Big day for Grantham’s defense, Ealey, Uga VIII and, really, all the Dogs
A roundup of the AJC’s coverage of Georgia’s 43-0 win over Vanderbilt:
My game story, which notes that Todd Grantham coveted a shutout even after the win was assured:
ATHENS — A football team that looked hapless and hopeless two weeks ago flexed its muscle here Saturday.
Georgia put up big numbers on offense and the most impressive number of all on defense, beating Vanderbilt 43-0 in a happy homecoming game in Sanford Stadium.
The shutout was Georgia’s first against an SEC opponent since 2006. The margin of victory was Georgia’s largest against an SEC opponent since 2004. And the win was Georgia’s second in a row after four consecutive losses.
“This is the way we feel like we could have played the whole year,” quarterback Aaron Murray said.
Well, that would have spared a lot of anguish.
Andy Johnston’s sidebar on the coronation of Uga VIII:
. . . Before being led to his doghouse by members of the Seiler family, which owns the line of mascots, Uga VIII stopped and seemed to give a goodbye kiss to Russ.
. . . Being his first game, Uga VIII seemed to be unsure of the crowd noise and music. He spent most of the game inside his doghouse.
“This is a great-looking dog,” UGA President Michael Adams said. “I think he’s going to have a great career.”
Jeff Schultz’s column, which notes the team has a pulse that was barely detectable at 1-4:
ATHENS – Since Georgia is way past concerns about where it ranks in the Harris Poll, there’s little in the way of buildup for the unveiling of the first BCS standings Sunday. Certainly, there’s no reason for fans to reflect and wonder: “Will Vanderbilt’s record hurt our strength of schedule?”
But that shouldn’t matter right now. There is a pulse.
Andy Johnston’s sidebar on Washaun Ealey coming through in a time of need:
ATHENS — Washaun Ealey’s focus never wavered.
Ball security remained at the forefront of his mind throughout Georgia’s 43-0 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday, and with it came Ealey’s best performance of the season.
“I feel like I won [teammates' and coaches'] trust a little bit, but I have to keep working and let them keep trusting me and show them that I can be that back,” Ealey said. “It was a big game for me. I knew I had a lot of people depending on me to have a good game.”
My notebook, including items on Blair Walsh’s record, the sellout streak and Ken Malcome keeping his redshirt:
ATHENS — Georgia freshman tailback Ken Malcome did not make his college debut Saturday after all. And he probably won’t play this season.
Coach Mark Richt had suggested Malcome might shed his redshirt and play against Vanderbilt because of attrition at tailback — specifically, Caleb King’s suspension and Carlton Thomas‘ strained hamstring. But Thomas’ condition improved Wednesday and Thursday, and he played Saturday in relief of starter Washaun Ealey.
And Brant Sanderlin’s photo gallery, including this shot of teammates congratulating Carlton Thomas after his third-quarter touchdown:
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171 comments Add your comment
Willie Martinez
October 17th, 2010
8:51 am
Grantham is padding his statistics. Shows he is keenly aware of the year end numbers. Good for him. That is what the fans like. With Greg McGarity’s scheduling ideas for non-conference games, the defensive statistics should continue to improve over the next several years. If you want to see predictable offensive play calling, watch the Gayters. Miss St., AU, and UF are basicaly running the same O now. Cam Newton seems to be a difference maker in that style of offense. Miss St. did not throw a pass in the second half last night and beat the Gayters. Make me think Paul Johnson would do just fine in the SEC.
Dawg_Mike
October 17th, 2010
8:52 am
Tony B’s burning questions:
Will Oregon be atop the BCS when the first rankings are revealed now that the mighty The Ohio State has fallen??
Or will Boise be the number 1 ?
Can Arkansas ever play D ?
Can anyone stop Auburn’s offense, which is to say number 2 ?
Can the Gators find some offense?
Can the Tide beat the War Eagles in the iron Bowl?
Will LSU end up in the SECCG if the beat AU?
Has SC folded like a tent?
Bonus question- You are on the 20 yard line with a timeout left, trailing by 3 with 11 seconds left.
Do you use the TO, kick the FG and go to OT where anything can happen ?
Do you use the TO, decide to throw it into the endzone risking an INT and a sure loss ?
tick…tick…tick….
