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
Ryan
November 28th, 2009
11:49 pm
OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!!
GT SUCKS!!!
ACC SUCKS!!!
S'aint Simons
November 28th, 2009
11:49 pm
St. S!mons eats crow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jekyll Island
November 28th, 2009
11:49 pm
(((((30-24)))))) St Simons! You got your #$%&*# kicked! LMAO!
Bill
November 28th, 2009
11:49 pm
For the first time, I saw Johnson fall apart as a coach. A team built on running the ball started throwing it deep on 3 straight plays when there was enough time on the clock to run their offense. Maybe Johnson isn’t the greatest coach in GA like many of the AJC writers have said. Anyway, great game by the DAWGS and St. Simons can suck it!!!
Sanford Drive
November 28th, 2009
11:49 pm
I wonder if Yellow Fuzz has the nads to show up on the blogs now? I doubt it!
SE GA LADY
November 28th, 2009
11:49 pm
omg!!!! Saint Simons is silent or at a lost for a ha ha.
I have lived in St. Simons for 13 years, and we are all trying to find out who the imbecile is that always posts that annoying GA Tech score from last year. Now, maybe he/she will be silenced for a few days or hopefully years!!!
DamntheButcher
November 28th, 2009
11:49 pm
Yellow Fuzz will be here again in 7 or 8 years!!! Ha Ha Ha Ha
pdawg
November 28th, 2009
11:49 pm
Bradley you have raved about the greatest coach in the history of mankind and how unstoppable and perfect he is. No not Paul Hewitt that was 5 years ago. The great and powerful PJ. Willie FREAKING Martinez just coached circles around that high school offense. How bout them apples Bradley!!
wwjd
November 28th, 2009
11:49 pm
Oh, now Mark is trying to be nice and all that. Great. Who were these guys?? The Georgia Bulldogs. Go Dawgs!!! And please don’t use the word GRIM in regards to football again.
Dawgs88
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
30-24 Saint Simons! Hope you like looking at this for a year you sack of crap! Where was that blowout Bradley, Schultz?!!! Go Dawgs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fire Willie Martinez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where's Saint Simons?
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
ACC’s best can’t compete with a UGA at its worst. ((((((((((((( 30 to 24 ))))))))))))))
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TEX
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
I liked the return to the roots. RUN THE BALL. They did what past good UGA teams did.. RUN.
They took the ball, and the pressue off Cox, who, lets me be honest, can’t handle it. Cox settled for 1 TD, no picks, and under 80 yards for the game..He didn’t get much help on the long ball with the drops, and over throws. Lopsided for sure, but when the run was working, he could dump it off.
I like it.. I think that with some good patience and practice, and with a good QB, Georgia should be back into the saddle.. I’m on fence about Willie.. The man knew his time was coming, and I can’t figure if he knew it and his players played the game for him, or if he had a moment and realized his soft D wasn’t cutting it with the lack luster offense to keep the pressure off.
Which ever.. I’m happy for the win, and thankful that the nerds can try and make excuses for another year..
Ole Saint Simons
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
30-24 hahahahahahahaha
UGA GOOSE
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
First of all, order has been restored in the state of GA. Tech won last year for the first time in how many years?? First the rings, then the smack talking, the hype and the EXPECTATIONS, guess again Tech Fans. CMR OWNS you guys, that gimmick worked once and you would have thought you guys deserved RINGS? I can only hope we don’t give our guys rings for beating the 7th ranked teams because only tech fans would need rings for winning and in-state game once in a blue moon!! Tech Fans are PATHETIC. Crawl back into your cubicles and die. Enjoy sucking on that dropped pass for a year and the extension you just gave your coach!
MiltonDawg
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
Good Stuff!!! Great game!! Way to go out Martinez!!!
sarfdawg
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
Tech will never feel the incessant hell that the last 365 days have been for all Georgia fans and alums. While this feels great, we are used to being in this spot. Tech can take their rightful place in second place in the state.
BTW, nice job of Tech and Clemson both backing into the ACC championship. Well done, boys.
jellybeandawg
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
I am not a coaching genius like PJ but why in the world he decided to air it out 4 plays in a row at the end is beyond me.. especially given that they were moving up the field at will on the ground and still had plenty of time and 2 timeouts.
Also considering that the two best teams in the ACC get beat-downs from two very average SEC teams just shows how WEAK the ACC really is!!!
Top Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
Clemson and Georgia Tech will play next weekend for the pitiful ACC Crown. They both lost to mid to lower level SEC teams (mid to lower level for this year anyway) today!!!
MauiDAWG
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
Mark, I called this one on your column yesterday……..read below.
Mark
This is a wildcard game at BEST. It really comes down to which Georgia team shows up….Georgia has the horses (talent, size, athleticism)..arguable as good as anyone in the county…. it just depends on how they execute…and limiting those recurring problems of turnovers, penalties, kickoffs etc. Georgia DOES have the ABILITY to blow out GT.
GT is definately playing physical, but hey, Georgia is arguably the most physical team, just depends on the intangibles of excution/discipline. GT has been on the positive side a several close games with weak teams. They are NOT a hard to beat team.
UGA has nothing to lose and this is a proving game for the players, coaches, etc. If I were betting this is definately a stay away game…. too unpredictable.
I like UGA playing spoiler. 42-17 UGA
COACH PAUL JOHNSON
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
OK DAWGS, YA’LL PUT IT ON US SO I’M GOING BACK TO NAVY SO I DON’T HAVE TO GET MY A– WHOOPED BY YOU GUYS AGAIN !!!!!
