UGA vs. Michigan State in Outback Bowl; homecoming for Murray, Charles
Georgia and Michigan State, both with 10-3 records and losses in their conference championship games, will meet Jan. 2 in the Outback Bowl in Tampa.
The matchup was set Sunday, one day after Georgia lost 42-10 to No. 1 LSU in the SEC Championship game and Michigan State fell 42-39 to Wisconsin in the inaugural Big Ten title game.
Georgia was among three SEC teams, along with South Carolina and Arkansas, that were in the running for the Capital One, Outback and Cotton bowls.
Orlando’s Capital One Bowl, which had the next choice of SEC teams after LSU and Alabama were tabbed for the BCS national title game, selected South Carolina. The Gamecocks (10-2, 6-2 SEC) finished second to Georgia in the SEC East, but defeated the Bulldogs 45-42 in Athens on Sept. 10.
The Outback and Cotton bowls, equals in the SEC’s bowl pecking order, were next in line to make selections from the league. The Outback preferred the East team (Georgia) and the Cotton the West team (Arkansas).
The Outback, which will kick off at 1 p.m. and be televised on ABC, will be a homecoming for two of Georgia’s top players, quarterback Aaron Murray and tight end Orson Charles, who were teammates at Tampa’s Plant High School.
“Heading home for the Outback Bowl!” Murray said Sunday night via Twitter.
“It’s a great destination for our student-athletes and our fans –- warm weather, wonderful attractions, a first-class stadium -– and we look forward to competing against a great Michigan State team,” Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said in a statement. “Our fans have been a big part of our success this season, and I’m confident they will support the team with attendance in this bowl game.”
Michigan State is ranked ahead of Georgia in the latest polls, released Sunday. The Spartans are No. 12 in the Associated Press poll and No. 13 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, while the Bulldogs are No. 18 in both.
While Georgia won the SEC East, Michigan State won the Big Ten’s Legends division. Both teams were 7-1 in regular-season league play.
This is the 15th consecutive season that Georgia has reached a bowl. The Outback is a step up in the bowl landscape from the Bulldogs’ destinations the past two seasons, the Independence Bowl in 2009 and the Liberty Bowl last year.
Georgia and Michigan State have met twice previously in football, with Georgia winning both times.
The first meeting was in Jacksonville’s Gator Bowl at the end of the 1988 season. Georgia won that game, Vince Dooley’s last as the Bulldogs’ coach, 34-27.
The other meeting was in the Capital One Bowl at the end of the 2008 season. Georgia won 24-12 in the final college game for quarterback Matthew Stafford and tailback Knowshon Moreno. Stafford threw three touchdown passes in the second half, the last one to Moreno.
“This promises to be a great match-up,” Michigan State athletics director Mark Hollis said in a statement. “The last time these two teams met … the outcome wasn’t decided until the fourth quarter, so we anticipate another competitive game.”
Georgia has played in the Outback Bowl three times previously, winning all three, while this will be Michigan State’s first trip to the Tampa game.
Michigan State seemed on the cusp of a potential game-winning touchdown in Saturday’s Big Ten title game when the Spartans returned a Wisconsin punt inside the 5-yard line with less than two minutes to play. But a running-into-the-punter penalty negated the return and gave Wisconsin a first down, ensuring its victory and a Rose Bowl berth.
Georgia coach Mark Richt and Michigan State coach Coach Mark Dantonio will discuss the Outback matchup in a joint media teleconference Monday. In a news release from the bowl Sunday night, Richt was quoted: “… Playing a top quality opponent like Michigan State will be a challenge we’ll look forward to.”
Both teams rank in the nation’s top five in total defense. Georgia is No. 3, allowing 268.5 yards per game, and Michigan State is No. 5, giving up 272.7 yards per game.
– Tim Tucker
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522 comments Add your comment
DawginLex
December 7th, 2011
4:23 pm
Sorry tech dude but what I saw was a team with a GREAT defensive game plan executed to perfection for 1 half.
i saw a team on the other side with much more depth that wore us down in the 2nd half.
I saw a sure handed freshman receiver drop a sure TD. It could have been 21-0. It wasn’t. We made the mistake of punting to the best athlete on the field. TD shouldn’t have counted if the replay guy had done his job but it did.
I see a defense being coached by former NFL coaches. I see a defense set to be great for years to come.
I see an offense in need of running backs and more big uglies.
I don’t see where our head coach got outcoached but you went to Tech so you are obviously smarter than me.
4.29 GPA
December 8th, 2011
1:20 am
Go Tech December 7th, 2011 4:10 pm
“Hey bulldogs! Your team got stomped and humiliated. Your coach was out coached in every way. Be quiet and just own up to it.”
__________________________________
How can that be ?
We sacked your quarterback twice, he fumbled it once, and he threw 2 interceptions in route to a complete dismantling by the significantly better recruits we have your joke of a coach cannot begin to match. 31-17. Your own coach, Yanked your quarterback, then. Here we are in the last game of the regular season and after 12 games, your coach doesn’t even know who his quarterback is ? Then, you run in here and what ?
Snoop Dawg
December 8th, 2011
12:31 pm
The Outback Bowl is a mediocre bowl. Why is everyone trying to make this sound like success? Jim Donnan took us there almost every year. I thought we wanted better.
Richt and Bobo took the easiest schedule in the history of UGA football and squandered it. The team was not prepared to play in September and lost two games it should have won.
It’s the coaching, stupid.
Trying to make the Outback Bowl sound impressive is just another propaganda line so that the incompetent and unemotional Richt and Bobo can together continue to pull down in excess of four million dollars a year.
For what? Almost any NCAA head coach or offensive coordinator could run circles around these two.
