Live from the Outback: UGA should win this bloomin’ bowl
The press box food preparation table, shown after hungry scribes descended. (Photo by M. Bradley)
Tampa – The nice thing about covering the Outback Bowl is the sponsor. It’s the only bowl that serves steak and a bloomin’ onion as a pregame meal. I mention this so you’ll know not to expect much in the way of back-and-forth from this correspondent over the next half-hour.
As for the game … well, here’s what you need to know about Michigan State. The Spartans are 7-14 in bowls. They haven’t won won since Dec. 31, 2001. They’re 0-4 under Mark Dantonio. Even Nick Saban was 0-3 in bowls as MSU’s coach.
The Spartans are 0-3 in bowls against teams from Georgia. (Lost to the Bulldogs in Vince Dooley’s final game and in the Capital One in 2008, lost to Georgia Tech in the old Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham in 1985. Georgia fans will remember that as the game in which John Dewberry, who transferred from UGA and became Tech’s quarterback, did not partake — he’d been suspended for missing curfew in Birmingham, which isn’t easy to do.)
It’s possible Michigan State could win today, but recent history shows it’s not smart to bet against the SEC in a bowl against the Big Ten. (Example: The Spartans lost to Alabama 49-7 in the Capital One last January. Though Michigan State did beat Florida in the Citrus on the first day of this century.)
Enough. Georgia should win. I make it 27-17, but I’m often wrong. Sometimes even bloomin’ wrong, which reminds me …
Discuss among yourselves. I’ll be back in a few. And happy bloomin’ New Year.
By Mark Bradley
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3,667 comments Add your comment
chazzo
January 2nd, 2012
6:26 pm
The high road is this: We have a bunch of guys playing for our team who worked their tails off out there today. They played as a team, and they lost as a team. I hate the loss, but I praise their hard work. Boykin deserves a medal of honor. Malcolm Mitchell deserves Kudos. He made some tough catches and ran great routes. Sailors continues to be a bright spot on some otherwise shaky Special Teams. Butler punted the heck out of it today.
Great job to many of the UGA players! Let’s have another great offseason! Don’t let the bastards get you down!
Erk
January 2nd, 2012
6:26 pm
Run game is pathetic. Bobo’s runs up the middle are simply wasted plays. When it was obvious we couldn’t run and Murray had pressure on him, why not call more roll out passes? Defense played a great game but was gassed in the 4th quarter with no help from the offense…again.
Curious
January 2nd, 2012
6:26 pm
Mark, has McGarity ever made a comment that lead you to believe an assistant coaching change may be necessary?
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 2nd, 2012
6:26 pm
Bob
The defense did everything they could to win this game
Gratham showed all year consistant coach
Mike Bonehead continues to show he cant out coach a middle school coach
And Richt refuses to get rid of bonehead like Willie Martinez
This program is NEVER EVER going to win big as long as this philosophy continues
ICro
January 2nd, 2012
6:26 pm
ICro better get more touches next year—or he may walk! he demand the ball!
JB
January 2nd, 2012
6:26 pm
LKM…………THAT IS TRUE
OldFan
January 2nd, 2012
6:26 pm
Same old stuff. Might as well get used to it. Murray’s our Heisman candidate. Stats and stars aplenty. Out-coached, out-hustled, and out-played by less talented teams. Let’s beat at least one good team before we start the verge of greatness talk again. Whip the patsies. Lose to the winners. Play a lot of the former and a couple of the latter, and we’re back in Atlanta. Pitiful!
chuck
January 2nd, 2012
6:26 pm
I am frustrated too but it is what it is…somebody wins because somebody lost – how we lost is a determining factor. If we had to lose it was to a team that played just as hard as we did and it took them 3 OT to win but then again it took us 3 OT to lose it. Happy New Year to everybody – have a great, safe year and let’s get ready for a new season WITH the team and staff. Mark – thank you for your insights.
FORTY-TWO to ten
January 2nd, 2012
6:26 pm
and THIRTY-THREE to thirty. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
rt
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
OUT COACHED AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bitter QB
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
closs to 3200 comments————————–the mass’s all believe
—————————-RICHT AND DR. FAT A$$ ADAMS HAVE TO GO!!!!!!!
to bad the feel good folks run athens
kick on 3rd down????
