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
DawginTX
November 26th, 2011
10:30 pm
Good game/year Tech fans. You are probably the 2nd or 3rd best team we’ve beaten this year.
Larry Ware
November 26th, 2011
10:30 pm
Paul Johnson blew this one by going to the pass so quickly in the 2nd half….even though only one of the INTs resulted in points, it took the ball away twice….Tech had been running the ball effectively…..CPJ panicked…..he is not the smartest guy in the room….he’s just a redneck PE major from Western Carolina who is a jerk…..hopefully, as a person he is learning some humility.
SupremoDawg
November 26th, 2011
10:34 pm
Enter your comments here GT Bob who won? You were probably too busy making excuses up for your Genius coach to watch your boy’s arses get handed to them. Trust me, you wouldn’t have wanted to watch that pathetic play on both sides of the ball anyway. Sims is the only one who could play in Athens. Your highschool offense and talent challenged defense are weak even by ACC standards. If you can’t play with the big Dawgs, stay on the porch and on line.
The Great Jimi Lincoln
November 26th, 2011
10:35 pm
I guess Paul Johnson was wrong….the SEC looks bigger, stronger, and faster……..UGA > GT; South Cacalaki > Clem’s Son…….Florida and Muschamp are a joke….go Noles.
SupremoDawg
November 26th, 2011
10:36 pm
OOPS! I left out super size, St.Simons and 5150 too. Where are ya’ll?
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
November 26th, 2011
10:41 pm
Im confused again
According to Tech fans The Clemp-son win was a big win.
Well I guess in the All Cupcake Conference
blahahahahaha
Bama Mike
November 26th, 2011
10:43 pm
Congrats to the Dawgs. I know when I give you some grief from time to time. But during rivalry week and playing outside the conference we are all family in the SEC. Again nice win and good luck next week in Atlanta.
Chan
November 26th, 2011
10:44 pm
At least I could recruit athletes. It’s starting to get cold up here in Buffalo and the dew is off the NFL lilly. You all want me back? At least I could win a bowl game once in awhile. And me defense was a lot bewtter, If only my QB could have remembered what down it was when we played Georgia……..
Hurt Kurbstreit
November 26th, 2011
10:49 pm
“Order has been restored to nature” per MB. UGA runs the state. SEC rules the ACC. UGA over GT, USC beating Clempson and Vandy trounces Wake Forest. The only exception this weekend is FL St. over hapless Fl.
Donnie Davis, Arena Football League Legend
November 26th, 2011
10:49 pm
I hope Paul Johnson will finally learn some humility…..do not belittle your opponent’s talent…..do not insult people’s intelligence….do not us the “R” word…..he was an embarrassment to Tech this week and will hopefully learn some lessons that people learn in their teens and twenties.
The Ghost of Dave Wommack
November 26th, 2011
10:52 pm
CPJ = Dabo Swinney
Burgess
November 26th, 2011
10:52 pm
Wait a minute, Mark. Wasn’t it you that was calling Johnson a genius a few monthes ago ?
When are the Tech fans going to realize their coach is in over his head ? I’m glad you finally came around, Mark.
flagboy?
November 26th, 2011
10:52 pm
no kerry, i understood what you were saying. I think it will be a step back from Boykin though.
kybodawg
November 26th, 2011
10:56 pm
i dont know if you saw it or not but after the game tech stayed around to work on there passing game without any defense on the field. ten plays later they scored from the one.
Giff Smith Went to Lovely Buffalo, New York for a Reason
November 26th, 2011
10:58 pm
CPJ cannot recruit…..the difference in talent was noticeable….it was not as close as 31-17.
Bob from Cobb
November 26th, 2011
10:58 pm
As long as Ga. Tech has their current coach and a Q.B. that couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn,Tech fans can look forward to 8 and 4,7 and 5 and 6 and 6 seasons. Mediocre at best. Hey Coach! That offense works GREAT at Georgia Southern and Navy. But with NCAA-F Football? Nope. I’ve seen winning coaches come and go at Tech. Time to let CPJ and his third class operation go. And if Tech fans were disrepectful to the memory of Larry Munson,then YEAH! They REALLY deserved to lose!
Sign me,
A Tech fan that’s HURTING!
Andre "Pulpwood" Smith
November 26th, 2011
10:59 pm
Enjoy another nuclear winter, Techies.
Now give me your lunch money.
Fair and Balanced
November 26th, 2011
11:01 pm
Hats off to CMR and the coaching staff and the players. I didn’t think we could do this. I predicted 8-4. Well done Dogs!