SOS cannot help himself…he has to throw the ball. I know 21 was out of the game, but SOS, you aint the mad hatter…..
Offensive Guru
October 17th, 2010
8:57 am
Whoever said UGA’s next coach is in Starkville needs to have his sack punched. I don’t ever want to see that style of offense at UGA.
shanammons
October 17th, 2010
8:59 am
SEC East is not “up for grabs”. USC wins out and they are in. . OR, if they lose once more and the Dawgs win out, then SC is still the East champ. Dawgs needs to win out and hope SC loses TWICE to have any chance of winning the East. Toughest games left for SC are Arkansas and Florida. Of course, those are OUR two toughest games left as well. . . . still gonna take a lot of luck and hard work.
shanammons
October 17th, 2010
9:00 am
Sorry. . meant that OUR two toughest games are Auburn and Florida. . brain fart.
BigDawg
October 17th, 2010
9:24 am
toupee- you need to take it off and let the sun warm up what is left of your brain. Top 25 omg put down the pipe.
savannadawg
October 17th, 2010
9:24 am
What? It’s great to have two wins back to back no matter who they’re against. But that being said. The whole side of the SEC EAST better get together, because the SEC WEST is killing them.
John Galt
October 17th, 2010
9:29 am
Bottom line dogville, hapless teams are a feast for the dogs. Beating three teams with a combined record of 8—-12, and their wins coming form lower tiered football teams, does not equate with the reasoning that the dogs will triumph the rest of the season. Schultz has it right in his article with the quote of what if. Basically that all dogville ever expounds. The dogs do not have the intensity to win consistently and nationally. Keep on what iffing, dogville.
I win u lose
October 17th, 2010
9:31 am
the Dawgs are playing with confidence now and will punch uk right in the vag. Dawgs roll 31-17 next week and take momentum into the worlds largest outdoor jortfest.
BigDawg
October 17th, 2010
9:44 am
Galt hit it on the head. We will never be more than a regional player. Beating some of the national programs every now and then. The Kumbaya coaching staff will always leave us wanting more. CMR and the boys need to go sit around a campfire and sing some songs. Then allow a real football coach to lead the program.
harold
October 17th, 2010
9:47 am
GEORGIA IS AN AVERAGE FOOTBALL TEAM THAT BEAT TWO VERY WEAK AND POORLY COACHED TEAMS THE LAST TWO WEEKS. DOOLEY IS LAUGHABLE AS IS GEORGIA.
ryan
October 17th, 2010
9:48 am
SEC east is wide open who ever can gets momentum can control there own destiny i am not saying UGA is there yet but anything can happen .
RMikl58
October 17th, 2010
9:51 am
Still dont care about the way Bobo calls plays. We won 2 games at home and not away so we’ll see if this streak continues at Kentucky this saturday. Defense is more agressive than it was 2 weeks ago and seems to know where they should be in alignment to the opponents offense. No arm tackling, penalties, mis assignments i think they’re getting into a groove now. The offense is a Dr. Jekyl Mr. Hyde and hopefully they’re popping on all cylinders. I tell you one thing i think alot of ppl missed was the prominent talent of a RB named Carlton Thomas. I believe this guy can flat out fly around ends and has great vision down the field though he’s short. Georgia should use this RB more often cause the talents there. I thought Washaun was gonna be a more Moreno type back and be a big play maker but he hasnt lived up to high expectations so far. Offense is definietly better with A.J. in there and Durham is a better reciever than i ever thought he would be. Where is Marlon Brown these days? Why arent they using him anyone know? If Georgia plays with the same intensity against Kentucky, Florida, Auburn they might have a shot of winning the SEC. Ofcourse South Carolina has to lose 2 more against Florida and Vandy and we’d have to beat Florida for the tie breaker but hey there is a chance there. To the Defense wow now thats Georgia D and how it should be played, swarming, sacking, gang tackling, relentless out of control defense that puts a hurt on anyone crossing that imaginary line. See how good you guys can really be when you want too? Boss Bailey knows this, the fans know this, the coaches know this and maybe finally you know this. Play with a Ronnie Lott mentality, make them hurt and make them scared and make them worry. Win the 3 and i’ll bet you get in, heck infact win them all finish 8-4 and show the fans you got talent and desire. The whole success of the Offense lies solely on the offensive lines shoulders. Block, protect, open up holes………no sacks and no penalties! Youre suppose to be one of the best offensive lines in the country…..now man up and be that!
dawg nation
October 17th, 2010
9:56 am
The train is rolling downhill now boys. Big game Sat against the Cats. Go DAWGS!!!!
realistic dog fan
October 17th, 2010
9:58 am
Buford T. Pusser – Your remarks and comments are as dead as the Bufor T. Pusser in real like. Watch the next 4 weeks and be amazed and proven sadly, emabarrassingly WRONG!
