The UGA season game by game: Nine wins, coming right up
Ready: Russ the Temporary Mascot. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
Sept. 4, Louisiana-Lafayette: The offense will look great. The defense will look ferocious. Aaron Murray will throw two touchdown passes, one to Logan Gray, whom Murray beat out for the quarterback job. Georgia fans will seize on this game as evidence that the Bulldogs are better than they’ve been at any time since 2002 if not 1980, but we have to remember the opponent. Prediction: Georgia 45, La-La 10.
Sept. 11, at South Carolina: Mark Richt hasn’t lost in Columbia, but he has had three very close calls. (The Pollack snatch-and-grab in 2002, the comeback in 2004, the narrow escape in 2008.) This is the biggest game of Steve Spurrier’s tenure in Columbia,and the Evil Genius surely has one last trick left. The Gamecock D flusters Murray on a day when neither team scores much. Prediction: South Carolina 16, Georgia 13.
Sept. 18, Arkansas: Through two games, Todd Grantham’s 3-4 defense has held up its end. Here’s where the D wobbles. This is the Razorbacks’ first real game, and it’s one Bobby Petrino and Ryan Mallett have long awaited. For all his excesses, Petrino can design an offense, and Mallett is a a thrower of the first rank. It won’t quite be the Dogs-Hogs shootout of last season, but it will be close. Prediction: Arkansas 31, Georgia 27.
Sept. 25, at Mississippi State: Georgia has two losses. The other Bulldogs, who will have already played Auburn and LSU, could have two losses. And Georgia must travel to Starkville and endure the mellifluous strains of the cowbell. But here’s where the Bulldogs and Murray start to grow up. What seems another scary road test becomes instead just another of those Richt road triumphs. Prediction: Georgia 24, Mississippi State 17.
Oct. 2, at Colorado: The Buffaloes will be honoring the 1990 team, which won the Associated Press national championship. (Georgia Tech, you’ll recall, took the UPI title.) Richt is already fretting that Colorado and its crowd will be pumped for the occasion. Big deal. It’s still only Colorado, which finished 3-9 last season and figures to be looking for a new coach soon. Prediction: Georgia 30, Colorado 17.
Oct. 9, Tennessee: This will be one of the strangest days in Georgia history. Vince Dooley’s son brings his team to play in the house Vince-didn’t-quite-build-but-expanded-a-bunch-of-times. And Tennessee, which has beaten Georgia four times since 2003, has become a nemesis. Not this time. Derek Dooley’s team was picked to finish behind Kentucky in the SEC East, for good reason. Prediction: Georgia 30, Tennessee 10.
Oct. 16, Vanderbilt: Georgia is rolling now, and Vanderbilt isn’t a team capable of stopping the surge. The Commodores have a new coach but the same players, and the reason Bobby Johnson stepped aside in July was the reality of all his hard work resulting in a 2-10 season in 2009. This is the day the Georgia offense really gets going, the day a victory over Florida begins to seem possible. Prediction: Georgia 45, Vanderbilt 3.
Oct. 23, at Kentucky: Trouble is, Georgia still has a week to go before it heads to Jacksonville, and first it must make a stop at Commonwealth Stadium. This seems a classic look-ahead game, when means there’s danger involved, but we must recall that the Wildcats are working under a new coach in Joker Phillips and don’t appear primed for a big year. Georgia wobbles but prevails. Prediction: Georgia 24, Kentucky 19.
Loading ...Oct. 30, Florida at Jacksonville: Every Bulldog season comes down to this game, and Georgia, having won five in a row, goes to Jax believing this is finally the year the series turns. The Gators have no Tim Tebow, no Brandon Spikes, no Charlie Strong. They do still have Urban Meyer and an array of talent the Bulldogs can’t quite match. Maybe it’ll be different in 2011. Prediction: Florida 21, Georgia 20.
Nov. 6, Idaho State: ISU’s nickname is the Bengals. It won once in 2009. Its victory was in the season finale against Portland State, which finished 2-9. Its first two games of 2009 resulted in losses to Arizona State and Oklahoma by the aggregate tally of 114-3. It is coached by John Zamberlin, who’s 5-29 in three seasons in Pocatello. Georgia will set some records this day. Prediction: Georgia 70, Idaho State 3.
