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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1,344 comments Add your comment
Wolfdawg
November 28th, 2009
11:34 pm
first! GO DAWGS!
FalconUGAFan
November 28th, 2009
11:35 pm
Go Dawgs!!
NXS
November 28th, 2009
11:35 pm
First Tech Sucks
Bulldog in Ecuador
November 28th, 2009
11:36 pm
Good close to a bad season! Go dawgs!
Frank
November 28th, 2009
11:36 pm
It’s not that we are so powerful, it’s just that gtu ain’t all that. SEC rules the ACC.
THWGT!!!
saint simons wears a merkin
November 28th, 2009
11:36 pm
((((( 30 24 ))))) hahahahahahaha
Safety Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:37 pm
Suck on that for 365 days Saint Simons.
Eric C.
November 28th, 2009
11:37 pm
Probably night. ? Wow…this game helps a lot…not sure it makes up for season, but a crucial win.
Bulldog in Ecuador
November 28th, 2009
11:37 pm
Good close to a bad season!
SanJoseDawg
November 28th, 2009
11:37 pm
Enter your comments here
hugedawgfan
November 28th, 2009
11:37 pm
well, will there be rings again this year. Where you at, Saint Simons, fuzz, and others? Now, if only Auburn and Florida State had won.
SavannahDawg
November 28th, 2009
11:37 pm
Where is that nimrod M; its time for you to come out and take your medicine
BRAVESFAN5114
November 28th, 2009
11:37 pm
Gotta wonder what the year would have been if we had ran the ball all year instaed of letting JC throw picks. Good game Dawgs!!!
Scout Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:37 pm
Heritage.
Cuz
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
Yeah baby.
F U Saint Simons
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
I hate Saint Simons….Great farewell Willie.
memo to the acc
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
stick with basketball
Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
Hey Yellow Fuzz and Saint Simons… 30-24 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
FalconUGAFan
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
Sorry it was my night for first and the Dawgs night! Nice game Tech. Good luck in the ACC title game…..
Nesbitt Has a PHD in Chemical Eng!
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
Hell yeah!
herschelsalterego
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
cmon willie wheres the poem
Rick
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
I love it…..DAWGS win….What a day. The two ACC teams who play for the ACC championship are beaten by SEC teams!!!!! Georgia Bulldogs rule nats. Again…
St. Simons Jr.
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
(((((30-24)))))….Go DAWGS. Just proves that a middle of the pack SEC team is better than the ACC’s best!
DawgFan
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
Hey St. Simons – 30-24 hahahahahahahahahahahahaahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
NebraskaDawg
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
30-24!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See ya next year, Nerds!!!!!!
Cantondawg
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
Where are you Saint Simons?
Here's hoping
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
About Dawg Gone Time!
OriginalDawgs
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
HAHAHAHAHA NERDS!!!!! 30-24, get ready to see it ALL SUMMER LONG on here hahahahahahahahahahahaha GO DAWGS GO DAWGS GOOOOOOO DAWGS!
Tech is OVERRATED
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
Overrated (repeat 5X) SEC (repeat 5X)
Finchdawg
November 28th, 2009
11:38 pm
Think Paul Johnson got a little nervous at the end, calling all of those pass plays? Go Dawgs!
Order Restored
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
To Mark B, Jeff S, Yellow Fuzz, Cuz, M, and Saint Simmons and any other techy that I have had to look at on these blogs, put your car flags away. Oh yeah, also the lower half of the SEC east just beat the two teams playing in your beloved ACC championship. Also, after UGA’s rushing performance tonight, I guess that ACC stands for All Coast is Clear!
gss303
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
Cream rose to the top….SEC rules.
Fierce Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
((((30-24)))) HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
RNB
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
Mark Bradley please retire you are so predictable and your columns suck like Tech.
AINT SIMONS
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
A year’s worth of ending post with 30-24. If Santa don’t come, it is a great Christmas
Cuz
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
I could have had the coveted first if I had not been sucked into reading the column. Curse you Bradley.
