It’s official: UGA vs. Central Florida in Liberty Bowl
It’s official. Georgia will play in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31.
What became apparent eight days ago became official late this afternoon, when the Liberty Bowl formally announced that Georgia will play in the New Year’s Eve game in Memphis. The opponent will be Central Florida, coached by former Georgia Tech coach George O’Leary.
The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and be televised by ESPN.
Georgia’s invitation to the Liberty had been expected since the Bulldogs clinched bowl eligibility by beating Georgia Tech on Nov. 27. In an interview about an hour after that game, Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart made it pretty clear his bowl intended to invite the Bulldogs (6-6).
The only thing that could have derailed the Dogs’ invitation might have been if the SEC had not put two teams in BCS bowls.
Central Florida clinched its berth in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday by beating SMU 17-7 in the Conference USA championship game. The Knights are 10-3 and ranked No. 24 in this week’s coaches poll.
The Liberty Bowl will feature two dynamic young quarterbacks: Central Florida freshman Jeff Godfrey and Georgia redshirt freshman Aaron Murray. They rank Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the nation in passing efficiency among freshmen this season — Godfrey at 165.28 and Murray at 162.72. Murray has passed for 2,851 yards and 24 touchdowns, Godfrey for 2,042 and 13 touchdowns. Godfrey also has 546 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.
Georgia is in a bowl game for the 14th consecutive season.
This will be the Bulldogs’ third trip to the Liberty Bowl and their first in 23 years. The Dogs lost to N.C. State 14-7 in the 1967 game and defeated Arkansas 20-17 in the 1987 game on John Kasay’s 39-yard final-play-of-the-game field goal.
While head coach at Georgia Tech from 1995-2001, O’Leary faced Georgia seven times, posting a 3-4 record vs. the Bulldogs. His Tech teams won three in a row against Georgia from 1998-2000. In the only meeting of an O’Leary-coached Tech team vs. a Mark Richt-coached Georgia team, the Bulldogs won 31-17 in 2001.
Check back to AJC.com for a full report on the local and national bowl picture later tonight.
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401 comments Add your comment
The Blair Miss Project
December 5th, 2010
6:47 pm
<———- WIDE LEFT <————
What do Georgia Tech and Marijuana have in common??
Both are frequently smoked in bowls!!!!
(((((42-34)))))
UCF ATL Alum
December 5th, 2010
6:52 pm
You all can look past this game and claim SEC supremacy all you want. You have no idea what is in store for you on 12/31! Go UCF!!!
Reggie Balls
December 5th, 2010
6:55 pm
liberty bowl,what a joke. HEY DOG FANS ARE YOU GOING TO HOLD UP 1 FINGER DURING THE GAME SAYING YOU ARE NUMBER 1?
The Blair Miss Project
December 5th, 2010
6:58 pm
2009- Outback Bowl
2008- NO BOWL
2007- Chick-fil-A Bowl
2006- Cotton Bowl
2005- Capital One Bowl.
Wow AUBURN…… you really are the BCS regulars you want to act like. I’d be surprised if you make it to a bowl next season.
herald
December 5th, 2010
7:02 pm
I’ll take 6-6 and a clean program instead of 12-0 and a cheating, extortionist QB anyday.
JFKDawg
December 5th, 2010
7:02 pm
Dear Nimrods, the benefit of any bowl game is that it allows the team to continue to practice, which obviously GA needs every one that they can get in.
Wesuck
December 5th, 2010
7:03 pm
Hey, this is not so bad…This is something we should be getting used to by now…I’ve always wanted to go to Memphis in the middle of the winter….But look at this way. At least we are playing a top tier team…. We could be playing someone like……uh….uh….uh..never mind…We’ll get em next year!!!! uh..uh…uh….never mind, we said that last year…Let’s play tech again…
waytogoRicht
December 5th, 2010
7:03 pm
You really shine again Richt. For an encore, go up there and stink out a loss. Oh, I forgot, these La-Laf type teams are how you have padded your record on the W side of the column.
herald
December 5th, 2010
7:05 pm
Cam Newton
a) stole a laptop at Florida
b) was expelled from Florida after being caught copying off someone else’s exam
c) has a father who sought $180k from an SEC school for Cam’s services
d) all of the above.
The answer, of course, is all of the above. Integrity still matters, Auburn. I feel sorry for you and your school for allowing 1 person to tarnish your program. People will not forget that you’ve lowered your standards (alot)..
buzzDawg
December 5th, 2010
7:08 pm
Can we round up the grad students who coached the defense in the Independence Bowl last year? They did a good job.