Nov. 13, at Auburn: It was the second-biggest win in a strange season. Georgia fell behind Auburn 14-0 at home and was poised to slip to 5-5, but the Bulldogs rallied to win 31-24 last November. (Then they lost to Kentucky the next week. Like I said: Strange season.) This time the game’s at Auburn, which doesn’t mean much in this series. And Georgia has better players. Prediction: Georgia 28, Auburn 20.
Nov. 27, Georgia Tech: The biggest win of 2009 was the emphatic back-to-basics defeat of the Jackets, who were ranked No. 7 in the nation. The belief here is that Georgia will be far better this season and that Tech won’t be quite as good. The belief here is that Georgia, having started the season 1-2, will wind up 9-3 and stamp itself as one of the teams to beat in 2011. Prediction: Georgia 27, Tech 24.
This was another sneak peek into Sunday’s special AJC College Football Section, which will appear in the print AJC. The 34-page section will preview Tech, Georgia, Georgia State, the SEC and ACC, top games, Heisman candidates and more.
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378 comments Add your comment
Dagny
August 28th, 2010
3:54 pm
The Georgia boys are gonna win it all fellas.
If you’re talking about the Fulmer Cup, you’re right.
contradictions left and right
August 28th, 2010
3:54 pm
Funny that in the very same post a UGA fan can spout off Mark Richt’s record vs. South Carolina and Arkansas as some sort of proof those games are nothing to worry about and then turn around and try and claim some sort of advantage over UF and ignore the record of CMR vs. UF. Cant have both ways fools.
athensdawg
August 28th, 2010
4:00 pm
I got us losing to auburn or tech.
8-4, boys. deal with it.
Coolest in the Clutch
August 28th, 2010
4:09 pm
.
.
————————–
Nesbitt for Heisman
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.
.
university of football
August 28th, 2010
4:21 pm
at the university of football, 9 wins will keep mark richt’s job, since he’s a “nice guy.” At bama and florida, that would be a bad year—-which is the difference between good and elite. carry on dawgs.
GatorRick
August 28th, 2010
4:23 pm
My Gators are hurting right now. Coach U tring to find some playmakers. Need some fast. Without Tebow & Hernandez, need some new guys to step up. Worried about Brantley. He’s taking a lot of sacks all Spring, worried about an injury. Also, how’s he going to even try to live up to the expectations of Tebow? Then the you to installa whole new defense, seoncdary looking strong, but who’s gonna step up this year on the DL, and in the LB corp? Want to see a go-to WR step up too, hopefully a new guy there will come ons trong.
Ray
August 28th, 2010
4:31 pm
Can I get some action on that? What batch of kool aid did the mutts give you mark? 9 wins with a redshOrt fresh qb. Sure he will lead them to 9 wins. Riiiight. And I am a chinese banshee.
7-5 again.
Charles
August 28th, 2010
4:37 pm
More like losses to
SC, Ark, Aub, Fla, GT
Close calls against Ky and CU
michael
August 28th, 2010
4:38 pm
Dawgs will embarass the hell out the pollsters this year and go undefeated. Also, to all those arrogant Gator fans, remember, the Dawgs still dominate the overall series by a 10 win advantage.
Russ The Bulldog is Cool
August 28th, 2010
4:40 pm
Hogan, you forgot to mention Mark May 100% anti-UGA.
Dogs will beat everyone except hated Gators.
GaGator 17-3
August 28th, 2010
4:51 pm
michael,
Nice to live in the past, do you realize that since 1935 the Gators actually lead the series by 1 or 2 games. The series is very even, Dooley dominated the Gators in the 70’s 80’s, Spurrier and Meyer have just gotten back all those wins Dooley lead the dawgs too.
76-DAWG
August 28th, 2010
4:52 pm
This years GA-FLA. game will be different than the last few years in that UGA has a defensive coordinator who will not give up in the 1st half like Martinez . Grantham will be a huge asset this year. Think about it, UGA had the worst defense in 2009 they have had in many years, and still only lost 5 games. Even though, I will admit that special teams in 2009 probably won 2 game for UGA.
Snoop Dawg
August 28th, 2010
4:52 pm
How can anyone predict UGA’s season when Richt is the coach? The season will revolve around whether the Defense returns to tradition and whether Murray pans out…
Snoop Dawg
August 28th, 2010
4:53 pm
WHO CAN CATCH THE DAWGS?!?!
the campus police…
GaGator 17-3
August 28th, 2010
5:04 pm
Grantham may very well be a good coach, but he still has the same players from that sorry unit Willie
recruited and played last year. Actually the 3 best players left for the NFL, whose replacing those
guys?
