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
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
3,667 comments Add your comment
Blackland
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
Way to represent the SEC UGA. You were not close to the best team in the SEC East and it shows now. Recruits, if you want to win go to South Carolina, UGA is living in the past. Spurrier is the UGA killer!
Go Cocks!
ugaismarginal
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
Mark…is this where you suggest that UGA hire a dedicated special teams coach?
MyPatootie
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
3,450 posts! That has to be a record, right MB?
Boom Boom
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
fat, sloppy and stupid is no way to go through life= UGA OL
The Bear
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
Georgia let’s way to much talent get out of state
mission trip
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
more mission trips in the offseason–other coaches are coaching! keep it up!
JB
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
Bobo is the OC because Richt refuses to look at anything but that moldy FSU play book he brought with him. There is no blow back for Richt with Bobo calling the plays, his plays
autotrader
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
I’m thankful for a few things today,
1. I don’t have to drive back to Ga. after this sorry performance…………….
2. I still have HOPE that somebody in the UGA organization will see this game in a bright light and pass judgement on the coaches and some of the players.
3. I am thankful that we had several weak sisters on our schedule and that we dropped ALABAMA for Missouri. Maybe we can now drop Missouri for Brenau.
Collins Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
Pleas , Please FIRE BOBO !!11!
Collins Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
Pleas , Please FIRE BOBO !!11!
S Spurrier
January 2nd, 2012
7:07 pm
All those recruits….same ol ga
Footballrules
January 2nd, 2012
7:08 pm
Bwahahahahaha….some clown in red held up a sign that said “GO DWAGS.”
LakeDawg
January 2nd, 2012
7:08 pm
A few observations of the game:
Both teams left it all on the field; MSU is better than I thought they were; It was a great game; Bobo got outclassed by MSU’s offensive coordinator- MSU had a great offensive game plan and were very resourceful, while UGA pulled in their offensive horns at halftime; Cousins outplayed Murray- during crunch time Cousins executed, while Murray went into a shell; UGA’s special teams cost them two games this year.
Final thoughts:
UGA made great strides from last year; Kudos to CMR for turning around the culture of the program; Grantham is a Godsend; I’ve never been a Bobo basher, but he did exactly what I thought he would do- He got a two TD lead and went conservative. The whole second half MSU was crashing down with the safeties up the middle and UGA threw ZERO play action passes on second and third down; Bobo is the main reason for the loss; UGA is back on “solid footing” as CMR said, but he gets consistently outcoached in close evenly matched games; I don’t think CMR will ever get us over the hump-he is a decent coach in a conference full of really good to great coaches.
SELAH
DP
January 2nd, 2012
7:08 pm
JB, you’ve changed your tune again. A couple of days ago you were saying Alabama was lucky to get Georgia off next year’s schedule.
Thuga
January 2nd, 2012
7:08 pm
What do you expect from a middle of the pack chop blocking SEC team?
bilbo799
January 2nd, 2012
7:08 pm
This is just like Boise State. We can’t run the game up the middle at all, so BOBO puts in Carlton Thomas — our smallest guy — and we run up the gut over and over. WHERE WAS ORSON? WHERE WAS KEN MALCOME? BOBO does less with more.
sheepdawg
January 2nd, 2012
7:08 pm
This is a reminder that we’ll be having our regular tribute and moment of silence today for Saint Jan Kemp, the courageous martyr who exposed UGA and Vince Dooley’s “remedial studies” fraud, a shameful scam that Mark Richt carries on today, almost thirty years later.
Please approach this special moment with awe and reverence as we honor her sacred name.
Amen.
Buzz Engineer
January 2nd, 2012
7:09 pm
Tech played better in their bowl game than georgia. Where are the arrogant ga fans now??? Hello??? Losing to mich state?? embarrassing.
Les Miles
January 2nd, 2012
7:09 pm
You guys aren’t very good at all.
Birdhair
January 2nd, 2012
7:09 pm
Man, did anybody notice that my hair looked a little lighter today. I am glad that I got off the beach with my towel and sun tan lotion but I sure didn’t like that wind messing up my bird hair today. caused me to lose focus and I kept re-adjusting my headset. Just threw in that towel and let bozo blow it. Oh, well hopefully I improved my tan. Sure glad that Ford installed those rogaine sprayers in the dash board. glory be to God!
bilbo799
January 2nd, 2012
7:09 pm
The scary thing is, BOBO hasn’t really improved much. BOBO MUST GO.
1969 Graduate
January 2nd, 2012
7:09 pm
My sister-in-law, a woman who watches tons of football, attends zillions of games, and knows everything about football, called after the game to tell me that Georgia’s coaching was the worst she’s ever seen!
Hey, we did it: Bookends.
Two loses to open, and two loses to close the season.
We did it: We lost to every good team we played.
We did it: We achieved Absolute Mediocrity.
Congratulations to Mark Richt, and Mike Bobo. I’m assuming they will get lifetime contract extensions.
Go, Bulldogs.
P.S. Wait ’till next year. We can do it again.
Rilo
January 2nd, 2012
7:10 pm
Has Bobo been fired yet?
sheepdawg
January 2nd, 2012
7:10 pm
The 5 star thug squad flops again……………
N Saban
January 2nd, 2012
7:10 pm
Maybe those black jerseys would’ve WOWED em.
Baby Ruth
January 2nd, 2012
7:10 pm
Such a beautiful thing to see crying PUPPIES!!!
JB
January 2nd, 2012
7:10 pm
DP…………I WAS WRONG…I’m glad we are off Bama’s schedule. HAPPY NOW?
