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
Dawg79
November 27th, 2011
9:54 am
SEC East weak? Georgia and South Carolina 10-2, both will be in the top 12 ……
just a fan
November 27th, 2011
9:56 am
@happy mangy mutt
We are happy to beat yech any year whether they are good or bad a win is a win but on top of all that your fellow brethren were on our boards all week telling us how bad you were going to beat us and we were overrated and hadn’t beaten anyone of consequence all year.
Fan of the Game
November 27th, 2011
9:57 am
Hey Med, I am glad you are doing well. Well let me tell you something I am doing pretty well myself. I just don’t have to get on a public forum and advertise it. That is a symptom of a weak person. I am rich and strong no matter what the Dawgs do.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
9:57 am
The gtu fans that THINK they are superior at ANYTHING are delusional. But, that goes without saying. LMAO Now go get ready for work, the Geek Squad opens in 5 minutes. BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA
UGA OWNS gtu.
Always have, always will.
Med
November 27th, 2011
9:58 am
Fan of the Game -
It is what it is. Many of the idiot Dawg nation are flying the flags on Sunday on their way to the Dome to see the Falcons….well, on their way to the living room to see the Falcons…and that’s your life. Dawgs and Falcons. Sounds peachy.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
9:58 am
We OWN you. BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAAA HAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu.
Always have, always will.
Med
November 27th, 2011
9:59 am
UGA OWNS gtu
You’re just a complete tool.
Fan of the Game
November 27th, 2011
9:59 am
Yea Dawg79 just when I didn’t know if the SEC was that strong and here you have LSU, Ala. UGA. SC and Ark. that are all nationally ranked. The SEC is still the class of college football and baseball.
K.Nix
November 27th, 2011
9:59 am
To the uninformed UGA fans who claim their D lineman was put out with a chop block: 3 points here – number 1 – the only reason a chop block was called was because a D-lineman from UGA held his blocker so he could not get to the next level to get to a backer. That is what happens more times than not on a chop block because these guys are told to keep the lineman off those backers. As a result when Uzzi tried to scoop block the lineman, he was still engaged because he committing a penalty called defensive holding.
Point number 2 – The player that got hurt was not even a part of that scenario.
Finally – number 3 – the venters that use the word cut block and chop block in the same phrase need to learn football rules and need to know that his precious UGA lineman cut block because it is perfectly legal and ethical – a chop block is neither.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
10:00 am
I… yes I, OWN you. BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu.
Always have, always will.
A Year Early ?
November 27th, 2011
10:00 am
And those Dawg fans that doubted me! Yeah I predicted to all my Dawg fan friends, and blogged a few times that UGA would when the SEC next year and play for the National Championship. Dawg fans don’t think I’m so crazy now. You guys could be SEC champs this year but get screwed and not play for the BCS Championship. I believe if you beat LSU you definitely should be in the Championship game. My prediction was for next year ( 2012) and your team has a chance to be a year early. My, my its sad when a Tech fan has more confidence in your team than all of the Dawg nation. I made this prediction after your bowl game disaster last year and you all were crying for Coach Mark Richt’s head. I believe you guys have a great team, a great QB, and a very good coach. What a classy guy CMR is . UGA could have easily have scored again against us but he chose to show mercy and run the ball. THANKS. I’m pulling for you guys against LSU, good luck. GOOOOOOOOOOOOO TECH.
Fan of the Game
November 27th, 2011
10:00 am
Hey Med, go waller around in your thousands. Hey don’t forget to pay your income taxes, I need it.
GA COCK
November 27th, 2011
10:13 am
Congrats to Ga for a great game at Tech! With the excellent play on the field, it came with some disturbing actions on the sidelines. After Tech scored in the 4th and sitting one row back from the Ga bench, Grantham went off! The f bombs he used with every other word was sickening! This is the example that our student athletes are being subjected too? I saw multiple families leaving both from Tech and Ga leaving so not to have this environment subjected to their kids! I understand the heat of the moment but Grantham has a history with his unprofessional actions at Vandy this year and the choke sign against Fla. Congrats again to Ga for a good season but this guy does not belong in coaching at least not in college with this behavior!
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
10:13 am
Good Lord this is the most fun I’ve had since the BEAT DOWN of Auburn. LMAO
UGA OWNS gtu.
