A powerful performance by a suddenly powerful UGA team
Did this guy outcoach Paul Johnson? Yes he did. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
There have been times lately when we’ve wondered, “Who are these guys?” Because they weren’t the Bulldogs we’d come to know and admire. They were undisciplined and undercoached. They were always reacting to an opponent, never forcing the issue. They were a finesse team, and a team devoid of force doesn’t win big in the broad-shouldered SEC.
But on the final night of an underwhelming regular season, Georgia played as if it remembered its breeding. It acted like an SEC team. It ran the ball with fury and blocked like the crack of dawn and played big-boy football. And at halftime we were saying, “Who are these guys?”
Because these weren’t the Bulldogs of recent vintage. These were tougher, stronger, meaner. They had come into the stadium of a team looking to solidify its hold on a rivalry and a state, and they’d been the aggressor from the first. Indeed, they were the aggressor from the coin toss. Georgia won it and, rather than do as every coach does in modern football, Mark Richt didn’t defer his choice. He wanted the ball and he wanted it now.
And when his men got it, they pounded Tech in a way Georgia never pounds anybody anymore. Ten plays, all runs, Caleb King and Washaun Ealey taking turns, the unassuming offensive line blowing massive holes in the Tech line. Ten plays, all runs, and just like that Georgia was ahead in a game it was supposed to lose.
Give Richt credit: All week he had to answer questions — one from me on the Wednesday SEC teleconference — about the need for change in his program, and in this game he did change. He and Mike Bobo eschewed the fancy stuff and just Lombardi’ed the game plan, and it was beautiful in its brutality. Three Tech defenders had to be helped off the field in the first half, and after 30 minutes Georgia had outgained the nation’s No. 7 team by 141 yards and had outscored it by 14 points.
But it was only a year ago in Athens that Georgia had led by 16 points at the half, and within seven minutes that lead was gone. Everyone knew Tech would again come out flying, and sure enough the Jackets scored on their first possession. But Georgia needed only one play to answer, Caleb King taking a handoff and fleeing 75 yards. And from then on Tech was chasing, and in the end the fleet Jackets couldn’t run fast enough.
It came down to one possession. Georgia up six, Tech with a chance to win. The Jackets moved across midfield but unaccountably stopped running the ball. Four consecutive passes, the first three nicely defensed, the fourth simply dropped. (The second and third passes were defended by Reshad Jones, the Georgia safety who’d spent the last year answering questions about his missed tackle of Tech’s Roddy Jones.) And suddenly Georgia was the second-best team in Georgia no longer.
Richt and Bobo and Willie Martinez had outflanked the new genius Paul Johnson and had done it without A.J. Green, their best player. And the guys who did play outfought a Tech team known for its pugnacity.
And now we have issues galore. Does one blissful night off North Avenue override the worst season under Richt? Probably not. But for the Bulldogs and their coach and all his coaches, it had to feel good to reclaim state supremacy and to mar what has been a glorious Tech season. (To say nothing of wrecking the ACC title game.) What happens with Martinez and the other assistants can wait until another day. What happened Saturday night was a slice of deliverance 365 days in the making.
Back to our question: Who were these guys? They were the Georgia Bulldogs, only they weren’t the Georgia Bulldogs that contrived to lose five games this season. These were Bulldogs from a different time, a time when Georgia football was power football. (The Bulldogs rushed for 339 yards, the highest total under Richt.)
And if this is the way Georgia football it to look in 2010 and beyond … well, maybe the future isn’t so grim after all. Maybe the future is big and brawny thing.
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1,342 comments Add your comment
TechCrybaby
November 29th, 2009
4:20 pm
Hey, here’s something else: At least a couple of UGA fans among the 1,300 on here say that the whole world, or the whole universe is righted again. That’s funny! When I took courses at UGA an eon ago, Tech was beating Georgia. One UGA compatriot couldn’t believe it, in those days. He said, “This is the STATE UNIVERSITY, for pete’s sake!”
Georgia fans just can’t believe that God’s in His Heaven, and all’s right with the world, unless Georgia beats Tech. Well just wait till we
build a defense. Dogs will howl.
Saint Simons
November 29th, 2009
4:23 pm
Guys, I’m really really sorry I talked trash to you for the last year. I was wondering if anyone would prevent me from joining Bulldog Nation? Thank you….Gooooo Dawgs (((((30-24))))) hahahahahahaha, suck it Tech
barneyb
November 29th, 2009
4:35 pm
Great close to a very dissapointing season. But UGA still must make major changes to its staff or we will be in the same position next year. Enjoy the win, and then regroup for next year. And keep it in perspective- SEC vs. ACC. What else needs to be said?
Jason
November 29th, 2009
4:45 pm
8 out of nine, 30 to 24, but at least Tech finally after all these years get to play a game in January.
Dawg since 1965
November 29th, 2009
4:49 pm
one more time >>
Now the ACCCG = buy 1 tic get 3 free with 4 cokes and 4 hotdogs
30k tickets still available, will someone please buy some tickets!!
jessica
November 29th, 2009
5:30 pm
how bout them dawgs!!!!! russ you are the hero!!
landm79
November 29th, 2009
6:11 pm
Hey Mark, so much for that shift of power in college football here in Georgia huh!? Man you really called that one!