The Grinch
December 5th, 2010
7:10 pm
Yawn……
CHDawg
December 5th, 2010
7:11 pm
Strange year for our Dawgs in ‘10. I expected great things this year, and we have shown flashes of brilliance at times, but we have slipped back into heavy mistake mode at other times, giving up huge plays, not controlling the ball on offense when we had a chance to win, and not capitalizing on easy turnovers, and our RBs put a lot of drives to death with fumbles. Murray had a bad game against the Gators. The flashes of brilliance, however, tell me we really could have been a great team if we had put it all together and gelled as a team, and we do have some serious talent. UF misfired similarly even though they have a truckload of talent, too. Our D just gave up the big plays again this year, and we can’t do that and win. One thing that is great about this kind of year–potential recruits have to feel that they have a shot at making a serious contribution immediately! Keep your head Dogs, and remember Auburn had a very similar season last year: 7-5 in the regular season with three of the wins over Ball State, Louisiana Tech, and Furman. A couple of great new players, younger players moving up–things can change in just one year. Our next three games are the Liberty Bowl and UCF; Georgia Dome with a tough Boise State; and Lattimore and Co. in Athens. Time to keep our chins up and get back to work. Go Dawgs!
Bill
December 5th, 2010
7:13 pm
Is Tommy just stupid?
JOD
December 5th, 2010
7:19 pm
LOL… LIBERTY BOWL…. HAHA! ALWAYS NEXT YEAR DOGS.. SIC EM. BARK BARK BARK.
Sopwith Camel
December 5th, 2010
7:21 pm
Oh the irony!! Last year Ga Tech laughed at the Dawgs for going to Shreveport……..and this year look where the Techies are most likely going…………… HA HA HA!!
aladawg
December 5th, 2010
7:21 pm
Enter your comments here
saban
December 5th, 2010
7:23 pm
Woof, Woof
Way to go dawgs. Another great season. Central Florida and a chance to go 6-7.
Richt, Bobo, Grantham. You folks are paying a lot of money for average.
The Blair Miss Project
December 5th, 2010
7:25 pm
IT’S OFFICIAL!!!!
Georgia Tech will play in SHREVEPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(((((42-34)))))
GTFan
December 5th, 2010
7:27 pm
Sopwith Camel
December 5th, 2010
7:21 pm
Oh the irony!! Last year Ga Tech laughed at the Dawgs for going to Shreveport……..and this year look where the Techies are most likely going…………… HA HA HA!!
Yeah, but the difference is at least we knew we weren’t getting a good bowl game this year!! And, UGA is going to yet another sucky bowl game as well. Oh yeah, and it took UGA beating us to become bowl eligible….I guess that’s what UGA is proud of!!!
GTFan
December 5th, 2010
7:29 pm
The Blair Miss Project
December 5th, 2010
7:25 pm
IT’S OFFICIAL!!!!
Georgia Tech will play in SHREVEPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(((((42-34)))))
Wow, that was announced at the same time UGA’s game…where have you been??
GTFan
December 5th, 2010
7:30 pm
Both teams played awful this season, and both are getting what they deserved! It’s a simple as that.
JOD
December 5th, 2010
7:31 pm
The IRONY, both UGA and GT playing crappy opponents… OH YEA, THEY WERE BOTH 6-6!!! GOOD LUCK STATE OF GA! LOSERS
aladawg
December 5th, 2010
7:31 pm
This is to all you simpletons that write we suck we this and we that, how many of you inbreds actually play in the game. If you do well good, if not then spit the snuff out of your monoric mouths and go back to your double wides in the hills. “GO DAWGS” we will be back.
dawsonvilledawg
December 5th, 2010
7:32 pm
We need to send Richt to Miami and bring home Dooley
jasont13
December 5th, 2010
7:41 pm
Hey UCF, O’Leary was 3 and 4 against UGA. So not sure what you mean when you say he dominated UGA.
The Blair Miss Project
December 5th, 2010
7:45 pm
jasont13….
3-4 IS dominance to a Tech fan against UGA.
WDE
December 5th, 2010
7:50 pm
Hahaha, I love how it only took 6 posts for a Georgia fan to mention Auburn. Your jealousy has been noted.
truedawg
December 5th, 2010
7:50 pm
While most Georgia fans cried all year.Us real GEORGIA FANS stood beside Georgia through the thick and thin.When we were 1-4 everybody thought we would not make a bowl game at all.Georgia went 5-2 and we got a bowl game great job we could have threw in the towell but we didnt Liberty bowl will take it GO DAWGS
Pope UGA XXIII
December 5th, 2010
7:52 pm
Where’s my checkbook ??
Gimme a whole bunch of tickets.
