Notebook: Mark Richt finally ‘fesses up about suspensions
ATHENS — For the first time since news of their indiscretions broke back in March, Georgia coach Mark Richt on Saturday finally admitted that Alec Ogletree and Bacarri Rambo are indeed suspended.
He’s still not saying for how long, however.
Ogletree, a star linebacker from Newnan, and the All-American safety Rambo, were among four defensive starters suspended for Saturday’s opener against Buffalo. The Bulldogs had already announced suspensions for cornerback Sanders Commings and linebacker Chase Vasser for off-season arrests.
But Richt and UGA had remained mum on Ogletree and Rambo, who reportedly failed school-administered drug tests after returning from spring break in March. Rambo’s high school coach has told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution both players are out for four games because theirs is a second offense of Georgia’s marijuana use policy.
Again, Richt wasn’t saying.
“Yes, they were suspended for this game,” Richt said. “We’ll find out what happens next week.”
Mitchell, Brown sidelined
The Bulldogs were also without two other players they thought they’d have entering the last practice of the week. Cornerback Malcolm Mitchell had to be scratched after suffering a fluke ankle injury in Thursday’s walk-through practice. Split end Marlon Brown was a game-day decision to hold out due a left hamstring strain suffered early in Wednesday’s practice. Both players are starters.
Mitchell’s loss was particularly disheartening because Georgia moved him from wide receiver to defensive back in order to shore up attrition in the secondary and get him ready for Missouri’s spread offense. Now they’re not even sure if he’ll be available next week.
“We never would have dreamed he would not have played,” Richt said. “We’re honing everything down Thursday and he ends up jumping up and coming down and landing on somebody’s foot and sprains his ankle and he’s out. Hopefully he’ll be able to practice and play this week, but I really couldn’t tell you.”
Brown was taken into the training room by sports medicine director Ron Courson early in Wednesday’s practice and flashed a thumbs-up sign when asked if he was all right. But the decision was made before Saturday’s game to hold him out.
Shortly before kickoff, Brown said, “I thought I’d be able go today,” but indicated he should be able to go next week.
Return expected for Theus
Georgia suffered two injuries on its offensive line during the game, most notably to right tackle John Theus. Theus, a 5-star signee from Jacksonville, went down with a left ankle injury four minutes into the fourth quarter and did not return.
“You never know with an ankle sprain,” Richt said. “With an offensive lineman, you have more guys who wrap it up tight and go. It’s tougher with skilled athletes.”
Right guard Chris Burnette went out with a bruised sternum at the 9:40 mark of the third quarter but returned later. He was still hurting after the game but said he “should be fine.”
Lineup shuffles
With all the absenteeism, Georgia had to shuffle its starting lineups. As expected, former walkon Connor Norman, a sophomore from Duluth, got the start at Rambo’s free safety. Sophomore Amarlo Herrera started at Ogletree’s Mo linebacker position. Redshirt freshman Devin Bowman got the nod at nickelback while Damian Swann slid over to play the boundary corner normally held down by Commings and Mitchell.
Offensively, Michael Bennett started split end where Brown would have been. Sophomore Merritt Hall got his first career start at fullback .
“Whoever’s out there has to play good enough to win is really what it comes down to,” Richt said. “That’s the way football is.”
In all, Georgia had five first-time starters in the game: center David Andrews, Hall, Theus, Norman, Bowman and Morgan.
Game Ball Relay
The game ball for Saturday’s game made a grand entrance into Sanford Stadium.
It came from underneath the Sanford Drive overpass in the arms of former head coach and athletic director Vince Dooley, was handed off at the hedges to Olympic gold medalist swimmer Allison Schmitt, who delivered it to UGA halfback legend Charley Trippi, who handed it to Georgia baseball player Chance Veazey at midfield. Veazey was paralyzed from the waist down in a scooter accident a few years ago and was treated at the Shepherd Center.
The ball delivery was part of the Game Ball Relay, an Olympic torch-style relay from Atlanta to Athens to that benefited Atlanta’s Shepherd Center. It started in Atlanta on Friday with members of Georgia’s 1980 national championship team getting the first carries, then handing off to members of the Army ROTC to make overnight trek to Athens.
No sellout for Sanford
Attendance at Sanford Stadium was announced as 92,446. That’s 300 below a sellout, which is exactly the number of tickets the Bulldogs said they would have on sale Saturday morning. Capacity is 92,746, so that makes it the first home opener Georgia did not to sell out since 1998.
Special teams update
Georgia was pretty rotten on special teams last year, finishing 116th nationally in punt coverage, 88th in kickoff return coverage, 79th in net punting and 65th in kickoff return average. It was a little better on Saturday.
The Bulldogs had two huge special teams plays, a 100-yard kickoff return by freshman Todd Gurley and a blocked punt by sophomore Chris Conley.
Outside of that they were pretty average. Freshman kicker Marshall Morgan was 1-of-2 on field goals and 6-of-6 on PATS and did a good job on kickoffs. The Bulldogs alternated freshman punter Collin Barber with sophomore walkon Adam Erickson averaged 38.4 yards on five punts.
“I think our special teams was the difference,” Richt said. “. . . If it weren’t for that we’re losing the game at halftime.”
Georgia was somewhat better on kick coverage. Buffalo averaged 21 yards on two kickoff returns but went for 33 yards on its only punt return.
Etc… .