A down UGA team beats a “great” tech team, SEC over ACC all day long!!!!!
jekyl island
November 29th, 2009
6:12 pm
Caleb King is STILL running.
sea island
November 29th, 2009
6:13 pm
Washaun Ealey is STILL running too!
Okefenokee Swamp
November 29th, 2009
6:14 pm
((((((30-24)))))) HAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHHAHHHHHAHAHAHH
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
Cumberland Island
November 29th, 2009
6:16 pm
((((((30-24)))))) hahahahhahahahaa
SUUUUCK…IT.
SUUUUUUUUUCK IT UUUUUUUUP.
SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK IT UUUUUUUUP SOME MORE!!!!!
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaahahhahahahahaha
{{{{{{{{{{{{{30-24}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Sea Island
November 29th, 2009
6:25 pm
Hey Jabo “I’m only going to tech to beat Georgia” Shaw <<<<<>>>>>>>>
hhahhhahahahhahahahahahah
Vick=Dog killing Thug
November 29th, 2009
6:28 pm
See you little yellar fellars next year. Bugs crushed again… I’m going to love going to work tomorrow and listen to the bug fans complain… hahahahaha 30-24 BUGS LOSE BUGS LOSE
Hi Georgia Basher, I see You're Back!
November 29th, 2009
6:32 pm
Why do you keep posting under all these fake names? Now you’re acting all PRO-GEORGIA and all. Ha! Everyobdy knows you’re a Florida homer.
Urban Meyer to Notre Dame?
November 29th, 2009
6:34 pm
You guys think Urban’s headed to Notre Dame or the NFL? hARD TO TELL.
Abe Lincoln
November 29th, 2009
7:02 pm
If we give Spurrier a rematch, can we call it the real ACC championship?
Jborodawg
November 29th, 2009
7:16 pm
This game just proves the coaches know what they’re doing; and that they haven’t suddenly forgotten how to coach. Eight years of pretty successful football…then one bad year. All you “fans” that harp on firing coaches have no idea.
Good, valiant effort by Tech. But a great win for the Dawgs! Said it’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog!
Gene
November 29th, 2009
7:32 pm
Eat that ACC champions! 8-1 Your coach was out coached! And your team out played. You suck!!!!
Gene
November 29th, 2009
7:33 pm
Enter your comments here
Chattadawg
November 29th, 2009
8:08 pm
Great win last night! St. Simons, take your idiot post to bed for a year. 30-24 HAHA…. thank god I don’t have to see your dumb ass post all summer.
CBB1
November 29th, 2009
8:53 pm
Who cares if Urban stays or not. Florida will always be good as long as he is their coach, but FL will not dominate like they have the last 4 years after Tebow graduates. What happened to UGA when Herschel left for the USFL? They went downhill and don’t try to say they didn’t. A Tebow or Herschel only comes along every 20 or so years. I am anxious to see what Urban does without Tebow. Dawgs will be fine-too much talent. Richt is a great coach and will turn things around. GO DAWGS!!!
Urban Meyer to NFL?
November 29th, 2009
8:59 pm
After Meyer leaves this year, Florida will not win 5 games in 2010.
Urban Meyer to NFL?
November 29th, 2009
9:06 pm
After Meyer heads to Dallas next Month like CBS Sports is saying, or wherever he’s going, or even if he stays, the SEC will reshuffle.
I wonder how Georgia will be impacted after Tebow, Meyer? the 9 defensive starters, 23 players are all gone?
Time for Georgia to take advantage.
Superfly
November 29th, 2009
9:20 pm
Georgia looked stellar Saturday night B-A-B-Y. How bout dem’ dogs?
Brandon from Warner Robins
November 29th, 2009
9:57 pm
Tech was playing this stupid nonsense all night over the extremely loud PA system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3N7E1NLrfA
Too bad it didn’t fire up Tech enough to stop Washaun and Caleb!
30-24. Order Restored.
icedawg
November 29th, 2009
10:03 pm
Run Dawgs run. Let them enjoy this one. The odds were against them. A great way to end the season no matter what changes have to be made. Let the changes be made but no one can take this away from them, they all wanted it more than the Bugs and proved it by their play on the field. Congrats.
Bill Massey
November 29th, 2009
10:53 pm
Mark Bradley and Jeff Schultz both must be Tech Alumini. The way they always try to Bash The Dawgs is very childish and unprofessional. What young man in his right mind would want to play football there when he could play for UGA.Please compare the campuses and decide for yourself,attend class in the ghetto and possibly get robbed on the way to class or live in Athens, Ga.a nice safe city classified as one of the top ten cities to live in the USA. Imagine playing in Athens in front of 90,000 plus fans or 20,000 at Tech.We realize Tech beat us once out of nine tries but we all know a blind hog will stumble up on an acorn once in awhile. Coach Dooley beat Tech 19 out of 25 Games.