Same story. Around March we’ll be hearing how they might “take it all the way this year.” Yeah, right. Just like every year. Every year we have top ten recruiting. Why are we hardly ever in the top ten then?
Get used to Outback Bowls as long as Richt and Bobo are in control in Athens.
Pretty expensive way to sustain mediocrity…
Snoop Dawg
December 8th, 2011
12:46 pm
How many of you actually believe that Richt will focus his team and drill them over the holidays so that they may be victorious in the Outback Bowl?
I have some swampland that you might be interested in.
Laissez faire is everywhere now in Athens. The boys deserve to enjoy the holidays after a successful season, right? WRONG! They blew an opportunity to be a top 5 team this year. The season isn’t over until January 2.
Richt and Bobo should finish the drill, but they won’t. We may or may not squeak past Michigan State.
If we lose to them, it will be because of the coaching. As usual…
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
December 8th, 2011
3:26 pm
The Academic All American list was released and only 1 player from UGA is on the list. Punter Drew Butler, majoring in Kinesiology……Whatever that is.
Meanwhile, Nebraska has 3 on that list.
Snoop Dawg
December 8th, 2011
4:10 pm
I’d much rather be a Georgia Bulldog than a Nebraska Cornhusker. I don’t care how many all-Americans they have. UGA would still put a whuppin on Nebraska even with Richt and Bobo at the controls.
dean
December 8th, 2011
4:23 pm
For the sake of the aforementioned brevity,
Neverplaythegame
December 8th, 2011
9:37 pm
Quit poor mouthing about UGA – LSU game. Dawgs can fear none, but after the first deep (team) they can play no ones. What a job in recruiting.
PapaDawg
December 8th, 2011
11:33 pm
Dear Coach Richt, Please take your 1st team special teams with you. I know that couldn’t have been your best against LSU
01HAWK
December 9th, 2011
10:31 pm
ENJOY THE………………………………OUTDOOR BOWEL……………………………….TAMPA IS REALLY UGLY THIS TIME OF YEAR……………………………LOL
OH, go ahead and give CMR his extension and you will never win with him.
Guydogbob
December 10th, 2011
7:05 am
Redemption time for Crowell. GO YOU DOG!
Wreckmaniac
December 10th, 2011
4:19 pm
The Chick-Fil-A took a giant step backward this year by being forced to take Auburn-Virginia, two mediocre teams. For years this bowl had really moved forward. If this is what to expect in future, this bowl is headed to obscurity.
sweraexcams
December 10th, 2011
7:05 pm
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Raistlinxx
December 10th, 2011
11:04 pm
Im 14-15 years old and i lived lots of bad things.When i was 9 i saw my mom was holding gun to my dad etc…My dad cheated my mom.Both of them hate me.I fail at school so bad.I dont have friends or girlffriend.I lived lots of bad things(i don want to write all of them there) i Forgot smiling.I wish i could forget everything.I wish i was dead.what should i do to be happy?Kill my dad?(I ******* HATE HIM)Kill my mom?Kill myself?Selling soul to satan(not joke)Using drugs?(So i can forget everything)Help me please i dont wanna cry anymore:(Its so hard.This is not another teenager question.Im much more mature than being teenager cause i even saw my best friend murdered 2 year ago.I lived lots of thing.Please someone help me:(
FLdawg
December 11th, 2011
7:04 am
Alabama saw how UGA dominated the first half. I’m surprised Alabama isnt going to be a run away in this game. LSU has n o offense except special tems and defensive turnovers. UGA will dominate the SEC for the next 2 yrs bye bye Honies.
ugab
December 11th, 2011
9:26 am
I just hope MR has the team ready to play for the bowl game. The LSU 2nd half meltdown was a waste of ga fans Money!!! There were plenty of dropped passes in the lsu game. Murray needs to have some extra drills with all the recievers. If the recievers catch the ball in the LSU game, the score would have been alot different. If MR does not punt to Matheu, the score would be different. Why can’t MR put together a complete game? The SEC east was given to ga this year. Ga needs to win the bowl game!!!
ugab
December 11th, 2011
9:32 am
Snoop Dog; I am thinking the same thing. MR and company think the season is over as usual. I am sick and tired of MR taking off to much time for MR to be with his family. It was an OK season. We need to beat Michigan State to even say, this was a good season. MR is such a soft coach. THIS IS THE SEC!!!! ALABAMA AND LSU ARE TUFF SEC TEAMS. GA IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE ACC
ugab
December 11th, 2011
9:35 am
RAISTLINXX???????? WTH is up with you? Make good grades and get out of the life your in. Not the end of the world.lol Life goes on and on and on and on… dont be given up
ugab
December 11th, 2011
9:40 am
P.S. Who is the hell is going to kick next year? That is a serious question.
Raistlinks
December 11th, 2011
4:10 pm
Im 14-15 years old and i lived lots of bad things.When i was 9 i saw my mom was holding gun to my dad etc…My dad cheated my mom.Both of them hate me.I fail at school so bad.I dont have friends or girlffriend.I lived lots of bad things(i don want to write all of them there) i Forgot smiling.I wish i could forget everything.I wish i was dead.what should i do to be happy?Kill my dad?(I ******* HATE HIM)Kill my mom?Kill myself?Selling soul to satan(not joke)Using drugs?(So i can forget everything)Help me please i dont wanna cry anymore:(Its so hard.This is not another teenager question.Im much more mature than being teenager cause i even saw my best friend murdered 2 year ago.I lived lots of thing.Please someone help me:(
68-56
December 11th, 2011
9:03 pm
68-56….. Get use to it rednecks
bdawg
December 11th, 2011
10:55 pm
hey “5 Time National Champs Nebraska” who cares what does that have to do with football! ya corn shucking moron