The Bulldogs didn’t just outplay Tech – they outcoached it, too
Give that Bulldog a hand, if not a great big kiss. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
This time a year ago, it was possible to wonder if the Georgia Bulldogs would ever again outsmart an opponent. On Saturday they outsmarted Georgia Tech. And there, if anyone still wondered how 0-2 became 10-2, was the answer.
It wasn’t just that these Bulldogs have good players — Georgia always has good players — or that the schedule eased after those first two games. It was that Georgia, which hadn’t played to its gifts since 2007, coalesced around a coach and his staff.
Back to 0-2. “That was when we closed the door,” said tight end Orson Charles, “and we said, ‘We’ve got to stop playing for ourselves.’ We need to play for this guy.”
By “this guy,” Charles meant Mark Richt, who has done in his 11th Georgia season something that’s difficult to do in contemporary college football. Richt has fought off the doubt accrued over three underachieving seasons and hoisted his Bulldogs back to eminence. They have two championships in the bank — the SEC East was clinched last week against Kentucky; the state title was secured Saturday against Tech — and will play for a third next weekend against LSU, the finest team in the land.
“We’ve got the best coaches in the SEC,” said center Ben Jones, and on this day his boast carried some weight. Georgia beat Tech as handily as Tech under Paul Johnson is ever beaten, and the difference wasn’t so much manpower as brainpower. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo had one of his finest days, and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham capped a stellar second season by keeping Johnson’s prized option-based spread from doing nearly enough.
And let’s be honest: There were those among us, this correspondent among them, who weren’t sure we’d see such a day. Johnson’s first bunch of Jackets went to Athens and beat a Georgia team that had entered the season ranked No. 1 in the nation, and last year Tech amassed 512 yards behind its backup quarterback against a Grantham-coached D. (To be fair, Richt got the better of Johnson in 2009, when Georgia used power football to upset the team that would win the ACC.) But it must be said: When last the Bulldogs beat Tech this bad, Chan Gailey got fired two days later.
The key was that Georgia got ahead early, and it did because Bobo cogitated like a young Steve Spurrier on a caffeine jag. Isaiah Crowell, Georgia’s best tailback, didn’t play, and Richard Samuel, his injured backup, hasn’t worked since the Florida game. Carlton Thomas, the No. 3 man, was coming off his third suspension of the season and didn’t start. And still Bobo conjured up 17 first-half points.
Of Georgia’s first six running plays, only one involved a player listed as a running back. Branden Smith, normally a cornerback, carried twice. Quarterback Aaron Murray carried twice, and the niftiest moment was a double-reverse to receiver Malcolm Mitchell. Said Bobo: “We were trying to mix them up, give them something different … Our base plan for the game was to be balanced, but as the game went on I thought the best way to win was by throwing.”
Murray complied, completing 19 of 29 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns. Nine different receivers caught those 19 passes. Said Richt: “Mike did a great job … Mike dialed up some beauties.”
As for Grantham: His defense yielded a touchdown at the end of the first half and another near the end of the second, but never did the Tech ground game appear as dangerous as in Georgia games past. Even in the first half, Johnson was forced to call inside handoffs to his A-backs — a play the Jackets seldom use — to approximate an up-the-gut push. “And once we took that away from them,” Grantham said, “we were back to controlling the game.”
Down two touchdowns in the third quarter, Johnson got antsy. His Jackets didn’t look capable of sustaining a series of long drives — they’d managed one seven-minute surge in the first half — and he called for Tevin Washington to throw, which isn’t a Tech strength. The resulting two interceptions killed all hope.
And that, in surprisingly simple fashion, was that. Georgia beat Tech and its coaches trumped Tech’s coaches and, after 10 consecutive victories, the matter of Richt’s job security has been tabled. He has his Bulldogs back where they’re supposed to be: Atop the SEC East, playing for the conference championship, shrugging off Georgia Tech.
“I didn’t celebrate as much after this one as I did last week,” Richt said, and there was no real need. In this state, order has been restored to nature. Why celebrate a given?
By Mark Bradley
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961 comments Add your comment
Dawg48
November 26th, 2011
8:51 pm
Jason
We are trying to have an adult conversation on here! Please exit!
DawgMan
November 26th, 2011
8:52 pm
Mark, you know as well as I do, that UGA GAVE that game to S. Carolina. UGA should be 11-1 right now.
Mark Bradley
November 26th, 2011
8:52 pm
The only way for the SEC to have three teams in BCS bowls is for Georgia to win — and go to the Sugar — and have LSU and Alabama in the title game.
Your Friend on FB
November 26th, 2011
8:53 pm
Nice Chop Blocking NERDS…you all should be ashamed you run such a dirty program.
Blue B
November 26th, 2011
8:53 pm
GTJohn you are selling a degree from tech for more than it is. As far as SEC schools I think a Vanderbilt degree is bigger nationally. If you get outside the state of Georgia a GT degree is no big deal. Naming 15 engineering schools with better reputation would be easy.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 26th, 2011
8:53 pm
BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!
UGA OWNS gtu!!!
Always have, always will.
