A sobering night: Georgia is outclassed and overwhelmed
This forlorn shot is somewhat indicative of the night itself, wouldn't you say? (AP photo by Brett Flashnick)
Columbia, S.C. – Billed as a prove-it game, Georgia can only hope this was instead a case of false advertising. If the nation’s No. 5 team proved anything Saturday night, it’s that it shouldn’t be ranked that high, or perhaps at all.
South Carolina was primed to make a point. It took Georgia, which had averaged 48 points in its first five games, 58 minutes just to score a point here. To say the Bulldogs looked a step slow from the get-go is to suggest that “Ishtar” slightly underperformed at the box office. In the first 10 minutes, Georgia managed to get outclassed across the board — on offense, on defense, even on special teams. Not coincidentally, South Carolina had mustered three touchdowns before the visitors managed their second first down.
In a way, this recalled the infamous first half against Alabama in September 2008, the night the Bulldogs wore their black jerseys and trailed 31-0 at the half. But Alabama hit Georgia with a series of body blows. South Carolina was firing haymakers to the jaw: A 42-yard completion that should have been a Bacarri Rambo interception on the game’s second snap; an interception off a tipped Aaron Murray pass on Georgia’s third snap; two Connor Shaw touchdown passes to unencumbered receivers, and finally an outrageous punt return by Ace Sanders.
All the improvements Georgia has made over the past 13 months — or seemed to have made — were called into question in this wretched first quarter. South Carolina was bigger, faster, stronger, tougher and yes, better-coached. The Gamecocks knew what they wanted to do and did it with gusto. Georgia had no good ideas. South Carolina showed it could run the ball, pass the ball, stop the run and rush the passer. (And, lest we forget, return punts.) The Bulldogs could do none of the above.
Example: On Georgia’s only real threat of the first three quarters, Mark Richt chose to go for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal at the 2. Murray somehow completed a pass for one yard to Rantavious Wooten. “The ball probably should have gone to the [other] side,” said Mike Bobo, the offensive coordinator.
The talent Georgia had displayed against Missouri and Vanderbilt and Tennessee looked rather less impressive this night. Surely some of that had to do with playing on the road, but venue is no excuse for losing 35-7. South Carolina was ready, and that’s a function of coaching. Georgia wasn’t, and that’s a malfunction of same.
Even more distressing was that the big-name Bulldogs — Murray and Jarvis Jones and Rambo and the freshman backs — were rendered pedestrian by comparison. South Carolina’s offensive and defensive fronts exerted their will. The great Marcus Lattimore got all the tough yards. Shaw, who’s from Flowery Branch, made all the tough plays. The Bulldogs acted content to stand back and admire such excellence, and by appearing so passive in such a setting they left themselves open to all the old doubts.
Even in their division-winning season of 2011, the Bulldogs lost to the four best teams they played. This year they’d won five games without meeting anyone of real consequence, and this effort, if that’s the word for it, was so desultory as to make you wonder when, or if, Georgia will ever again beat anybody any good.
Surely they will. They’re too gifted not to break through against somebody. But a game like this made everyone who has attempted to paint these Bulldogs as smarter, tougher, better — and that’s my hand you see raised — feel a fool. When you’re beaten like this, there can be no disclaimers, no qualifiers: This was simply a horrid showing.
Said Richt: “I told the guys, ‘The bad news is that we took a whipping. The good news is that we all took it together … They whipped us pretty good.”
This was worse than the 42-10 loss to LSU in the SEC title game. Georgia wasn’t quite ready for such a game, and the Tigers were too good. But these Bulldogs were older and presumably wiser, and none of that wisdom was brought to bear here. And if Georgia, after all its staff changes and glitzy recruiting, remains incapable of competing on the big stage, whose fault is that?
Todd Grantham’s defense was superb much of last season but seems misdirected now. Bobo’s offense had run up boxcar numbers against lesser lights, but against South Carolina it had but 149 yards through three quarters. And Richt, who’s in charge of this whole operation, used to be able to take teams anywhere and beat anybody. Where did that mojo go?
No, the season isn’t over, and yes, it’s still possible for this team to win the SEC East and play for the conference title. But the season changed Saturday night. Georgia was exposed on national TV as undeserving of its hype, and it can take a program a long time to recover from such an indignity. The Bulldogs’ ceiling got lowered here. When they arrived, we wondered how good they really were. We have a clearer idea now.