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
Serious??? 1 more play and Ga gets the yards to win the game!
bilbo799
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
For all you BOBO supporters, is there anything we can say now to justify him being our OC? LIterally, is there anything?
GT Fan
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
(too the Dawg fans who realize the 10 game win streak was against nobodies for the most part)…
I’ve said it all year long, GT had me feeling quite optimistic after their 6-0 start. Easy to get “blinded” when your team plays that good (against 4-0 really BAD teams and 2 avg-good teams depending on what day they played, UNC – NCST). Same is said for UGA … easy to get “blinded” when your D looked so good (against 8 bad teams and 2 avg-good teams depending on what day they played, AU – GT).
MSU represented the 4th GOOD (2 were GREAT) team UGA played … the Dawgs went 0-4. GT lost to all the GOOD (played no GREAT team) teams it played too.
I need some FACE CAKE!
Going Backwards
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
@Old Dawg Fan,
Glad to see it wasn’t just me hearing their obvious bias. The officials weren’t much better, either.
SouthGadawg
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
BoBo has 5 kids…that proves he spends too much time at home
Objective fan
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
YOU COULD RECRUIT THE NEXT HERSCHEL WALKER AND IT WON’T MATTER IF YOUR O-LINE IS FULL OF MR SOFTEES.
evil empire
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
hey dawgs01….what was the point of your post?
Change the Logo
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
Georgia should have to change their logo from the big G to big L – for LOSERS!!!!! So proud of Michigan State for never giving up and the Dawgs proved that they were the Frauds and Pretenders we all thought them to be at the beginning of the season!
Buckeye
January 2nd, 2012
6:27 pm
Too funny, said to my wife, walsh has head problems”…..short and right.
Do they have kickers in arena ball?
Jacket99
January 2nd, 2012
6:28 pm
I get it………..
December 31st, 2011
5:52 pm
Tech is toast now…………..their offense is not geared for OT……………….damn.
LinkReport this comment.
Boom Boom
January 2nd, 2012
6:28 pm
players playing poorly =coaches poorly coaching, especially 4 and 5 star players
DP
January 2nd, 2012
6:28 pm
Thanks for the comment on leadership NYC Dawg. Our senior business leaders have done a fine job of sucking our companies and economy dry while filling their own pockets. If there are lessons for Richt to learn he’s not going to learn them from so-called business leaders.
where the ball?
January 2nd, 2012
6:28 pm
ICro want the @%%# ball!
bitter QB
January 2nd, 2012
6:28 pm
10 wins—yaa—–10 wins—-yaa—————–give brother richt 4 million a year—-he is a good man
————————-sheep
01HAWK
January 2nd, 2012
6:28 pm
Lets see…………………….SABAN…………………Runs his team like a CEO and wins
CMR runs his team like a MISSION and can not beat the so called good teams.
But you have a contract extension on the table.
31 years and counting.
I ABSOLUTELY AM HAVING A BALL TODAY AT THE EXPENSE OF ROOF ROOF BOW WOW
BAMA……………………………1992 and 2009……………………………..CHAMPIONS……………..13 CHAMPIONSHIPS
chazzo
January 2nd, 2012
6:28 pm
Flat tire: We had two good plays in the first half; one was a punt return. We didn’t dominate the first half. I knew as soon as everyone started talking that crap, that it wasn’t going to bode well. The Dawgs played hard today against a very good team full of seniors. That aint kool aid.
Hoss Cartwright
January 2nd, 2012
6:28 pm
@ Flat tire there is no other qb prepared to come in at this time. CMR can change that in the spring if he chooses too. if he ’s willing to develope a 2nd unit qb. For all his runs up the middle, Boo Boo still had the team in position to win. If Walsh does his job Georgia wins.
LAUGH OUT LOUD @ A. Murray
January 2nd, 2012
6:29 pm
Oh please…tell me again what good teams this over rated, over hyped QB has beaten?????
Snoop Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
6:29 pm
How can this game move UGA football forward? Richt is an imposter. He is a logo, not a head ball coach. Bobo is an introverted oversexed weirdo who does not have the faintest idea about offense football stategies or how to coach up recruits. He prefers to sit in the box seats during the game rather than being on the sidelines to provide active leadership to the offensive team. Figure it out. We are paying millions of dollars every year to amateurs to coach one ot the best football programs in the country. I you do not demand better than you are part of the problem and an enabler. Take action now. Call your representatives. Quit giving money. Call the UGa adminsitrative leadership. Take action, man.