The Bulldogs played 13 true freshmen on Saturday, the most under Richt. . . . . Conley’s block punt was the 20th by the Bulldogs since Richt became coach in 2001. . . . Aaron Murray’s 63-yard touchdown pass to Tavarres King was the 60th of his career. Murray now has 62 overall. King finished with 6 catches for 117 yards and now has 13 career TDs. . . . Georgia paid Buffalo $975,000 to play. It will pay a school-record $1 million to Florida Atlantic, its Sept. 15 opponent.
THE AJC’S COMPLETE COVERAGE OF SATURDAY’S GAME
Game story: Gurley’s dynamic debut overshadows lackluster game
Jeff Schultz column: Has Georgia duped us again, or was this performance just a hiccup?
Sidebar: Shaky start for Georgia’s vaunted defense
Video: Chip Towers recaps the game
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
123 comments Add your comment
boots
September 1st, 2012
8:08 pm
Stupid suspensions. Our players poor behavior puts the team and their teammates in bad positions.
Dedoh
September 1st, 2012
8:10 pm
Good win, but still got work to do.
BigD
September 1st, 2012
8:17 pm
Ugly game. Better get those suspended/idiot guy back, or UGA will be 1-1 after next week.
Taco Meat
September 1st, 2012
8:19 pm
Wasn’t pretty but we’ll take it. Go Dawgs!
I dropped my fried twinkie
September 1st, 2012
8:29 pm
Thank God you don’t have to play So Carolina next week.
Paddy
September 1st, 2012
8:29 pm
I am glad we won. It has been a long off season Lets settle back and enjoy some football The suspensions, for however long, are what they are!
I dropped my fried twinkie
September 1st, 2012
8:33 pm
Rambo has to be 4 games right?
AugustaDawg
September 1st, 2012
8:35 pm
The way USCe looked they would be easier than mizzous offense which is rolling. We need Rambo and ogletree.
AugustaDawg
September 1st, 2012
8:37 pm
Let gurley and Marshall control the clock against mizzou. Gurley is a beast!!!. Hope the suspensions won’t send the season down the where tech is going to be
Dawg Tired
September 1st, 2012
8:54 pm
Gurley is obviously the best back on the team. Translation: he will not start.
BLOOD TYPE: RED & BLACK
September 1st, 2012
8:56 pm
So MM hurt himself jumping up and down and landing on someone’s foot. Are you freaking kidding me?! Were they practicing their victory dance or something. THE STUPIDITY OF THIS TEAM IS FLAT OUT DISGUSTING! STOP ACTING LIKE IDIOTS, JUMPIN’ AROUND, LIKE YOU’VE DONE SOMETHING!
UNBELIEVABLE
KINGDAWG
September 1st, 2012
8:57 pm
These guys just don’t get it…….as the saying goes….You can’t fix stupid!!
NCDawgfan
September 1st, 2012
8:59 pm
I would say kickoffs were better than “OK”. It was nice to see so many end up in the end zone. Haven’t had that in a long time!!
Dawg Tired
September 1st, 2012
9:00 pm
How many of us could have passed “a test” of any kind upon arriving back on campus after Spring Break? How stupid do you have to be to give tests at that time? The season will be sacrificed because of these suspensions. Our defense is pretty poor without Ogletree, Rambo, Mitchell, and the other starting DB (name?) suspended for two games. i realize Mitchell is hurt and not suspended, but he was moved to D because of the suspensions and now that eh is hurt, we are woefully bad in the secondary.
Mizzou will eat us alive next week. They’ll score at least 35. We are not deep enough to play without 5 starters on D.
Dawg Tired
September 1st, 2012
9:02 pm
Of course you haven’t seen that in a long time. They’ve moved kickoff up to the 35. Everybody is kicking it into the end zone. Geesh!
NCDawgfan
September 1st, 2012
9:03 pm
The bad thing is the players were told they were going to be tested!
I dropped my fried twinkie
September 1st, 2012
9:04 pm
I could have passed a teat if I were a scholarship athlete with no problem
KINGDAWG
September 1st, 2012
9:09 pm
@DawgTired
Those of us that weren’t stupid had no problem with the “test” after spring break. Pot Heads aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. Don’t you think common sense would dictate that would probably the most likely time for a “test”.
Wait, I think I just validated my own statement…if they aren’t the sharpet tools then they probably don’t have any common sense either.
TDawg
September 1st, 2012
9:12 pm
Not pretty but a win against a better than expected bunch of Bulls. Gurley, Marshall, Malcome, all of the receivers were very good. O- Line was pretty good. Murray good at times but a little rough at times too with taking sacks and missing open guys.
Defense was bad enough that it should get their attention. CTG will correct the issues and hopefully we get better pressure and coverage next week. Need to upgrade the Norman pick at safety. He was in over his head unfortunately. Good special teams guy.
Mizzou going down at their shack next week
chazzo
September 1st, 2012
9:16 pm
Yeah. UGA should probably just let their players do drugs like all the other teams.
The Dawgs will have better days. Sweep your PBR cans and chicken bones off the living room floor and go to bed.
dap01
September 1st, 2012
9:19 pm
Bobo don’t have a clue about how to run an offense. And the longer CMR lets him get away with it the more I question his ability.
The Dawgs were very unimpressive.