Todd Grantham
October 17th, 2010
10:00 am
WOW, Auburn sure gave up a TON of points to Arkansas eventhough they won. Maybe Aurburn isn’t as good as they seem to be.
Dawg stuck in Bham
October 17th, 2010
10:01 am
The D is coming around but it’s still not close to being good. Grantham’s system is VERY difficult to master. If you see it live at the stadium, you will see players still pointing at each other all the time fussing about each other being out of position or “that’s your guy” kind of stuff. You don’t see it on TV. We’re half way thru the season and guys still can’t get it all down. It’s scary to watch live because it means at some point, a good team is going to smoke us on this. I am starting to wonder if Grantham’s scheme is just a tad too much for college kids. Good for the pros but too difficult for college. I’ll be curious to see if he “dumbs it down” a little in the off season.
Possible future losses: UK, UF, Aub, GT
If we play UK like we’ve played the last 2 weeks, we should beat them. Their win over USC will make them a little over confident.
The 2 weeks off scares me with UF. They’ll get healthy and have time to see the weaknesses in the O and the D. Frankly, I’ll be shocked if we beat them after they’ve had 2 weeks to prepare.
I’m still not sold on Aub. Their D is horrible. I think of these 4 possible losses, we have a better chance against Aub. Our D may be too strong for them to score enough points to keep up with the amount of points our O could score against their D.
And GT….well that’ll be an all out war. Thank goodness their D isn’t so hot, either. Their O isn’t quite what it has been. It’ll still be a battle.
dawgfan
October 17th, 2010
10:02 am
The SEC East is not wide open. South Carolina would have to drop two more SEC games and we would have to win the rest of ours to win the East. The odds of both of those things happening are not good. However, it is South Carolina and I wouldn’t be surprised if they folded like a tent down the stretch. They’ve done it before. No way we beat Auburn at Auburn though. I don’t think our D will be much of a match for Cameron Newton. Florida is garbage and very beatable. In fact, Richt better beat them or his head will be back on the chopping block for sure.
Thanks.
dawgfan
October 17th, 2010
10:06 am
I should add that we have to win at Kentucky this Saturday. Far from an easy task. That is probably the most underrated place to play in the SEC, if not the nation. Fortunately they probably blew their wad yesterday and won’t have much in the tank for us. That’s Kentucky football.
Thanks.
Fire Bobo
October 17th, 2010
10:10 am
How do you use three time outs in the first six minutes of the half???? The second time that’s happened this year. A throwback to the days when CMR was calling the offensive plays.
bart
October 17th, 2010
10:12 am
A winning season is still a stretch though possible.
dawgfan
October 17th, 2010
10:13 am
I forgot about Florida’s usual week off before playing us. Definitely a plus for them. We almost always have an SEC road game the week before and they are sitting at home on their duffs munching on cheetos. I’d love to be in on the back room dealings that go on with SEC scheduling. It would be enlightening to say the least.
BigDawg
October 17th, 2010
10:17 am
Dawg stuck in BHM I feel your pain. I spent 6 years there and just got back to GA two months ago. I found Atlanta over run with GT fans. That will last until Paul finds a new job. The highs in BHM was the 25 yard TD pass in OT two years ago. The low was the 28 first quarter points last year. I wore my GA shirt the Sunday after that game and no one spoke to me. They knew I had to be insane. I wish I could have been around last week to see them lick their wounds. Keep the Dawgs alive In the Ham.
kyle
October 17th, 2010
10:20 am
If Georgia can score 21 points on Florida, they win the game
rx-dawg
October 17th, 2010
10:30 am
shanammons
When three teams control their own destiny (UF, SC, and Vandy), with another only a game back of being tied, that is the definition of being wide open. USC still has Tennessee, UF and Arkansas…don’t hand them the title just yet. UF has 3 losses like us and still has to play us and SC.
