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
Thizzle
December 6th, 2010
1:28 pm
Anyone that is here saying UGA should have “declined” or not accepted the bowl bid is an IDIOT….Money makes the world go round, and one of the main ways programs make money is by going to bowl games…Thats the equivalent to saying . ” A man filing for bankruptcy won the lottery, he should respectfully decline his lottery winnings citing “I wasnt responsible with my money before so I cant take this”…..how absurd does that sound? EXACTLY…who turns down money? No One!!!
Les
December 6th, 2010
1:35 pm
Man, 2010 with Mett, instead of 6 loss Murray.
We can dream.
CECIL NEWTON
December 6th, 2010
1:43 pm
I SHOULD HAVE NEGOTIATED SOME KIND OF BONUS FOR MY BOY IF HE TOOK AUBURN TO THE BCS TITLE GAME…. THEY ONLY PAID ME FOR THE SEC TITLE!
REGGIE BUSH
December 6th, 2010
1:45 pm
ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS sCAM!
bruce mac
December 6th, 2010
1:45 pm
If you Yech fans weren’t so ignorant you would know UGA does not have the option of turning down the bowl game. The SEC negotiates all of this and the Universities are duty bound to go. But hey, don’t let the facts get in the way of your spewing stupidity.
Thizzle
December 6th, 2010
1:54 pm
Les, Mett is a good prospect, with no class. Murray put up sick numbers in the SEC, not D-2…stop hatin
UGA Season Ticket Holder Since 1986
December 6th, 2010
1:56 pm
Bow Wow. Re: Your comment that Adams is ruining your beloved University. For 2011, Georgia’s early admission students have an average GPA of 3.95 and a mean SAT of 1311 (plus a writing score of over 650) or ACT of 30 and have enrolled in an average of 6 Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes). The pool of applicants had an average GPA of almost 3.8, a mean SAT of 1242 (and a mean writing score of 616) and an average ACT of 28.
You’re right. Adams is really stinking up the place. Thanks for your insightful comments.
P.S. There ought to be some sort of Fulmer Trophy Extraordinaire for schools that admit players who have been thrown off other teams for criminal misbehavior (or at least their fans shouldn’t be running their yaps about Georgia’s troubles), when they are willing to admit to their schools (and even worship) other people’s mistakes.
Brucerugby79
December 6th, 2010
1:56 pm
I am with supervisor and UGA alumnus-any recruits reading this the negative idiots did not go to UGA
UGAX
December 6th, 2010
2:00 pm
Mac McWhorter just ‘retired’ as O-Line coach at Texas; any chance we can get him back to Athens?. Great Coach who was national assistant coach a few years ago. UGA Alum.
Les
December 6th, 2010
2:08 pm
Mett put up some sicker numbers, 32 td’s.
Thizzle
December 6th, 2010
2:13 pm
@les….in D2…what a joke
BoroDawg
December 6th, 2010
2:25 pm
Heard through the grapevine, That Texas is showing interest in UGA’s Bobo as their new offensive coordinator.
TV Dog
December 6th, 2010
2:35 pm
GO KNIGHTS!!!!! The BEST team in the state of Florida this year.
The Dawgs has no business playing in anyone’s bowl this year.
joe suggs
December 6th, 2010
2:55 pm
Hey Track ‘ em : your boy Cash Newton went to the highest bidder. He was a mercenary player for a year.Too dumb to get a degree ! Will go pro now .
Les
December 6th, 2010
2:56 pm
LSU & Bama National Championship Coaches didn’t think it was a joke. The joke is on non National Chmpiuonship Coach Richt, who didn’t see potential in Mett, and thought Cam Newton would make a nice tight end.
long-time dawg
December 6th, 2010
3:07 pm
Go get McWhorter (who just “retired”from Texas) and make him offensive line coach and assistant head coach. He can coach.
Dogs Smell
December 6th, 2010
3:07 pm
Your Breath Smells Like Fried Fish Tacos
Cheat ? Who has been accused of more wrong doing in its history , Auburn or UGa? Sore losers. Go Knights !
