3 points about the Georgia Bulldogs, who only won by 45
QB Aaron Murray scans the field and probably likes what he sees. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
1. Aaron Murray is having himself a year. He ranks eighth in the nation in passing efficiency, having thrown 10 touchdown passes against two interceptions, and against Vanderbilt he completed his first 12 attempts. And that’s just the statistical side of it. Said Georgia coach Mark Richt: “Aaron just prepares like no one we’ve ever had. All our [quarterbacks, the list of which includes luminaries David Greene, D.J. Shockley and Matthew Stafford] were pretty good at it, but he takes it to another level … You hope [a quarterback] can get you out of a bad situation [at the line of scrimmage] and into a good one, but he’s getting where he can turn a good situation into a great one.”
2. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Georgia offense has become something to behold. The Bulldogs are 13th nationally in total yards, ninth in points. Against Vandy they drove for seven touchdowns, not one of them off a turnover. The shortest of those seven scoring drives was 47 yards. (The others spanned 88, 57, 96, 63, 61 and 71 yards.) Nine different Bulldogs caught passes. One freshman tailback (Todd Gurley) rushed for 130 yards, and the other (Keith Marshall) broke a 52-yard touchdown. And offensive coordinator Mike Bobo brewed a potent blend of power and finesse — 47 rushes for 302 yards, 26 passes for 265.
3. Oh, almost forgot. Georgia plays some defense, too. “Anytime you can hold a team to no touchdowns, that’s a big statement in this league,” said defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, relishing the damage his men inflicted on James Franklin’s team. (”We had a group hug,” said Grantham, speaking of last year’s postgame debate adversary. And yes, Grantham was kidding. Franklin and Grantham only shook hands Saturday night.) Then Grantham offered this cheery (for Georgia, if not its opponents) note: “As we move forward, we can get better.” Indeed, Alec Ogletree and Bacarri Rambo, neither of whom has played a down this season, figure to come off suspension against Tennessee on Saturday
By Mark Bradley
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127 comments Add your comment
Sman
September 23rd, 2012
11:09 pm
Hey GTBob, you talked about how South Carolina played against Missouri as compared to how UGA did against Missouri as if that is a barometer of how good UGA is (or how bad they are). How did South Carolina do against Vandy this year? And how does it compare to UGA’s performance against Vandy?
Fair n Balanced
September 23rd, 2012
11:13 pm
Ga fans, lets just admit we don’t have a signature win yet. On the other hand, we have beaten everybody on our schedule the way we were supposed to. Signature wins will come.
collegeballfan
September 23rd, 2012
11:42 pm
“You have to be a full blown leftists liberal who no doubt supports obama.”
You must be speaking of the UGA football team, correct? I understand about 90% of the team supports Obama.
zone blitz
September 24th, 2012
12:47 am
And you, daddo, man without a team or thought…keep watching Division 2 D’s.
Roadrunner
September 24th, 2012
1:27 am
Dawgs looked REALLY GOOD on Saturday. They appear to have learned how to put a team away when they have the opportunity. Too many times we would let a lesser team hang around long enough that they begin to believe they can win … and they have sometimes. If they keep getting better week to week, take care of business along the way, getting to and being competitive in the SEC Championship game is looking pretty good. GO DAWGS!!
Loser alert
September 24th, 2012
7:26 am
@GTBob
So if UGa’s opponents have a combined 5-10 record would they have a 9-6 winning record if they all had beaten UGa? See you fool…..statistics are for losers. Oh yes, you are a GT fan so we already know you are a loser!!!!
Piney Woods Pete
September 24th, 2012
8:20 am
I hope we continue with the same discipline and character on and off the field which leads to greatness.
It’s such a joke to use the words “discipline” and “character” when talking about UGA. Try to remember that you’re talking about a team with 53 arrests in the last four years, a record that no other school comes close to.
Loser alert
September 24th, 2012
8:41 am
@piney woods
You conveniently forgot to mention that UGa also leads the nation in Allstate Community Service Awards!!!! CMR is first in coaching players who have won this award….not even Bowdon or Saban or Miles or…….. Can say this.
Loser alert
September 24th, 2012
8:46 am
Piney woods = GT bob
Loser alert has an easy job on this blog detecting big time LOSERS!!!
Nickolas
September 24th, 2012
8:52 am
Georgia needs to play an actual college team.
Buffalo, Mizzo, Fla Atl……Vandy??????? Please…….come on.
Beat SC and Fla…..and then I will join the bandwagon. Sad part is……we will never get past LSU or Bama.
BIG UGLIES
September 24th, 2012
9:02 am
GURLEY IS A BEAST A BEAST I SAY!!! Just threw that guy to the ground!
The hot seat is glowing for CPJ
September 24th, 2012
9:07 am
Tech’s Paul Johnson has won NOTHING. He is in his 5th year and at Tech, a ball coach usually comes and goes about every 5 years and this has been true since Dodd bailed out in 68. Counting Dodd with Lewis, Fulmer, Carson, Rogers, Curry, Ross, Oleary and CPJ and possibly 3 or 4 more head coaches for Tech since 1968, they come and they go every 4 or 5 years and CPJ is on that glide path to CHANGE.
The Tech program has not fielded a football team that attended two major bowl games in a row since the early to mid 1950s. The Orange Bowl in 1967 and the Orange Bowl in 2009 are the only TWO MAJOR bowls that GT has been invitied to sine 1955 or 56. AAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH.HAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHA
Columbus Dawg
September 24th, 2012
9:17 am
Willie Wet Your Pants, I was hoping there was an idiot Alabama D.A. on the blog. Your team’s weaknesses will be exposed by Missy State, you may beat them but you will not look good doing it. The entitled attitude of T Twon, whatever that is, never ceases to amaze. IF the mulligans make it to the GEORGIA DOME in December, the Alabama Crimson Tide will fail. Period. You will see.