Another streak started tonight
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
Shut up saint simons!!
Go Dawgs
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
All the Saint Simons of the Tech blog that blogs on UGA site Eat this for 1 year!! I want to now hear 45-42!!!! We have a bad year and we still looked powerful!!! GO DAWGS!!!! I am tired of the tech talk SOOOOO SHUT UP!!!! GO DAWGS
eltrompoDAWGSfan
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
I will wait for the “UGA only won because Nesbitt was out for a quarter” BS from Techie fans. Great high drama game, and GO DAWGS! More power running!
AdMan
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
Where are you yellow fever?how bout you GT4U? Where are you thank god and greyhound?……The dawgs took a page from your boy CPJ’s book and controlled the clock by keeping the ball on the ground. How come your robot Nesbitt didn’t win the game for you?Looks like CMR once again outcoached your head coach….last time I checked thats eight out of the last nine games played…..and its only going to get worse for Tech in the future. After all…wasn’t it you guys that kept telling everyone that UGA sucked. Just wait until we come back next year with a new DC and an experienced team. Have fun losing to Clemson. I think I’ll go have a ring made with tonights final score on it…….. 30-24 a new streak has begun…get used to it.
DamntheButcher
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
ACC = Another Crappy Conference!!!!
Tech is unstoppable
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
3 POINTS????????????????????????
Bubba
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
Two mid-tier SEC teams beat the two teams playing for the ACC championship. Pretty much settles any debate.
grahamdawgs
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
All that talk — all that talk —-SCOREBOARD
uga1989
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
Yellow Fuzz, are you crying? Boo-hoo-hoo! Don’t worry–you can still maybe beat the team that lost to the Gamecocks today. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!! 30-24!!!
Yellow Jacket Nation
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
******30-24****** Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha………………Can’t wait for that ACC championship game…. when both the teams playing in it got beat by SEC teams the week before. ACC WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!!
Chris
November 28th, 2009
11:50 pm
Eat it Saint Simmons! 30-24 Final; Go Dawgs! Russ is 1-0
bulldawg brian
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
The joke by coke.. choked choked choked… 30-24
mashdogg
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
Maybe PJ’s gadget offense should work on the passing game
paul johnson's your mommy
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
God, this feels so good….(((((30-24)))))!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Suck on that Saint Simons!
Where's Saint Simons?
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
Hey Saint Simons,
Missing you already! ((((((((( 30 to 24 ))))))))))) ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Derrick Richards
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
Seven years or so from now when we hear from Saint Simons again, he will have turned eighteen years old and will know better.
Opinion
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
It just goes to show, Tech has a long way to go before they become truly legit.
Have fun at the Music City Bowl, suck on that !!!!
dawgs own tech
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
Give Tech credit they won one in a row thats a streak
WestOfAthens
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
The next 364 days belong to us UGA fans.
No need to “bark” in between
Go Dawgs, 30-24
Dawgs88
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
30-24 Saint Simons!!!! Hope you like seeing this for the next year you scak of crap!!!! Go Dawgs!!!!!
UGAFan
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
@tech fan here Thanks for the courage to show up. What name did you use when you were gloating…hmmm….
Chris
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
Russ is 1-0 y’all
Krebs
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
Joe Cox great job. Josh Nesbitt, you are a MAN! After you are gone Tech fans will see that you are truly special. Good luck next week Tech. No worries, Clemson will fold. They are notorious chokers. Paul Johnson will find out this is not just another game now that he has lost one.
DamntheButcher
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
TECH SUCKS…….TECH SUCKS…….TECH SUCKS……TECH SUCKS…
Tom
November 28th, 2009
11:51 pm
30-24!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
kauai dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:52 pm
I had it to the classy Tech Fans such as “Tech Fan Here”. Great game and it really doesn’t change the fact of you beating Clemson and going to the Orange Bowl. We are still headed to the Dissappointment Bowl. Go DAWGS!
BugKiller
November 28th, 2009
11:52 pm
Welcome to the ACC Championship, where the two teams lost the week before to two thoroughly mediocre SEC teams.
The ACC: Where Mediocrity Happens
The ACC: Where Our Champion Would Be 5-7 in the SEC.
The ACC: Where WILLIE MARTINEZ is a defensive GENIUS.
The ACC: Where Joe Cox would be the best QB in our league.
The ACC: We Play Football?
jellybeandawg
November 28th, 2009
11:52 pm
NEEEERDS!!!
Let's step up and support our Dawgs
November 28th, 2009
11:52 pm
Bulldawg Nation: I just witnessed something that I thought would be impossible. Our beloved Dawgs regained their edge and they finally got fired up and got mean. You have got to play wide open and you must play mean to stop that GT offensive machine. I give Willie credit, his D held GT to well over 100 yards below their season rushing average and they held GT to well over 100 yards below their total yards season average. Granted all was not pretty, especially some of our tackling, but marquee players are going to make you look bad from time to time. I want to give Rennie Curran a huge shout out, as he was in on just about every play. Also, Rashad made up for last year’s missed tackle. Guys, stay in school for another year and get us another SEC title next year. Anyway, enough game analysis. I am going to buy tickets to whatever bowl we end up in. I am going to take my 15 year old son, and we are going to scream our heads off for our beloved Dawgs. They showed me heart tonight. They proved to me that they can get it done, and we all need to stick by them whether in Shreveport or Nashville or Atlanta. Recruits, come to Athens for consistent and sustained success. CMR, I am still with you brother. Stay strong!!!!!!
jellybeandawg
November 28th, 2009
11:52 pm
NEEEERDS SUCK IT !!!