In the SEC Least, know who looks hot? Mark Richt and UGA
As Vince Dooley once said: "We've got good depth at dog." (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Two weeks ago we wondered if Georgia would win another game. (I was pretty confident about Vanderbilt and Idaho State, but the way the Bulldogs were fumbling and getting arrested you couldn’t know.) Now we wonder if they can win the SEC Least. (It’s suddenly possible.) And we also wonder if their coach isn’t again the most stable guy in his division.
Mark Richt has gone from losing four in a row, a personal nadir, to beating two division brethren by the aggregate score of 84-14. In the SEC East, where every team has lost at least two league games, this qualifies as a surge.
How uninspiring has this division, once the class of the collegiate game, become? Consider: Should it beat Kentucky in Lexington on Saturday night, there’s a chance Georgia, which not so long ago was 1-4, would go to Jacksonville favored over Florida.
Because the Gators are awful. And South Carolina looks eminently capable of doing the South Carolina thing, meaning build up hopes only to send them crashing. And the other three East teams are a combined 2-8 in conference play. A closer look at the Least;
South Carolina: Even by Poultry standards, the past three weeks have been dizzying. The Gamecocks blew a lead at Auburn, beat No. 1 Alabama by two touchdowns and blew an even bigger lead at Kentucky. Steve Spurrier botched the endgame in Lexington and was summarily demoted from Evil Genius to the New Les Miles. And Marcus Lattimore, the great freshman runner, got hurt against the Wildcats.
Florida: Watching the Gators lose to Mississippi State and erstwhile lieutenant Dan Mullen, it really did seem as if the Urban Crier was about to cry. (Given that the last Florida coach who lost to MSU got fired the next week, Meyer might have had reason.) His famous offense had managed six points against Alabama and now seven versus State. In between he’d managed to get outsmarted by Les Miles. Retirement looks better with every week, wouldn’t you say?
Kentucky: Joker Phillips, the new coach, has a new slogan: Operation Win. This marks an improvement on the old UK mission: Operation Lose In The Most Painful Way Imaginable. And the Joker did just beat Spurrier — would that make the Ol’ Ball Coach the Riddler? — in a game of national significance. But the Wildcats have also accomplished two things that required real effort: They made Florida’s offense look good for one night, and they lost to Ole Miss, which had lost to Jacksonville State.
Vanderbilt: It was believed new coach Robbie Caldwell wouldn’t win an SEC game this season. Hah. He has beaten Ole Miss and might beat Tennessee. He also lost to Georgia by 43 points. It’s still Vandy, I’m afraid.
Tennessee: As ever, the Vols’ schedule eases toward the end. By then, however, they figure to be 2-6 overall and 0-5 in SEC play. And the hiring of Derek Dooley, which went over well enough at the time, has begun to be regarded as another in the series of Mike Hamilton whiffs. (Athletic directors never look good when their choice messes up worse than Les Miles, who has become the most interesting man in the Western Hemisphere.)
Loading ...And then there’s Richt: Calm, cool — if Georgia’s coach is nothing else, he’s calm and cool — and managing to collect his thoughts. The offense looks good. The defense looks better. After starting 0-3 in the conference, the Bulldogs are on the move.
To win the division, Georgia needs to finish a game ahead of South Carolina, which holds the tiebreaker edge because it beat the Bulldogs. (A three-way tie could reset the tiebreaker.) But the Gamecocks still must play Arkansas in Columbia and Florida in Gainesville; it’s possible they could finish 4-4 in the league.
To get to 5-3, Georgia cannot lose again. It must win at Kentucky, in Jacksonville and at Auburn on Nov. 13. I’m not sure about that last game — Auburn’s pretty stinkin’ good, to borrow a Richt-ism — but neither the Wildcats or the Gators are any better than the Bulldogs. This could still happen, people.
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435 comments Add your comment
steve
October 18th, 2010
5:06 pm
stupid dogs higher n me
bill h
October 18th, 2010
5:09 pm
I usually do not comment and still won’t re the various team references, but the imagination and flow of the stream of thoughts used is absolutely brilliant and entertaining. This writing should be nominated for some award reflecting journalistic excellence and originality. The material presented by the bizarre sets of circumstances is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a sports journalist. Mark, you have taken advantage to a new level; regardless for whom the reader cheers. the propositions he hears or the outcomes he fears; that reader was given a colorful puzzle with instructions, rhythm and melody. You’ve set an example for the years, for many others to see.