Bulldog Born & Bred
September 1st, 2012
9:26 pm
Am I the only one thats sick of this every year we get our hopes up and after the first game its over We need to clean house Richt is no coach Bobo is no OC and Grantham is no DC
dbc
September 1st, 2012
9:31 pm
I’ve been a dog fan for about 40 years, but it’s getting tiresome watching UGA sleepwalk through games. Tennessee looked decent. Auburn actually looks pretty good. Bama’s up by 24 over Michigan (#8) and it isn’t even the second quarter yet. We’ve heard Georgia players jaw all summer about what a special year and team this is — going for the MNC, blah, blah blah. Then the all-world talent shows up and looks lackadaisical against a cream puff like Buffalo. Is it coaching? Preparation? One thing I know — we ain’t even close to Bama. Is there ambien in the Gatorade? I’m really tired of all the off season talk, backed up by crappy, uninspired, play. And it’s like this every year. Lather, rinse, repeat. Hope it changes or this team’s dreams will be over before they even start. Really excited about Gurley, though.
WDE
September 1st, 2012
9:41 pm
@I dropped my fried twinkie I wish we were playing the game hens next week I really do.
Ed Barrett
September 1st, 2012
9:42 pm
Put them off the team for good. We have got to stop coddling these guys. Everywhere in our society we have got to toughen up. Is winning so important that we cannot do the right thing. Then it probably means something is wrong with us.
Ed Barrett
September 1st, 2012
9:42 pm
Put them off the team for good. We have got to stop coddling these guys. Everywhere in our society we have got to toughen up. Is winning so important that we cannot do the right thing. Then it probably means something is wrong with us.
Eric C.
September 1st, 2012
9:43 pm
Morgan had struggles with the 45 yd fg (set up in the middle) and the extra points…kept pushing them right. Very very frustrating on the suspensions…would have been nice to go into MO at full strength. At least MO has issues of their own with the OL. I’ll give the Dawgs a 60% chance of beating a fired up SEC newcomer on the road.
WDE
September 1st, 2012
9:43 pm
I must have watched another game I guess. Was there ever any doubt we were the better team? Was anyone ever really worried we were going to lose this game ? We have things to work on but I think Buffalo played the best game they were capable of playing and that effort was good enough to keep it within 3 touchdowns. My hat is off to them the played hard and that QB and RB are both great competitors but at the end of the day the outcome was never in doubt. This was a tune up and that is what we did work on the OL gelling and seeing what the young backs could do. All in all it was to my mind a lot better effort than USCe vs Vandy. Worst to come out of this was the injuries we can only hope none are serious. Now we watch film make adjustments during practice and get ready for Mizzou…this wasn’t perfect but it was a solid W. After listening to CMR after the game I think practice this week will be interesting to say the least.
Eric C.
September 1st, 2012
9:45 pm
Dang, let’s hope Arky upsets UA this year in Fayetteville because I don’t see UGA hanging with them based on today’s performances should UGA make it to the SECCG
satxdawg
September 1st, 2012
9:48 pm
Bulldawg fans biggest crybabies in college football ..to me this team played timid due to having bigger fish to fry next week . New faces in the secondary and injuries I rather give up 16 and win then lose anybody else off that defense .
satxdawg
September 1st, 2012
9:54 pm
Not to mention buffalo was holding all game ..those long plays and 3rd down conversions mainly came off missed holding calls ..they only started calling it in the 2nd half.
Dawg Tired
September 1st, 2012
9:54 pm
I thought SUNY scored 23 points.
I dropped my fried twinkie
September 1st, 2012
9:58 pm
So Far the Auburn v Clem&Son has been the best game to watch this weekend.
Rabid Dawg'84
September 1st, 2012
9:59 pm
Should have been moved to 5 or 6. 96 degrees, people passing out every where. I couldn’t take it, watched the 3rd on tv by concession. I have never left a game early before. Also disappointed in Your Pie. Gurley was worth the ticket. Go Dawgs!
I dropped my fried twinkie
September 1st, 2012
10:11 pm
Rabid Dawg’84 you think it was the alcohol more than the heat? I think it was the being DRUNK in the sun.
Huh?
September 1st, 2012
10:16 pm
WDE…yes apparently you did watch a different game.
Huh?
September 1st, 2012
10:20 pm
I’ve watched SC, FL, UGA and UT play this weekend, and UT looks the best after week 1.
Make all the excuses that you want, but there is no way that UGA shouldn’t have beaten Buffalo into the ground. Talk about suspensions, hurt players, the heat, lack of intensity, looking ahead to Missouri, vanilla play calling, whatever…it was Buffalo, and UGA should have beaten them 50 to nothing with the 3rd sting. I know that you don’t want to puke up all the Kool-Ade you’ve been drinking, but the UGA game was hidious.
Jefferson Davis Hogg
September 1st, 2012
10:21 pm
Enter your comments here
flo-ri-duh
September 1st, 2012
10:38 pm
That fried twinkie is a gut wrench & you should have double vision and a loss of brain cells by now. By your inioherent comments the symptoms are starting to show.
HighHopes
September 1st, 2012
10:41 pm
Why do we insist on throwing so many deep balls, especially when Murray is amped and consistently over-throwing. Perhaps some short routes to generate rhythm and confidence? Equally disappointing, the coaches seem to have little concept of controlling the game with offensive management, instead relying on the defense to control the tempo, even under brutal humid conditions. Alabama’s offensive scheme seems far more disciplined with short patterns, wheel-routes, etc. Also, they don’t appear to hold back their play-book, even with a significant lead over UM. Seems the exceptional programs aren’t as concerned with protecting play-books, as Bama is running most of the same game plan that won them a NC.
