Notebook: With ‘goal still intact,’ Bulldogs focus on ‘winning every game’
By RYAN BLACK
Special to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATHENS — Just because Georgia was off last week didn’t mean its players stayed away from football.
Starting right guard Chris Burnette attended the Florida State-Boston College game in Tallahassee, Fla., with his fiance. Tight end Arthur Lynch woke up and watched some of ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast before he took in a local Pop Warner football game. But both Burnette and Lynch were in the same place Saturday night: glued to the television, watching South Carolina face LSU. With the Tigers beating the Gamecocks 23-21, the Bulldogs’ chance to win the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division is a possibility once again.
And Burnette couldn’t be more pleased.
“We definitely feel like our goal is still intact,” he said following Monday’s practice. “We can still keep pushing, and as long as we take care of every game, we can be back in the race. It’s great to see the opportunity arise.”
Lynch didn’t watch the game just to see if the Gamecocks would lose, however. He tuned in because he has stayed in touch with former Bulldogs quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who now starts for the Tigers.
Though he was happy Georgia’s hopes of returning to the SEC Championship aren’t dead, he had no problem putting things into perspective.
“It’s a relief, but it doesn’t substitute for the fact that we didn’t play the game we wanted to play against South Carolina,” Lynch said. “They beat us straight-up, and there’s still work we need to do, and that’s why we’ve been focusing on Kentucky.”
Burnette didn’t dispute that there was more energy during Monday’s practice.
“Seeing that we still have a chance, seeing an opportunity to accomplish our goals, it really keeps you amped up,” Burnette said. “You realize you can’t always focus on what happened in the past. You have to push forward and try to see what we can do in the future.”
Malcolm Mitchell doesn’t like looking into the future. That’s why the sophomore cornerback/receiver doesn’t like playing the “what-if?” game.
If the Bulldogs don’t win the rest of their games, he said, the Gamecocks’ loss means nothing.
“We really just need to be focused on winning every game, honestly,” he said. “If we don’t win every game, it doesn’t matter what happens.”
Phillips more worried about sacks than job security
Joker Phillips cherishes his friendship with Mitch Barnhart. Whatever kinship Kentucky’s coach and its athletic director may share didn’t help Phillips avoid questions about his job security Monday, though.
“We talk a couple times a week. It’s just small talk,” Phillips said during his weekly media conference. “It’s nothing — you know, he’s been very encouraging and nothing what you want to get at.”
When asked whether any of their talks involved his future as coach, Phillips deflected the query. His one-sentence response focused solely on the Wildcats’ next opponent.
“I’m busy trying to get these guys improved and get them prepared to play Georgia,” he said.
Given his team’s 1-6 overall record and 0-4 mark in Southeastern Conference play, Phillips was also forced to defend his team’s resolve. Following last Saturday’s lightning-shortened 49-7 loss to Arkansas, some questioned whether the team quit. Phillips disputed the assertion then, and his stance remained the same Monday.
“Sometimes in a game like that, it might look like [to] the common folk that they are not giving effort, but if you watched the two long touchdown passes, Cody Quinn is straining, busting his tail from the back side,” Phillips said. “I think our guys are giving us great effort. We have to do a better job of executing.”
To Phillips, no part of his team needs to step up more than the defensive line. Though the Wildcats’ defense has tallied 15 sacks this season, which ranks eighth in the SEC, Phillips isn’t satisfied. He wants his players in Aaron Murray’s face early and often Saturday to help the Wildcats’ injury-ravaged and youthful secondary.
“You’ve got to get more pressure on the quarterback. You can’t let him get comfortable back there,” Phillips said. “That’s what happened Saturday. We didn’t get enough pressure on [Razorbacks quarterback Tyler Wilson] and the guy takes advantage of a young secondary. There were some holes, obviously. When you play some young guys, sometimes they’re out of position.”
And if the front four can’t create enough of a push to get to Murray, there are always fall back options.
“You either blitz, and if you can’t get with him with the blitz, you must drop eight [into coverage],” Phillips said.
Injury report
Five players did not take part in practice, most notably outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, who sat out with an ankle sprain. Two other Bulldog defenders sat out after having surgery: inside linebacker Brandon Burrows (fractured left hand; had surgery last Thursday) and defensive end Sterling Bailey (thumb sprain; had surgery Monday). Wide receiver Michael Bennett (torn right anterior cruciate ligament) and tight end Cole Trolinger (concussion) rounded out Monday’s injured list.