By Mark Bradley
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1,090 comments Add your comment
buzzwax
October 6th, 2012
11:55 pm
Don’t worry Doggie fans, you will score 50++ against GT while we go scoreless in the fourth quarter to beat the Jackets AGAIN. CMR coaches again next year…..
Boss
October 6th, 2012
11:56 pm
At least the GT kids are getting a real education and have a bright future to look forward to.
JT
October 6th, 2012
11:57 pm
Georgia supporters have been delusional for years. You beat no one last year and got your clocks cleaned in your bowl game. Everyone did you a disservice by ranking you so high, (see Stanford this year). You should have been ranked low in the top twenty five. Going into the SC game, all we heard was how great your FRESHMAN running backs were and Aaron Murrey was one of the top QBs in the nation. You did not earn any of the accolades that people were giving you,
Having said that, you have the talent that could have won tonight’s game. You seemed to be in too great a hurry. Slow your tempo and look at and analyse what your opponent is trying to do against you. You did not do this tonight. Shame on the coaches. You have the physical talent. Your coaches are not utilizing them to their potential and making the necessary adjustments.
big S.C. FAN
October 6th, 2012
11:58 pm
Georgia players seem to focus more on the I in Georgia ,than they do the team Georgia,Its been that way for awhile.
Pool Party at the Ramsey Center after the Game
October 6th, 2012
11:58 pm
What a bunch of clowns we have for a coaching staff!
It Is What It Is
October 6th, 2012
11:58 pm
Isn’t it time for a freaking special teams coach? Rambo was also caught in no-man’s land on several plays. Jarvis was fooled more than once on the QB runs. I mean, did they even watch tape? SC had our # walking onto the field. When we figured out they had our number, what did we do? NOTHING! Ran the same stupid plays again. Bobo has got to go. Forget the gaudy numbers against nobodies. He hasnt don’t jack against any ranked teams. Vanilla and predictable. We’ve been exposed.
THWGT
October 6th, 2012
11:59 pm
I’d say Richt is still the right guy for the program but what do you do with a Head Coach who is blind to the truth of the state of his Program?
How long did it take Richt to get rid of Martinez? How embarrassed did our team have to get before he pulled that trigger? How many people did he have to go through to find someone who would work with him? Don’t get me wrong, I like Grantham – heck, I’d take HIM has our Head Coach.
But the problem with the program CONTINUES to be our Offense. Bobo insists on playing GOFF-ball (up the middle, up the middle, up the middle, PUNT!). His play calling looked great in September, but who did we really play? And with all the moaning and screaming about our offense what has been done about it? Bobo is still there, Richt insists he stay. Richt is more concerned about his loyalty rather than doing what is right for our Program!!!
Last year Richt made the comment in an AJC interview that McGarity had taken some duties off of him that would allow him more time to coach… so is this what we’re getting for the extra time? Where’s our Special Teams assistant? Where’s the Quarterback Development? Where’s the recruiting when there are players saying that they hadn’t heard from UGA for months? Where’s this coaches head?
So, thanks Richt for the embarrassment. Thanks for a crowd that could be heard shouting “overrated” on National TV. Thanks for a program that was outclassed in EVERY way, again on National TV. Thanks, Richt, for giving an ESPN commentator the opportunity to say he was “disappointed” —- ON NATIONAL TV.
Thank you Mark Richt… thank you.
Chas Henry
October 7th, 2012
12:00 am
choke!
Chas Henry
October 7th, 2012
12:01 am
where is DawginLex when we need him?
Boss is a moron
October 7th, 2012
12:01 am
And so are the kids a UGA, where have you been?
ga gator
October 7th, 2012
12:02 am
Shocking display, defense was confused by a pretty vanilla offense and Carolina’s D was much better than advertised.
Stunner: South Carolina absolutely whomps Georgia – USA TODAY | Live News
October 7th, 2012
12:02 am
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Abe Lincoln
October 7th, 2012
12:02 am
You better hire Kirk Smart before before someone steals him away. ROLL TIDE
Raiderbeater
October 7th, 2012
12:02 am
Bravo THWGT
JETHRO
October 7th, 2012
12:03 am
Steak Shapiro, what happened to your fave team? The one that was going to the SEC championship, and “who knows with a little luck to the National Championship game”
Chuck and Chernoff, you too, What happened?
honeybooboo
October 7th, 2012
12:04 am
You better redneckonize that murray is not a leader. Rambo should have intercepeted and taken the carolina fans out of the game. Just saying.
