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
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
961 comments Add your comment
Quon
November 27th, 2011
12:02 am
Enter your comments here
How many times will LSU run the option?
November 27th, 2011
12:05 am
The bullfrawgs won’t be able to stop LSU’s option either!
BiggDawgK
November 27th, 2011
12:05 am
tech is a pathetic joke which also describes their coach and entire fan base. Just imagine what would have hapened if Georgia had not been looking past tech to the SEC Championship game or if Georgia had not played their 3rd and 4th string running backs.
The terrible SEC East destroyed the acc which must mean tech would not have won a game this year in the SEC. LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
Quincy Carter
November 27th, 2011
12:08 am
Woohoo! Mark Bradley, let’s celebrate! Me, Washaun, and Caleb got the coke. C’mon over!
kerryb
November 27th, 2011
12:09 am
The ESPN talking heads make me want to puke. Mark May and Holtz going on about Alabama being one the best 2 teams in the nation and they deserve to play in the title game even though they did not win their conference division. Back in 2007 these jerks were making the opposite argument why we shouldn’t because we didn’t win our conference division. ESPN sucks.
m
November 27th, 2011
12:09 am
tech…ONE legal win vs. UGA since 1990 and it was by 3 points lol. Maybe UGA should drop tech from the schedule. It only gives undeserved credibility to tech for having us on their schedule.
RedandBlackDawg
November 27th, 2011
12:09 am
GT John,
Are you saying that your football players all have a great chance because of the education they receive while playing for GT. How many of them are pursuing an engineering degree. Why is GT no better than 6th in graduation rate in the ACC for athletes? Why have a football team anyway, if the only purpose your players are going to college for is to get an education. These tech. excuses all the time, about how your athletes are there for an education, and are so smart just doesn’t show up in the statistics. Wouldn’t you think your superior intelligence athletes would find a way to beat those less educated? I think your slide rule is off a little or you are somehow using the wrong formula.
GO DAWGS and GATA
BiggDawgK
November 27th, 2011
12:12 am
I see the techies have now resorted to pretending to be LSU fans in a really quite sad attempt to talk smack. the north avenue trade school fans are such clueless losers with nothing at all going for them that I almost feel badly for them.
Then I remember what classless hate filled idiots they are and I laugh and laugh and laugh.
GTBob
November 27th, 2011
12:17 am
Then I remember what classless hate filled idiots they are and I laugh and laugh and laugh.
Awe. Some mean Tech guy hurt your feelings didn’t he?
why do others have to do your job mark bradley?
November 27th, 2011
12:20 am
HEY MARK WHY DO OTHERS HAVE TO DO YOUR
WORK FOR YOU?
this post is a bit off topic to the game thread but
than again it is not because it explains why gt has
issues with the ol and dl.
http://oversigning.com/testing/?s=saban+miles
saban and miles have signed more players than any
other program over the last 10 years via over
signing. it is NO coincidence that lsu and bama are 1
and 2 in the bcs. they are also the worst at over
signing by a wide margin. the sec as a conference is
the worst by far.
for instance saban averages 27.5 players every year.
gt on the other hand probably signs an average of
19. so over 4 years we sign 76 players and bama
signs 115. a difference of 49 players. 50% more than
gt every 4 years. 115/76=150%. the quantity of
players is not the only issue.
of the 115 they sign every 4 years, they cherry pick
the very best 85 and drive off the remaining 30 to
grades, injury, malcontent, transfer etc etc. that is
why the sec always seems to pull away in the 3d and
4th quarters of games against any other top
programs not in the sec… tosu oklahoma fsu UGA
etc. that is why they have won 5 nc in a row. as the
article points out the sec commits this foul far more
than any other conference.
they don’t have ’sec’ speed. they don’t have better
coaching. they have better rosters top to bottom
because of the over signing / cherry picking. that is
why tosu got their butt kicked in the 2nd half by both
uf and lsu. tosu and the big ten do not over sign. the
acc does not over sign but for maybe fsu i think.
sec teams like bama and lsu end up with so much
talent on their roster that the difference between 1st
team an 3d team is marginal as compared to other
programs. richt at uga does not over sign.