Jeff
August 28th, 2010
5:21 pm
Nice column Mark… well-thought out. Your predictions seem just about right… however, the only beef I have is the Arkansas game. Truth be told, I think the S.C. and Ark. results might be reversed and we’ll still be 9-3… but I honestly don’t think Georgia loses to a VERY overrated Arkansas team at home.
Think about last year — Georgia was reeling, making a lot of turnovers, and couldn’t cover my grandmother… yet the ‘Dogs still won at THEIR place.
Bobby Petrino is horribly overrated as a coach, and Ryan Mallett doesn’t scare me… he can’t throw passes while on his a**, which is where Georgia’s D will be knocking him on every play. I say Georgia wins 29-17.
The South Carolina game is a toss-up, always is… and it’s always close. But UGA has better talent than Carolina, and the ‘Dogs usually find ways to scratch out wins in Columbia. I say the score will be like you said, 16-13, but it is 50-50 and could go EITHER WAY.
So Georgia finishes 10-2 or 9-3 and gets some respect back and beats Tech again and goes to a nice New Year’s Day bowl… not bad for a rebuilding season with a freshman QB.
GO DAWGS!!!!!
FireMarkBradley!
August 28th, 2010
5:37 pm
You suck Mark, we still hate you… go dawgs!
Atticus
August 28th, 2010
5:47 pm
Mark, I say 10-2 losing to Aub and UF.
Slippery when Wet 5150.
August 28th, 2010
5:49 pm
FIREMARKBRADLEY why should the AJC get rid of MB? You are reading his post and commenting on his posts and therefore he is doing his job. Are nyou doing your job when you are readng and posting on this blog? I think you should tell your boss that you need to be fired because you are wasting company time and resources while you are on MB’s Blog. MB just put a dawg treat on the floor, but you were STUPID enought to chase it. AHHAHAHA. HAVE A DRINK ON ME. I have been 5150 for years now.
Dawg Season
August 28th, 2010
6:01 pm
This will be a typical dawg season. Win 8 or 9 games, get blown out by florida and head to a minor bowl–then declare the season a “success.” Nice.
jumbeauxtiger
August 28th, 2010
6:04 pm
PanamaGator,
LSU does not come off Florida’s schedule in 2012. The Tigers and Gators play every season.
Mascot!
August 28th, 2010
6:18 pm
What a mascot…..fat little puppy dog that sits on a bag of ice and licks his balls!!!!!!!!
UGA the Delusional
August 28th, 2010
7:06 pm
only UGA fans could be so delusional…! Just to make sure we’re all talking about the same team here…this is consistently one of the most penalized teams in the country, who got destroyed by lane kiffen last year before losing to Kentucky…KENTUCKY!!! …starting a FRESHMAN QB, whose starting tailback spent the other night in JAIL, who gave up what, 90 points to FL over the past two years, whose riding talk of a stealth run at the SEC on their O-line and b/c your new D-cordinator is someone Saban once tried to hire…are you kidding me! someone name me two starters on their defense! UGA drops South Carolina and Florida for a 3rd place finish in the East…truth hurts, but if you want to see UGA in the GA Dome anytime soon, you better figure out a way to get yourself invited to the chick-fil-a kick off game…
hmmmm........
August 28th, 2010
7:11 pm
Slippery when Wet is an awful cover band. Why all the hate for UGA??? they’ll have a nice bounce back season and are the darkhorse to win the east. If Murray only has to throw 10 – 15 times a game they could win it
The Wad
August 28th, 2010
7:20 pm
Benjamin…..Get off the “institutional control” wagon folks! It`s time these primadonnas are treated the way they will be in the real world. Let them spend the night in jail and throw the first one who is arrested off the team and it will stop the most of this bullcrap. The bulk of the team will fall in line and those that don`t you never could count on in the first place. They never grow up because they are never forced to do so. I teach in HS and can state for a fact the most of the kids who end up dong stupid things start way before they get in college. It`s time to treat players the same way general society would be treated under the same circumstances. Coddling doesn`t change the person in a positive way. THE COACHES HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING BLAMED FOR THE STUPIDITY OF ANY PLAYER OFF THE FIELD. BLAME THE PARENTS FIRST AND LET THEM PAY FOR DECISIONS OF THEIR OFFSPRING. I guarentee then there will be some changes in a player who insist on being stupid. If not, move on without him.