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377 comments Add your comment
doggoneit
October 16th, 2012
5:38 am
UGA is an above average SEC team that will win 7-10 games a year. If you are looking for more, you’re going to be disappointed. We usually beat all the teams we should beat and seldom beat good teams. Our coaches are good but not great and we lose way too many top Georgia recruits to Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Auburn and Clemson , Marc Richt is a great man and face for college football, and he’s a good coach, but not among the elite coaches in the country.
Piney Woods Pete
October 16th, 2012
5:54 am
@RealDawg: We are one of the 10 winningest programs in the country over the last 10 years in the toughest conference.
Right. Now remind me how many BCS championships UGA has.
We Run The East
October 16th, 2012
5:57 am
You Dag fans telling us SC ain’t really that good, ask yourself this- Is Sc that good or is UGA that BAD! No good answers are their Dawg fans. Gonna kill the chickens, we are gonna run SC out of their house with all our talent…Did not happen, Dawgs embarrassed themselves and took the beating of the season, for the entire nation and recruits to see. Wake up adn smell the coffee. I hope CMR coaches at UGA asnother 20 years. I wanted Jim Donnan to stay also. You know why? Because they are inferior coaches at my #1 rival. At least be a realist as Dawgs were stripped naked for the whole world to see. What will happen in Sanford Stadium next year? Will UGA improve by 28 points in 1 year. Or will Clowney threaten them and UGA will roll over and play dead again!
Florida Times
October 16th, 2012
6:04 am
Florida 45
Georgia 17
Another ugly beatdown for the leghumpers.
Michael
October 16th, 2012
6:06 am
Preacher Head Football Coach
Michael
October 16th, 2012
6:07 am
Wont Work.
Realism
October 16th, 2012
6:12 am
Roll tide with pride-
I only folks like you are updated as much on things that count like who wins our presidential election. If Obama wins, you won’t have enough money to put gas in your truck, but your six pack, chew your tobacco, take your wife to Golden Corral! Now use your brains to educate the whiners to stay off our gov payrolls, lose weight and stop having so many more kids that can’t read above a 6th grade level!
gomdawg
October 16th, 2012
6:16 am
Kentucky is the team to beat right now. Get the Gators out of your head . One game at a time .Even if Sc beats Gators Dawgs win out 11-1 anything can happen ASK ALABAMA ABOUT LAST YEAR
Jeff
October 16th, 2012
7:10 am
CMR should state backing into a championship is their goal at the beginning of the season.
Just Saying
October 16th, 2012
7:23 am
I sincerely believe we have some negative bloggers who only (and always) see the glass as half full. To be quite honest with you, I don’t want to fire a coach just because he hasn’t won a NC or beat a top 10 team in the past 4 years. I’ll be more than happy to settle for 10-2 and 11-1 seasons and go to New Year bowl games. We should be proud of having a successful program that is easily in the top 10% year in and year out. PLEASE quit wishing that UGa will LOSE so we can justify firing CMR and company. We have already seen this played out with Fulmer and Tuberville. If anyone watched the Texas Tech/WVU game this week I’m sure you are wondering how Auburn fired Tuberville…..who is a very similar coach in demeanor and skill to CMR. Please start sending positive vibes, be confident and quit bashing a coach for only winning 85+% of his games!!!!
Just Saying
October 16th, 2012
7:27 am
Oh yes, and I would have loved to have KIrby Smart as a defensive coordinator, but there is zero proof that he could win 5 games a season as head coach……absolutely ZERO!!!! Be careful what you wish for. P.S. But I still believe most of the negative bloggers are GT fans because they would love to see CMR depart since they can’t beat him!!!!
Jeff
October 16th, 2012
7:34 am
and we wonder why we have all the great talent and nothing to show….this is from our seasoned head coach and O Coordinator…….wow- the light buld JUST went off????? This is BS!!!!
We did a couple of things differently in the game because of the edge pass rushers,” Richt said of a Gamecocks’ team that has defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor. “You’re wanting to help your tackles out. So we did things a little bit differently in pass protection, too, whether it was a back helping or a tight end helping. We may have spent too much time and scheme on that where we should have just maybe done what we’ve been doing all year long and realizing that they may win once or twice but we’re also going to win our share, too. And just running the ball between the tackles. I thought we probably should have stayed with that a little bit more than we did.”
LSU rushed for 258 yards against the Gamecocks Saturday. Georgia had only 40 rushing yards in the first three quarters and 115 total.
