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
State of Alabama
December 5th, 2010
8:49 pm
Bama dawg,
What are you whining about? You live in Bama and can watch the defending national champions play in a respectable new years day bowl in Florida. Or you can watch undefeated Auburn win the national championship in the bcs title game and give the state of Alabama 2 straight bcs titles from the 2 state teams? At least in Alabama you get to watch powerful college football teams whereas in Georgia you watch 2 crappy 6-6 teams that absolutely suck.
It must really suck to be a college football fan in the state of Georgia.
Here’s to laughing at Georgia and their 2 crappy college football programs.
Makes you wonder just how crappy they would be if all their star players didn’t come from other states- Georgia- Knowshon from New Jersey, Stafford from Texas, Aaron murray and Orson Charles from Florida, AJ Green from South Carolina, Ben Jones from Alabama. Tech’s qb Tevin Washington is from Alabama. You guys suck
Marcus
December 5th, 2010
8:49 pm
10-3 QB vs. a 6-6 QB.
Rod
December 5th, 2010
8:50 pm
The Liberty bowl is a decent bowl. It is national spotlight game. The chic fil a bowl and the Liberty bowl are the two national spotlight games on new years eve and the Liberty bowl always has a conference champion involved in the game and UCF is ranked in the final BCS standings.
v
December 5th, 2010
8:54 pm
Rod,
Sir I believe you are drunk if you think the liberty bowl is a national spotlight game. That bowl is as big a joke as is the georgia football program. Put down the koolaid son.
Rod
December 5th, 2010
8:57 pm
UGA Season Ticket Holder since 1986, These fools that complain about Richt on here and there opinions of Richt and UGA are not relevant so just let it roll off your back. The only thing that matters is the opinions of the people that are relevant and these people love coach Richt running our football program. Its our rivals that come on here hoping Richt leaves UGA or people with no stroke. The people I know that have stroke are very happy having Richt in Athens.
Leftygolfer48
December 5th, 2010
8:58 pm
To all of you war eagle fans, didn’t the dawgs beat you three out of the last four, you have two great seasons in twenty years and you think yours is the greatest program in the sec, look south for that, go gators
Rod
December 5th, 2010
9:01 pm
v, It is the prime 3:30 slot just like the sec game of the week on cbs. It has a BCS ranked conference champion involved in the game. The Chic fil a is right up there with the Liberty bowl. Don’t be a hatin joke v.
Rod
December 5th, 2010
9:04 pm
Leftygolfer48, Richt beat Auburn the last four years before this year. Not 3 out of 4 but 4 out of 5.
Snoop Dawg '75
December 5th, 2010
9:18 pm
What’s this crap about not posting if you’re not a UGA alumnus? I’m one and I think that’s a bunch of crap. Who put these idiots with blinders in charge?
Well, the Liberty Bowl is where our 6-6 Bulldogs are going, eh? Preacha Man’s a real coach, isn’t he? Wow, we had a senior offensive line, great young QB, Pay J, and the back who run the State. We also got a cool dozen arrests, Pay J done got caught, and Preacha Man and pitiful staff of Bobo and company showed their complete inability to coach or discipline or focus throughout the year. Now we get to play Central Florida in a bowl game. Are we supposed to be proud of this? Hell no!
All these Deniers and Apologists need to go where the sun don’t shine. They are the ones driving our Great Tradition into the ground by not demanding excellence.
For the thousanth time, IT IS TIME TO FIRE MARK WRECKED, BOZO, GARNER, AND THE ENTIRE COACHING STAFF.
Sooner or later this will happen. The sooner, the better…
v
December 5th, 2010
9:18 pm
Rod,
It must suck to live in the past. Please enjoy the liberty bowl and your 6-6 record and then enjoy watching us bring home a bcs trophy. Seems practically everyone in the sec that counts has a bcs trophy nowadays- except for Georgia of course.
