleaders

November 1st, 2009
7:34 pm

I understand Willie…..what do you think, any virgins on the cheerleading squad. My guess is no, they butt ugly. And you know its always the ugly ones that put out.

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:34 pm

coach willie, son, i said go to bed or i’m gonna tell mama youre up.

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:35 pm

only virgin i know is tebow.

Delbert D.

November 1st, 2009
7:36 pm

My first thought when I saw the black helmets was, “Cox is going to have problems picking up receivers.”

Buzzy

November 1st, 2009
7:36 pm

I’ll give a $1000 for an original BLACK helmet wore by a Georgia player in the Ga-FLA game.

I cannot because I graduated from a REAL Insitute of Higher Education and I have money,

I am not a thug but a solid Republican.

I want that helmet to remind me of the Bulldog’s TOP 5 recruiting class every year and how much coaching means to winning.

CPJ is a football coach. CMR is pretty pretender taking your money!!!

Nice tan CMR—You were the best looking Coach yesterday.

It takes a Tech grad to count the # of arrests of the GA CONVICTS because the fleabags are too busy making excuses.

FOOTBALL IS A MAN’S GAME—–I am beginning to question CMR’s sexuality. He is looking a light in his shoes–know what I mean???

We will send the puppies home crying in 3 weeks and I can hardly wait—-I’ll probably go to business in the morning and fire another thug ex-Georgia football player. Just feels good!!!

GSU Eagle 91

November 1st, 2009
7:37 pm

It went like I thought it would…It seems UGA simply does not expect to win this game like they did in the Dooley era… Bad penalties in the first half, INT’s in the 2nd half = a loss against any good team.
BTW, this is the same Washaun Ealey that, after the conclusion of the A state title game last December, refused to shake hands with the other team ( Wesleyan?) as his team-mates did… Will always remember that. L-O-S-E-R……

cheerleaders

November 1st, 2009
7:37 pm

I kind of hope we loose to TN Tech…at least the football season will get interesting then….if they limp along and end up over .500 we’re really screwed

you're so right dandydawg

November 1st, 2009
7:37 pm

we need a new AD and President

cheerleaders

November 1st, 2009
7:38 pm

Willie….you are absolutely right….can you imagine all the pus being thrown at him trying to be the first

cheerleaders

November 1st, 2009
7:40 pm

Funny Buzz thanks

Buzzy

November 1st, 2009
7:40 pm

I CAN—-sorry for the mistake—–I do make mistakes but my choice of schools was not a mistake.

Remember puppies love to lick themselves—-and—-your nasty, slobbering cheerleaders look like the A$$-end of a north-bound mule

atl xmen

November 1st, 2009
7:40 pm

losing season to uga fans like myself are 7-5 and 6-6 like tech has had the more times than i can remember..anyone college team can run that high school offense but because its college and not high school 98 percent of div 1 teams dont need to run that offense. the coaches actually played the game and now how to run a better offense for the better defenses that teams like uga play…that offense would not be as sucessful if not for gailys players..truth hurts…but there is a reason that teams in the nfl do not run that high school offense..it doesnt work against the better defenses it faces//does not win NC either…

Snoop Dawg

November 1st, 2009
7:41 pm

ANOTHER ROUND OF KOOLAID ALL AROUND COMPLIMENTS OF THE SNOOP DAWG… HERE’S TO ALL Y’ALL SAYING TO KEEP RICHT AND FIRE HIS HENCHMEN. DRINK UP, EVERYONE, DRINK THE KOOLAID!!! BTW, I BELIEVE IT’S ABOUT TIME FOR PREACHER MAN’S ANNUAL SALARY INCREASE AND CONTRACT EXTENSION…

Delbert D.

November 1st, 2009
7:42 pm

Rumors about Adams taking the NCAA head man job. That could start a succession of changes at UGA.

Abilene

November 1st, 2009
7:42 pm

Lots of anger here, more than I can remember in a long time. Unfortunately, I think the angry alumni and fans are so bent out of shape over Richt that this will overshadow the games coming up, much like it did at FSU a few weeks ago when a school trustee suggested that Bowden should go. Personally, I would like to see a new head coach, since Richt appears to have taken the team as far as he can. In any case, the UGA administration needs to come out clearly on Monday with a yes or no on Richt’s future to stop the guessing games and rumors.

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:43 pm

cheerleaders: i even try to bust that one myself but no luck.

REM

November 1st, 2009
7:43 pm

Lou, this was an earlier comment on this blog – “CMR is way too religious, more zealous than the Bible requires. He should go to a small Christian school somewhere.” I have seen those kinds of comments more and more since we started losing. If we want to talk football, fine. But for someone to say he’s too religious? Come one. And to answer your question, seems like a few years ago the two Super Bowl coaches, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith, were very out front about their beliefs.

cheerleaders

November 1st, 2009
7:44 pm

Lets be honest Buzz…you’re right…hard to imagine but the Tech cheerleaders are better looking than the UGA squad. That is an amazing thing because Tech is no bastion of hotties like UGA….I mean we’re being honest here right.