Another interesting note when watching Bama, AJ McCarron doesn’t whine when a pass is not completed. Kid seems to stay focused and readies for the next play. Murray… can throw the ball a long way, but appears to have some head issues. He did protect the ball well today, though, so hats off for that improvement.
rabid_dawg
September 1st, 2012
10:53 pm
When you have a team of 18-22 year olds…no matter how good the talent is….they still need direction and discipline. Because by doing that…you are more likely to get 100% effort. I just dont see that happening with this coaching staff. They are very streaky when it comes to getting maximum effort. Aside from the occasional thug factor….he’s a good recruiter. Just not a very good coach. He just never seems to have a firm handle on this football team like Saban…Miles or Meyer. But…if the powers that be are happy with an 8-4…9-3 or 10-2 team every year…I guess he’s our man. Some of you may not agree with me and thats fine….but if you look at Georgia’s recruiting rankings over the years versus there actual end of the season rankings…what you find will speak volumes about coach Richt being a sub par coach….given the talent he recruits.
fan
September 1st, 2012
10:55 pm
Oh, just suspensions this time…to bad there wasn’t more of an injury report to elaborate on.
Blake
September 1st, 2012
10:59 pm
Some of you people have no football IQ. We had a really simple game plan today. They kept it really vanilla to keep Mizzou guessing. Think about it, every pass play we ran was a hitch or a go route. We barely ran any play action and didn’t throw to the TEs once. Trust me, this team will be wide open next week against Mizzou and you’ll see Marshall and Gurley getting the majority of carries. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Ogletree back in the line up. By the FAU game we should have everyone back except Rambo. Dawgs will roll next week with a much better effort on D.
Stevie
September 1st, 2012
11:04 pm
The Good…. Dominating running game, lots of yards after contact. Special teams looked tight. Great ball protection, no TO’s, no really stupid penalties.
The Bad… Weak play at safety, kept leaving openings in the middle of the field, vulnerable to both run and pass. Norman kept running away from tackles. Weak pass rush, D line looked awesome one play then like cotton candy the next play.
The Ugly.. Six starters probably out for next week against Mizzou
Wild Dog`
September 1st, 2012
11:13 pm
No one is begging you to watch the dogs. much less have you bunch of self professed genius that knows nothing about footballl
o a better job at your job and you will be a better employee.without the hate for college students athletes.
Just Asking?
September 1st, 2012
11:19 pm
Murray didn’t look as polished as i expected him to look. He overthrew his target too many times for a quarterback with his experience. I wonder if we will see H. Mason this year? Just Asking?
WDE
September 1st, 2012
11:20 pm
@Huh? Darn shame you don’t get to make the rules on a good win…newsflash all wins are good any win by over 3 TD’s is a really good win . Stick that in your pipe and smoke it..now the Bull Dog Nation will see what we have for real next week, but if we win and I think we will lets not don’t go overboard thinking we are world beaters this is after all Mizzou and frankly I think they are being over rated as badly as Buffalo was under rated.
Blake
September 1st, 2012
11:22 pm
Thank you Wild Dog! These people need to just shut up. Both game plans, offense and defense were vanilla by design. When the D had to step up and shut them down, they did. The rushing yards were overblown by Buffalo. Their RB wasn’t that impressive. He went for a 100 but half of that was on one carry and he only avg. 3 yds a carry against us. The real problem was the way their QB ran on us, but considering the fact that we were missing 5 starters and rarely blitzed him with more than 4 or 5 guys that was to be expected. The biggest improvements are always made between weeks one and two. We’ll be jacked and way more impressive against Mizzou.
7576DAWG
September 1st, 2012
11:27 pm
Blake
I agree completely, there is no way that Grantham and Richt showed Missouri what they have been working on at practice for the last month. My guess is that we blitz on every play. Gurly only ran 8 or 10 plays. I hope Bobo lets him carry at least 20 time next week. Also Murray and Bobo throw the ball deep too much. When we are going to throw a slant over the middle or dump off a screen pass I wish Richt would put in LeMay because Murray can not throw either type pass. If anybody is keeping the stats. on Murray completing screen pass at all or completing the actual pass but us losing yards on the play, I bet Murray has less than a 20% completion rate. The only pass he can complete is a long slant or straight go pattern or quick sideline pass. He will have some of those returned for touchdowns by good teams. So far looks like the same Quarterback to me. except he didn’t have a turnover and that is great news.
Even though LeMay did look lost , he had to come over to the side line after nearly every play, he looked real good executing the play. His running ability is way better than Murray. All LeMay needs is playing time so he can build his confidence.
Kenny
September 1st, 2012
11:34 pm
There were struggles all around college football today. What were you expecting with the suspensions and injuries. The biggest improvement comes between game one and two. The defense will be fine, but A Murray needs to be more consistent. Surprisingly good play from the stable of running backs. Gurley and Marshall were beasts! Yards after contact and hitting the holes like they were shot out of a cannon. I’ll take the win, ugly, but still a win. Enjoy the victory. There’s 10 more coming.
Blake
September 1st, 2012
11:38 pm
No doubt Gurley gets more carries next week, he did miss a block bad on one play that cost us a sack but other than that he was pretty flawless. Marshall looks to be pretty sharp too. He nearly broke a couple too. Murray I think was just a little too jazzed up early on. Once he settled down he was fine. He went like 9-12 in the second half. He’s gonna be just fine, and if there is a guy to take us to the promise land it’s gonna be Murray. All we really ran were go routes and quick hitches with a couple of bubble screens mixed in. We purposely held back and still nearly had 500 yds offense and put up 45. Gurley gets 10 more carries and we easily score 60. It was a good win, next week will be better.