Bobo mentioned last week on Georgia’s call-in show that the Bulldogs prepared during the gameweek with plenty of crowd noise, but may have overdone it.
“Going back talking as a staff maybe we did a little bit too much crowd noise and maybe shouldn’t do crowd noise until Thursday,” Bobo said. “We didn’t get to teach as much as we wanted to with all of the crowd noise.”
Jeff
October 16th, 2012
7:40 am
And this from our Defense……the group that was returning all starters….this is BS as well……Communication????Things on their chest?????? BS!!!!! Plain and Simple BS!!!!!! This is the crap we get at UGA.
“It gets very discouraging,” Williams said. “You have people saying other defenses are doing this and that. As I look at it, those guys are not better than ours, but we’re just not getting the job done and they are. I guess we’ve just got to come out and execute the gameplan better. That’s all it is.”
Williams called the bye week “much-needed,” to allow the defense a chance to improve its communication.
“I think we’re back where we need to be and we’re ready to get another shot at it and show everybody what we can do,” said Williams, second on the team with 41 tackles.
He said the defense has had a positive approach after clearing the air.
“We met a couple of days and people got what was on their chest out and said what they had to say,” he said. “We’ve just got to be accountable for our actions and know we have to eliminate the big plays.”
Jeff
October 16th, 2012
7:43 am
I would not be a bit surprised if KY upsets us in Lexington……once again, focus is on Gators…NOT KY….poor coaching (no, coaching comes out in big games- we look like girls in big games)….we beat our cupcakes…players with issues…..same crap different year……this team makes me sick with all their drama
Big time?? Not
October 16th, 2012
7:46 am
Go gata
Coarch Ric
October 16th, 2012
7:49 am
Look guys, we only need to win 8 or 9 games a year for me to maintain my win percentage of 70%.
We’re right on schedule to realize our goal. We can drop Ole Miss and Florida and still win 9. All we have to do is come up with a game plan to beat Auburn.
Life is good!
Notebook: With ‘goal still intact,’ Bulldogs focus on ‘winning every game’ – Georgia – Dawg News
October 16th, 2012
7:57 am
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Dawg Gone
October 16th, 2012
8:00 am
Is it just me or does anyone else have a problem with the UGA coaches and players ever year talking about having to have someone else beat SC so we can get to the championship game. I am starting to agree with Steve Spurrier. We have a problem in Athens folks.
RHall55
October 16th, 2012
8:04 am
Dawg in SC is right….the OL and DL are sore spots now…CRG, why is your DL not producing like it should….if you can’t coach them, then recruit them…you can’t do that either….time to retire….bye, bye…watch one the best in the business in DL Coaching soon., ie Florida’s Bryant Young, an in shape former NFL star who can recruit mean, nasty DL and coach them up…..as far as OL goes, say bye, bye to Gomer Friend….this hick from the Bama woods cannot recruit great OL…only (3) OL last year…and losing out on his biggest OL recruit in JC Trenton Brown….good luck, Gomer, on Laremy Tunsil…recruiting against AL…Friend, please go back to UAB….that’s your league!!!
UGA is the Texas of the SEC
October 16th, 2012
8:05 am
Over rated.
Used to have Muschamp.
AtlG8tr
October 16th, 2012
8:05 am
AD McGarity is a sleeper cell embedded at UGA to retain Mark Richt as long as possible. Four other SEC programs have brought in coaches who’ve won NCs during Richt’s tenure, and the Dawg nation is still trying to figure out the problem. How slow are you people? Apparently as slow as CMR.
obamaSINLADEN
October 16th, 2012
8:09 am
Yaba Yaba Yaba. GATA DOGS! GET THE W.
Vampire Bill
October 16th, 2012
8:11 am
Kentucky has to be pumped to play UGA this week. A 21 point win would be a huge boost to their program and the dawgs could easily lay down again.
bubba4dawgs
October 16th, 2012
8:15 am
So demoralizing to read this negative blog!! So much talent on this team who practice and play their hearts out then everything seems to fall apart with one game when nothing seems to go their way. If the DAAWGS swallow all this fodder, they just might not win another game! It hurts to lose but it’s what you do about a loss that measures the kind of character in your team! Plain and simple, the DAWGS were outmanned and everything that could go wrong in the game did go wrong. Good teams do have bad games and this one was bad for the DAWGS! I say we gotta stick with them and move on! Forget the past and get ready for the next one……Kentucky. Hone your skills in readiness for Flori-duh! There is still a lot to play for…….we want to keep Gurshall on the positive side of the game…..let’s not get their heads spinning in the wrong direction! Defining our weaknesses gives us a chance to fix them and get better! GO DAWGS!!