StrongSafety
January 2nd, 2012
6:29 pm
I can’t decide who’s dumber….Paul Johnson or Mike BoBo
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 2nd, 2012
6:29 pm
I figured out what Crowells problem is
He realizes he should have signed with AL and doesnt want to play for a bunch of loser mentalty coaching staff
Dawgs Got Hosed!
January 2nd, 2012
6:29 pm
The officials hosed the dawgs the whole game! Ga needs to file a protest! Ga was better and should have won!
Erk Russell's Dog
January 2nd, 2012
6:29 pm
For Sale UGA bandwagon has 2012 SEC Championship flags and a BCS crystal football hood ornament. Will sell cheap and throw in one of those air freshener trees for free.
Old Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
6:29 pm
The game was not lost in overtime. Two minutes to go, MSU in timeout problems, all we need is a first down. Bobo calls three straight running plays and we punt. Nuff said.
Pollster guy
January 2nd, 2012
6:30 pm
Murray and bobo, please go pro!
Jacket99
January 2nd, 2012
6:30 pm
OkieDawg
December 31st, 2011
6:15 pm
I thought the knee divers were going to bring a W back to the state…but once again, I’m wrong.
I wish someone would have brought a W back to the state…
S Spurrier
January 2nd, 2012
6:30 pm
….same ol’ ga.
Ga > Fla
January 2nd, 2012
6:30 pm
in 2012, ga beats florida again—book it! Fla will be down for a long time! Ga wins the sec east again1!!
Buckeye
January 2nd, 2012
6:30 pm
Was it me or did I notice less dreads on the Spartans?
Pale Rider
January 2nd, 2012
6:30 pm
Georgia has equaled Vanderbilt as the only two SEC teams to lose in a bowl game!! Contract extension??? Give me a break- send CMR back to the state of Florida where he belongs.
Pago Pago DAWG
January 2nd, 2012
6:31 pm
We let Sparty get 27 points in 3rd/4th qtr, amazing and sad.
You’d think a major (?) SEC team would have one rb, amazing and sad.
SCDAWG
January 2nd, 2012
6:31 pm
Richts greatest flaw is loyalty,so what do we do? HMMMMM!
GTT
January 2nd, 2012
6:31 pm
Aaron Murray sure does throw big games away.
bitter QB
January 2nd, 2012
6:31 pm
please aaron murry———————TRANSFER——-stay in tampa—–i will pay to ship your goods home
————————————-to tampa—-unless i fumble the package
StrongSafety
January 2nd, 2012
6:31 pm
Am I remembering right, or were we a lot better offensively when Richt called the plays himself ??????
Tennessee Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
6:31 pm
Amen Old Dawg!!!!!!!!!!!
kral
January 2nd, 2012
6:31 pm
yes sir the sky is falling we lost to a team that could and possibly should have been i the rose…30t’swestunk…had the winning fg …in front of us…hit the 2nd…longer…was lousy coaching…terrible qb play…only we would not have been in it without his arm..yes I am sure a new coach and of coor….would have took us home..great defense…only 85 yd. drive was a killer..fire de. coor…ell fire the players..water-girl…ad…pres… dang that was tough…who to blame..how about nobody..but mich st..dang why did they not quit..why would they not let us run the football..why did they make us 2nd guess everything as a blogger,,we are so accurate with hindsight and our resume
now, this is the typical ga fan:
January 2nd, 2012
6:31 pm
Dawgs Got Hosed!
January 2nd, 2012
6:29 pm
The officials hosed the dawgs the whole game! Ga needs to file a protest! Ga was better and should have won!
Dawgz4Life
January 2nd, 2012
6:31 pm
I will say this…. I have seen enough of Mike Bobo’s offensive game plan. If Mark Richt is serious about changing the perceptions of the Bulldog faithful, the time has come to find a new OC. Let Bobo recruit, if he chooses to hang around. but he must go as OC, there is simply no excuse for what happened on the football field today. I am not diminishing MSU and their efforts, but UGA should never have lost this game, and would not have with a competent OC, period, end of story….. That is just the way it is…..