TechWoodFan
November 26th, 2011
11:03 pm
Just read the Sun Bowl will take Tech if available. Well they better sell lots of Local tickets, because with Bobby Dodd Stadium having 60% UGA Red there today, Tech will probably sell about 3,000 to the game in El Paso. What is the Sun Bowl thinking? The crowd there today was an embarrassment to the true Tech fans and the players. I couldn’t believe all the Red.
SuperB
November 26th, 2011
11:04 pm
Paul Johnson sucks. Georgia Tech sucks. They will always suck against better teams.
Super Committee
November 26th, 2011
11:05 pm
hey pulpwood…. that’s funny stuff…
St.Simons
November 26th, 2011
11:12 pm
We didn’t loose we just didn’t feel like the game meant anything to us.
Coach Johnson takes 2 star athletes and beats UGA’s 5 star athletes once every four years.
Giff Smith Went to Lovely Buffalo, New York for a Reason
November 26th, 2011
11:12 pm
nice post, Turkeyneck…..GT is a joke!!!!!!!!
St. Simons…..where are you?
Mr. Ball
November 26th, 2011
11:14 pm
Come on Dawg……..it’s only a game…………….
Burgess
November 26th, 2011
11:16 pm
Hey St. Simons, the only time Johnson won…he did with Gailey’s 4 and 5 star players.
san diego steve
November 26th, 2011
11:16 pm
If UGA loses next week, will they still go to the sugar bowl if LSU & Alabama play for the BCS as #1 & #2?
When I grow up I want to be a B-Backs Coach
November 26th, 2011
11:17 pm
Maybe Paul Johnson can teach Mark Richt how to fry fish since he learned how to do it in 2009……what other gem will he give Tech fans next week……punch UGA fans in the face? …..will he make fun of people with disabilities? ……will he tell people to destroy personal property of Georgia fans?? What a D-Bag.
TechWoodFan
November 26th, 2011
11:18 pm
All I can say, CPJ better start recruiting a QB that can throw. You may can get by running against weaker teams, but not against teams like UGA, LSU, Virginia Tech etc..You get behind, you cannot catch up. And God, the Clemson wins looks bad now. South Carolina wore them out.
When I grow up I want to be a B-Backs Coach
November 26th, 2011
11:20 pm
The difference between the ACC and the SEC is simple: Defense.
the inconvenient truth
November 26th, 2011
11:24 pm
Just as the ACC is inferior to the SEC, so too is the SEC East far inferior to the SEC West. I hope you enjoyed your run, doggies, as you are about to meet a team the likes of which you have not seen since the ass whuppin you took from Bama at the dome a few years ago. You have almost NO legit running game, and being one dimentional makes your QB meat for the beast. Dont count of Murry to finish the game. You will be throttled. And that’s assuming Crowell plays. If he doesnt play, you wont get 60 yards total on the ground. Its hammer time in Atlanta. Welcome to the SEC West, where the big boys play. By game’s close there will be dawg road kill all over the field. 41-7. Lock of the year. Worst physical beating you will have taken since Aubbies put their foot up your ass last year.
TechWoodFan
November 26th, 2011
11:24 pm
San Diego, No. UGA will probably go to either the Capital One or Cotton Bowl with a loss, and the Sugar Bowl will take another team or an at large team. The only way UGA makes it to the Sugar is beating LSU.
Funny in 2007 UGA stayed home during the SEC Championship game and were ranked #3 at the time. The #1 team lost, and LSU jumped from 5th to 2nd and went to the BCS game. Why, because UGA didn’t play in the SEC title game. UGA would have WORN out anybody they played at the end of that season, and ended up #2 behind LSU.
Now Alabama sits back and waits. What’s wrong with this picture? I hope UGA wins, and screws it up even more.
GeauxhomeLSU
November 26th, 2011
11:27 pm
Good job today Bobo, if you are reading this… But please use some mis-directions screens, with the receivers or running backs, having some momentum to progress down the field! We need everything next week!….. Great job today Dawgs!.. Woof!…Woof!… Woof!
DawgFan
November 26th, 2011
11:28 pm
Truth, UGA didn’t loose to Alabama in the Dome, they lost to Alabama at Sanford Stadium after beating Alabama at their place the year before. They lost to LSU in 2003 but beat LSU in 2005 in the SEC Championship games. UGA also beat Arkansas in 2002.
BTW, UGA was ranked 13th and LSU 3rd in 2005 when UGA put a whipping on them.
I am not saying UGA will win, but I wouldn’t bet against them.
kerryb
November 26th, 2011
11:32 pm
On ESPN they’re talking about how convincing Alabama’s 42-14 win over Auburn was. Didn’t we beat them 45-7?