BullDogMike
September 24th, 2012
9:25 am
Murray still looking for a win against a ranked opponent. He is still the wild card as to how far this team can go. Having a running game like Dawgs have now can only help. The next test against a ranked team will be in Columbia, and may be the most important game he has been in thus far. I say this only because I have never seen a Gamecock team with that many weapons.
WDE
September 24th, 2012
9:44 am
I have a question all the trolls and talking heads say UGA struggled vs Mizzou and that the game chickens destroyed them last weekend…..uh the margin of victory in both games was 21 points…I’m not tracking the logic…didn’t UGA play them at their house in the very first game Mizzou had ever played in the SEC? And didn’t the game chickens play them at their house in front of all those game chicken fans??
ARdawg
September 24th, 2012
10:29 am
WDE
Those are the chumps that can’t make an argument or a defense to one. Playing a night game in Mizzou and opening conference schedule was quite different than a day game in Columbia. Actually, SC beat Mizzou the same way UGA did. Pulling away in the latter stage of the game. Nothing special about SC but, more proof, Mizzou has no depth.
Do any of those same morons mention that Vandy had SC on the ropes in the last seconds of the game and lucky to leave with a win?
ARdawg
September 24th, 2012
10:32 am
Bradley
Your filters are too damn tight. Impossible to converse
ARdawg
September 24th, 2012
10:33 am
It’s no wonder there are only 112 comments by day 2
Columbus Dawg
September 24th, 2012
11:05 am
There has not been more unwarranted jealousy and hate towards any team in the nation like there is and has been against the Georgia Bulldogs. This not only from talking heads, but from other teams and their fan bases, such as Alabama. Georgia is pretty, Alabama, not so much. Georgia wins without cheating, Alabama teams, (all), not so much. Athens is known as the “Classic City”. Towns in Alabama, (any), not so much. Talking heads had too much time vested in talking the Dawgs up way too much in 2008, and when Georgia under achieved that year it made them look bad. This coupled with the fact that they,(talking heads), would rather see Notre Dame play Oregon in the title game than eat, tells you what you need to know about most idiot football pundits. Every national media outlet will do everything it can to keep UGA out of Miami if Georgia wins out. College Football is about momentum, rah, rah, and many intangibles. Bama has peaked. Lacey ain’t Richardson, and as bad as the runt wants his team to stay focused, there will not be enough rah, rah left in the Bama team to get all the way this time around. You can tell by the lack of loud mouth, idiot Tide posters on the AJC blogs,(Willie Wet Your Pants not withstanding), that they have all taken notice of the 2012 Georgia Bulldogs, and the threat they pose. The turmoil from within is still very apparent in Baton Rouge. Oh yeah, and for all of you idiot, so called Dawg fans who would not accept the fact that Murray beat out Mettenberger, keep watching it all unfold.
This is going to be a very special year in Athens, and as much as the haters will hate, there won’t be anything any of them can do about it. This is all anyone needs to know about the idiot Andre Ware on ESPN, “There is no quarterback in the SEC that is playing up to the level of Jeff Driskell right now”. now that’s insight.
www
September 24th, 2012
11:23 am
“Three points about UGA:
1. The four teams they have beaten are a combined 5-10.
2. Their signature win so far was against Missouri, who just got slaughtered by South Carolina.
3. The offensive rankings of the 4 teams they have played are 73,80,99, and 120.”
yep, this is true.
WDE
September 24th, 2012
11:31 am
@Columbus Dawg I think Mr Ware missed the fact that Vandy had the #6 pass defense and Murray shredded them…oh and Notre Dame won 12-6 with the benefit of 6 turnovers against a team Bama beat like a rented mule…
ARdawg
September 24th, 2012
11:55 am
Columbus
The “talking heads” are just that, talking heads. They have no scruples as to who or what they choose. I quit listening/watching them altogether. They don’t know anymore about college football than the average fan. Just filling space with white noise
ARdawg
September 24th, 2012
11:57 am
SC was very lucky to get out of Vandy with a win. I look for the Gators to be much more of a challenge than SC
Paddy
September 24th, 2012
2:56 pm
Nicholas…………UGA has played 2 conf. games out of 4 total games. Name one other college team that has played more conf. games in 4 weeks! I will be waiting. It might be easier for you to name teams that have yet to play a conf game or just 1. What a Maroon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
deb
September 25th, 2012
10:33 am
i have to tell the truth ga is the best football team in all of college this year and will remain the best team not only are they going to be 14-0 this year they will score 40 or more points on every team they play this yearand gas nfl defence will hold all opponents to a field goal or one touchdown if they get that in the game ,ga doesnt talk trash about any opponent ga just goes out on the field and dominates and shuts them down, ga high power offence will super rock and roll all over the opponets defence like there not even there.ga worked long and hard at who they are ,and will be the only team in college undefeted this year.it wont be all about alabama and lsu to much longer.alabama and lsu havent even played any body this year,and they will both have a loss or two, gas been wating 5 years to play alabama and ga will definetly beat them by 40 points or more. alabama doest have the talent or physical power to beat ga this year neither does any team in college football.
Michael
September 25th, 2012
2:20 pm
Fire Bobo!
Evening Dresses
September 25th, 2012
9:08 pm
After I start your Rss feed it appears to be a ton of junk, is the problem on my side?
Evening Dresses