Attendance
September 1st, 2012
11:47 pm
“Attendance at Sanford Stadium was announced as 92,446. That’s 300 below a sellout”
Are you sure you got that right, Chip? The game was nowhere near a sellout….I considered it a rather embarrassing turn-out even though it was Buffalo at noon….
JRW7
September 1st, 2012
11:58 pm
Dawgs beat a buffalo team that only won 5 games out of last 24 they played, but Gurley looked real good.
Vol 4 Life
September 2nd, 2012
12:04 am
At this point – Vols are looking like the class of the SEC East
UGA laid an egg today – your backups should beat Bufalo by 30.
Right’s staff has grown tired – and this team will struggle week to week.
Miamidawg
September 2nd, 2012
12:04 am
Typical CMR team. Plays down to the level of their opponent.
Unmotivated. Undisciplined. Sloppy. CMR football. Going to be a long season
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
September 2nd, 2012
12:05 am
I just looked at UGA’s schedule. When will the Bulldogs stop playing all of these fluff games to pad their win/loss record… They do it every year and then rave about how many games they’ve won.
I mean really…..Buffalo (a big whopping 3 wins and 9 losses last year)…..Florida Atlantic….Georgia Southern…..give me a break!!!!!
Bug Squasher
September 2nd, 2012
12:06 am
Hey people! Did y’all read the article? UGA played 13 TRUE freshman. Did you really expect a blowout. It’s game one. Relax!
Bulldog_Greg24
September 2nd, 2012
12:14 am
Corners played soft and LBs played the run poorly at times. Gurley is a beast. He was considered the #6 best RB out of HS. These recruiting services are a joke. Offensively, a little disappointed in the O line. I thought we would come out and manhandle Buffalo’s smaller line. Gurley and Marshall got most of their yards after contact. I hope we can clean up the sloppy play by next Saturday.
Dynamic debut by Todd Gurley overshadows lackluster day for Dogs | UGA sports blog
September 2nd, 2012
12:32 am
[...] Notebook: Updates on suspensions and injuries [...]
Dawg Dawg Dawg
September 2nd, 2012
12:48 am
Why the drawn out drama after gunplay, girlfriend beatings, DUIs, etc?
Just tell us the truth. Be straight with us. Be a Christian.
Huh?
September 2nd, 2012
12:55 am
WDE and all the rest…say what you want…make excuses…UGA looked bad today. I’m not the only one saying it. ESPN said they looked iffy…other media outlets are saying the same.
If you want to blame it on whatever excuse you decide to make yourselves feel better, that’s fine. However, deep down you are worried. You won’t admit it…but it’s the truth none the less.
RED DOG 77
September 2nd, 2012
12:58 am
Oh Good Greif People!!!!!……………Lots of close calls around the country today [except for Alabama]. The first game of the year often times is a chance to get the kinks out. Georgia will have a pretty damn good team this year, but all champions need “old Lady Luck” from time to time………..Just look back at the champs and show me one that didn’t have a good bounce, a good call, miracle catch, stupid play, funky weather………..something that helped their cause……….Georgia will be fine with the D we have now, and even better when our bozos return………..Lighten-up people enjoy the season…………Gurley, Bennett, and Wooten rocked today…………….Along with a scrappy bunch of Oinemen who should only get better every week…………..RED
Huh?
September 2nd, 2012
1:01 am
Red…”all champions need old Lady Luck from time to time.” Please don’t use UGA and champion in the same sentence. It might confuse some folks.
Patrick
September 2nd, 2012
1:06 am
ESPN is pathetic …LSU won by a similar score but said LSU rolled. UGA struggled
.
Hmmmm, you would think UGA’s 45 to 23 win over Buffalo was worse than #12 Wisconsin’s 26 to 21 win over Northern Iowa or #23 Florida’s 27 to 14 win over Bowling Green or #21 Stanford squeaking by San Jose State 20 to 17. How bout #10 Arkansas tied with Jacksonville State or number 4 Ok tied with UTEP….dayum man. UGA had 7 first game starters in this game. This was a scrimmage to see what they have. ESPN bite me
Huh?
September 2nd, 2012
1:10 am
Patrick…you know what all of those teams have in common (UGA, Wisconsin, Florida, etc)? They all looked bad and are overrated. No way UGA looked like a #6 team. I doubt they will be next week.
Eugene
September 2nd, 2012
1:10 am
No matter what the game plan was or wasn’t, the football game that UGA played today could not in good conscience be called SEC football. I just hope they get their helmets screwed on right sooner than later. I will be closely watching to see if this Georgia team gives Missouri a proper welcome and orientation to the conference of the National Champion.
kingdaddy
September 2nd, 2012
1:57 am
Huh won’t talk about his team, only UGA. He knows his own team is an embarrassment and his obsession with the Dawgs proves they whip his team all over the field. What a loser, constantly bashing UGA because they beat his team, lol…
Destin Dawg
September 2nd, 2012
5:27 am
Hey we played a bad game… BUT not as bad as Floriduh!! and S.C. Gameclucks squeaked out a win over Vandy on a bad call…. Tenn. looked pretty good… SEC East should be exciting to watch !!! Go Dawgs !!
MajorDawgFan
September 2nd, 2012
6:38 am
Why are we suspending players who may have smoked a joob during spring break? My goodness. Was that a rival coaches idea, or our own? We deserve to lose if that’s the case.