Raiderbeater
October 7th, 2012
12:05 am
I have a bad feeling that this is the start of a few very bad years for the ga program.
bubba4dawgs
October 7th, 2012
12:05 am
The Curse of the Cocks! Darth Visor has the DAWG’s number……tore’em up in Fla. now tearing’em up in SC! Answer: He simply places beasts on both sides of the ball! Our beasts are just not as bad as their beasts! DAWGS,. lick your wounds, pull up your silver britches, re-attach your balls and get ready for another game! GO DAWGS!!
Stuart
October 7th, 2012
12:06 am
The question is, if you had to pick one, who looked least interested this week? The Bulldogs tonight or Obama during the debate?
WPWW
October 7th, 2012
12:06 am
(Th)UGA and their jock sniffin’, drunken fans just got a rude awakening to the mediocrity that is UGA(G) afroletics!
Cocky Dawg
October 7th, 2012
12:07 am
I want to hear some more stories about Gurshall! pretty please? Mark Richt for President!!!!!!
Tom in Atl
October 7th, 2012
12:08 am
After handing Texas A&M a 17-5 loss last weekend, the University of Georgia equestrian team finds itself in sole possession of the top spot in the latest Coaches Poll. Georgia and Texas A&M entered last weekend’s competition tied for the No. 1 spot. The Bulldogs were one vote shy of being a unanimous No. 1 pick.
We will dominate anyone -and i mean anyone – in horse jumping. Bring the pain!!!!
Who Cares?
October 7th, 2012
12:08 am
hahahahahha………………..there was only 1 division 1 football team in the state of GEORGIA that won today…….and it’s not even covered by this POS newspaper.
DAWG GONE
October 7th, 2012
12:08 am
Anybody got a bag? I think UGA fans need to show up with bags over their heads like the New Orleans Saints fans did years ago. Maybe, then Mark Richt and company will get the message and leave town.
weenie
October 7th, 2012
12:09 am
Not interested in the opinions of any Tech fans or other juvenile trolls – past their bedtime anyway…But as an ‘88 grad
You’re 45+ years old. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
joe
October 7th, 2012
12:09 am
After this crap all our head coach can say is the good news is we all got whipped total BS BS BS when is mcgarity going to end this crap
goodsport
October 7th, 2012
12:09 am
It aint braggin unless you can do it,and we did three/and ohhhhhhhhh!
Cocky Dawg
October 7th, 2012
12:10 am
Please tell me some more stories about Gurshall….. I just love those..
CockyDawg
October 7th, 2012
12:12 am
Gurshall? Anyone, Anyone? please amuse me with more stories
jr1967
October 7th, 2012
12:13 am
UGA would re-hire Goff or Donnan before they would hire Kirby Smart.
moo-face
October 7th, 2012
12:14 am
Folks. I’ve been watching the ol’ pigskin get kicked around for a while and I haven’t seen a whole lot of situations where there was a more clear cut need for a coaching change. This CMR thing has just become one ( to steal a line from FULL METAL JACKET ) huge S**T sandwich and we’ve all been chowing on it for 4 or 5 years too long now!!
JRW7
October 7th, 2012
12:14 am
Me and my DAWGS got whipped and embarrassed too! CMR has got to go! No more support from me!
weenie
October 7th, 2012
12:14 am
who was the only person in college that could stop Terrell Davis? The answer was Ray Goff because he kept him on the sidelines too much while at UGA, yet finally was allowed to show more of who he really was while in Denver with the Broncos.
You mean the Broncos who churned out plenty of rbs after TD who no one had ever heard of?
wins-by-a-link
October 7th, 2012
12:14 am
Should have seen this one coming, Tenn would have beat us if they had any defense at all, Missouri gave the dogs all they wanted (beat by Vandy) and Buffalo scored 20 on the dogs, I hate to say it but this program is rotten to the core, Richt has lost the fire he had when he came to Ga., Can’t beat a good team, No displine, No heart, Richt will never win another SEC championship much less a national title but guess what? He has a contract extension in his pocket and he ain’t going nowhere.