In the SEC Least, know who looks hot? Mark Richt and UGA | Mark … economic university
October 18th, 2010
5:10 pm
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Koolaid
October 18th, 2010
5:19 pm
Not drinking the juice just yet, but Bradley did raise this possibility when UGA looked pretty bad.
This has been a crazy year in the SEC. All teams look beatable for a change, including Auburn and especially LSU.
Gt Alum
October 18th, 2010
5:21 pm
Mark, no offense, but UGA will lose to KY, AUB and probably Florida. Also, GT has a chance to beat them. After they play KY, AUB and UF, then let’s see how hot they are.
Next Year!
October 18th, 2010
5:23 pm
Next year is our year to win it all. After all, this is a rebuilding year like always. The fact that UGA is 3-4 is absolutely a laugher. Good luck beating Auburn, KY jelly and UF, as well as GT. You will be watching all the bowl games from your doublewides, that’s if you have a TV. LMFAO!
Scary Thoughts
October 18th, 2010
5:47 pm
From a recent Neal Boortz column in the AJC:
Well, I don’t want to embarrass the subject of our little story by using her real name. We’ll call her Prunella. Our heroine is a senior at the University of Georgia and a columnist for the Red and Black, the independent UGA student newspaper.
At the end of her most recent column, “Think before you shop at Walmart,” you will see this tag: “[Prunella] is a senior from Lawrenceville majoring in magazines and women’s studies.”
With such a double major I’m sure the recruiters are knocking down her door.
“Think before you shop at Walmart?” As a matter of fact I do! My thought process is usually something like, “I think I’ll go shopping at Walmart.”
Prunella disapproves. She says that when she walks into a Walmart she sees “concentrated evil.” Not just evil, mind you — concentrated evil!
Our magazine major’s problems with Walmart seem to stem from the fact that many local retailers find it difficult to compete when Walmart moves into town.
That’s the nature of the free market.
Prunella doesn’t explain how she would remedy the situation. Consumers exercising their free choices apparently don’t sit well with this young lady. She is also upset with Walmart because it is a “large unfeeling corporation with (a) major impact on what we buy, where it’s produced and how much we pay.” Please. Whoever it is out there forcing Prunella to shop at Walmart, knock it off.
Somehow, in her column about the “concentrated evil” that is Walmart, Prunella didn’t address the fact that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. donates just shy of $300 million a year to charities around the country. The company also reportedly pledged $2 billion for a five-year campaign to fight hunger. The evil must be concentrated somewhere other than in charitable giving.
Perhaps, then, this is Prunella’s real problem with Walmart. In her column she expresses displeasure that profit-driven corporations “are firing American workers to cut production costs. They then charge American consumers more money than what it took to produce their products.”
Let’s address both of her points. First: How dare any evil “profit-driven” corporation fire workers to cut production costs! Cutting production costs is nothing less than a blatant attempt to improve the bottom line. Don’t these dastardly businessmen realize that they’re in business to hire people, not to make money? After all, potential investors look to the number of unnecessary employees as a surer sign of corporate health than profit and loss figures. Any good woman’s studies major surely knows that!
Second: Let’s erect some gallows at Sanford Stadium so, at the next Georgia home game, we can hang the next evil businessmen we catch selling a product for more than it cost to produce. Prunella must have sneaked into the back of a UGA business class to learn that her next pair of shoes should be sold for exactly what it cost to make them and place them on the shelves of her favorite store (not Walmart) — and not one penny more.
Seriously, folks. Is this what we get after tens of thousands of dollars are spent to produce a college graduate these days? Did her magazine professor see this column before she submitted it to the Red and Black? Didn’t someone warn her that such public displays of economic brilliance can end up being embarrassing?
And the most troubling question of all: Is she registered to vote?
Dawgs are back?? Right
October 18th, 2010
5:49 pm
At what point did you UGA fans become so Delusional? To think that just because you beat two of the nearly worst teams (not just in the SEC) in the nation – you have “turned it around”. How stupid is that? That is what is wrong with UGA and UGA Fans, who have been repeatedly ranked as some of the most OBNOXIOUS fans in football. Yes – you have now won TWO games in a row – but what have you proved? TN and Vandy are ranked near the very bottom of the nation (Div I – 118 teams) in total offense – of which they both are 97 and 102 respectively: and not much better on defense (72 and 81st respectively). When Dawg fans make comments like this idiot: “After HUGE wins over the mighty Vols and Vandy! UGA is a contender! They’ve knocked off the mighty.” It really SHOWS just how far the BullThugs have dropped – when they call TN and Vandy the “Mighty”. I guess that makes Idaho State look like 10ft giants.