Hobnail Boot
September 2nd, 2012
7:41 am
We better get it figured out before next week. The middle of the field was open all day long. We face a real running QB at Mizzo. We need to run Gurley and take the clock away at Mizzo. MLB got to stay at home and protect the middle of the field.
Just Stop
September 2nd, 2012
7:47 am
Good Lord people. UGA is not Bama!
You won the game. Looked pretty good at times, sloppy at others. That’s what UGA does. Every year.
Stop acting like you should have pitched a shut out and put up 80 points or something. You’re not all that! You take the win and move on. Quit crying that it wasn’t a good enough win, like you’re some kind of perennial football power like Bama and LSU. Hershel’s gone and he ain’t coming back.
ringleader
September 2nd, 2012
8:35 am
Enter your comments here
Bla, Bla, Bla,
All I know is Buffalo pushed the defensive line all over the field, and they were better prepared for the heat.
Mobile Dawg
September 2nd, 2012
8:41 am
Anybody see the pregame interview with Richt, then the halftime interview? Pregame, these guys are ready to play, halftime, we’re just not getting it done. Is Richt really that disconnected? I believe he is, these Dawgs were, for the most part, unprepared again. But hey, we got a W, so it could be worse.
BuzzMaster
September 2nd, 2012
8:41 am
Most players smoke weed—it’s no big deal. It should be legal anyway.
Mobile Dawg
September 2nd, 2012
8:43 am
OH, and don’t let me forget the part where Richt said we finished our preparations early this year, right before he said these guys are ready to play. And Big John, all your talk about taking food away from your family, just more talk. I watched Bama destroy Michigan, they were prepared.
kmarshall4
September 2nd, 2012
8:51 am
first off buffalo has a good offensive line, they play in the mac laugh if you want mac football is physical they pushed us around in the 1st half we settled in and took care of business good start now lets bust missouri`s tail and move on. check the records of the mac teams yesterday just saying
kmarshall4
September 2nd, 2012
8:55 am
is there rule that the suspensions of rambo and ogletree have to be the 1st 4 games or can they be any 4 games if so i say fla atlantic, ga southern and tech those should be easy wins anyway
Bulldog Born & Bred
September 2nd, 2012
9:21 am
We better be glad we dont play Ala or LSU Michigan would clean our clock
Tired dawg
September 2nd, 2012
9:46 am
When is homerville going to get it……same coach, same inconsistent identity, same lack of finish, same overhype.
9 wins in the easiest schedule ever, can’t wait for the excuses around how we just had too many injuries, too many suspensions and we were young……
Techster
September 2nd, 2012
9:51 am
So Richt wont tell us if Ogletree will play or not next week? Thts unacceptable. The school should require him to release any suspensions for next week.
Mike Franklin
September 2nd, 2012
9:57 am
This post smoking thing is a two way street.
On the one side, those guys knew the policies and knew the risks to their positions on the team should they violate them. You can play for the Dawgs and maybe land a carer in the NFL, making a bundle of money playing a kid’s game or… you can throw it all away because you wanna toke a joint.
The flip is that we all have our own lives and when not AT school, we shouldn’t have the same demanding our bodily fluids. we’ve surrendered so much of our liberty and privacy to the cause of national security and the war on drugs… both of which have left more footprints on our constitution than any REAL war in history.
kmarshall4
September 2nd, 2012
10:12 am
from mizzou website pressure on franklin was way to much for a fcs school inconsistancy on offensive line was expected but needs to get better in a hurry, omg i say 4 sacks at least for jarvis get plenty of rest james franklin you will be running for your life grantham will unleash the hounds this week believe that.
Georgia
September 2nd, 2012
10:18 am
Buffalo’s qb, wr, and rb(yes rb) looked better than what scarolina brought to Vandy. They were a big team and a good warm up contest. Its good to get a little competition to get ready for the heavy weight fight. Tenn looked better? well of course, Dooley is fighting for is job and they returned everyone. Ark gave up 24 to who? LSU won by 27 vs who? Relax, Georgia will be fine. 45-23
Blake
September 2nd, 2012
10:22 am
It’s amazing how most of you have no football IQ. They played a simple, watered down, vanilla game plan by design! They didn’t run hardly anything in the play book offensively, and virtually stayed in zone the entire game on defense. We still nearly had 500 yds total offense and put up 45 pts. Despite the QB running wild, which happens when you play zone the entire time. From the beginning of the second half until the late fourth quarter they were held to around thirty yards, so they easily shut them down when they had to. Not at all worried about Mizzou. They’ve got a rude awakening coming next Saturday.
kmarshall4
September 2nd, 2012
10:24 am
totally agree blake watch the game folks!!!!!
kmarshall4
September 2nd, 2012
10:27 am
i would send harvey clemons and jordan jenkins on alot of blitz packages two great athletes
zbulldawg
September 2nd, 2012
10:30 am
What a bunch of cry babies !!! I’m so glad ya’ll aren’t playing or coaching this team ! Thanks UGA for the 1-0 start !! LET THE BIG DAWG EAT !!
DOGGIE IN NC
September 2nd, 2012
10:38 am
Good Grief! 45 points is not enough for you people? Bobo sucks because we only scored 45? What would it take to make you happy? 60? 70? Is there no end to your stupidity!
Their quarterback was getting loose because we were not holding a linebacker back in the middle – he never ran around end – always up the middle. If you look at the 2nd half, you see us keeping 1 or 2 back, and he was not able to run loose. Believe they had less than 40 yards in the 3rd quarter.