Douglas
October 17th, 2010
10:36 am
We need to hire the Mississippi State coach before Florida does…..
rx-dawg
October 17th, 2010
10:37 am
Not to mention if KY wins out (Georgia, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Tennessee), SC beats UF and loses to Arky or UT, KY hits the dome.
WE RUN THIS STATE
October 17th, 2010
10:42 am
we will win out the rest of our games. and then we will win the SEC EAST. then we’ll win the SEC championship. we’ll probably get screwed out of BCS title game due to ESPN conspiracy but we’ll whoop up on a nobody in Sugar Bowl, claim ourselves “the hottest team in the country at the end of the year that no one wants to play”, then look for our preseason #1 ranking next year. The Nation has spoken!
dawgfan
October 17th, 2010
10:50 am
WE RUN THIS STATE, I’m so sorry that hardly anyone is talking about Georgia Tech football these days. Its pretty sad when 3-4 Georgia gets more pub than your defending ACC Chumps. I guess we truly do run this state after all. Good luck against…who do you play next week?
RMikl58
October 17th, 2010
10:53 am
Big win for Kentucky indeed, Georgia’s emotions are high too. The Defense has vastly improved the last 2 weeks but that was infront of a home crowd. I think we can run the ball on Kentucky as long as the O Line is focused and knows what they have to do. Establish the run then set up the pass, do the opposite and its a long day in horse country. They have a pretty good QB there at Kentucky, contain the outsides, put a good rush on him mixed with blitzes but be aware of the QB scrambing cause he’ll take off if there are no LB’s or the ends have over pursued. He’s a Michael Vick type QB and likes to run so i’d say to the Defense…..containment is the key. You’ve won 2 which is great but now you have to focus on Kentucky, one game at a time. The crowd will be up after the win last saturday but Georgia can take the crowd out of the game. Coach Richt should play Carlton Thomas more, i like his energy, his speed, his elusiveness and determination. Like Durham as well and i think he’s a sleeper on Georgia’s Offense. Now we have 2 great WR’s on offense cause AJ helps free up Durham and using the TE more was a good call but i dont think it was BObo’s idea to use him more. Where is Marlon Brown cause i havent seen him much this year. I think Georgia wins 33-20 on saturday. I think alot of teams are overrated , Florida isnt near as good without Tebow gone, Alabama not near as good as a year ago, Georgia i thought had the best advantage coming into the year because so many Fresham QB’s in the league cause they were suppose to have a great Offensive line and alot of experience on the Defense but this is the SEC and anythings possible. I think we’re now seeing the true Georgia team the way it was suppose to be. I think there were just too many distractions off the field. Think Richt should reinstate Demetre Baker, everyone should get a 2nd chance cause i know you and i have. If it was Rape or Murder or Arson i could understand and yeah i know where do you draw the line? I truely believe Demetre has total remorse and has a total different mindset now and he knows how lucky he was to play football at a Div. 1-A school. If you were to make everything apples to apples then there would be alot of other players on that bus to different schools. You guy’s have got to understand what kind of priviledge you have going to a big time college and playing infront of 90 thousand fans and being on TV. Theres alot of us sitting here watching you play out there wishing we had the same opportunity you have to play but circumstances changed our opportunity in our lives.
Then we see the headlines over and over again and we cant believe you’d do such a stupid thing because of the opportunity youve been given. It embarrases the school, your teammates, your coaches, and your fans and mostly your families. Quit having the “gansta” mentality, those guys are in jail or dead. How you act now while in college will determine what type athlete or person you’ll be after school. It molds you and manifests you into who you are. Most of you go to school for free where alot of others are paying for their education, you eat and board for free while other students have to work very hard just to live there and some have to quit because they cant afford it. Youve been given a gift in life, dont squander it over something ridicolous and silly that will change your whole future. You left “Boy” back in highschool and now youre suppose to be “Men” so act like it!
CLEVON LITTLE
October 17th, 2010
10:57 am
My God there’s a lot of hate on here. Jealous TECH fans mostly…The FL fans are absent (wonder why?)
