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
willie martinez
November 1st, 2009
8:38 pm
O Jacklambertdog go get a life.
Dawghater
November 1st, 2009
8:38 pm
Hey, atl xmen
First, all you puppy dawg fans should learn our “high school” offense puts up points only UGA wished they could come close too. Talk all you want about the Jackets offense. We’ll take the points and you can take Joe Cox and Mike Bobo.
Next, CPJ uses interchangable players on offense. Jaybo Shaw would be moving our offense up and down the field as well. Keep saying ole CPJ can’t recruit. Heck, UGA likes to brag about all the top national recruits Richt is getting. I’ll take the talent we have, thank you very much.
Keep talking and we will keep playing.
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
8:39 pm
Goff could hardly speak either. What a hayseed!
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
8:39 pm
jack.. kirby smart? how long has he been a def coord? ha..
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
8:40 pm
Any UGA cheerleaders on this board now?
jack bull
November 1st, 2009
8:41 pm
6-6??? i’ll take that bet!!! you really think we’ll finish 6-6??
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
8:41 pm
Better yet any Oregon cheerleaders on the board?
This Just In
November 1st, 2009
8:41 pm
The 9th quatrain of Nostradamus in the Year 2000-
The dog will be beaten by a river on Hallows Eve of a full moon
Total and complete changes to Georgia will be coming soon!!
Skipper
November 1st, 2009
8:42 pm
What’s your favorite color?
Mine’s teal, because that’s all I see on the Georgia side after halftime in the Gator Bowl. Thanks again for coming, it would just be another spring scrimmage without all the Georgia fans in town.
No more posts from me for a while… Going to enjoy the victory without rubbing it in too bad. Hopefully everybody got their lessons in history and current events over the course of the last few days.
jack bull
November 1st, 2009
8:43 pm
3 or 4 yrs… plus he coached under saban in miami.. i’ll take anyone who’s been under saban for several years, the man know defense… or anybody who’s been with the steelers or eagles..you got any suggestions??
Jeff Striker
November 1st, 2009
8:43 pm
Tampa Gator is correct guys…..UF is loaded at all positions for next year. Just one more reason that UGA needs to make some coaching changes or we will get passed by Tenn in the East. Tampa Gator, let me ask your thoughts on GA football since you are not a GA fan, and can give an unbiased opinion. Don’t you think the Univ. of GA should be a better team than this? We’re a major univ just like Florida with a huge fan base, facilties etc…. I’m not saying that UGA needs to win the SEC every year, but this 4-4 crap is unacceptable. We should be at least top 15 every year. With these so called top 5 recruiting classes, GA should be playing a lot better. It’s frustrating!
ole glory
November 1st, 2009
8:43 pm
Without Donnan players we are really seeing the light. Players taking on the personality of their coach. Good guy but no killer instinct. Dont want the girl but rather watch a flic. People this is sec football, not freeze tag. This is not just a game and the other programs are realizing this. Go get BILL COHWER!!!!
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
8:44 pm
I’m begining to like what I hear from you Jack Bull.
6-6?….I think they may loose to TN Tech myself…I see things getting real ugly in Athens. I just don’t see CMR being one to bring this team back under control,
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
8:45 pm
dawg hater…jaybo shaw wouldnt make it out of the 3 qt if he ran that offense..he way too small to take the beating nesbitt takes…that offense is only working right now because of the players chan had recruited for his pro style offense..what 4-5 star recruit on offense would want to play for that high school offense? you will see in about 2 years…all you qbs will be 2 -3 star recruits that should be playing slot receivers on most college teams or def back for div 2a schools…suck to be a ga tech fan…no future of winning anything for years to come..
jack bull
November 1st, 2009
8:45 pm
sorry for the ebonics,,, saban KNOWS defense, is what i meant to say..and if you can’t have him, take his right hand man.. and i would love to have foster from va. tech also….
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
8:46 pm
foster? his defense is good for the acc teams..but his d gave up 34 to ala..so again still no better…
Delbert D.
November 1st, 2009
8:47 pm
atl xmen –
Look. There are 12 games in a season, 13, if you play Hawai’i out there. If you get to a conference championship, that’s an extra game. That makes 13 (not playing Hawai’i). Then, a bowl makes 14.
You didn’t know any of that, did you xmen? Switch over from Marvel to DC for your higher education. They are a much better brand of comic books.
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
8:48 pm
UGA has been recruiting well for years. History being the best predictor of the future tells us that UGA will every once and a while rival for the SEC championship. And only rarely rival for the national championship.