Not sure why Murray gets over-hyped for games, but he needs to learn to control his emotions at the beginning of games. He settled down and looked good.
Defensive backs are going to have to step it up next week, or Mizzou is going to pick us apart.
The heat was a killer today – going to be a little cooler next weekend when we kick it off, which will result in the team having more energy and playing better.
GO DOGGIES!
The Lyin King
September 2nd, 2012
10:59 am
UGA will lose a game that they are supposed to win. They will drop out of the Top 10, and end up back in the Outback Bowl…
funny...
September 2nd, 2012
11:03 am
You idiots really think Georgia showed ANYTHING to Missouri? LOL
Both sides of the ball were so vanilla, so very base.
They held players out, they called like 6 offensive plays, and just played a base D.
gbal
September 2nd, 2012
11:07 am
I agree that we attempt the long ball too often, AM missed a couple that killed otherwise good drives we had goig..
he also seems to wait to long to scramble or release the ball when under pressure. Good to not throw the int yesterday but throw it away and not take the sack.
Cas
September 2nd, 2012
11:19 am
Did anyone notice that Gurley fumbled (let go of) the ball at the one yard line on one of his “touchdown” runs?
You have to cross the goal line “with ” the ball to be a touchdown
Reno64157
September 2nd, 2012
11:28 am
Who drug test players after spring break and why are the police always setting up check points around the Athens campus??? Do you think Saban, Meyer, Miles, etc… would put up with that???
He Hate Gator
September 2nd, 2012
11:47 am
Awesome performance by Gurley…best 1st game by a frosh since you know who….as for the rest of the teams performance, a bit disappointing..
jumpin dawg
September 2nd, 2012
12:22 pm
cas, you are absolutely wrong; Gurley did not fumble. You should have checked your tivo before making that comment; he was two steps past the goal before releasing the ball.
Chris
September 2nd, 2012
1:30 pm
Seven potential starters out for suspension or injuries. Our second best lb(ogletree)and one of the best in the SEC, best safety in the country(rambo), our best corner (commings) and another stating linebacker (vasser). Then our starting nickel mitchell, se brown, and rt theus all get hurt. I think we looked sluggish but almost 30% of our starters were missing
Little Richard
September 2nd, 2012
1:35 pm
Lolz – 92,000 fans. More like 80,000. Ole Richt better hope Bama doesn’t get a chance to bring the hammer and humiliate the Dogs again – see 2008 Blackout. Nothing has changed in Athens since 2008. Another bloated preseason ranking.
North Georgia Dawg
September 2nd, 2012
2:01 pm
Georgia looked sluggish yesterday without about half their starting defense out there. To me this shows how bad our secondary is without Mitchell, Commings and Rambo. At least Mitchell has a shot of returning next week. Who knows if Ogletree will play, though I am guessing he will not. I was afraid Theus was hurt a lot worse than he was… I’m glad he’s not going to be out too long.
North Georgia Dawg
September 2nd, 2012
2:13 pm
As Richt and several Georgia fans have pointed out- If we don’t get a lot better, the Missouri game won’t be close. But if we get Mitchell back, I feel that our defense will be a lot better. I think the main issue was the secondary, because the middle of the field was wide open whenever the quarterback decided to run. Franklin surely isn’t afraid to run up the middle against our defense right now.
North Georgia Dawg
September 2nd, 2012
2:17 pm
Where was the blitzing yesterday? Grantham normally has his defense play much more aggressive than that and I’m guessing he didn’t want to expose the secondary, since Norman and Bowman struggled badly filling in for the starters. A lot of teams play bad in the first game, however. Look at South Carolina, Arkansas and Florida. South Carolina barely won, Florida couldn’t put Bowling Green away and Arkansas gave up 24. It shows how rusty a team can be in its first game. Georgia better shake off that rust in a hurry though… and get Mitchell and Brown back for next week!
jumpin dawg
September 2nd, 2012
2:24 pm
Cas, you are right; he scored so many tds and I didn’t tiro them all before speaking.
oakwood dawg
September 2nd, 2012
2:25 pm
Make all the excuses you want about our performance yesterday but you don”t have to be a rocket scientist to know we are not as good and probably won’t be as good as earlier predicted. Murray sucked—his worst performance (except for games with 2 or more interceptions) yet. Defense, for the most part looked only average to poor. Positive notes–Gurley of course, some of our receivers. Unless we make some serious changes Missouri will clean our plow and so will UT, SC , Auburn, and possibly UF and GT. I hope CMR makes me eat my words. I still believe however he should not have been reviewed , given a pay raise and contract extension after last season. That should have been put off until after this season. Again, I hope I’m wrong.
North Georgia Dawg
September 2nd, 2012
2:29 pm
I hope you’re wrong, too, Oakwood. But seriously, you actually think Auburn can beat us? We’ve beaten them five of the last 6 years! They gave up over 200 yards rushing to one running back and again their defense is sorry. Georgia doesn’t play them until November so we have a lot of time to get straightened out before then. Murray did a better job of hanging on to the ball and didn’t force things yesterday. Missouri is a different story, I think we are toast if Ogletree and Mitchell don’t come back next week.
North Georgia Dawg
September 2nd, 2012
2:30 pm
Florida also plays us tough, but Auburn and Georgia Tech do not. I really think we’ll be fine against those too unless they improve drastically.