Yea – true – you may have won two games in a row – but what have you proved by beating these two losers? As usual, the cockiness of BullThug fans is unfathomable. Sure – you might just beat FL – of course, who are they this year? They have lost 3 in a row – after all Florida is ranked 91st in the country in total offense.
MURPHY
October 18th, 2010
5:50 pm
Strange how each year some SEC teams have a pattern for ups and downs.
UGA-Doesnt seem to get in gear till middle of season.
Auburn-Starts off fast and seems to lose momentum past halfway
Florida-looses focus after start and regains past halfway
Carolina-fast starter then falls apart at halfway mark
Bama-starts bland-gains focus midway-finishes strong
LSU-tends to be on a roller coaster all year-but continues to win
ThugDawgs back Right
October 18th, 2010
5:50 pm
At what point did you UGA fans become so Delusional? To think that just because you beat two of the nearly worst teams (not just in the SEC) in the nation – you have “turned it around”. How stupid is that? That is what is wrong with UGA and UGA Fans, who have been repeatedly ranked as some of the most OBNOXIOUS fans in football. Yes – you have now won TWO games in a row – but what have you proved? TN and Vandy are ranked near the very bottom of the nation (Div I – 118 teams) in total offense – of which they both are 97 and 102 respectively: and not much better on defense (72 and 81st respectively). When Dawg fans make comments like this idiot: “After HUGE wins over the mighty Vols and Vandy! UGA is a contender! They’ve knocked off the mighty.” It really SHOWS just how far the BullThugs have dropped – when they call TN and Vandy the “Mighty”. I guess that makes Idaho State look like 10ft giants.
Yea – true – you may have won two games in a row – but what have you proved by beating these two losers? As usual, the cockiness of BullThug fans is unfathomable. Sure – you might just beat FL – of course, who are they this year? They have lost 3 in a row – after all Florida is ranked 91st in the country in total offense.
GaTider222
October 18th, 2010
5:52 pm
Mark – You’ve been drinkinin in the morning again I see ? I think the dogs can win the next two but Aubarn looks kinda unrealistic.
ps-your still the best sports writer even with the drinkin problem and all..lol
Mike
October 18th, 2010
6:07 pm
How does Mark Bradley have a job?
col foot
October 18th, 2010
6:08 pm
Georgia should be quite aware of this Kentucky team, they play hard nosed defense and can move the football. If Georgia turns the ball over, they will certainly get embarrassed. If they run the table, who knows? Auburn can be beaten, but the only way is to contain Newton, which nobody has done yet. Newton should be the front runner for the Heisman by far!!!
Mark Bradley---Professional
October 18th, 2010
6:12 pm
Mark the UGA homer hates Urban Meyer and Florida and makes it known in his UgA loving writeup!!! Very professional mark! Did you ever criticize your favorite son, mark richt, for ordering his players onto the field in 2007 to taunt UF after that great 1 yard TD? (hint: no—instead, it was proclaimed to be a great move by the great mark richt and would lead to a new attitude by uga in future games). How did that work? Blowout losses in 2008 and 2009!!! Keep up the professionalism mark.
the sec must REALLY be down this year
October 18th, 2010
6:12 pm
when you dogs are think about a chump game.
ps…this is a funny blog!
lee
October 18th, 2010
6:27 pm
Bradley, put the crack pipe away, alright? This team has yet to prove that they can win out of Athens. No matter how bad the Gators look, they have Georgia’s number. South Carolina knows how tough it is to go to Commonwealth Stadium and win. Auburn? Please, the Tigers have wayyyyyyyyy too much talent for the ‘Dogs. 5-7 is the best they can hope for and the Tech game is a toss-up.
Delbert D.
October 18th, 2010
6:36 pm
Re Prunella: “And the most troubling question of all: Is she registered to vote?”
It doesn’t matter. ACORN, remember?
florida sucks!