Trust me we have a much better chance of having a hot group of cheerleaders
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
8:50 pm
Lets make Saban an offer hell he’ll go anywhere for the right money. We want this right? We’re going to have to pay for it.
Marlon Brown
November 1st, 2009
8:51 pm
Hi Im Marlon Brown
I was a highly touted Wide Reciever
I’ve only had 3 balls thrown at me
I dropped my first past “nerve’s” but caught the next two
I haven’t seen the field since
I made a mistake comming to Georgia
Kiffen Meyer Saban I promise if you give me a chance I will make a difference
can i come play with you
leechampion
November 1st, 2009
8:52 pm
UGA tickets were going for face value, yest. the poor sclapers were getting killed. said it was unprecedented. think about that. face value. you do realize what this means
Marlon Brown
November 1st, 2009
8:52 pm
My redshirt is gone
What do I do now
Can I go play somewhere else please
Preferibly a program where I can play
jack bull
November 1st, 2009
8:53 pm
what’s the biggest glaring problem on this team?? it’s the defense, we simply don’t give the oppsoing offense any resistance whatsoever.. therefore, that’s where the change needs to happen… one more thing,,i’m anxious to see if Richt starts letting one of the younger guys play QB. it’s time to give one of those guys a look.. we simply can’t go into next year with a huge ? mark at that position
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
8:53 pm
yea delbert i knew that…but ga tech as has not played for a acc championship so there goes that one extra game and they have lost most of there bowl games.
Marlon Brown
November 1st, 2009
8:54 pm
I don’t have to wear Black Helmets
Im motivated to play now
Abilene
November 1st, 2009
8:54 pm
Tennessee Tech should be a walkover. The danger is the team will get the I’m-okay-we’re-okay mentality like they did after the Vandy win. Dawgs need to try a few things in this game like changing QB and using some different defense strategies. And get the ball to Green or use him to draw off defenders from another receiver.
jack bull
November 1st, 2009
8:56 pm
well, i said i’d have smart as my first choice, then one of the assistants from Pitt or Philly(NFL).. then Foster…. how about you????
Marlon Brown
November 1st, 2009
8:56 pm
There are other players who can play and don’t get a chance
I can do it
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
8:56 pm
delbert what is your point again? i know how many games are played during the season..i just look on the computer
cheerleaders
November 1st, 2009
8:56 pm
I’m sorry to hear TN Tech is so bad. What are there colors by the way?
SOUTHGADAWG88
November 1st, 2009
8:57 pm
You want to know what’s wrong with the team?A junior and senior class who have been abysmal for the last couple of years.Evans,Miller,Atkins,Owens,Jones,Dewberry,Gam ble,Dent,N.Washington,Battle,Moore,Vance and Cox….not ONE of them has stepped up their game to become leaders and PERFORMERS..ALL our playmakers besides Renne are Freshman or Sophomores getting their first taste of action.Lack of coaching is no excuse for kids who have been playing extensively…most of that group have been regulars since their freshman year…NO they are simply not getting the job done…this is the worst group of upperclassmen I have seen at UGA in a long time…the young kids who are out there playing hard are being coached by the same staff so let’s look at the PLAYERS for a change…damn a scheme…none of these guys are winning many one on one matchups on the field…you want to know where most of the turnovers and penalties and missed tackles,blown assignments and more often than not…beaten in their individual matchups every game are coming from?Look at that list of names and that’s 90%of it.
Grandad
November 1st, 2009
8:57 pm
Monty: your comments on joe Cox were the most rational I’ve heard in a while. The person (I foget who) that said QB’s named Joe were never any good, I agree, but Bill Montana and Fred Namath were pretty good.
No Silly Name
November 1st, 2009
8:58 pm
I am so sorry for the dawg nation……….NOT. Eat some humble pie.
jack bull
November 1st, 2009
8:59 pm
Saban’s not going anywhere,,, although, he does have a house on Lake Rabun….
george
November 1st, 2009
8:59 pm
Mark Bradley….I like to read your work, but come on man…..did you expect this many posts from what can best be described as a top 6 reasons why it could of/should of been worse. Imagine the comments if you had written one of your tell it like it is columns???? What’s the record for number of posts to one of your pieces? Ask the AJC suits to keep this one up for the week and watch the record book for posts get crushed. This Georgia team, and coaches, has the folks that normally keep quiet beating their chest and screaming and it’s very, very easy to see why…..LACK OF GOOD FUNDAMENTALS, TOTAL LACK OF DISCIPLINE AND WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS A LOOK OF “WE’LL BET BETTER NEST WEEK” ON ALL THE FACES OF THE COACHES. Record for posts is going down with this article. Homecoming against Tenn. Tech….I’ll be stunned if we get to 80,000 fannies in the house. Team will probably be late coming out….too busy deciding what color helmets to wear. I can’t support this train wreck any longer. Sending my contribution to the Journalism school.