DawgMan
November 26th, 2011
8:54 pm
Even if UGA loses to LSU, they have a great game waiting. Either the highest paid game outside the BCS in the Capital One Bowl, or the Cotton Bowl in Jerry World.
Dawg48
November 26th, 2011
8:54 pm
MB
Thanks……..that’s what I thought
kb
November 26th, 2011
8:54 pm
GT Fan, Techs a bad team right there with kentucky, but Kentucky has more overall talent and a better defense.Let tech play a SEC schedule and you would have the same record as Ole Miss.
Old Dawg.
November 26th, 2011
8:55 pm
Cajun boy. You haven’t faced receivers or QB like you will face this weekend. We’ll see how you act once you get hit in the mouth a few time.
And by the way. You can keep the QB reject we give you for next year.
Mark Bradley
November 26th, 2011
8:55 pm
Georgia should have beaten South Carolina. I’ll agree. But that was the night that made me really doubt my 10-2 pick for the Dogs. I thought such a loss was indicative of a team that just couldn’t get out of its own way.
FLA DAWG
November 26th, 2011
8:57 pm
I am as amazed as anyone The Dawgs came back from the last year’s losing season, a loss to UCF in the bowl and this year’s start at 0 – 2 to finish the regular season at 10-2.
Despite the unexpected ease of schedule that is an amazing accomplishment.
I remain skeptical as to the quality of our team though. The performance against Auburn and today against GT was excellent on both sides of the ball. But sandwiched in between those games was the KY game. The Dawgs showed zero improvement in play from the SC loss to the KY win. It was ugly.
In one week we will finally know if this is a good team. A win against LSU would be great but I’ll take a very respectable loss with a score that’s reasonably close. If either of those occur then this may have been one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college football.
Mark Bradley
November 26th, 2011
8:57 pm
Looking back on it, that home loss to Auburn killed South Carolina. And Lattimore was healthy then.
UGA grit landscaper
November 26th, 2011
8:57 pm
Can you imagine what the yankee-grits in Athens would do if they got an nuclear engineering program in Athens? With a reactor????
Super Committee
November 26th, 2011
8:57 pm
Voice of reason….you are really reaching….
UGA OWNS gtu
November 26th, 2011
8:57 pm
MB, in a rematch with SCU, what do you think the outcome would be? Just hypothetically speaking.
UGA OWNS gtu!!!
Always have, always will.
same stuff different year
November 26th, 2011
8:57 pm
TCFATL- really, Tech should move to Division III, what an idiot!!! What about Central Florida? yeah that’s what I thought. This is why most dawg fans hate dawg fans like you, because you just can’t celebrate you have to try to be smart aleck and sound like a complete moron. I am surprised you took time away from watching the Star Wars marathon on TV and got your mom to type the message for you.
Mark, if you can come down off your Bulldog high and stop patting yourself on the back, are you getting any feeling on how patient or impatient Tech people are getting with CPJ. We haven’t played with mental toughness since O’Leary left..
Mark Bradley
November 26th, 2011
8:58 pm
Without Lattimore, I think Georgia would beat South Carolina.
flagboy?
November 26th, 2011
8:58 pm
gtne80
November 26th, 2011
5:51 pm
Groh MUST go! NO DEFENSE….stunk against VT and UGA when it counted. Almost gave it up to DUKE!!! BIG changes needed on defense. Groh’s 3-4, bend-don’t-break is killing us.
___________________________
Who was it that hired Groh again? In fact, showed him around the tech facilities while his then defensive coordinator was there? Who was that again?
Bobbie Dodd
November 26th, 2011
8:59 pm
And O’Leary was a liar!
UGA OWNS gtu
November 26th, 2011
8:59 pm
MB, come on. You can’t actually believe that SCU would beat us WITH Lattimore? We are a different team now, admit it.
UGA OWNS gtu!!!
Always have, always will.
Snoop Dawg
November 26th, 2011
9:00 pm
Where ub, supersized? You are crazy.
Mark Bradley
November 26th, 2011
9:00 pm
I have detected no dissatisfaction with Paul Johnson among Tech bigwigs. And let’s face it: He just went 8-4 after going 6-7.
His four seasons: 9-4, 11-3, 6-7, 8-4.
Now, do I think some Tech fans wish he’d recruit a little better? Yes, I do.
Joey
November 26th, 2011
9:00 pm
LSU is great, but their offense won’t put more than 21 points on Grantham’s D.
flagboy?
November 26th, 2011
9:01 pm
Disagree about the South Carolina game. . it was the first game where I thought we out coached another team in quite some time. SC made the plays they needed AND Murray turned the ball over too much. The South Carolina game to me showed our coaches were not past it. .
Dawg48
November 26th, 2011
9:01 pm
Has anybody heard the rummors of kirby to ole miss?
Or is that just all talk?
Mark Bradley
November 26th, 2011
9:02 pm
My memory of the South Carolina game is Richt throwing his play sheets on the field during SC’s fake-punt touchdown.