I’m a splurgin’ !!!
truedawg
December 5th, 2010
7:54 pm
To ALL TECH FANS LET THE BABY CRY SOME
KNOWBODYYOUKNOW
December 5th, 2010
7:55 pm
It should be an interesting game. UGA and Central Fla. Mabey thats one Fla. team the dogs can beat. I don’t care how many teams C, Fla. has beaten. They’re not the caliber of SEC teams. O’Leary or not, no matter who their coach is. UGA should beat them. If they don’t, its gonna be another long season next year.
The Blair Miss Project
December 5th, 2010
7:55 pm
<——— WIDE LEFT <————-
There are some AWFULLY good fish fries in Shreveport!!!! Paul Johnson will be in calorie heaven!!!!!
twm
December 5th, 2010
8:11 pm
tech is 0-5 in their last bowl games, lol
dan
December 5th, 2010
8:12 pm
UGA football??? That’s so 2007!
How ’bout the Dirty Birds!!!! Now THAT is a team that knows how to win! RISE UP!
Lost Dawg
December 5th, 2010
8:12 pm
It’s been how many seasons since Tech won a bowl game???????
gabeaux
December 5th, 2010
8:12 pm
Wow, what young man, growing up in Georgia, doesn’t dream of leading his UGA team against Central Florida? And with AJ gone next year, maybe we can play our bowl in Tucson!
Brad
December 5th, 2010
8:15 pm
Once again the mutts get an easy bowl opponent. That’s why you win them.
Bama Dawg
December 5th, 2010
8:15 pm
As a Georgia fan, this is becoming a disturbing trend: two mediocre bowls after 2 subpar seasons. As much as I like Coach Richt, it’s time for him to go. I don’t see UGA turning this thing around with him as head coach. If we are content with being a middle of the pack SEC team, then keep Mark Richt. How long do we have to sit here and accept mediocrity??
ryan
December 5th, 2010
8:28 pm
Memphis is better than Shreveport I mean great music the home of Graceland and Elvis and B.B king a lot more to do there .
Wreckmaniac
December 5th, 2010
8:30 pm
We know UGA’s hero Chan Gailey couldn’t have beaten UGA in 100 years with all of those
“wonderful” recruits he had and PJ may never beat UGA again either. But we do know for sure that George OLeary knows how. He became so bored with beating UGA that he decided to move on to a more demanding schedule.
Corey
December 5th, 2010
8:36 pm
Godfrey’s cool under pressure. This the 10-3 record, and #24 ranking.
Godfrey will eat the choke prone UGA QB’s lunch. Thus the 6-6 record.
Bow Wow
December 5th, 2010
8:38 pm
I am a Georgia graduate. I am embarrassed at what Adams and Richt have done to my school.
wagon
December 5th, 2010
8:39 pm
tech or uga should go to a bowl 6-6 no team should go to a bowl unless you have a 9-3.
Corey
December 5th, 2010
8:40 pm
I agree, Murray embarrased UGA this year, 6-6, come on.
trey
December 5th, 2010
8:40 pm
((( Shreveport )))) hahahahahahahahaha
Rest of the SEC
December 5th, 2010
8:44 pm
Seriously? The Liberty bowl? You kidding me? What a crap bowl for a crap 6-6 team. Man it must suck to be a dawgs fan.
Marcus
December 5th, 2010
8:45 pm
Godfrey kid is a big-time QB that Georgia recruited and offered. Wish we’d have gotten him instead of the panic prone Murray.
4th quarter:
Godfrey–2nd in NCAA in passing accuracy–80%
Murray—don’t ask…
3rd downs:
Godfrey–top 25 in pass accuracy
Murray? Don’t ask.
Godfrey makes plays when the heat’s on, Murray cracks. You got a top 25 ranked finish versus a top 65 finish.
Central Florida will crush Georgia.
Rod
December 5th, 2010
8:46 pm
UCF is ranked 25th in the final bcs rankings.
UGA Season Ticket Holder since 1986
December 5th, 2010
8:47 pm
Bow wow? How do you figure that? I don’t know when you graduated but there’s no comparison. Adams has driven admission criteria to record highs. Awards at a record high. More merit scholars than any other time in history. Rhodes scholarships. It’s harder to get in Georgia Law School than Emory for goodness sake. Ficht has a higher winning percentage than any football coach in Georgia history. Richt is the only Georgia coach to win two Sugar Bowls. Richt, fastest UGA football coach to 90 wins. I shall hope that your comment was born out of ignorance, which can be fixed with correct information, rather than stupidity, which can’t be fixed.. But if the comment WAS born out of stupidity, you must be just another Tech fan lying about Georgia. Again.
Marcus
December 5th, 2010
8:48 pm
Against teams with winning records,
Godfrey passing accuracy #26
Murray #80