GoldenDawg
August 28th, 2010
8:31 pm
Hey Gators we all see whats going on under Meyer. What are the Gators puting in the gatorade?http://shortattentionwhat.blogspot.com/2010/07/future-rookie-of-years-in-gainesville.html
DawgByte
August 28th, 2010
8:36 pm
Don’t know about losing both USC and Ark but do believe we lose both at the end of the year. Thus if we lose either of the games you have us losing early we likely are little better than last year. Say 8-4 and it will be time to truly consider letting Richt go. The infamous Fulmer award we now possess is simply too embarassing. Makes all of us look like a bunch of drunks instead of a school of higher learning.
Ole Dawg
August 28th, 2010
8:42 pm
I’m on the Trane Train. I like his picks.
BG
August 28th, 2010
8:44 pm
8 out of 9 baby!!!!!!
huh?
August 28th, 2010
8:55 pm
27 against that ARK D????? Lay down the crack pipe!!!
huh?
August 28th, 2010
8:56 pm
At least 38 on that D!!
Flatsdawg1
August 28th, 2010
9:52 pm
Come on somebody predict they’ll win em’ all!!!!! Alright, I think it’s a one loss season with that loss being to Spurrier and the rest of his cocks….
Flatsdawg1
August 28th, 2010
9:59 pm
So they could win em all if the defense lives up to the hype of granthum and I think they will. Our offense should be good if not great if the O- line can hold up and of course murray doesn’ t throw it alot.
Slippery when Wet 5150.
August 28th, 2010
10:14 pm
hummmmm…. Slippery when Wet is not in referance to the cover band and 5150 is a police call # for a crazy person. The rest is up to your imagination as to why I chose that mane to post on a UGA article and/or blog. Still@the Bar is still a great name to use on all Dawg blogs.
Slippery when Wet 5150.
August 28th, 2010
10:17 pm
I have seen many Ugas and Uga I-thru-Uga VII couldn’t catch a War Chicken muchless a Game Chicken. Smokey at least shows his trut colors to match the color of his team. Russ has to hid that he ia a DAWG of Color.
robdawg08
August 28th, 2010
10:24 pm
I doubt the Dawgs will lose to SC & Arkansas back to back. Probably split. Colorado at home will be a dangerous game. Auburn,Tech,Tenn could be wins or losses with no shock and awe…
Gen Neyland
August 28th, 2010
10:24 pm
Talked with a couple from Columbia SC tonight. They say the town is the most pumped over a season than it’s been for years. They say the NCAA is snooping large at not only the agents party stuff but some rooms the players paid litttle to nothing for in an upscale notel hotel…Besides all that, I wondered…have these people ever seen Garcia make it through a season with a major blunder game or four..?
GO DAWGS 10
August 28th, 2010
10:33 pm
I have to disagree with the Auburn game. Playing a night game at Jordan-Hare stadium is no easy task. A win will be hard to come by but I sure hope Georgia pulls it out in the end!
R-Dawg
August 28th, 2010
10:39 pm
South Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas aren’t that good. Ga beats all 3 easily. Look for a huge upset in Jax over florida this year. They lost all their top talent and Murray is better than brantley. Dawgs win the east—bank it!
Rookie
August 28th, 2010
10:57 pm
Florida lost 3 of top 4 receivers, like Riley Cooper, Florida lost TE Hernandez too, and Florida lost their leading rusher in Tebow. Basically, 70% of their offensive production is gone. You can’t replace all that offense in 1 season with a bunch of freshman and brand new starters.
Cynics
August 28th, 2010
11:06 pm
Bradley,
Man, your own stinkin’ poll says you’re too cynical on Georgia, 2 to 1. Georgia won’t lose to South Carolina, Richt has a terrific raod record and record against Spurrier at SC. Nor will Georgia lose to Arkansas, as Richt’s undefeated in the last 5 against Arkansas, and Mallet’s road troubles are well known, he was winless on road SEC games last year and accuracy didn’t break 40%. So what does that mean? It means the only real challenge for Georgia with this year’s schedule is Florida, get through that one somehow with a win, and Georgia just might win it all. Even with a loss to Florida, Georgia will go to the SEC Championship, and if they win it, and go 13-1, hard to imagine Richt not getting his chance after ESPN put Meyer through with 13-1 seasons.