NYC Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
7:10 pm
Here’s my “UGA To Do” list going into the 2012 season:
- Hire a big time OC with NFL experience. Look how well Todd G has done with the defense. Pay the $700K-1000K per year that it takes to acquire such an asset.
- Develop a ball control passing game. Be able to complete the 5 yard short passes that control the ball and move the chains. Aaron Murray would be great at it.
- Eliminate our reliance on the predictable, and ineffective, strategy that runs 180 pound running backs against 280 pound D linemen.
- Re-purpose Bobo as the special teams coach…I’m sure he could create improvements in that area.
- Make sure CTG is locked in, contractually.
- Insist that IC cuts his dreads. Convince him that it is time to become a man, and quit being just another spoiled high school star.
- Recruit a reliable field goal kicker
- Get Keith Marshall in the weight room
- Find a way to keep Orson Charles on the team
- DO NOT talk about an SEC or National championship until we are at least 7 games deep into an undefeated season
wtf?
January 2nd, 2012
7:10 pm
Enter your comments here
Blackland
January 2nd, 2012
7:10 pm
Spurrier owns UGA, recruits if you want to lose to USC and still win the SEC East because of a weak schedule then go to UGA. Just expect to lose your bowl game.
Developmental studies
January 2nd, 2012
7:11 pm
ga needs to get the players back in those special “developmental studies” classes so they concentrate on football alone! jan won’t mind–she’s not around.
SAD
January 2nd, 2012
7:11 pm
Bobo is horrible. Offense was horrendous. No running backs…
Murray has a lot of talent but nothing up stairs.
davidinloganville
January 2nd, 2012
7:11 pm
I hate to say it but it looks like the tech/fla/bamer fans were right this season was built more on the schedule that on any thing else. Both tech and Georgia played not to lose instead of playing to win, and both lost.
Pollster guy
January 2nd, 2012
7:11 pm
If bobo is not fired, then cmr should be. Mcgarity, it now lays on your shoulders, they are YOUR employees.
Festus
January 2nd, 2012
7:11 pm
Too bad UGA replaced Alabama with Missouri in 2012. Murray’s chances of winning the Heisman Trophy are much better win a signature win over Alabama than Missouri. If you want national recognition and honors you got to drop the Coastal Carolinas and play somebody with a name. Add Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Oregon, Oklahoma State, and drop the community colleges. CMR needs to understand that he can’t win Coach of the Year honors unless he plays somebody with a name. Beating Kentucky, Vandy, and Tenn ain’t going to get you on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Grantham's salary
January 2nd, 2012
7:11 pm
Grantham will want a lot more money than $750,000 next year–if not, he’ll go to the nfl! pay up ga!!!
Reality
January 2nd, 2012
7:12 pm
“The 5 star thug squad”
EXCELLENT!!!!
DDD
January 2nd, 2012
7:12 pm
Defense got better this year.
Offense got worse.
Can u imagine how good our D would have been with a good offense to take off some pressure.
I thought we were going to squat to relieve ourself during the game so we would not lose anymore yards.
Waved the white flag.
JB
January 2nd, 2012
7:12 pm
Bobo is not going anywhere. This staff comes back intact. Richt tells McGarity we are soooooooooooooooooooooo close…..can’t mess with the chemistry…….GEEZ.
Erk Russell's Dog
January 2nd, 2012
7:13 pm
JB ,Not defending keeping Bobo.
Just asking the question, Does the” Head Ball Coach in SC” son coach offense? I think Steve ,Jr. is on the SC staff.Make him an offer ,stir it up a little.Do something this Bobo situation has been going on too long .If he had real talent he would be a head coach by now.
16-0!!
January 2nd, 2012
7:13 pm
will ga get some special trophy for their first half lead? Maybe a t-shirt or special video about the first half??? Can I buy them online?
Pollster guy
January 2nd, 2012
7:13 pm
Black land……..your USC bowl history is terrible, you won one game today.
……bye bye.
SCDAWG
January 2nd, 2012
7:13 pm
Erk Russells Dog, Who replaced Martinez when he stunk up the field? Answer:CTG!!!
DP
January 2nd, 2012
7:14 pm
For those defending kicking the field goal on 3rd down, I’ve been watching pro and college football for over 40 years and don’t recall ever seeing a team botch a field goal snap on 3rd down and then kick it on 4th. If Georgia had muffed the snap on the 3rd down field goal and the holder fell on it, then kicked on 4th, the 4th down FG attempt would have been 50+ yards into the wind. Running to the middle for a loss on 2nd down and kicking a 42-43 yard field goal into the wind on 3rd down basically sent the message “My boys are choking, I’m choking, I’m afraid to run another play because we might cough up the ball, I’m praying that my erratic field goal kicker can win this game.”
Jan Kemp
January 2nd, 2012
7:14 pm
And what exactly is a Degree in “Housing”?
On the verge!!
January 2nd, 2012
7:14 pm
richt says uga is on the verge of greatness! YeS!!!! when will it start? Hopefully soon!
JB
January 2nd, 2012
7:14 pm
NYC Dawg….We have the best HS kicker in Florida committed. The rest is a dream
realitycheck
January 2nd, 2012
7:14 pm
And he’s about to get an extension? LOL!
Phil
January 2nd, 2012
7:15 pm
Basically a repeat of the LSU game. Played a great first half then completely went away from what was working. And what was Carlton Thomas doing in the game at the end instead of Maclome?
DDD
January 2nd, 2012
7:15 pm
We ought to be able to get an IRS write off for that giveaway.