Ole Ball Coach
October 7th, 2012
12:15 am
Who the hell is this Gurshall guy? I didn’t see him all night…..Discuss
weenie
October 7th, 2012
12:16 am
Georgia looked Saturday like Obama did Wednesday…
Ouch, a shot on Obama.
I love my Dawgs
October 7th, 2012
12:17 am
I would not be suprised if we lose to Florida, Auburn and GT
Brown Dog
October 7th, 2012
12:18 am
presumptive national champion at 7 p.m. Needing an entire new coaching staff by 9. Only in Georgia.
DawgDump
October 7th, 2012
12:19 am
I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired! Same ole crap against ranked teams! When the opposing defense is always in your backfield, you have a predictable offense with a under-coached O-line. When you run the exact same plays over and over again expecting different results, that’s insanity! Wake up and read the stats…………We need new blood to coach these players up! What a waste of talent!
weenie
October 7th, 2012
12:19 am
Scoop, the difference is OBAMA will win his big game. UGA will lose theirs.
POLITICS = SPORTS!!!!! YYYEEEEAAHHH!!!
moo-face
October 7th, 2012
12:19 am
Now I appreciate the job Richt and his staff did the 1st few years he was here. I don’t know what happened. You wouldn’t think the game has passed him by. He’s still pretty young and it hasn’t passed ol’ SS by. I just don’t know what happened, but the whole thing is just a huge mess. We are ate up everywhere. Toughness, fundamentals, technique, game-planning, in-game adjustments, intensity, you name it and we are failing. We have assembled quite a cast of talent, but just about anyone should be able to do that with this state just overflowing with tough, hard-hitting, athletic high school talent.
JRW7
October 7th, 2012
12:19 am
The defense and the offense played terrible, CMR can’t seem to get this team ready to play anymore, he has lost his fire, got out coached by the ole ball coach, again!
bill
October 7th, 2012
12:20 am
I loved every single minute of it. This forum makes it even better. BWAAHAHAHAHAHA
jr1967
October 7th, 2012
12:20 am
Yep, the same Broncos who garnereed two Lombardi Trophies with Terrell Davis (once at the expense of the local NFL team the buzzards)
SEC Ump
October 7th, 2012
12:21 am
SEC Football is a passionate endeavor…
ponte vedra jacket
October 7th, 2012
12:22 am
Georgia fans:
1. You won’t find a better coach for your program than Richt.
2. You’re playing in the SEC, so expect tough road games like this.
3. Accept the fact that USC has better talent.
4. Georgia doesn’t bend the rules with borderline “student-athletes” like Bama, Auburn, LSU, and now apparently USC.
JRW7
October 7th, 2012
12:24 am
Lost again to SC and the old ball coach, seems to me we have the talent to win big, but no coaching from CMR, he has lost what he had when he first came to UGA. Something’s wrong here?
Doug
October 7th, 2012
12:26 am
TN Dawg, I can answer your questions. Because Georgia does not play as a team, but as a bunch of individual spoiled brats. Remember when we had Stafford and Moreno, and how high they went in the draft, and how BAD the team was?
Raiderbeater
October 7th, 2012
12:26 am
Georgia plays dumb and expects to win. Do they have superior talent? Yes. Do they have anything else? No. Their receivers can run by the defensive backs of Buffalo and Florida Atlantic, even vandy……but these loses are making it clearer to every fan that Georgia is nothing else. They are athleticism….that’s it. No brains. No toughness. No determination. No desire. No coaching/preparation. It’s becoming obvious even to the kool-aid drinkers.
Bigjoe
October 7th, 2012
12:30 am
I tried to tell all you Dawg fans this was going to happen. If you had paid attention with the ease that South Carolina disposed of Missouri when it took the Dawgs into the 4th quarter to win. Giving up 44 points to Tenn was another sigh. South Carolina has a defense that is an equal to Bama’s and might just be better. South Carolina has playmakers all over the field on both offense and defense. Lattimore did not kill you this time but Connor Shaw and the USC defense sure did. If you noticed Lattimore sat out most of the 4th quarter. Spurrier had game in hand and no need to risk another stupid injury like last year. He still got over 100 yards and scored 1 TD and even out rushed the so call GURSHALL. Those 2 will be come good backs but they are freshmen and against South Carolina lights out defense they stood no chance. Maybe now the ESPN analyst will realize that South Carolina is for real and ready for more. Go Cocks may the DAWGS rest in peace.