Jerry Seinfeld
September 2nd, 2012
2:46 pm
Michael Dyer and Isaiah Crowell’s favorite line: “Load up the choppas like it’s December 31st. Roll up and cock it and hit them where it hurts.” Then they meet up with the Honey Badger.
hot
September 2nd, 2012
3:25 pm
Man, it was hot yesterday! Surprised Buffalo players didn’t drop out from heat exhaustion.
RTR22
September 2nd, 2012
3:42 pm
The Vol nation firmly now believe they can go from 1-7 in 11 to SEC East champs in one year….
Eric C.
September 2nd, 2012
3:45 pm
From ” Huh? ” “I’m not the only one saying it. ESPN said they looked iffy”
That is a big laugh…I can think of maybe 3 times when Herbstreit and Co. praised UGA. Ironically, one of those came when Herbstreit actually picked UGA to beat UA in 2008.
Anyway, it is no secret that Herbstreit, Holtz, and May all hold a grudge…hence the espn bias.
monty
September 2nd, 2012
5:08 pm
Sounds like we have some players who’d rather smoke dope than play football. Crime shame.
fan
September 2nd, 2012
7:01 pm
Better fess up Mark, you got the AJC Sports police watching and stalking Georgia’s every move.
Rewinding the Georgia-Buffalo game | UGA sports blog
September 2nd, 2012
7:21 pm
[...] Notebook: Updates on suspensions and injuries [...]
‘Old-man football,’ Missouri player says of UGA | UGA sports blog
September 2nd, 2012
7:25 pm
[...] Notebook: Updates on suspensions and injuries [...]
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
September 2nd, 2012
9:48 pm
@ Circus World:
You write like a 5 year-old and you get an F-Minus on being funny. A chimpanzee could do much better but when one is handicapped by a Single Digit IQ like you there is strong reason to believe you couldn;t find your a$$ with both hands in your hip pockets.
Barry
September 2nd, 2012
10:02 pm
Pretty average looking Dog team vs Buffalo, with the exception of both freshman running backs. Gurley was really impressive – more so than Crow-un-well was last year. Bigger & faster and seemingly a lot tougher!
Defense better get better quickly or we will come home imbarrassed by Mizzu.
I think our kickers will be ok. Both have good legs….just hope we will be consistently accurate on field goals.
**Really irritating that veteran defensive players let the whole team down with their “weed” habits. They are disgusting in that regard!
It is a long season, but we need to come ready to play SEC football this Saturday – I am certain that Missouri will be.
Benny
September 2nd, 2012
10:38 pm
What happened to Corey Moore? Why are we starting a walk on at safety?
Watsonone
September 3rd, 2012
8:03 am
Bulldog Born & Bred who would you have us hire? *amn it is depressing reading all this *itching by all the nay sayers. Get a life! DAWGS, love them or get yourself another team. They will beat Mizzou.
Rooster
September 3rd, 2012
10:16 am
8-4 at best puppies. Congratulations you just beat Buffalo!!!!
Dawgman
September 3rd, 2012
12:01 pm
I’m all for punishing kids when they screw up but by making them sit out games, they are punishing the other guys on the team AND the fans that paid big bucks to come watch them play. Also, it’s hurting our chances for playing for a SEC title. Why not run the crap out of them instead of making them sit out because when it gets right down to it, who would want to play against Buffalo! I bet if you ran the crap out of them, they would think twice about screwing up!
GATiger
September 3rd, 2012
2:02 pm
Watsonone, I don’t have a list of candidates and I’m not talking about just Richt. Your AD, HC, OC, DC and strength and training coach were all reaches. Most other elite programs get people that have comparable experience in lesser programs.
I want Georgia to be great (after LSU, of course) because I have a daughter there. I want her to have the best college experience possible, as any parent would. I just don’t get why Adams, etal., make the football program decisions they make.
Dawgfan13
September 3rd, 2012
7:28 pm
Each gane takes on its own identity! I think you will see a diferent UGA team on defense and I think UGA will expose Mizzou’s defense! I expect this to be a shoot out and I think UGA will be able to score enough points.
tidog
September 4th, 2012
10:31 am
Quit falling on your sword Coach Richt and play Ogletree and Rambo. You’ve made your point many times in the past with player suspensions. These other SEC coaches are not going tank a potential winning to make a discipline statement to the team.
athensisheaven
September 4th, 2012
10:56 am
Like many, I am frustrated that UGA’s drug policies put our team at a competitive disadvantage with every other team in the SEC. Missouri’s second drug offense penalty is suspension for 7 days (practice and any game that might take place during that week). Georgia’s second offense = 50% of games. Nearly every other school is 15% or less games for a second offense (for a full list of penalties by Schoo: visit: http://leatherhelmetblog.com/2011-articles/november/sec-drug-suspension-policy-by-school.html). And never mind differences in testing regularity and enforcement.
It isn’t fair to the team, it isn’t fair to the fans or the University. It makes us look like an outlier, a team with an unusually high number of rotten eggs. The reality is that players on all teams pull the same stuff, but aren’t bound by the same stiff rules and penalties.
I’m all for the NCAA taking charge of the drug testing and the establishment of penalties. The NCAA should regularly and randomly test all schools with no prior notice and should set a standard punishment for various offenses. THE PROCESS NEEDS TO BE STANDARDIZED!
Time To Get Down To SEC Business | St. Louis Neighborhoods
September 4th, 2012
11:48 am
[...] also be in streetclothes on the Bulldogs’ sideline. Olec Ogletree and Bacarri Rambo will also likely still be serving suspensions on Saturday. Rambo just couldn’t resist a brownie over spring [...]