I think this is a good way to look at the season at mid-point: ALA –defending NC & unbeatable Saban lost to SCar; SCar goes to KEN & loses the very next week; Ohio St takes over #1 for A WEEK and loses to their very next game; FL loses 3-in a row. Bottom line: ANYTHING can happen in CFB, and all of those ‘other’ coaches don’t see, that much better than Richt. Relax people…Let’s wait ’till the end of the season until we reflect so we’ll have an accurate feel of where UGA really is.
GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!
jasont13
October 17th, 2010
10:58 am
Harold, just a few months ago you were singing Tennesee’s praises saying they are a program on the rise and now you say they are a lousy team with a terrible coach….Bandwagon fan I see.
BigDawg180
October 17th, 2010
11:03 am
Here is some food for thought………With S.C. loss yesterday to Kentucky suddenly UGA is still in the SEC east race! UGA and FLA both have 3 losses and SC has 2 losses. UGA must win out in SEC play and we would need SC to lose to FLA and either ARK or Tenn. It is very possible for this to happen, so we now have a glimmer of hope of still getting to Atlanta. UGA is suddenly playing its best ball at the right time. Take care of busines at Kentucky, whip FLA and go to Auburn and pull a huge upset and we just might be playing for the SEC Championship………..GO DAWGS!!!
CLEVON LITTLE
October 17th, 2010
11:04 am
Dawg_Mike…LMAO @ the Bonus Question..
RMikl58
October 17th, 2010
11:19 am
Vandy’s Defense is as good as Kentucky’s D. 500 yds. isnt bad. It shows to me potential. AJ, Durham, Orson Charles, and the emergence of Carlton Thomas blew me away. We dont have a established RB ppl. Caleb King and Washaun Ealy arent as great as i thought they would be. Average backs. If you guys arent gonna do anything move out of the way. Only one of you has a 100 yard game. Give RB Thomas a try Richt or Bobo! These other two seem to tip toe through holes or around corners and dont run with purpose enough. Heck go with freshmen and mix things up. We have got to have a running game and eat some clock , make defenses tired for being on the field too long.
This last 3 game run will all depend on the “DEFENSE” cause they will set up the momentum and will get the players up faster than anything. Keep up the “No Scoring” against you mentality. Set little goals with 1st downs, 100 yds rushing against you, turnovers, interceptions. If they score a field goal against you then tell yourself that you arent gonna allow them to score a TD. I know alot of things are difficult with the new defense and i really believe ya’ll have found yourselves and are a force to be reckoned with.
tell me again
October 17th, 2010
11:22 am
Why does ANYONE CARE about the WORTH of our wins? Obviously, if you take that angle then SC’s win over Bama didn’t mean much becauase they turned around and lost to an unranked Kentucky team. We need to enjoy the wins and get ready for Kentucky. What I liked about Saturday was that everybody got the ball from the receivers to the tight ends to the RB’s….AM was giving it to everybody. We didn’t look real sharp at times or overly fired up and that needs to change. Two wind in a row BEATS THE H**L out of three losses in a row, eh? Getting better always trumps sliding into the abyss Gee, even the ZOOKER never lost three in a row – ouch. Looks like the real coaching at Florida moved to Miss. St. and Louisville.
Sheriff's Deputy
October 17th, 2010
11:37 am
A “Big day” ? Really? Against the worst team in the SEC. That’s now the litmus test for UGA football? What a Homer. You bunch of inbred trailer trash rednecks need to resign yourself to the fact that a losing record and home for the Holiday’s is a certainty. You are about to play big-boy football over the next few weeks. And no, you are not a player on the National scene. Actually, you are a joke. The Sheriff has spoken.
The Sheriff’s words are right on the mark.
Dream on, Dawgturds.
Public Servant
October 17th, 2010
11:43 am
As a public service, here is your next week’s score:
Kentucky 24, Georgia 17
CLEVON LITTLE
October 17th, 2010
11:43 am
Sheriff’s Deputy, Someone that actually takes to time to log onto the UGA blog & post something as you have is no doubt a poor, pathetic soul. Get a life..
