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
deandog
January 2nd, 2012
8:13 pm
chuckie said MSU deserved to be in the rose bowl…wisconsin has scored 38 pts already
Phil
January 2nd, 2012
8:17 pm
Heck I don’t blame Walsh at all. He’s horrible, been that way all year. I do blame Richt however. Take a couple of shots in the endzone! Just don’t give up on a possession by taking a knee and then kicking on 3rd down! Taking a couple of shots in the endzone is probably a higher percentage play than Walsh making a FG!
Buzz 2011
January 2nd, 2012
8:33 pm
Where were the Dawg fans? Lot’s of empty seats and this game was in Tampa..
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 2nd, 2012
8:42 pm
Am I right
The only big 10 team that has won a bowl game is Michigan St
And we have people on here saying Michigan St is a good team
LOL
No!
The UGA coaching saw top 25 team next to Michigan St name on the score board and ran back into the locker room and hid
hambone
January 2nd, 2012
8:43 pm
Wow, well if we dont fix our play calling and QB play we are doomed!
Jacket99
January 2nd, 2012
9:01 pm
Lemus
December 31st, 2011
6:22 pm
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving coach, program, school and fan base!!!! LOL!!!!!
Is that really necessary?
Jacket99
January 2nd, 2012
9:03 pm
kerryb
December 31st, 2011
6:24 pm
Go Jackets!,I don’t hate Tech like some UGA fans do. My brother-in-law went there. What I do hate is idiot Tech trollers that come on UGA blogs talking trash when their team can’t win a bowl game. I had to come on here and dish it out some for pay back.
I feel your pain.
Jacket99
January 2nd, 2012
9:06 pm
Jerome
December 31st, 2011
6:27 pm
I know it’s been said a thousand times on here already, but this humiliation of massive failure couldn’t happen to a finer fan base and coach. They are both pure trash.
6 in a row and counting is right!
2 in a row is not the start of good trend, Jerry. Trust me on that.
Jacket99
January 2nd, 2012
9:10 pm
kerryb
December 31st, 2011
6:37 pm
Tech fans, I had to poke some fun to get you back for all the trash talk but I was hoping to see Tech win this game. I never want a team from Georgia losing to a team from Utah.
LinkReport this comment.hahahahahahahahhahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 31st, 2011
6:37 pm
My stomach muscles and sides are killing me from laughing for the past half hour straight!!!! Please help!!!! hahahahahahahahhahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LinkReport this comment.Sheriff Buford T. Justice
December 31st, 2011
6:38 pm
Go Jackets!
Come on now
You know you will be on our blog if we lose Monday and why not, you know its fun.
LinkReport this comment.Buggoff
December 31st, 2011
6:38 pm
Paul Johnson sucks and gt will never win a bowl game again EVER what a joke of a school hahahahahahahaha
LinkReport this comment.hahahhahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 31st, 2011
6:38 pm
I hurt so much from laughing!!!! What a wonderful way to ring in the new year!!!! Then again, it’s been the same for the past 6 straight years!!! hahahahahahahhaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really thought the Bulldogs had this game won.
Jacket99
January 2nd, 2012
9:15 pm
GT fan
December 31st, 2011
7:08 pm
It’s New Years Eve. Just a few short hours before we ring in a new year, hopefully a good year for everyone. And yet so many UGA fans are on this blog “kickin-a-man-when-he-is-down”.
If that’s what makes your New Year’s Eve special, then knock yourselves out, I sincerely hope you find MUCH happiness in this characteristic.
Don’t jinx your Dawgs into losing b/c you’re enjoying so much New Year’s Eve ribbing. Karma has a weird way of working out.
I think both teams will do better in 2012. I would like to see Georgia schools represented in both the Orange and the Sugar bowls, if not the one better.
Jacket99
January 2nd, 2012
9:22 pm
Really?
December 31st, 2011
8:37 pm
I have to give it to the north avenue trade school, after being up by 14 to an unranked team I thought the bug’s amazing run of bowl losses was over. However, like only a pack of true losers can do, the trade school squad managed to choke yet again.
It is tough to watch a fourth quarter lead evaporate.
Ed dawg
January 2nd, 2012
9:24 pm
Coaching and Murray choked big time. But, it is not an embarrassing loss…it just sucks because we blew it. We should have won and threw it away because of bad coaching. Maybe this will be a wake up call that our coaches need to get their act together. If we had won (made the field goal) then it would likewise have been no big deal. But they play the game for a reason and losing is losing, and losing because we have zero killer instinct is a big concern. Enough Bible thumping. That high minded stuff only works when you win .
Jacket99
January 2nd, 2012
9:24 pm
San Francisco Dawg
December 31st, 2011
8:51 pm
Went to the Spartans site…they have conceded defeat to the Dawgs…nice…no smack as they know they have never beat us…just like Tech, 9 out of 10 years!
Confidence can be a good thing.
tickets
January 2nd, 2012
9:44 pm
the attendance at the game was terrible! why don’t ga fans support their SEC east champions???
chuck
January 2nd, 2012
10:21 pm
Bobo has to be fired and if CMR won’t fire him then he needs to go. Bobo was the clown that made up a game plan to run right at an All American DT versus running toss sweeps. Charles got ONE pass today for 4 yards. How can we ignore the second best TE in the country?
phil
January 2nd, 2012
10:24 pm
I’m just sad.
We have a good man for a coach, but after 11 years, he still can’t manage a game.
They gave us the game, again, and what do we do?
Fall down on the ground and let a guy who misses half of the time stroll out and…
Miss.
On third down.
In OT.
I wish i could understand why this guy is our coach when he lacks the ability to make sound decisions.
We all saw it. We all know it. It’s sad.
BigDawgLittleDawg
January 4th, 2012
11:54 pm
I agree with “phil”: We have a good man in Coach Richt, but holy crap, we looked crappy! I just do’t think we’ve got the coaching staff, nor the kids, to do what it takes: We are a pretty good second-tiered team, but nothing more. It hurts me to say so. I used to always think we were a special football, but not any more. Maybe for a little bit, but I can’t be fooled forever.