Truthiness
August 29th, 2010
12:27 am
Dawgs’ talent will once again be undercoached. Throw in an inexperienced QB and an untried defensive scheme, and UGA will panic early after loss to SC. They’ll settle into winning on athleticism alone. So, losses to Ark, FL, Auburn, and Tech will follow. 7-5. A solidly mediocre program in the best conference will still make enough money to save CMR’s job. He is also, you’ll recall, very well connected.
Will UGA be Better Than Last Year
August 29th, 2010
8:35 am
With 10 starters back on offense and three new defensive coaches odds are UGA will be better on both sides of the ball than last year. Odds are also with them that their turnover ratio and penaltys won’t sabatoge them as they have in the last couple of years… we can only get better in those categories.
If SC and Arkansas couldn’t beat UGA last year how, all of a sudden did they improve over the off season more than UGA? The answer is they didn’t and they don’t have the talent UGA has. We win both of those. My concern is a let down at MIss. State after these two big wins. I am also waryof the Auburn game. It is hard to believe we can beat them 5 years in a row. Florida wil be talented but there is just too much change and drama going on there to be as good as they been in the past few years. This is the year to get ‘em but they are in our head so you never know.
One thing for sure is we know how to beat the bugs and are accustom to doing it so this year will be no different. I say 10 and 2.
GameTime
August 29th, 2010
8:36 am
If Georgie doesn’t win at least 9 games with this schedule it will be a big disappointment. This is the kind of schedule that Georgie loves – weak and providing an opportunity to slip through the back door for a Division/Conference Championship. They sure don’t do it when they’re expected to.
By the way, how does a player who’s out at 3:00 in the morning on a weeknight during the season only get a one game suspension? That’ll teach ‘em, Coach!!
Will UGA be Better Than Last Year
August 29th, 2010
8:38 am
Truthy…… you are a hopeful tek fan….you had your best chance ever to beat the dawgs last year and you couldn’t do…. we are gonna tear tek a new on this year.
Slim to None
August 29th, 2010
8:49 am
If Richt doesn’t finish in the top 10 this season, it will be the 1st time since 1986 that he’s had 2 seasons, back to back, outside of the top 10. That’s a streak of 23 years. Could be broken, but the chances are slim to none, since it hasn’t happened in 23 years.
Left Foot
August 29th, 2010
9:29 am
Heater when that schedule was made Alabama sucked. People have short memories. Bama’s been good for exactly 2 seasons. Prior to that it was a decade of horrible football teams with a couple 3-loss seasons sprinkled in. And it’s way too early to be giving Arkansas any credit. They haven’t been good in forever and to simply give them the benefit of the doubt this year just because they’re getting a little hype is foolish, in my opinion.
Ga Rules
August 29th, 2010
10:05 am
Georgia will bounce back huge in 2010—this team is loaded with talent and finally has a good coach on D. Look for 10-11 wins, an SEC east title and BCS bowl. Florida’s run is over—-they are headed for a minor bowl.
Smitty
August 29th, 2010
10:17 am
Mark Bradley:
1- give me an ‘O’
Richt’s record is 71-7 when the offense scores 19 points or more. You got Richt scoring more than 19 against Florida and Arkansas. Richt wins 91% of the games when his offense scores 19 or more.
91% chance Georgia beats Florida/Ark, based on Bradley’s score predictions.
2- give me a “D”
Richt’s record in games where the opposing offense scores 19 or less, is a whopping 60-6. So, if South Carolina only scores 16, like you say, there’s a 91% chance Georgia wins that one too.
91% chance Georgia beats South Carolina, based on Bradley’s score predictions.
91% chance georgia Wins all 3:
If Georgia scores 19 or more against Arkansas & Florida & South Carolina, or if the defense holds Florida, Arkansas & South Carolina to 19 or less points, 91% chance Richt wins all 3 games.
Yo!
August 29th, 2010
10:26 am
Arkansas beating Georgia? Arkansas? How? Mallet threw 5 td’s in 4 SEC road games last season where he went WINLESS, and threw 25 td’s against weak NON CONFERENCE teams. Arkansas beats Georgia on the road in Athens? Ain’t gonna happen. Georgia will score 7 td’s and go for 600 yards on that lousy defense.