October 18th, 2010
6:38 pm
get on your own blog. we don’t get on the gainesville sun and talk crap about your team
D.Ellis
October 18th, 2010
6:39 pm
Mark-The only thing UGA has proved in the last 2 weeks is that we are not the worse team in our own division. Thats about it. Kentucky is the game that will outline the rest of this season. It’s going to be very very tough in Lexington. Uf has 2 weeks to prepare Burton and a game plan, and we all know what happens with the bye week in this series. Would it be nice to win the East. You bet. The focus shold be 100% on Lexington…nothing more
Steve
October 18th, 2010
6:58 pm
Stay focused, find a way to stop Newton from Auburn & we can go to the DOME!!!!!!!!!!!
Devil's Advocate
October 18th, 2010
6:59 pm
Mark, I am the true devil’s advocate. Your naming CMR as hot!???! Has the doctor changed your medication, or maybe the pharmacist made a mistake. One more loss, and CMR will be on the garbage heap of failed coaches. Two more losses and who knows what will happen. Effigy in Athens, maybe.
Braves/Falcons Fan
October 18th, 2010
7:19 pm
Enter your comments here
UGA Friend
October 18th, 2010
7:23 pm
Mark: I sincerely hope you are right on this latest appraisal of the dawgs. You
have the great writing skills to show that a miracle may happen. consider yourself blessed.
bruce mac
October 18th, 2010
7:28 pm
How is it that the Gators are all of a sudden horrible and we (UGA) are supposedly looking good. Just so you remember it the way it was, MS ST absolutely took us to the wood shed. Dominated both lines of scrimmage and stole our women while they were at it. No way the Dawgs are one bit better than the Gators if as good. And I am biggest Dawg fan ever but stop with the “We are back crap”. We are average at best. I agree Mr. Murray has a chance to be pretty good some day but big whop, he sure isn’t all that now.
teacher
October 18th, 2010
7:34 pm
Ga has to beat Florida–and Kentucky—no other way to do this—-anything short of these 2 games equals —no sec championship—-
Coffee Bluff Dawg
October 18th, 2010
7:44 pm
UK is a lot better than their SEC record. SC didn’t stop Randall Cobb and UK’s top RB sat out with shoulder injury last Sat.
We can score on UK but I’m not convinced we have the D to stop them. Yes, it was nice to get a shutout against Vandy but they just didn’t have anyone that impressed.
Joey
October 18th, 2010
7:55 pm
All I;’m saying is there’s a really good chance Georgia wins this thing.
Spurrier:
Simply, he falters at end of seasons at SC. Spurrier won’t have a 2 week bye to get ready for any opponent. Lattimore’s out for 2 weeks with a severe ankle issue. Ark is SC’s worst match-up fear: worst SEC pass defense (SC) against best SEC pass offense (Ark). Spurrier has never won a game against Urban Meyer and he never will.
Meyer:
The guy’s in a free fall. Should have quit, like he wanted to back in December, he saw all this coming when he faked the heart attack with his “swallowing/choking issue”. Meyer just has no way to generate offensive points Without his safety blankets like Tebow & Harvin, Florida’s not been very good. Without A-Level asst coaches like Strong & Mullen, Meyer’s TRUE coaching skills are being revealed. Florida will lose to Appalachian St folks.
BRUCE
October 18th, 2010
7:57 pm
Is Georgia good or bad?
Always depends on the context.
Context is SEC East, and Georgia is good there, tied for 2nd, very good shot at finishing 1st place.
Delbert D.
October 18th, 2010
8:07 pm
There needs to be some discussion on why Mark Bradley thinks Mark Richt looks hot.
Swampdawg
October 18th, 2010
8:14 pm
Not So Fast! Dawgs defense still not that good! They have only stopped the “Sisters of the Poor”. I was at the games and watch them miss tackles and allow long pass plays. Against good SEC teams, they would have lost the last 2 games too! Need more Diversity on the Defense! Murray has played great and can run great! We need more athletes like Murray, Jones, Boling, Chapas and Durham on the Team!
Swampdog
October 18th, 2010
8:19 pm
Not so Fast!
patrick
October 18th, 2010
8:39 pm
Gator Man
October 18th, 2010
2:58 pm
Urban came out and said his team is not that good. They lost to LSU, Ala both were ranked and very good,
.
…………………………………………………..
LSU lost to tenn….who got slaughtered by UGA
.