Paul Johnson can’t really have his heart in the program at Tech saying the game is not such a bid deal.What coach would make such a statement about an in state rivalry.Could you imagine Bobby Dodd saying that when he coached Tech.Coach Richt we thank you so much for being our coach and putting The North Avenue Trade School back where they belong in the loss column. HUNKER DOWN YOU JUNYARD DAWGS!
Skipper
November 30th, 2009
12:14 am
Too bad you boys won’t be playing in Atlanta again this week. State champs. Cute.
RealityRose
November 30th, 2009
12:42 am
The UGA fullbacks do not get enough carries. (I will bet my last can of Railroad snuff that this is so)
Corrine Brown (Rep-D Fla)
November 30th, 2009
4:36 am
Gradulation, Corch Mock Ricks.
old coach
November 30th, 2009
8:19 am
Great game for the DAWGS. Show some class GEORGIA fans and let the HAHAHA go. Why drop to the level of fools? How stupid that crap looked for a year. Think of the classless jerk who posted this crap and do not fall in to the same mode!!!
CTim
November 30th, 2009
8:39 am
MB…usually I agree with your comments 99% of the time, because I find them very insightful and right on target…but this blog is exactly why I didn’t want to see UGA win this game. To me, this was the most meaningless victory by UGA in 30 + years of following them… because it doesn’t mean, or change a thing. First, it was a rivalry game…such games are always won or lost based on emotions, and UGA simply wanted this game more then Tech…second, if Nesbitt doesn’t get hurt, on what to me was a dirty play (was it necessary for the defenders to pull him over AFTER the play was over?) do you really think UGA wins this game? And third, if they had this kind of rushing attack, why not use it against OK State, Tenn, and Kentucky? As I said, this changes nothing. UGA is still what it is, a second rate 7-5 team among a bunch of others, non-competitive against the real SEC powers, LSU, AL, and of course, FL. I hope CMR is as deceived as you and many others, and think this is some kind of turning point. Because then he won’t do what so clearly is necessary, fire Martinez, and perhaps, Bobo, end up with another 5 or 6 loss season next year, then he and all his coaches, except the incomparable recruiter Charlie Garner can be gone.
Warren
November 30th, 2009
1:17 pm
30 to 24!!! Ha, Ha, Ha to last year’s 45-42 ha, ha, ha from nerd school Tech.
Hogan
November 30th, 2009
2:32 pm
Go Dogs, and take the Falcons with you!
Tech sucks
November 30th, 2009
5:46 pm
-You can’t spell DragonCon Convention w/out GT.
-You can’t spell Forty year old virgin w/out GT.
-You can’t spell Bangalore Call Center w/out GT.
-You can’t spell Living in Mom’s basement w/out GT
-You can’t spell Mugged on North Avenue w/out GT
Coach
November 30th, 2009
7:17 pm
Butler’s Great Kick
The teams were at mid-field, the fans were filing out, and Butler was getting ready to kick. A great leg should be used, right? Even if the game is over and you did not contribute to the win, right? So what did he do? After running down to the NE corner of Grant Field, pointing at the remaining Tech fans, and jumping on the gold GT logo, Butler used his powerful leg to dig and plow, dig and plow, until he loosened a chunk of the gold painted sod. I mean, if you have a great leg you should use it, right? He then removed the chunk from the hole and held it up triumphantly. What a moment! Digging up the home teams logo! After all, you are entitled to that, aren’t you, because THEY break twigs off of the privet hedges around OUR field. So digging up a team’s logo is ok, and we would expect them to dig up our “super G” logo, wouldn’t we?
What a great bunch of guys. Butler has a great leg, probably the best in the nation. “All-American?” I don’t think so.
Nick
November 30th, 2009
9:42 pm
Ok First off… UGA fans have no class. You won a game against a ranked team. Holly Cow! Now all of a sudden ya’ll are all going to act like UGA is going to the National Championship game. Ya’ll will be lucky to get into anything better than the Music City bowl! Go ahead and brag about it for the rest of this year, because after you go to your unwatched bowl game ya’ll will have more questions than you had this year. So, yay UGA you went 6-6!!!!! That will be the best thing you do in the next couple of years so live it up! And we’ll see what conference is better after the bowls are done…
Bobby Houseman
November 30th, 2009
9:52 pm
The mangey mutts should go to the Toilet Bowl. I’m still mad at them for such a rotten season. Until Richt pulls his head out of his butt or gets fired, the Dawgs (mongrels) will be a stinky team.
SOUTHGADAWG88
November 30th, 2009
11:22 pm
Nick.. I doubt any bowl UGA goes to will suck as much as the Emerald Bowl.GT is not a lock to beat CLEM…there is a lot of pressure on the new “genius” CPJ all of a sudden…what happens if GT loses and goes to the Peach bowl and lose to another SEC team?Nightmare scenario for he Techies.
David Granger
December 1st, 2009
12:05 pm
There is NOTHING worse that Georgia Tech could have done to us than to lose the way they did, and have Mark Richt thinking “The only thing we did wrong this year was that we should have RUN the ball more…that’s all!”
GeorgiaDawg&Falcon
December 1st, 2009
5:16 pm
Go Dawgs…..UGA all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!
my god
December 1st, 2009
5:45 pm
since when has “defensed” become a word???