that is a huge reason why uga has fallen behind
auburn, lsu, bama and now sc. sc under the ol ball
sack now over signs. funny how sc pulled away from
uc in the 2nd half of tonites game isnt it? sc is to uc
as ua is to uga. all 4 teams have 4-5 star talent. only
2 of those teams over sign.
this is not the only result from the over signing. for
example say the sec per team average is 105 players
every 4 years. (probably high)
using this number means that the sec cans 20
players per team every 4 years in order to maintain
the 85 schollie limit each year. a total of 12 x
20=240 players.
basically, the sec removes 240 of the best players
from the talent pool of southern players that gt and
other programs recruit from. that is why we cant
recruit big uglies on the d and o. the sec hordes
them all via over signing.
you may or may not remember but before we had
the 85 scholarship rule. teams like bear bryant and
bama would have 120+ plus players on the roster.
different method of cherry picking and hording
players but the same end result. that is one of the
reasons why coach dodd disliked bear bryant. dodd
thought that player hording was immoral.
this really hurts teams like gt, vandy, acc, big 10, big
east, pac10 …. tosu and yes even UGA.
UGA FANS…. look for lsu to pull away from uga in
the 3d and 4th quarter next saturday.
yes the sec has the best fb conference no doubt and
its not because they coach better or have sec speed.
all teams have players with ’sec’ speed. they just
horde more of them.
oh … as much as it grates me to say this: congrats to uga they are the better team.
why do others have to do your job mark bradley?
November 27th, 2011
12:21 am
????
dawg555
November 27th, 2011
12:22 am
Any word on how severe Tyson’s ankle injury is?
Caleb King
November 27th, 2011
12:23 am
Hey BigDawggK and Mark Bradley, c’mon over to my place! Isaiah will pass you the bong. We’s tokin’!
why do others have to do your job mark bradley?
November 27th, 2011
12:25 am
ANY DAWG WANT TO BET THAT LSU PULLS AWAY FROM THE DAWGS NEXT SATURDAY IN THE SECOND HALF?
and it has nothing to do with coaching.
i tried to post the explanation but mark bradley and his screen wont allow the post inspite of the fact it has not one single bad word or insult.
gt82grad
November 27th, 2011
12:25 am
GT fans should take an oath to discontinue any silly dialogue that involves UGA. We have got to focus on the GT football program and how to make it better. UGA and GT operate in 2 different universes. It serves no purpose to compare the 2 football programs. GT can be very successful in its own way. That path should not be one that the mimics the UGA program. They are successful in the SEC. We can be successful in the ACC and so be it. I agree with the UGA comments that indicate our inferiority complex when it comes to the 2 programs.
kerryb
November 27th, 2011
12:30 am
dawg555, I’m wondering about that too. Piece of crap Tech linemen can’t block unless they’re cutting or chopping. Uzzi must have known he couldn’t block Tyson legally all day so he decided to chop him to get him out of the game. They should ban cut blocking in the NCAA.
Washaun Ealey
November 27th, 2011
12:31 am
Anyone need a ride over to Caleb’s?
Cobb Dawg
November 27th, 2011
12:46 am
Looked like lots of Dawg fans at the game, especially in the 4th Q. Go Dawgs, beat LSU!!
the sec cheat via oversigning and
November 27th, 2011
12:50 am
hordes so many talented players is hurts teams like gt and yes even uga.
and you dawgs are so stupid you dont recognize the problem doh.
saban and bama sign on the average 27.5 players or 115 ever 4 year where as richt signs the legal and moral amount at 85 or less.
that means that over 4 years saban can cherry pick the best 85 players from a pool of 115 while uga can not. miles of lsu has the same track record.
it is no coincidence that lsu and bama are no 1 and no 2. that is where they sit with respect to over siging as well. bama and lsu over sign more players BY FAR than any other programs in the country and the sec is the worst conference by far at over signing.
sec is no longer the best fb conference if the ncaa eliminates the cheating and saban an miles are just 2 good coaches not legends.
o
this pool of 115 is the creme de la creme of the top players in the country, not only does lsu do it but others including au and usc over sign. that is the reason why uga is now behind bama, lsu au and even the ol ball sack and usc recruiting wise. it is not due to better coaching or ’sec’ speed.
it is due to the fact that the difference between lsu or bama’s first team an their 3d team is marginal. uga can not say that. that is why a program like tosu got thier butt kicked in the 2nd half of the mnc games.
it wasnt better coaching. it wasnt ’sec’ speed, (all teams have players with speed) it is because bama and lsu have cherry picked rosters of the very best players.
if i was a uga fan (thank god i am not) i would raise holy hell with the sec to level the playing field.
do that and maybe some of those horded players end up at gt.