SanJoseDawg
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
Where’s that girly Saint Simons? ACC is soooooo over-rated. I hope the Dawgs pull it back together next year for a better season.
Paul H
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
((((((30-24)))))) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Dan Hurst
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
Do you feel it? Can you smell it? The Universe is finally balanced again in College Football! GO DAWGS!
herschelsalterego
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
anybody see willie around here?
Tim Gardner
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
Mark: Do you think Richt flat-out outcoached Johnson? Interested to know your opinions.
BWH Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
No one cares what your opinion is Mark. You don’t know anything about football. Stick to journalism and grammar.
Congratulate the Dawgs the STFU.
uga95
November 28th, 2009
11:39 pm
I guess Tech won’t be getting new rings this year.
ain't simons
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
30-24! hahahahahahaaha!
Saint UGAVII
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
30-24! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
Calhoundawg
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
God, I’ve waited all year for this — ((((((((30-24))))))))) hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
A bowl win and we keep the streak alive !!!
Go Dawgs !!!!!
Saint Simons
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
30-24
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
OriginalDawgs
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
Such a sweet bit of redemption at the expense of the ATL NERDS…GO DAWGSSSSSSS
hugedawgfan
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
Now we see that GT would be a joke if they played in the SEC. I really think their defense is worse than ours. Yes, Yes, Yes.
Wait…………….
For……………….
It…………………
30-24!!!!!!!!!!!! THWGT
cdbgolf
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
Where is St.Simons?????? 30- 24!!!!!!!!!!
Tech Sucks!!!!!!
F U Saint Simons
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
364 days of being able to tell Saint Simons to suck it…… Priceless.
Dawgonit
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
The ACC is just not that good. There’s a reason that Tech’s 10-1 didn’t get much respect. They haven’t played anyone all year. Both the ACC championship game teams got beat by two 6-5 SEC teams. It is what it is.
leedawg
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
Get off the bandwagon now, Bradley. The Dawg Nation doesn’t wanna freakin’ hear it. And where is the that jackleg Saint Simons? Been reading his crap all $%^& week.
uga1989
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
Er… think you mean “probably not,” Mark. God bless UGA!!!!!
Ronnie
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
Question #1 – why doesn’t Georgia try to out-physical its opponent in every game?
Harry
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
Georgia and South Carolina both not ranked but beat the two teams playing for the ACC championship. What a wonderful day!!!!!!!!!!
EW
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
wonder if GT will make a ring for this one? HAHA Go DAWGS!!
RedAndBlack
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
To all you Tech Fans getting on the Bulldog blogs, here’s to you my friends! TECH SUCKS! OVERRATED! 30-24 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Suck on that for 365 days!!!!
joe cox will be fine
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
congrats cool tech fans- nice team
Tech fan
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
I guess Paul Johnson will learn pretty soon that winning the UGA game actually is a big deal… I will have to deal with the smugness from the UGA people working for me for a whole year…
Blackbeard Island
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
((((30-24))))HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHAHAHA
Southern Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
SEC = 3 ACC = 0 Gotta love Rival Saturday!!! Go DAWGS!!!!
Athens dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:40 pm
((((( 30 – 24 ))))) hahahahahahahahahaha
NYC Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
30-24
30-24
30-24
Tech Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul H
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
Wheres St. Simons??? Where’s “m”????? Where’s “Ramble On”????
8 out of 9 years Techies. GLAD IT HURTS SO MUCH!!!!!
SuperiorSEC
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
Geez, I would HATE to be a sponsor for the ACC Championship Game TWO mediocre teams playing for a championship of a SECOND RATE CONFERENCE.
bjfussell
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
russ needs to be the permanent dawg
hugedawgfan
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
Great point Dawgonit
Saint Simons gurl
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
Dawgs are powerful….insects are wussy … GO DAWGS
Ryan
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
ABC showed Willie getting emotional on the sidelines….looks like he knows that was one of his last games.
DAWGINGERMANY
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
Just another win over Tech. What is that, 8 of the last 9???