Marlon Brown
November 1st, 2009
8:59 pm
Coach
My redshirt is gone
What do I do now
Can I go play somewhere else please
Preferibly a program where I can play
Abilene
November 1st, 2009
9:01 pm
atl xmen, get your facts right. Georgia Tech is 9th on the all-time list of bowl games won. Georgia has won 60.2% of their bowl games, and Tech is right behind with 59.5%. So neither UGA or GT have “lost most of there [sic] bowl games.”
Every time you make up “facts” like that, you lose credibility.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_football_bowl_records#Top_10_by_total_number_of_bowl_wins
Delbert D.
November 1st, 2009
9:01 pm
atl xmen –
So, finally you understand. Tech has never been 8-6. I doubt if any other team would get into a conference championship with a 6-6 record, which would be a prerequisite (sorry for the big word) to being 8-6.
Ga. Tech is 22-15 in bowls.
Enroll in a blogging class; you are not doing this very well. you can probably arrange it through your probation officer.
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
9:02 pm
hey jack..how baout just let our players get older stronger and better and then they will be that top 10 defense we are looking for..Willie knows how to coach,,,he is not the problem..we are just a little too young on defense..but the good news is that the young guys are getting the needed expierence to become that top 5 to 10 defense in college football…just have patience and faith in our coaching staff..the same one has been coaching the past 9 years of 10-11 winning seasons
73Dawg
November 1st, 2009
9:03 pm
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas: Will Muschamp as new Head Coach for my Georgia Bulldogs.
Please Santa, I’ve really been nice. Cookies and milk are under the tree!
73 Dawg
Delbert D.
November 1st, 2009
9:03 pm
jack bull – Maybe UGA could play the Saban/Rabun rhyme scheme and get him.
jack bull
November 1st, 2009
9:03 pm
soutdawg88 has a good point….is it time to start playing the young guys more??
Marlon Brown
November 1st, 2009
9:03 pm
Coach can I play
Cecil34
November 1st, 2009
9:04 pm
Nick Saban, Lane Kiffin, Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier, Paul Johnson.
These are the 5 men that are going to make UGA’s football program a living hell in the coming years. These guys are just getting warmed up in this state as far as recruiting goes.
Richt’s substandard coaching performance this year and ineptitude of his co-ordinators will quickly put the program in a second-tier status because he is being surpassed by the abilities of the 5 coaches named above.
The recruits and their parents and coaches are not stupid, and if they were, those 5 coaches will be sure to educate the recruits on why they should NOT go to UGA.
WoodstockDawg02
November 1st, 2009
9:04 pm
Muschamp for HC and Kirby Smart for DC, come back home guys!!!!!
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
9:05 pm
they were 8-6 2007..2005 not including the blue field bowl tech plays in most years…how many wins have you guys avg the past 9 years..including bowls…now add uga wins in that same amount of time,,see what you get..
Tenn 45-19
November 1st, 2009
9:06 pm
And this just in…..Tennessee scores again.
45-19
atl xmen
November 1st, 2009
9:06 pm
alos when was the last time uga 8-6 or even 9-6?
jack bull
November 1st, 2009
9:07 pm
i’ll give him 4 more games, cause he’ll get that no matter what, but i would love to see some changes, which he never does.. good coaches make changes to suit the personnel sometimes, ya know..
Cobb Dawg
November 1st, 2009
9:08 pm
UGA is now a third tier program. UT got to be a second tier program with UGA’s help. Richt has stopped coaching and his players have stopped playing. And I don’t think he’ll be able to get the program back on track. Gimmicks are for amateurs, and they are signs of weakness. I’m embarrassed for the program right now. And any UGA fan who’s not embarrassed might want to check their pulse. We’ve now lost to UF for 17 out of 20 years, and the past 2 years by a total of 90-27. I don’t think that’s the right direction. GA is one of the 5 best states in the country for HS football, but I can’t find UGA’s AP rankings because I can’t find a list that goes that far. Richt was a very good OC and is a fine man, but he’s not a head coach. Will Muschamp, we’ve got a job for you right here, right now!