Snoop Dawg '75
December 5th, 2010
9:20 pm
PS: V, you are correct. Rod has been drinking da Preacha Man’s Koolaid too long. He is incoherent at this point…
v
December 5th, 2010
9:21 pm
Rod,
You honestly think the crappy liberty bowl at 3:30(not prime time tv) is on par with the prime time 7pm Chick Fil A bowl? You can’t possibly be serious. There’s not a dawg fan on here who would agree with you. And playing a lower level conference foe like Central Florida as opposed to a bcs conference opponent. Are you just stupid?
Bowl analyst
December 5th, 2010
9:22 pm
Rod, You are a fool.
Snoop Dawg '75
December 5th, 2010
9:24 pm
V, looks like Rod is now the Bowl Analyst. He’s more likely an anal ist…
ROADDAWG80
December 5th, 2010
9:31 pm
Chick-fil-a bowl has a payout of around 3.5 million. It is actually bigger than most new years day bowls. It is the second highest payout bowl other than the BCS bowls.
Liberty bowl does not even come close to the chick-fil-a bowl.
Although I will say the SEC gets screwed in the matchups. It’s usually the #2 ACC team vs the #5 or #6 SEC team.
JOD
December 5th, 2010
9:31 pm
ROD is smoking some of that stuff coming out of the UGA PR department. Good greif guy, do you work for UGA?
Bo Bo Richter
December 5th, 2010
9:32 pm
This just in….Liberty Bowl to be renamed the KFC Bowl after KFC announces new Sponsorship.
Its the KFC Bowl. It will be a finga licken good time. I hope coach doesnt choke on the pre game meal.
Ashamed to be UGA grad
December 5th, 2010
9:35 pm
6-6 with “wins” against La-LaughMAO and Idaho Tech and Massage?
Should have declined.
Man Enough is Enough
December 5th, 2010
9:38 pm
All the Auburn fans on here can kiss my …..um…..behind. This 6-6 team had ya’ll on the ropes and took your all mighty team pretty much down to the wire, showing that we are not as bad as our record indicates. You cant honestly tell me you wern’t worried when we were up on you. Your one man show isn’t as good as you think. And when he’s gone, you will have NOTHING!
Wreckmaniac
December 5th, 2010
9:40 pm
I think the punishment and humiltiation associated with the Shreveport Bowl will be good for Tech.
Although we all know they deserve no bowl, the insult they laid themselves this season just may become apparent to them. They should have to take a bus, sleep two to a room, and stay for two weeks. The defense should play the entire game against the Air Force offense.
Wreckmaniac
December 5th, 2010
9:43 pm
Surely, the Shreveport game isn’t televised is it ? Tech fans should not be forced to watch this. Other than Tech fans and the Air Force who will watch it ? This is one Tech fan that will not and this team needs to know it.
Some UGA fans love mediocrity
December 5th, 2010
9:44 pm
Rod maybe you and season ticket holder can “stroke” each other at the liberty bowl while auburn wins the 9th national championship for an SEC team since UGA last won the trophy. You can have Mark Richt and his sorry coaching staff and live in the past. The rest of us UGA fans want a chance to compete for National championships. We understand that the state of Georgia is a football factory for producing great talent. The heisman trophy winner( its a forgone conclusion) and player that is on the verge of leading Auburn to a championship is from DRUM ROLL- Georgia!!!! You dumb fans who love to wallow in mediocrity can’t see the big picture.
Wreckmaniac
December 5th, 2010
9:45 pm
I hope PJ takes this as an opportunity to run 3-a-days. Lets find out who wants to come back next year.
Perhaps we can get 5 or 10 of our dead weight players to quit. I hope so.
Bo Bo Richter
December 5th, 2010
9:47 pm
This just announced…Liberty Bowl is blacked out in the US but available on pay per view in North Korea.
Question for True Dawg Fans: Are we getting our moneys worth from Richt
December 5th, 2010
9:48 pm
Yes or No?