Always have, always will.
dawgster
November 27th, 2011
10:17 am
Thought I would throw out some comments here…First both the dawgs and tech are good teams,…yesterday the dawgs defense was better than tech and that is the biggest difference in these teams. The type offense tech plays puts itself in a difficult position when it falls behind by at least two touchdowns. Anyone that wants to say we benefited from a soft schedule, let them run their mouth…We played the schedule we were dealt. We didn’t have to play Boise St with a lot of young players to open the season. I won’t apologize for our record, anytime a team reels off 10 straight is something to be proud of regardless of the haters…Now, is there a doubt that LSU on paper and by who they have played are better, probably so….but one game, one night, and anything can happen, I’ve played and coached longer enough to know that is the case. You just really never know until you play the game…..So all dawg fans, let the ESPN talking heads make their case and contradict what they said in 2007..Why do we really care…This team has come a long, long ways from the start of the season, and we should be even better next year, at least on paper…Regardless of what others say, the bottomline is we are SEC EAST CHAMPIONS and also State Champions…Something to be proud of in my opinion….go dawgs
78dawg
November 27th, 2011
10:19 am
Where have all the Tech fans gone….last week they were all pounding their chests here about Georgia being overhyped and Tech was gonna beat us. Ha! Same ol Tech! They are just wannabes playing in a weak conference, Little talent, bad coaching, LOSERS !!!! Chew on this one for a while !!
Abdullah The Butcher
November 27th, 2011
10:30 am
Just to show what a pathetic conference the ACC is…. Clemson got their azzes handed to them just like GT did. When these sorry azz ACC teams have to plauy a decent team that is not in the ACC they get exposed!!!! UGA had a DB playing RD and still bent GT over and gave it to the the hard way.
please...
November 27th, 2011
10:33 am
Reece Davis is a douche bag. His Larry Munson impersonation was an insult. He needs to vanish.
We can end this "awful schedule" thing right now
November 27th, 2011
10:34 am
“UGA playd no one” so “any body could win 10 in a row”. Fine.
GT ALSO played nobody and COULD NOT WIN 10 in a row. In fact, their one MAGICAL WIN was vs Clemson, who was whipped like a rented mule by SC, who did nothing in the SEC.
End of story. You play the schedule and if you win, you advance in the polls and go to MAJOR BOWLS and if you do not …………….THE JOHN BELK BOWL is waiting.
Some things never change
November 27th, 2011
10:43 am
UGA OWNS GT and UGA OWNS FLORIDA. All time vs GT and Florida, UGA owns them.
To argue that Florida has won 19 of 24 or something IS possibly true BUT IT IS ONLY PART of the ENTIRE truth. College football is about FOREVER and ask any almnus of any school and they will always refer to their day in school as a point of reference. College is about tradtions and they do not start or end with a specific year like 92.
Take GT for example ……. their GREAT ERA was in 1950-55 or 1956, when Elvis was buying pink Caddies for his Mom. It was not until 1967 did Gt and Dodd see another major bowl and that LOSS was in the Orange Bowl. Again, they appreared in the Orange BOWL LOSING TO IOWA in 2009. Yes, GT has a great history but not in the last 55+ years, beyond their fractional ownership of the 1990 MNC and that was won in the then, medicore Citrus Bowl. See? Yes, GT has a tradition, just not in the last 55 years was it consistently great.
UGA? MAJOR Bowls in the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70, 80s, 90s and lately with possibly CMR’s 4th Sugar Bowl invite AND HIS 4 th TRIP TO THE SEC CG in 11. THAT IS A TRADITION
Gooooooooooooooooooooo Dogs
flagboy?
November 27th, 2011
10:46 am
Med
November 27th, 2011
9:54 am
Actually i’m pretty happy today. I’d hate to think my happiness solely revolved around what my alma mater does. Fortunately I do have much more in my life going on….you, obviously don’t. But thanks for playing.
____________________________________________
Yes, most of the people with “much more” going on in their lives are posting on the AJC blogs at 9:54 AM on a Sunday. Tough to be smug when you’re a loser. . . .
A look ahead for UGA
November 27th, 2011
10:50 am
In the SEC WEST, Arky is losing their QB and some skill players, as is Alabama and LSU and the others do not matter. A&M and MIZZO??I am clueless.
In the SEC East, UGA will BE THE POWER to deal with. Lattmore will want to protect his prescious $$ knees and will not be full strength whne they play UGA and they are losing their stars on O and D. UT, KY and Vandy and Florida will be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down.
UGA will own the SEC in 2012 and 2013.
GO Dogs.
Why is ND on prime time?
November 27th, 2011
10:54 am
Answer: ND signed a huge deal sort of like Texas has now, that puts them in the prime time with NBC SPorts. NBC is worng on everything and Obama is one of their failures along with GE and that twirp Jeff Immel, CEO of GE.
molardog
November 27th, 2011
10:54 am
Funny how all the pundits say GA has no shot next Saturday….I hope LSU thinks the same.
Also, you have to love the notion that even if GA wins LSU and BAMA play for the BCS title…..laughable.