RMikl58
October 17th, 2010
11:46 am
Kentucky had lost 3 games before beating SC (Florida, Ole Miss, Auburn) Florida lost 3 straight games (Alabama, LSU, Miss. St.) 2 games were at home. I think after losing to Alabama, LSU and Miss. St. at home theyve given up because its been along time theyve been faced with this kind of adversity. Auburn plays at Ole Miss and Chattanooga before playing us. If they beat Ole Miss and blows out Chattanooga they could be ranked as high as #3 or #5 respectively. They barely beat Miss St. 17-14, Clemson 27-24 at home, South Carolina 35-27, Kentucky 37-34. Their beatable folks, they have an average defense. We could have easily been 7-0 and have lost 4 games by 8 pts. a game. We lost no game by more than 12 pts. Penalties, turnovers changed things for us. I think we more underrated than overrated. Kentucky will be so high after their upset, they were getting beat 28-10 at half time with South Carolina. South Carolina had 3 turnovers 2 which resulted in Kentucky scores. SC Lattimore blew over their defense, and they got huge chunks from passing plays. Wheel routes, dumping it to a back, and screens plays are Kentucky’s weakness. I think Georgia ” will probably be the underdog. If Georgia has no turnovers i really believe the game wont be close. Ga 44 Ky 13. Depends on who shows up Saturday.
dawgdawgdawg
October 17th, 2010
11:48 am
BuzzMe:
I guess Tech thinks they deserve to be in the BCS poll as well – I mean, they do have a Heisman candidate at QB….hahaha, what a joke
Sheriff's Deputy
October 17th, 2010
11:50 am
In your heart, you know I’m right.
Janus
October 17th, 2010
11:52 am
More players arrested in the wee hours of the morning?
tony
October 17th, 2010
12:00 pm
Here’s what we need to do to win out.
1) Out score our opponents. We have the best reciever(AJ) and qb(AM) in the sec. Turn Aaron Murray loose and let him do what he does best. Score Score Score!
2) Our defense will do enough. They are 20th in the nation in points allowed. Grantham need to bliss more. Take more chances in sending the house against opponents qbs.
SentientDawg
October 17th, 2010
12:10 pm
Sheriff and Deputy — two GT nerdy freshmen who wank off when watching the Georgia cheerleaders, ’cause the GT cheerleaders are uglier than sin… Heck, you probably got a rise from the UGA VIII and Russ kiss. Now, go change your diapers, put on some Clearasil, and get ready for your next ACC high school game.
GATOR CHOMP
October 17th, 2010
12:17 pm
Stop dreaming stray mutts the GATORS are going to run all over the “jailhouse dawgs”BOOK IT”
Verbal Kent
October 17th, 2010
12:19 pm
Sheriff Pusser is correct; you beat up on the SEC dogs. Losses to UK, UF, and big time loss to AUburn will pull the plug on this lifeless corpse.
Verbal Kent
October 17th, 2010
12:22 pm
@ Tony: please note the following corrections:
1. Mallet, Newton…both head and shoulders (litterally) over Murray
2. E-Bay Green wouldn’t start at Carolina
RMikl58
October 17th, 2010
12:23 pm
Yeah well were all getting ahead ofourselves. One game at a time. Kentucky though im very glad beat South Carolina but SC beat theirselves moreso than Kentucky. Lattimore has 134 yds by half time. SC gave Kentucky 14 free pts. and lost by 3. Lattimore went down with an ankle injury and couldnt play the 2nd half a total different team without him. Wasnt Kentucky’s defense, it was South Carolina’s inability to close the game out even without lattimore. Kentucky will show up saturday thinking how good they are and our team will show up on saturday with something to prove. The Defense is 180% better than 3 weeks ago. I think those harder practices during the week helped out alot.
I hope that Georgia doesnt become so one dimension again and utilizes their tight ends and RB’s more and uses this against Kentucky next saturday. Kentucky is very vunerable in so many areas on defense.
Put pressure on their QB and contain the ends and make kentucky’s QB stay in the pocket. Watch out for Randall Cobb and Chris Matthews they had big games. If we stick to the run more than the pass it will keep Kentucky off the field. The DB’s can match up with Cobb and Matthews. Whole key relies on the pass rush and pressure on Hartline but i think we can.
Mike A.
October 17th, 2010
12:27 pm
Coach Richt has definitely turned the season around. Pay raises for all coaches and one for me!