Go Dawgs!
December 6th, 2010
3:16 pm
Thizzle
December 6th, 2010
1:28 pm
You are absolutely right! Not the mention the 15 extra practices the team gets.
david
December 6th, 2010
3:23 pm
we were in every game with under 5 minutes left–hell lost 2 on the last plays
Go Dawgs!
December 6th, 2010
3:32 pm
TV Dog
December 6th, 2010
2:35 pm
“GO KNIGHTS!!!!! The BEST team in the state of Florida this year.
The Dawgs has no business playing in anyone’s bowl this year.”
LOL!!! That’s like the Greenville Braves saying the Red Sox have no business in the MLB because they had a down year.
So when the Dawgs beat the crap out of your knights having “no business playing in anyone’s bowl this year” where will that leave your knights? In the “UCF has no business playing against ANY BCS conference team ever” category perhaps? Or are they already there. Seems funny the only way the Bowl system could get a FAIR match up for the Conference USA CHAMPION is to handicap them by matching them up against the 6th or 7th team in the SEC.
What a joke. Run along little knight, the grown folks are talking about REAL college football.
GeauTigers
December 6th, 2010
3:54 pm
Hey Georgia Fans!
Ever been to Memphis in January? Have a great time at the “stuck in the middle of crap bowl”!
On the bright side, at least there is good bar-b-que! Remember that while it’s sleeting outside in that dung heap!
UGA Season Ticket Holder Since 1986
December 6th, 2010
5:08 pm
GeauTigers: Yeah, I was there when Vince Dooley’s bulldogs beat Arkansas. We were happy to be there and had a great time. Stayed at the Peabody, saw the ducks, ate a lot of barbecue. Saw an exciting game.
BTW somebody who comes from a swamp shouldn’t criticize Memphis as a dung heap.
King Gator
December 6th, 2010
5:08 pm
Patrick Henry would have taken death over “Liberty” if he knew it included Memphis in January and UCF! Go Gators!
UGA Season Ticket Holder Since 1986
December 6th, 2010
5:39 pm
(((((((crash())))))))
The sound of King Gator’s rock hitting his glass house.
GaCracker
December 6th, 2010
6:09 pm
This “bowl” game is going to be about as exciting as watching old people have sex!!!
UGA Season Ticket Holder Since 1986
December 6th, 2010
6:25 pm
UncleCracker: I don’t know what your experience is at watching old people have sex (you might have been smarter not to disclose that) but the Liberty Bowl game that I went to was a fun and exciting game. Georgia beat Arkansas on a last second field goal after Arkansas missed a field goal that would have taken the lead. It was a great bowl and can I assure you that Vince Dooley was not ashamed to be there.
42-34
December 6th, 2010
6:41 pm
Laces Out
Have fun in the bowl you mocked us for last year douches.
BWWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAHHHHHHAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAA
BBB.BBB.BBBWWWWWWAHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA
Eaassyy
December 6th, 2010
6:57 pm
Too funny all these TeKies on here talking smack acting like they’re UCF fans. How does it feel to live vicariously through two Florida teams this year.
BTW, Tekies, serious question: When was the last time you won a bowl game? What is your bowl record the last decade? What was your record against your biggest rival and equaled obsession UGA the past decade?
Bring it losers.
independent
December 6th, 2010
7:48 pm
dogs, liberty bowl? Central Florida? It shows where you really stand in the scheme of things. Next year will be more of the same, you are going nowhere
independent
December 6th, 2010
7:52 pm
The best part is C Florida will roll the dogs. O’Leary has forgotten more about coaching than Richt will ever know.The dogs will probably win the getting arrested battle, they always do
joe taxpayer
December 6th, 2010
9:22 pm
The 2008 team had at least 17 future draft picks on it if you include green and Houston. Enough said. Why does CMR deserves 1 more year..
UGA Season Ticket Holder since 1986
December 6th, 2010
9:50 pm
oops that would be “raging against the ocean.”