Newnandawg
October 16th, 2012
8:16 am
Why does UGA, with the most profitable SEC football program, have the 6th highest paid coach in the SEC? Put some thought into that.
Eric Murray and Aaron Zeier
October 16th, 2012
8:17 am
This s Murray’ s game. oft SEC opponent for him to psd his empty passing stats.
When Murray leaves UGA, we will have won nothing, including bowl games. Murray, almost like Stafford, has been a ZERO for UGA.
UGA class of 71&73
Coarch Ric
October 16th, 2012
8:18 am
UGA is the Texas of the SEC
October 16th, 2012
8:05 am
Over rated.
Used to have Muschamp.
Meh… Texas was overrated with Muschamp. What they need is a Head Coach who hasn’t had his manhood stolen.
ugab
October 16th, 2012
8:18 am
LOL. I hope everyone is reading this article. It says Kentucky has a good DL. 15 sacks already this season. OK NOW Let’s not let a back”chip” someone. Let’s put a couple of TEs in to help block. Let’s put a couple of Veteran RBs in to help block the blitzs. (Samuel and Malcome) The young backs are great runners, but they can block or pass protect. Typical MR and Bobo Offense. It takes a RB atleast 2 yrs to learn how to block. Kentucky’s coach says that they have a young secondary. Let’s take advantage of the weakness. It is called a Game Plan
t rex
October 16th, 2012
8:21 am
There is not doubt that Spurrier is a much better coach than Richt—–Richt didnt really have much of a track record when UGA picked him up———which is the big mystery. I dont think UGA plays into this years race————the real game is this SAT between SC and Florida=====if SC wins they can win out and go to the Championship game—if they lose———–its Florida all the way—-Georgia will not want to win bad enough to contain FLa s QB——-there are much to lazy and do not want to get dirty. Sorry —I saw the SC game and the tackeling was horrible.
L E G H U M P E R LOGIC
October 16th, 2012
8:23 am
Newnandawg
October 16th, 2012
8:16 am
Why does UGA, with the most profitable SEC football program, have the 6th highest paid coach in the SEC? Put some thought into that
I knew there was a reason that Richt always lost the big games.
ugab
October 16th, 2012
8:24 am
Game Plan. What are the coaches going to do?? Us fans all knew SC had Clowney. I would have put a couple of helmets on him. LOL What is the game plan for this game.?
chase
October 16th, 2012
8:25 am
Ga8tor
worry about learning the FORWARD PASS ..your offense is not good and VANDY ran all over your defense
L E G H U M P E R LOGIC
October 16th, 2012
8:26 am
t rex, Richt did have a track record; it was as the OC at FSU where he had success against the Gators. I guess Spurrier was right when he said “Something happens to them when they get to Athens”.
L E G H U M P E R LOGIC
October 16th, 2012
8:27 am
Yea thats it Chase. Your D better learn how to tackle moron.
Kirby Smart
October 16th, 2012
8:28 am
the article is pointless. You really think we can beat Fla.? with this coaching staff…please? Bring on Kirby!
Coarch Ric
October 16th, 2012
8:28 am
Well, Florida didn’t play Bama this year. I was hoping that LSU would take Driskel out. That was my game plan. Guess we’ll have to write that one off now.
Doesn’t matter. We can still win 9 or 10 games without beating the Gators.
ugab
October 16th, 2012
8:29 am
I agree with T-Rex. Lazy and do not want to get dirty, is what our mighty dawgs are about this season. Pure out Lazy. Where are all the coaches on the sidelines coaching these guys. Is the idiot coach Garner even on the sideline coaching the DL. Bobo needs to quit hiding in the dang Press box and get his butt on the sideline. Maybe he will see how bad the dawgs are getting wipped. Atleast TG is on the sidelines watching his D get ran all over.
ugab
October 16th, 2012
8:34 am
A new coach would have to come in and make alot of changes. All coaches need to go. No more swimming. No more taking time off. No more seeing a SEC team tired in the 3 and 4 qurtrs. No more dumb penalties. We need a coach that bleeds football. We need a coach who loves football. If everyone likes CMR, then follow him to another ACC team. I do not want him as an AD. There are 2 many things that need changing at Uga. The drug test policy is one of them.