Ever seen the Oregon cheerleaders by the way? Totally hot….

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:45 pm

buzzy, get well soon. understand you hurt your back trying to lick yourself. best, willie

Tech Wins Again

November 1st, 2009
7:46 pm

Please keep Richt——he represents UGA well—-they are all a bunch of prima-donnas and he is the perfect leader for them.

Hey Buzzy—You are so right about CMR—-his tan is becoming—-becming to make him look silly.

Jeff Striker

November 1st, 2009
7:47 pm

Two observations from yesterday that are not related to X’s and O’s. Verne Lundquist from CBS is senile and Brandon Spikes would be robbing banks if he was not a football player. Old Verne called Orson Charles, “Orson Wells”, and not to mention several other verbal blunders.

Apparently, Brandon Spikes was trying to perform as eye exam on Ealey in that pile. Come on Brandon, show some class for god’s sake.

Pit Bull

November 1st, 2009
7:48 pm

Question, You always hear about Bama’s big boosters but never Ga’s. Does Ga have any Boosters that can pressure the regime to pressure Richt to make changes?

southern paterno

November 1st, 2009
7:48 pm

I can feel the bulldog fans’ pain—- but if he doesn’t go NFL send AJ Green to Penn State ASAP. He along w/Derek Moye would make FLA think twice about the deep ball.

Snoop Dawg

November 1st, 2009
7:49 pm

I BELIEVE REM NEEDS TO BE LOSING HIS RELIGION…

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:49 pm

striker, vern called orson “wells” because thats what he looked like out there.

Buzzy

November 1st, 2009
7:52 pm

Hey Willie—you are right—i always said the only one I would ever s@#k is the only one I could never reach—–However I do think you and CMR are trading body fluids!

uga121

November 1st, 2009
7:52 pm

I am sick and tired of people saying real fans stick behind their team no matter what. I am a REAL fan of UGA football but when we play such and embarassing game ( constant penalties for stupid stuff and unsportsmanlike attitudes) I refuse to stand behind a team that refuses to represent my school with pride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Delbert D.

November 1st, 2009
7:53 pm

atl xmen – Better lay off the yellow and brown, and go with white cut with baking soda; otherwise you’re going to mess up your interview as CMR’s press secretary.

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:53 pm

pit bull: no, uga is not like the bama schools. here, academic ability, honesty, and integrity are the driving forces. not money and greed. i got that from CMR himself.

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:54 pm

too bad buzzy. youre missing a great experience.

Dawg Gator

November 1st, 2009
7:54 pm

I won’t even address the initials you used! Surely, you do not have to hide behind vulgarity to make your point. You missed my earlier posts of where Richt learned from Bobby-who teaches Sunday School-in which IF any cop in Tally touched ANY of ‘one of Bobby’s Boys’ that cop could find him/his career in jeopardy. Where Jankowski, who was BROUGHT here from another country-who could not speak or write English well, at all, and who was not made to go to class (I thought college football was made up of those who are college students) and when Jankowski went to San Francisco, where he ended up being arrested…was in shock as that never happened in Tally. Didn’t those in SF know that he was one of “Bobby’s Boys?”
Needless to say, I lost ‘faith’ in the NCAA for CONSTINTLY looking the other way when it came to Bobby Bowden’s most questionable PRACTICES~~on and off the field. Bobby even ran a business out of his FSU office UNTIL he was MADE to take it off campus…how’s that for hubris??
I know of those in Tally, connected to the ‘legal community’ and judges LEARNED real quick what TO DISMISS!
Anyway, back to Richt….the apple does NOT fall far from the tree and UGA HAS had GREAT years, esp. under Dooley, of NOT being the joke aroung the nation, as it is experiencing, SAD to say, today.
Keep the faith….we need it!

ryan

November 1st, 2009
7:55 pm

guess what moved up in the top ten GT UGA is not ranked and GT might be heading to a BCS game most likely the Orange if they can win the ACC . CMR is tanking.

cheerleaders

November 1st, 2009
7:55 pm

Nope no big UGA Alum. We”l have to take things into our own hands.
Since as earlier discussed we can’t auction the cheerleaders off to buy out CMR contact (can’t get enough money for this sorry squad), I suggest we stick with the auction of cheerleader idea in attempt to hire a hit man. Surely we can come up with a few thousand dollars for some young “cheerleaders”.

willie martinez

November 1st, 2009
7:55 pm

atl xmen is really damon evans. cant you tell by the poor spelling?

Delbert D.

November 1st, 2009
7:55 pm

Jeff Striker – Well, at least Orson Welles scared the hell out of 1/4 of the country into thinking there was an invasion from Mars. I don’t think that UGA’s #7 will ever have that effect.

Mike

November 1st, 2009
7:55 pm

Mark – It took you 3 months to find out what us fans have been saying since the Oklahoma State loss. Why did it take you so long to “get it”? Since we (the fans) are so far ahead of you, I’ll spool you up with another subject – The University needs to at least contact Chris Petersen (at Boise State) to see if he is interested. Also, the University needs to make a call to Ron Zook at Illinois to see if he would be interested as defensive coordinator.