UGA Season Ticket Holder since 1986
December 6th, 2010
9:51 pm
Joe; The answer to your question is: “Because nobody cares what you think.” Now buzz off, Tech fan.
UGA Season Ticket Holder since 1986
December 6th, 2010
9:53 pm
BTW Joe, the taxpayers don’t pay Richt’s salary, the boosters do and as long as the boosters are happy with him (and they are), you are simply standing on the shore and raging at the ocean.
Faked_resume
December 6th, 2010
11:51 pm
Enter your comments here
Faked_resume
December 6th, 2010
11:52 pm
the knights must be fake==it is George O’Leary–remember?
joe taxpayer
December 7th, 2010
7:26 am
Never said the taxpayers paid CMR salary. Now go slay another windmill and stick to the facts.
joe taxpayer
December 7th, 2010
7:38 am
The 2008 team had at least 17 future draft picks on it if you include green and Houston. Enough said. Why does CMR deserves 1 more year..
@ Dogs Smell
December 7th, 2010
8:59 am
Auburn
Big Money
December 7th, 2010
10:30 am
Richt’s getting $3 million to lose 6 games and go to minor bowls in the middle of nowhere? Where is that in his contract?
WAR CASH Eagle! Hey!
December 7th, 2010
10:31 am
Track that money like a beagle, get the payoff you war cash eagles!
UGA Season Ticket Holder Since 1986
December 7th, 2010
11:47 am
Joe: Higher payout than the Music City Bowl. Any you think Memphis is in the middle of nowhere? That’s sad. Please tell me you didn’t learn Geography or American History at any Georgia public school.
P.S. He made more than half his salary back in a single day. Wonder if you do that for your employer?
UGA Season Ticket Holder Since 1986
December 7th, 2010
12:29 pm
Joe: To answer your question again “Because the Boosters who pay his salary and his immediate reports (who know more about running a football program than you do) say he does.
Dawgs tweets
December 7th, 2010
1:55 pm
Love CMR
Want CK to run like a 5 Start
Getting board with beating the bugs
Getting tired of losing to FL ” We wear jort jorts!”… (sing to the tune of the “we wear short shorts jingle)
Are we getting IC for 2011?
Will M brown stepup in 2011?
Had fun watchin the tech ” 2 min offense” Look out!!!!! pass attach!!!
51 did step up when 35 went Pro
Love the black out (win or lose)
AU should have dropped 60 on the old ball coach and did not :/
Is B Smith a “lock down corner”? If not, he is close
Anyone follow B smith on twitter? He tweets like my 14 yr old.
What is your guess on ticket prices for the ATL opener?
CAM makes Tebow look like a test model.
Mad @ CMR
how2fish
December 7th, 2010
2:35 pm
Best thing about the Bowl is the extra practice time the team gets..with so many players moving on that is a better bang than the bucks UGA is getting.
UGA Season Ticket Holder Since 1986
December 7th, 2010
4:55 pm
fish: Agreed.
big hoss
December 8th, 2010
8:37 am
Which team in the redneck SEC has the most redneck fans. Hands down–the hated Dawgs. More than the Sooeys, Auburn or MSU. Ask any fan of any team-it is the Dawgs with the snuff dipping, tobacco chewing Dawgs., Hated to see Tech give them another game on the 27th, but watching the masses of rednecks was totally amusing.
Peachy
December 8th, 2010
4:06 pm
Georgia Southern played Central Florida 11 times between 1981 and 1992 winning 10 of those games.
I wonder if the Dawgs can do as well???
Ron Smith
December 8th, 2010
4:36 pm
The National Championship Game halftime will feature a tractor pull this year
SABAN>meyer
December 10th, 2010
3:04 am
big hoss-STFU-The UF fans are the worst rednecks in the SEC.They run over FSU custom mail boxes,break UM windows & put the UM sticker over the hole,Steal Bull Dog magnets of UGA fans trucks,they spit on LSU & Tennessee fans windshields.Biggest Scum in FLA,etc.