Cobb Dawg
November 27th, 2011
12:52 am
I agree with kerryb. Cut/chop blocking should be banned. The only teams who do it are teams like Vandy and Tech who can’t win any other way but to injure their opponents. Ban this kind of conduct NCAA!
Sure hope Crowell can play against LSU
November 27th, 2011
12:54 am
UGA needs to diversify with potsmoker in addition to the rest of the C@cksmokers!
gtguy
November 27th, 2011
1:04 am
cpj,al groh, the whole coaching staff should be ashamed of this sorry performance, I have been a Tech fan for forty years and never seen a worse perfomance,call some of the stupidest plays in history and then to yank qbtw out and continue calling idiotic plays,Georgia didn’t even have a running back and the defence still couldn’t stop them, I felt for the seniors, they deserved better,
no wonder they can’t recruit,if you are gonna have a circus,do it right, bring pepper rodgers back…….
Awesome Dawg highlight reel
November 27th, 2011
1:06 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5aiwxSfdH0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
GTBob
November 27th, 2011
1:07 am
Cut/chop blocking should be banned
Do UGA fans still not know the difference in cut blocks and chop blocks? Maybe they also think a kickoff and a punt are the same thing.
tony
November 27th, 2011
1:57 am
Johnson wasn’t out coached by Mr.Richt. Anybody in their right minds knows that Mr.Richt has way more talent than Johnson. If Johnson had Richt’s players Tech would be 12-0 and on their way to New Oleans to destroy LSU.
Had enough
November 27th, 2011
2:55 am
I think that Paul Johnson will be working at Walmart after next year.Since his offense can’t catch up to anybody and His defense can’t stop anyone else.
WnE
November 27th, 2011
3:21 am
Remember this QUOTE Mark?
On Sept. 17th you called CPJ a 5* HC, so what is he NOW after going 2-4 in the last 6 games of the season?
_________________
“I don’t know how good this Tech team is, and you don’t, either. (We’ll learn more when North Carolina arrives next weekend.) I don’t know if Johnson will win another ACC championship, and you don’t, either. But I do know this: The guy in charge can run an offense like nobody I’ve ever seen, and there’s not a five-star recruit in this mix. Just a five-star football coach.
__________________
Is he still a FIVE STAR FB Coach Mark, inquiring minds want to know?
What does that make CMR a 10* FB Coach?
trooper taylor's backwards hat
November 27th, 2011
3:27 am
uga won. actually, they dominated. i guess richt really REALLY got out-coached this year…
oh wait, this article actually points out the truth. unlike the last few years..
trooper taylor's backwards hat
November 27th, 2011
3:31 am
tony- i feel sorry for you. richt has beaten tech by passing, running, defense, special teams, etc… whatever his team’s strength is in that particular year, he uses it to win.
peace out. enjoy the genius. and his crappy arse record. oh wiat, they did beat uga by a field goal once 3 years ago. goo job. genius.
Chuck Dowdle
November 27th, 2011
3:38 am
LOLZ WITH DAWGS BIG STREAK. UNTIL GT THE BEST OFFENSE THEY FACED DURING STREAK WAS NEW MEXICO ST. LOLZ – think about what PUPPY DAWGS ARE JACKING OFF OVER. BUT HE’LL IS COMING NEXT WEEK – LSU. BE GLAD BAMA ISN’T COMING FOR THE NEXT WEEK. CHUCKLE TILL NEXT SATURDAY WHEN YOU GET SPANKED @ HOME. CORN DOGS GONE MUG SOME PUPPY DOGS.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 27th, 2011
4:10 am
Looks like Mr. Richt will be at UGA for at least 10 more years. I can seen 19 wins of 20 coming soon for UGA and at least 2 – 3 coaching changes at GTHS. LOL
GT is a 4th rate high school team
November 27th, 2011
4:20 am
Looks like the AJC columnists and bloggers JINX on UGA are no longer working.