EVEN MORE laugable…..LSU would have to beat BA a twice to become “national champs”. What a joke of a system.
flagboy?
November 27th, 2011
10:55 am
Our WR’s look to be really, really good for the next few years. . . Bennett, Conley, and Mitchell. Good stuff.
Tech fan two weeks ago
November 27th, 2011
10:56 am
Can we fire Johnson already? We are worse off now than with Gailey
The Grinch
November 27th, 2011
10:57 am
Cheer up teck fans, it could be worse……you could be the University of Tennessee.
BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Techster
November 27th, 2011
10:58 am
I’m just glad it was nice day and everyone had fun. Who won does’nt really matter to us Tech fans.
Yurtle_the_Turtle
November 27th, 2011
10:58 am
Kudos to UGA. Clearly the better program. As a Tech fan, I’m getting tired of this gimmick offense and absolutely no defense. Groh’s defense stinks. UGA, although a larger school, is clearly the better football program.
Isaiah eats no Crow ell
November 27th, 2011
11:01 am
Gotta report in to my part time job @ Wal Mart, were done with kickin the Bumblebees arse! woof woof woof Nerdtards
TampaGator
November 27th, 2011
11:02 am
All I can say after watching the Florida offense against FSU last night…….may the gods help us. No one on th OL that can block for the run in the pro style offense. No wide receivers who can get any seperation downfield. No QB (Brantley threw the game away) with any experience. No RBs that can run north and south in the pro style offense (mainly because no one can block for them in order to do so). Good TEs and more to come. Unless either Brissett or Driskell mature very quickly and a couple of players step up at WR, the Gators offense will struggle greatly again next year. If that happens, it will be a shame because the Gator defense is going to be one of the best in the SEC. But it certainly seems the Gators are headed to a 7 or 8 win season next year unless some serious changes are made on the offensive side of the ball (talent wise). You can only coach up what you have, and the Gators currently don’t have much on the offensive side of the ball. They have tons on the defensive side, and it is very young. In fact, the entire team is very young. But some serious growing up, physically and intellectually. But, I agree, it will be Georgia and South Carlina for now.
Now, the TECH FUND BOYS HAVE TO ASK HARD QUESTIONS
November 27th, 2011
11:03 am
Said CPJ upon hiring big Al ………………..”We hired AL Groh because of his intensive knowledge of NFL D schemes and his depth of coaching experience and his ability to recruit top notch ( NFL BOUND) kids suitable to be in his schemes.”
Well …………………………where is the beef??? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?
Hedgepruner
November 27th, 2011
11:05 am
Congrats to the uga team & fans but the difference in the game yesterday was 2 turnovers inside our 30 and our inability to stop the pass, I like CPJ but everytime we play uga he panics and starts getting away from what we do best and that is run the option , yesterday with 12 minutes to go in the 3rd qtr we start throwing the ball around and we didnt need to and another thing that worries me is our defensive co-ordinator Al Groh and his 3-4 defense , we didnt put any pressure on Murray all day and we played that soft zone coverage and they exploited it .With that said we have a very young team and will get better , I’ll take 8-4 or 9-4 with a bowl win and look forward to 2012 ….GO JACKETS !!!!!!!!!!
The Grinch
November 27th, 2011
11:05 am
I wonder if the past two UGA-GT games has answered the question once and for all as to who got the better 3-4 defensive coordinator two years ago? Many teck fans were crowing about the human cadaver Groh and his storied resume while mocking the resume of Todd Grantham. Any doubts still lingering?
TampaGator
November 27th, 2011
11:07 am
I am not sure who recruits the wide receivers for Georgia, but Florida needs to hire him. Has anyone seen a worse offense than the University of Florida currently has? Unbelieveably bad.
GTHangover
November 27th, 2011
11:07 am
Dawgs can go back to selling pizza now: http://www.campusmack.com/smacks/135
TampaGator
November 27th, 2011
11:10 am
It will be a battle next year for the East between Georgia and South Carolina clearly the two best teams. South Carolina looked very good last night, or is Clemson just that bad?
Florida will most likely be out of the SEC East picture for a couple of years….or until Muschamp can recruit an OL that can block for the downhill run for back that are bigger than Rainey and Demps.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
11:11 am
I just went out to the Starbucks here in Vinings and I notice that something strange has happened… all of the gtu fans have disappeared!! Zip. Zilch. Nada. None. I know that you gtu-type folks are ashamed and embarrassed to be gtu fans, but damn, y’all are PATHETIC.
BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu.
Always have, always will.