The White Ratdog
November 26th, 2011
11:32 pm
Last of Gainey’s players finished up today, all seniors, all the best players GT has. Well the Academy recruiting is here and it showed today. This is Mississippi in the SEC, they would be destroyed by everyone.
DawgFan
November 26th, 2011
11:33 pm
BTW, UGA isn’t in fear of LSU like Tech is of UGA. The only hope for Tech is someone ELSE beating them. We all know Tech cannot beat UGA.
And just so you know, Crowell was held out of the game today because of getting him ready for next weekend, and Samuel will be back as well.
LSU, as shown against an Alabama team that let Auburn score 14 on them, along with 21 against the mighty Ga. Southern Eagles, has an offense that sputters as much as anyone’s. I will bet you right now, the game will be MUCH closer than the Arkansas game with LSU, and I want you all to return next Saturday and bow down to UGA if they pull the upset. Either way, great year and a big bowl to come win or lose. Win: Sugar Lose: Capital One (highest paying bowl outside the BCS) or Cotton.
ugahedges SAYS WRECK TECH!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 26th, 2011
11:37 pm
we run this state as for LSU theDAWGS will come to play do not count on a win,we are the bulldawg nation and we are coming to win,hey tech we had more fans than you did! go junkyard dawgs!
Brian b.
November 26th, 2011
11:49 pm
Mark … a question to ponder …. if Mark Richt can get UGA back to an elite level, just how rare an accomplishment will that be ? As I think back over recent SEC history, a lot of coaches have won SEC titles, but very few if any have made it back to the top after falling off. Phillip Fulmer, Tommy Tuberville, Terry Bowden couldn’t get back to the top. Nick Saban has done it, but with two different schools with an NFL detour in between. Les Miles at LSU has managed to stay on top despite the occasional outcry from disgruntled fans. It just seems to be very rare that a coach, once successful, makes it back from the brink of being fired. The level of competition in the SEC and the pressures of recruiting seem to doom any coach that struggles in this league. This makes the accomplishment by Mark Richt this year all the more impressive.
Erk Russell's Dog
November 26th, 2011
11:53 pm
The SEC Championship game must be on CBS. ESPN has not shown any UGA highlights in today’s game against Ga.Tech.It must really burn them up that no Big Ten team is in the top ten. But if Urban Meyer takes the Ohio State job ESPN Will have them rated in the top 5 next preseason.
Richt Rules
November 26th, 2011
11:53 pm
Richt / Bobo—two of the best in the SEC!!! Hopefully, UGA gives both coaches a huge raise, bonus and long term contract extension! If not, they will be looking around for more money somewhere else!
GT77
November 26th, 2011
11:53 pm
Same old thing…I’ve been on the flats for 50+ years and we are as depleted of genuine Div 1 athletes as I have ever seen..no D…no spark on special teams…but we do run well against mediocre teams-sometimes …just don’t drink the Johnson koolaid…he has turned us into GA Southern North..without the discipline..just sick of it
Paul in NH
November 26th, 2011
11:54 pm
A well deserved victory for UGA today. They played well and earned it. At 8-4, GT finished the year where I expected. They need to pick themselves up and go end their bowl losing streak.
GTBob
November 26th, 2011
11:54 pm
GT Bob who won?
UGA did. When the new rankings come out there will not be a team on their schedule they have beaten that is currently ranked. I am incredibly impressed. About as impressed as I am with Houston’s current win streak.
The Grinch
November 26th, 2011
11:57 pm
How can teck fans continue to hold on to the myth that Johnson is a coaching genius?
GT77
November 26th, 2011
11:59 pm
Not all of us do Grinch.
The Grinch
November 26th, 2011
11:59 pm
GTBob
November 26th, 2011
11:54 pm
“When the new rankings come out there will not be a team on their schedule they have beaten that is currently ranked.”
That would include teck. BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
GTBob
November 27th, 2011
12:00 am
How can teck fans continue to hold on to the myth that Johnson is a coaching genius?
Because he has won 8 games at GT 3 times now. That is a minor miracle.
Mark, you forgot to mention
November 27th, 2011
12:01 am
It’s a given that UGA is STILL the undisputed CESSPOOL OF THE SOUTH!
To hell with Georgia!
GTBob
November 27th, 2011
12:01 am
That would include teck.
Aside from Auburn, we are the worst team that has been ranked this year.
Return to Glory
November 27th, 2011
12:02 am
NOthing like smacking down the nerds on their high school field and beating their high school coach running his high school offense. DO DAWGS