Give me Liberty
December 5th, 2010
9:52 pm
49-31…….Enjoy the Memphis pillow fight.
Bo Bo Richter
December 5th, 2010
9:53 pm
Final Score
2-2 OT
Warden Mark Richt
December 5th, 2010
9:56 pm
What is the over under on the number of UGA players arrested between now and the Liberty Bowl?
Mobile Dawg
December 5th, 2010
10:00 pm
Richt should be gone before we take the field in Memphis.
Buckeye Dan
December 5th, 2010
10:02 pm
Good luck against the Golden Knights of Central Florida
Buckeye Dan
December 5th, 2010
10:03 pm
Warden Richt – the over/under is 4. I’m taking the over.
Bo Bo Richter
December 5th, 2010
10:08 pm
It has been reported in the New York papers that the entire Georgia coaching staff is attending NYC Fashion Week to determine the best uniform combo for the Liberty Bowl….Ok guys what do you think?
Black Helmets
White satin shirts
Silver britches with cording
Red Shoes
And oh the special candy stripe socks too.
This look is going to blow that UCF right off the field.
Mark Richt
December 5th, 2010
10:10 pm
I saw that Cam Newton as more of a Tight End prospect. He’s not good enough to be a QB at UGA.
Todd Grantham
December 5th, 2010
10:12 pm
Just for the record, I was giving the choke sign to Aaron Murray in Jax. That little snot nosed frat boy would have choked away the Tech game too if not for my D.
Bo Bo Richter
December 5th, 2010
10:13 pm
Thats because he cant hold on to a PC. How could he hold on to the football.Thats a good call.
Todd Grantham
December 5th, 2010
10:13 pm
Then we wouldn’t even have the chance to battle mighty UCF in the Liberty. Just think if Cam Newton was throwing to AJ. Yikes.
Mark Richt
December 5th, 2010
10:15 pm
Hey, I saw him as more of a TE prospect. We ended the year in Shreavport last year and Memphis this year. What more can you ask for?
Mark Richt
December 5th, 2010
10:17 pm
Guys, I said NO to Miami. I plan on being at UGA for a long, long time. I may even deserve a raise.
SuperB
December 5th, 2010
10:17 pm
Everybody in Florida says UCF stands for “U Can’t finish,” college. Did O’Leary every clean up hi resume?
Bo Bo Richter
December 5th, 2010
10:19 pm
Pwesident of his Senior Class too. Impwessive!
Its an honor for UGA to pway in this game.
Mark Richt
December 5th, 2010
10:21 pm
Next year I’m shooting for that bowl in Birmingham. If I can do that without AJ I may get a raise and contract extension.
Senior Humble U
December 5th, 2010
10:21 pm
AKA The Who Cares YOU SUCK Bowl. The real team in the state of Georgia plays at the Georgia Dome. Atlanta Falcons 10-2!
Mark Richt
December 5th, 2010
10:22 pm
Black Out against the Golden Knights? I’m thinking it’s a possibility.
Florida Dawg
December 5th, 2010
10:23 pm
Totally exciting…will the Liberty Bowl be on TV?
Mark Richt
December 5th, 2010
10:24 pm
We got our $750,000 worth out of that Grantham guy! Wasn’t that a great hire?
Bo Bo Richter
December 5th, 2010
10:25 pm
You missed the decimal….$7.50
Mark Richt
December 5th, 2010
10:25 pm
Hey, the Liberty is a great Bowl and UCF is a quality team and a conference champion!
Mark Richt
December 5th, 2010
10:26 pm
I’m excited and honored to be a part of this great bowl. Our fans will love Memphis as much as they loved Shreavport last year.
Mark Richt
December 5th, 2010
10:27 pm
Did I mention I said No to Miami?
Bo Bo Richter
December 5th, 2010
10:27 pm
Freedom…I wouldnt even accept a BCS bowl if they begged.
Its in Tennessee.