Brian B
November 27th, 2011
11:12 am
I’m realistic enough to accept that Georgia will be an underdog against LSU, and deservedly so. Despite that, I would love nothing more than for UGA to upset LSU, and turn the bcs national championship game into nothing more than the SEC consolation game.
If you believe that UGA didn’t deserve to go to the BCS title game in 2007, that’s a valid viewpoint. The problem with the BCS is that it makes you justify your subjective judgements with arguements (like not winning your own conference) that can come back to bite you in the ass later on. And if you think that UGA didn’t go because of losses to USC and Tenn, let’s jump into the time machine and go back and listen to what everyone up at the ESPN echo chamber was saying at the time.
The BCS is a joke. No offense to Alabama, but I have no respect for a system that rewards a team for sittting at home on championship Saturday. One of these years, the BCS will produce a result so flawed, so universally recognized at illegitimate, that the powers that be in college football will have no choice but to adopt some form a playoff system. The credibility of the sport will depend on it.
Prince Charles
November 27th, 2011
11:14 am
Prince Charles attended the UGA/KY whuppin and I recall it like it was last week. The QB for Ky was named Derrick Ramsey and he ended up playing for the NFL Raiders as a DE or a linebacker and they ( KY) also had great running backs and a great D and they gambled at the race track and never lost and neither did Coach Fran Cursi.
He Coached the old U of Tampa squad that had big John Metuzack who ALSO was a legend in the NFL.
Curci had “contacts” in Tampa and elsewhere, if I recall correctly.
KY has always had that “cloud” around them.
Gator Man
November 27th, 2011
11:19 am
Finally the next 2 games these over rated puppies will play some top 10 schools, Old Miss could have beaten Tech.
Gators sucked this year, but we can afford to with 3 NAt in 15 years, oh by the way when we won those titles we beat LSU and Ala during the season, we did not play 8 straight games of 500 below teams.
Opening bids LSU by 30”””””
POOPDAWG
November 27th, 2011
11:24 am
TampaGator , didn’t get to see a lot of game but saw 1st half stats and a little of 3rd qtr. It looked liked UF”S defense dominated but UF”S offense had too many turnovers. Hope your recovering well from your surgery.
PAY BACK
November 27th, 2011
11:26 am
At the time, it was said by so called GT fans that “CMR had to settle on lowly CTG”. Yes, at that time, it seemed that way. Within TWO YEARS, CTG has turned UGA’s D into a fine orgainization. Afterall, Nick Sabin said that he would and he was 100% correct.
Ellis at SC was one candidate and he will not be in the SEC CG this year. LSU’s D guy will be in the SEC CG as will be CTG. We also went after Kriby Smart who ALSO WILL NOT BE IN THE SEC CG.
See? Yes, Richt went after several EXCELLENT GUYS FOR UGA’s D HEAD MAN, LANDED ONE OF THEM and we are in the SEC CG.
Richt interviwed several like QUALITY men, like when you dine in a FINE STEAK HOUSE, you order T bone and hear “we sold out”, so you order the rib eye and hear that “we sold out” and the Stip steak and it “is sold out” and UGA ends up with the FILET, MED RARE and it is wonderful. See?
GT on the other hand landed used up, washed up, old, falied NFL coach from the 1960s and 70s. Al tells GT’s recruits that ” i talked to Johnny Unitas several times on the field” and the kid’s parents ask WHO IS JOHNNY UNITAS? AL is that irrelevant.
Go UGA !!!
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
11:26 am
LOL… one of my gtu buddies just called me and acknowledged that gtu shouldn’t even play UGA, and that they aren’t in the same league talent-wise and will never be competitive with us. I said simply… “I know.” BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu.
Always have, always will.
POOPDAWG
November 27th, 2011
11:28 am
Gatotman , i will take those odds. I figure vegas line would be 10 -13 pts.
RedandBlackDawg
November 27th, 2011
11:28 am
Techster,
If it didn’t matter who won or loss, you wouldn’t be on this blog. If you are a tech. fan and have all of the sudden turned gracious after once again getting beat by UGA, it matters to you. I am sure you were not one bit this gracious prior to the game.
GO DAWGS and GATA
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
11:31 am
I love it when gtu fans acknowledge their inferiority to UGA. We are simply BETTER THAN gtu. In everything. LMAO
UGA OWNS gtu.
Always have, always will.
Lee
November 27th, 2011
11:31 am
i cant wait till LSU gets ahold of the most overated team in the SEC. for those of you with selective amnesia, think Boise State with a much better defense. you’re dead doggies.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
11:33 am
We are just BETTER THAN you gtu. BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu.
Always have, always will.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 27th, 2011
11:35 am
It ain’t even CLOSE… we OWN you gtu. LMAO
UGA OWNS gtu.
Always have, always will.