MDawg
November 26th, 2011
9:02 pm
10 in a row is an amazing run no matter who you play. It’s awful hard to keep a team focused that long and you have to catch a few breaks along the way. this may be Richt’s best work since he’s been here, coming off the past two seasons.
mature dawg
November 26th, 2011
9:03 pm
If Tech had a QB that could pass they might have been in the game.
villedog
November 26th, 2011
9:03 pm
I will save my praises for CMR and Bobo until Ga. wins games from top 15 teams. I know you can’t win them all, but CMR record stinks against highly ranked opponets. If we are to be the kind on top rated team UGA fans want we must win some big games. I have the highest regard for CMR, but the bottom line is that Ga. fans wants a program with a chance to win national championship and finishes in the top 5. The kind of recruits that Ga. has have been getting for the last 10 years shows that we should have a top rated program each year.
Mark Bradley
November 26th, 2011
9:04 pm
In hindsight, Spurrier keeping Garcia around was a mistake. Probably should have stuck with Connor Shaw even when SC was behind in that opener.
BulldogGirl
November 26th, 2011
9:04 pm
Hey GT Fan – stop whining. Lose with class – I mean really . . .
flagboy?
November 26th, 2011
9:04 pm
Agreed, the fake punt was a great call by SC. .but go back and look at the stats and game as a whole. The defense gave up less than 25 (i think) to what at the time was a pretty explosive SC team with Lattimore. Offense gave SC at least 14 points and the fake punt another 7. . . now, if “if’s” and “buts” were candy and nuts and all, but I felt we out schemed them on that game.
Joey
November 26th, 2011
9:04 pm
I hope PJ doesn’t entice the techies to violence (just punch em right in the face) again. I doubt that has ever turned out well . . .
MDawg
November 26th, 2011
9:05 pm
i remember that too MB. It was funny to me. not the Coach Richt we know.
Mark Bradley
November 26th, 2011
9:05 pm
Lattimore got going late. He was the difference in the fourth quarter.
JB
November 26th, 2011
9:06 pm
Tech had TWO big problems today. A QB who couldn’t start for Buford High and a very poor defense. We should of just got in the shotgun and flung it all day. Murray would of had 7 or 8 TD passes and over 500 yards passing. Tech IS THAT bad in the secondary.
South GA Dawg
November 26th, 2011
9:07 pm
Hey Cajun Girl…I meant Cajun Boy don’t be suprised when Georgia’s offensive line pushes your defense up and down the field. LSU ain’t unbeatable and the Mad Hatter ain’t the best coach in the SEC either.
UGA
November 26th, 2011
9:08 pm
I want to go ahead and make the prediction that, should LSU/Alabama play in a rematch, that next day on the sports shows … there WILL BE people (who advocated for the rematch) saying LSU/Alabama should not have had a rematch.
JB
November 26th, 2011
9:08 pm
I’ve gained 7 pounds in 3 days and could eat a whole ham right now. Damn.
The Civil War is Over
November 26th, 2011
9:08 pm
@UGA grit landscaper
The UGA Band has played Battle Hymn of the Republic for 20 years. At least they know that the Civil War is over. Deal with it.
ddawg
November 26th, 2011
9:10 pm
I heard that George O’Leary is working on his resume.
JB
November 26th, 2011
9:10 pm
The million dollar question. With no bigger fish to fry, what will Johnson do?
flagboy?
November 26th, 2011
9:10 pm
Just all the credit to Richt and his coaches. . would have been VERY easy to lose a group of 18-22 year old young men with all of the talk swirling after those first 2 games. Couldn’t happen to a better guy.
. . . .and sign Grantham up.
Eviscerator..!
November 26th, 2011
9:11 pm
Man…!! Honestly didn’t like the game as much today. For some weird reason, I thought we were toying with these guys and it show a couple of times. After we were picking them apart, it was a matter of BY HOW MANY. We cuold have really gorged on them asses, but you know who said NO..!
villedog
November 26th, 2011
9:11 pm
I will save my praises for coach March Richt and Bobo until we start winning a higher percentage of games against top 15 rated teams. But I do hope they can turn this around.
FLA DAWG
November 26th, 2011
9:12 pm
Ok Mark,
I’m putting you on the spot early……………pick the winner of The SECC and a score!
UGA grit landscaper
November 26th, 2011
9:14 pm
Just pointing out uga is a traitor to the South, that’s all. All you yankees love it, and it’s not my problem. I didn’t go the uga, thank God.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 26th, 2011
9:14 pm
Hey gtu… WE RUN THIS STATE!! LMAO
UGA OWNS gtu!!!
Always have, always will.
K.Nix
November 26th, 2011
9:15 pm
Congrats, UGA. Definitely the better team. Tevin is a decent QB – though not good enough to take the offense we are running and stay with the SEC elite. All the doubters about the offense at Tech need to see how well it would go with a QB who could run the option and be a prolific passing QB. Maybe that will not happen and we will never know.
I agree that the Tech staff got anxious when they started throwing deep in their own territory. Maybe they were trying to loosen up the UGA “D” who was loading up the box. I would have preferred something short, maybe a screen or possibly something where we roll out and could run it for 3-5 yards if no one is open.
Venters in general – UGA and Tech – represent our state better – give us some comments that have some substance and are worth the webspace they are printed on.