JTK
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
Suck it, Tech!!! Go back to your parent’s basement and STFU!!! 8 out of 9, baby!!!
archangeladidas
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
Its ironic how you gt fans wanted uga to beat UF. Now you just loss to that same sorry uga team. So sad! Get out of the top 10 and stay out! GO GATORS!!!
North Georgia Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
St Simons is nowhere to be found…..he must be eating leftover crow fromm thanksgiving dinner!
Pi$$onaJacket
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
Of course last year was a fluke. 8 out of 9 years is total domination!
cr0n
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
Saint Simons (((30-24))) Nice catch #8!!!! Blaughhhhh Blaw!!!! Haaa!!!!! Nerds are spoiled
dawgfan
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
There have been times lately where we’ve wondered: “How does Mark Bradley have a job and who pays him for this garbage?”
Suffice to say, tonight provided no answers. You have been trashing UGA all year long and suckin on Paul Johnson’s nip. LMFAO @ your ignrant axx.
Georgia Tech football = JOKE. We own your entire existence. RECOGNIZE. 8 out of 9 punk axxes. Bow down. Dismissed.
Steve Jones
November 28th, 2009
11:41 pm
Tech’s linebackers lost that game.
Champaign Dawg
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
St. Simons made this bed, now tech fans get to sleep in it for a full year.
Enjoy.
Another streak started tonight
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Hey St Simons!!!! We will talk to you in another 7 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NXS
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Enjoy your ACC playoff game yellow bugs. But know that even in a down year, Georgia does and always will own you!!! 30-24 Baby!
Dawgnyc
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
The Dawgs have the talent… I am looking forward to Murray at qb next year with solid running game and players at the ends. Defense, defense, defense! we need a D-fense! So Mark Richt- whatcha going to do!?
Wolfdawg777
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
8-1!
8-1!
8-1!
8-1!
8-1!
HAHAHAHAHA GO DAWGS!!
columbiadawg
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Can’t wait til next year! Offense all back but Cox…Murray behind vastly improving line…handing off to two stud tailbacks…lofting one up now and then to AJ Green…and a new defensive coordinator! It’s GREAT…TO BE..A GEORGIA BULLDOG!!
DawgFan
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
What a great end to an awful season – I hope it hurts St Simons!!!!!
MADDAWG55
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Nesbitt’s ankle=…. all the way…Turned up!!!
memo to the acc
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
stick with basketball!
Saint Simons' Ghost
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
What?
lance
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Where are all the tech people? Ya’ll suck, I mean let a 6-5 team beat your azz. Georgia Tech will always be Georgia’s little puppet.
GADAWG
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Well, the ACC championship game’s stock went down today!! GO SEC!!!!
Mark
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Can we stop all the nonsense that you and Schultz spew? That 1 in a row was a real run, wasn’t it?. Also, are you still going to refer to LSU as SEC elite?
Bruce Jones
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Looks like Tech will be heading to the Carpets of Dalton Bowl after the ACC Championship Game Saint Simons
Mr. A
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Quit asking where the Tech fans are! I know where they are! The same place they normally are …………. in hiding!!!! We will see them again in about 8 or 9 years!!!!!!!! Mark, you can come back we will welcome you!
Rocket Rod
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Where’s the ring?
Pi$$onaJacket
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
The Hive is calling for Johnson’s firing. How quickly they turn.
nerds, nerds, nerds
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Go dawgs – a great beatdown at the joke by coke.
Mayor of Suh-myr-nuh
November 28th, 2009
11:42 pm
Q: Do you know what Tech and UGA fans have in common?
A: Both are obsessed with them DAWGS!!!!!!!
WOOF WOOF WOOF 30 – 24, BABY!!!!!!!!!!
Jekyll Island
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
(((((30-24)))) Hello to St Simons across the bay! LMAO!
god
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
… and all is right with the world again
John
November 28th, 2009
11:43 pm
Joe Cox lost at least 3 games this year with ints., we beat the #7 team by just running the ball. If Vince Dooley was our offensive coordinator, we would be at least 8-2….Willie still needs to be fired!!!