AlA is very good? Who have they played? The only decent team they played (SC) destroyed them.
patrick
October 18th, 2010
8:43 pm
bruce mac
October 18th, 2010
7:28 pm
How is it that the Gators are all of a sudden horrible and we (UGA) are supposedly looking good. Just so you remember it the way it was, MS ST absolutely took us to the wood shed.
==========================
No UGA scored four times against Miss St and lost only because of a Ealey field goal….do you watch football?
.
Fla scored once on Miss St….thats being taken to the wood shed moron
patrick
October 18th, 2010
8:43 pm
“becasue of an Ealey fumble” not “field goal”
patrick
October 18th, 2010
8:45 pm
Kentucky on defense: The Wildcats are 11th in the SEC in scoring defense (29.9 points) and allowed 48 points to Florida, 42 to Mississippi and 37 to Auburn before holding South Carolina to 28.
…………………………
not much of a challenge….sorry
BRUCE
October 18th, 2010
8:50 pm
Good news Georgia fans.
Phil Steele’s computer has Georgia winning out (except Auburn), SC losing to ARK & Florida.
If this happens, Georgia will WIN the SEC East.
http://www.philsteele.com/miscpages/projectedstandings/2010/10ConfProj.html
Delbert D.
October 18th, 2010
9:33 pm
LSU lost to who?
Delbert D.
October 18th, 2010
9:35 pm
“To whom did LSU lose”, I should say
Coffee Bluff DAWG
October 18th, 2010
9:52 pm
patrick,
The real question is – Can UGA D stop UK?
old gold
October 18th, 2010
10:17 pm
St richtstien sucks it…3 and 4…The east sucks
HitaSingle
October 18th, 2010
10:18 pm
Big test for UGA this week. As for as the Heisman, the best player in the country may be the Childs kid from Arkansas. Anybody that saw the game Saturday had to be impressed with him. Good hands, good size and good speed he has.
Billyboy
October 18th, 2010
10:19 pm
No doubt. Dawgs win Sugar Bowl
Chili Dog
October 18th, 2010
10:54 pm
Nice article Mark… don’t you ever get sore?
Party school
October 18th, 2010
10:59 pm
Highly unlikely UGa beats Auburn.
Won’t beat UF is Meyer figures out that Brantley isn’t an option QB and quits trying to run it or if he goes to his backup QB.
Could easily lose to Kentucky. They DO have an offense.
FishyBusiness
October 18th, 2010
11:29 pm
After losing to MSU, Urban Meyer looked as if he had been admitted to Psychotic State University.
patrick
October 18th, 2010
11:39 pm
Coffee Bluff DAWG
October 18th, 2010
9:52 pm
patrick,
The real question is – Can UGA D stop UK?
=====================
UGAs D is averaging less than 17 points per game….I would say…yes
MikeP
October 18th, 2010
11:39 pm
So Georgia beats the two worst teams in the SEC and all of a sudden they are contenders? The third worst team in the SEC (Georgia) will return to its losing ways Saturday. Do we really think that overnight Bobo stopped being Bobo?
Run the Table
October 19th, 2010
12:19 am
Mark it down—Georgia beats UK and Florida easily. Florida really sucks this year and may not even score against the Dawg D. Ga 30 Fla 10 UK will be overconfident after the USC win and Ga beats them by 13. The true test will come at Auburn. Ga has upset them before and will again. Ga 33 Aub 30. Take it to the bank.
oskar
October 19th, 2010
12:22 am
I suppose Alabama must be obsessed with both of us:
“Yea, Alabama!”
Yea, Alabama! Drown ‘em Tide!
Every ‘Bama man’s behind you;
Hit your stride!
Go teach the Bulldogs to behave,
Send the Yellow Jackets to a watery grave!
And if a man starts to weaken,
That’s a shame!
For ‘Bama’s pluck and grit
Have writ her name in crimson flame!
Fight on, fight on, fight on, men!
Remember the Rose Bowl we’ll win then!
Go, roll to victory,
Hit your stride,
You’re Dixie’s football pride, Crimson Tide!
bigcalidawg
October 19th, 2010
12:35 am
How many times has Auburn been in our shoes, and vice versa?
I hope we win our next 2 and play Auburn with somethin’ on the line.
I hate seeing us lose, but I’d rather see a rivalry with Auburn than one with S.C., or Tenn. I’m kinda glad to see they’re doin well over there.