Lonnie
October 16th, 2012
8:36 am
roll tide just one question. Why didn’t we play bama in the SEC championship game last year? Because the great Nick Saban lost a home game to Les Miles and then watched Miles play in the dome while he gets to go to BCS bowl game. Yes we are second tier in the SEC. Alabama and LSU are consistently better and South Carolina is better now. I believe in the dawgs and think we will win out. Here is my reasoning. 2 weeks of adjustments and practice plus a pride thing will kick in! In addition, I think that the week off and the lightened practice schedule will have Jarvis ready and finally we can run against Florida. A shootout goes to Georgia. Keep Mark Richt.
ugab
October 16th, 2012
8:40 am
Kentucky will wip the Dawgs. It is to obvious, you can tell what a CMR’s team is going to do and that is lay down.. I did not ever see Uga winning more than 6 games. Let’s start with the end of last season. How many yard did the might D give up the last 2 games? How many OL did ga lose last season? How many did we have to replace the OL? Not many. We were going to be thin at CB. It is always something. Without B Boykin, the D looks horrible. Terrible.
Coarch Ric
October 16th, 2012
8:41 am
Yes. Keep me!
Who wants to play in some lousy National Championship game anyway?
HoneyBooBooDawg
October 16th, 2012
8:43 am
We still have the one in 1980!!! go DWAGS!!!
ugab
October 16th, 2012
8:45 am
Lonnie???
J Jones has not been practicing. I guess CMR will let him sit out for 2 weeks and then let him play. Every team knows how to contain JJ. He is not that good of a tackler. He does not wrap up. The D looks weak. Poor tacklin and can not get off a block. It looks like WM is coaching again. RODNEY GARDNER NEEDS TO GO. HE HAS BEEN HOLDING THIS TEAM DOWN FOR A LONG TIME
Columbia SC Dawg
October 16th, 2012
8:46 am
You trolls should tune in some SC sports talk shows. They are saying the identical things about Spurrier that you are saying about Richt. Spurrier is no good. He’s content with a 10-win season. He had not prepared for LSU. Why didn’t the dumbass run Lattimore more and on and on and on. The lesson to be learned here is that you trolls are never happy. Stay off the computer and follow your wives. No doubt they have lovers because you trolls are losers.
tony
October 16th, 2012
8:51 am
Dawg in SC
October 16th, 2012
4:34 am
The way to win in the SEC, in the East or the West, is to run the ball, and play ligts out defense. Period! Look at Bama, Lsu.. They give us the blueprint every year but somehow we don’t seem to grasp that.
___________________________________________________
Vince Dooley created smashmouth football. That blueprint is still in Athens,Ga. Nick Saban and Les Miles learned smashmouth in the sec not the Big 10 and the Big 12. I think Mr Richt has too much pride to do it Vince Dooley’s way.
If you pay attention to the defense you will notice that our boys do more grabbing than tackling. That’s a sign that our young men aren’t fundamentally sound in the mechanics of form tackling that they will be effective tacklers. Sad but true.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 16th, 2012
8:54 am
chase
Go pull for another team; your the problem with UGA; excepting 8-10 win seasons as something that is a great achievment
Its not that hard with UGA’s schedule to win 9 games every year based on its talent. Its when we play a good team UGA ends up getting beat almost everytime.
Thats the coaches fault. And yet here we are again crossing our fingers hoping we back door it into the SEC championship. For what; to get embarrassed and pummeled by Bama just like LSU last and have everyone say the SEC East was down again and thats the reason UGA got in?
Yea that sure is another bulldawg point of pride
ugab
October 16th, 2012
8:56 am
hello
Mad Dawg
October 16th, 2012
8:58 am
A growing movement of students will be bringing paper bags to the game if they stink it up it will be known what is thought of this program of apathy…
KnoxvilleDawg
October 16th, 2012
9:05 am
I hope that you negative posters aren’ t real Dawg fans or alumini. 95% of the college football fans in America would love to have our players & coaching staff. Look at our record over CMR’s tenure. Look at Bama’s record over that same time. Success runs in cycles. I bet the Dawgs coaching staff spends more hours doing their jobs than any of you negative posters. They also make the big bucks for a reason. Has it crossed any of your minds that your expectations are unreasonable. Let’s here some positive comments.
gomdawg
October 16th, 2012
9:07 am
DOES ANYONE KNOW IF GEORGIA AND KENTUCKY IS ON PAYPER VIEW OR WHAT CHANNEL