GTBud
November 27th, 2011
5:21 am
Goes to show you the talent gap between the two schools. I have said this once and will say it again, in reality GT should never win this game as the talent gap is way too wide. On another subject CPJ has to go, you are down 31-10 and you stay under center what a moron.
GT will keep him and as long as we want what we have this year that is fine but I am a true fan and would like a coach that can compete with the big boys from time to time. This is ridiculous to put up with every single year.
Great game by the DAWGS and my hat is off to you.
GTforever
November 27th, 2011
5:33 am
CPJ : If you get another offer, take it, please?
GTforever
November 27th, 2011
5:38 am
CPJ has forgot to recruit any players, and guess what, he makes millions. Anybody could recruit as good as CPJ, he is not getting the job done. He has failed and I am tired of his arrogance and crappy personality. Tech can do a LOT better.
Newt Gingrich
November 27th, 2011
5:55 am
Looks like this will be the official song of the State of Georgia for a long long time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj1efn9068A&feature=related
Old Yeller
November 27th, 2011
6:18 am
Enter your comments here
Old Yeller
November 27th, 2011
6:22 am
I would like to know what Paul Johnson said about the SEC after the drubbing he got from UGA Saturday. He said earily that the SEC ( what is all the fuss about the SEC they not what everone thinks) The fruit is in the pudding…..Mr Jhonson……………
lkb
November 27th, 2011
6:33 am
Anyone that has watched the entire season of UGA football has seen the D play good in the first half and great in the second. I could care less Tech had 150+ yards in the first. The second and when it matter you nerds were totally shut down. That is the sign of a great D cord.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
6:58 am
Well, same song #62 verse… DAWGS STOMP gtu AGAIN!!! BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA
UGA OWNS gtu!!!
Always have, always will.
this will make....
November 27th, 2011
6:59 am
another cool ring for you Techies to make and wear…put “1 for 11″ on one side, a dead bee on the other….
Crimson Crush
November 27th, 2011
7:06 am
That is an interesting question Yeller … one asked by many people … except most Tech fans I am sure . Talking about the “myth” of SEC “superiority” just being based on “perception” the week before you are set to get pounded by your ancient SEC rival wasn’t too bright
Richt Rules
November 27th, 2011
7:13 am
Lay the points and bet the house—the Dawgs are on fire and will upset lsu!! Ga 27 LSU 23!!!!
indianman
November 27th, 2011
7:16 am
we still run state we haave won ten of eleven go dogs it never get old tech
JARVIS JONES
November 27th, 2011
7:23 am
i will break pollack record vs lsu
Toccoa
November 27th, 2011
7:38 am
Comparing Alabama to another team the ESPN/Cronies would like to see in the Championship every year, the YANKEES. There’s obviously one HUGE difference. The YANKS have to win in PLAYOFFS! BAMA gets to win a POPULARITY contest. They had their chance against LSU. Let another team try. It’s always so nice to see the YANKS, with that huge payroll, lose in the playoffs, which has been alot lately. I hope the same thing happens to BAMA. They over sign every year and get a slap on the hand.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
7:48 am
Just sat down this morning with my coffee to watch the game on my DVR and I must say… the BEATING was even worse than what I saw in person. LMAO I mean, gtu isn’t even competitive. Fishfry Johnson and gtu are pathetic. BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu!!!
Always have, always will.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
7:51 am
We rested Crowell and we STILL made it look easy… BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA
UGA OWNS gtu!!!
Always have, always will.
ESPN Talking Heads
November 27th, 2011
7:53 am
Toccoa & kerryb,
Your arguments don’t hold water. Anyone can look up Georgia’s 2007 schedule and see why they weren’t the Number 2 team in the nation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Georgia_Bulldogs_football_team#Schedule
You lost to a South Carolina team that finished 6-6. Then you were demolished by Tennessee 35-14, but you still argued that you should have played in the SECCG instead of Tennessee. You guys are simply delusional. Enjoy the fruits of your Dream Schedule© this year and stop all of the whining.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
7:59 am
Another thing that stands out to me is that ol’ Fishfry rolled out the dirty plays and chop blocks and STILL couldn’t stop us. LOL gtu probably needs to beg out of this series ASAP. It looks like we’re playing a High School team out there… oh, wait, we were. BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu!!!
Always have, always will.