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
Big East Billy club
October 16th, 2012
3:51 pm
And I don’t care what you or ESPN says, the winner of the SEC will be in the BCS title game
____________________
if it’s an undefeated Bama, Miss State or Florida (the only 3 undefeated SEC left), yes. No one in the PAC12is gonna beat Oregon, if so they are in. K-State could walk into the game undefeated. A one loss ND gets in ahead of a one loss Georgia SEC champ because of strength of schdule, and because the writers are tired of the SEC winning all the titles. I think an undefeated SEC champ is guaranteed in. One loss Bama (if it’s LSU),or (SC or Florida in CG), LSU, SC or Florida might get in depending on what ND and KState do. Georgia probably needs everyone else to lose 2 games to have a shot.
Brad
October 16th, 2012
3:53 pm
Goal still intact? Funny. Did this pathetic coaching staff even form a goal for this season? The puppies will get blown out by UF and everyone knows that. It would appear that the goal is Shreveport right now.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 16th, 2012
3:56 pm
Pazian
I will answer your question
Richt has shown every single year that he will lose 2 ball games and usually those ball games are complete embarrassments
Once again this year he shows up and instead of losing respectfully to SC; the team looked like there wasnt a coach on the field
There is no excuse in the results we have had when UGA has put more players in the NFL than any other school in the SEC since 2001; more top 10 classes since 2001
I realize your going to have bad seasons ever now and then but with the talent at UGA and the state of Georgia being a top 1,2,3,4 recruiting state every year there really is no excuse
Im not the only one saying this
Bill King on his radio show said Richt is an energy Vampire to his team; he said if Spurier Saban, Miles, or Meyer, Pete Carol had this UGA team; UGA would have a National Title this year go to his radio show and listen if you dont believe me
Here is another article from an Unbiased typical kool-aid drinker
http://cfn.scout.com/2/1227765.html
Marquis de Mercury
October 16th, 2012
4:03 pm
Dawg fans don’t like Bill King (on sat radio) or Finebaum. I’m not a Finebaum fan either, but they both know the problem ain’t the players. The Richt-o-holics don’t want to hear it. Oh well, he does own Tech, if that means anything.
SalGDog
October 16th, 2012
4:07 pm
The Dogs will beat fla and win out. sc will lose to fla in gainesville, giving Ga the SEC east title. Ga can upset alabama in the title game if they get some breaks. Ga: 11-1!!!
Big Wally
October 16th, 2012
4:12 pm
That article = nail on head. So obvious too so many, yet it still alludes the Disney Dawgs.
Brad
October 16th, 2012
4:17 pm
@ SalGDog, stop with the dreams. You are either delirious or under the influence of some tainted Purina dog chow. UF will drill UGA and we all know it. I would not go down to JAX late this month unless I wanted to fish offshore. UF 42 – UGA 17. No contest…it’s called coaching.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 16th, 2012
4:18 pm
Big Wally
Im a huge bulldawg fan
But Im a business owner and as a business owner you have to see the big picture if your going to be successful
Thats what Ive done with the current coaching staff
Im fine with 8 win seasons if thats what everyone wants beating no one and going to the Peach Bowl but its not right when you make the fanbase have to donate large sums of money to be qualified to get season tickets and its not right for a coach to get paid a top 10 salary that is incapable of beating top 10 teams
Big Wally
October 16th, 2012
4:34 pm
Correctomundo there Flat. I honestly cannot see that much coaching going on at Ga. It’s like our coaches are putting in part-time hours, when the rest of the league is working around the clock.
Joey
October 16th, 2012
4:37 pm
I hope we beat UK.
Seriously.
Marquis de Mercury
October 16th, 2012
4:38 pm
What happened to all the GURSHALL talk? Freshman back at LSU runs for 100+ on SC defense…GURSHALL, not so much. Besides, the top freshman in the SEC ain’t nowhere near Athens; Johnny Football at A&M is the best freshman football player in the SEC.
evil empire
October 16th, 2012
4:40 pm
“gurshall” would be red shirt, scout team bait at LSu…and you rednecks know it….
Joey
October 16th, 2012
4:43 pm
“It’s like our coaches are putting in part-time hours, when the rest of the league is working around the clock.”
************************************
Big Wally, I don’t know about the rest of the league, but when a high-profile head coach says, after a 6-7 season, that he “was going to start studying football, cutting-edge football,” what was the obvious question that didn’t get asked of that HC?
“Coach, so you make $3M+ a year, and you don’t ALREADY study cutting-edge football?”
Joey
October 16th, 2012
4:50 pm
I’m a redneck from way back, evil empire. So what?
What are you? A panty-waist? A sissy? A gay? We don’t ask, and we don’t care.
You make good points at times, but those “redneck” remarks are stupid.
And Gurley and Marshall could play for anybody – this year.
kingdaddy
October 16th, 2012
4:55 pm
Pazian
Thanks my friend. I hate the division, but that’s what happens when your fanbase wants to win. I want to win, but not at any cost. Our fans are more important than a Championship. I will be bashed for that statement, but I have children and you have to teach them about both sides of winning and losing. You do both with dignity. Now I will go after a troll or two, but that’s just what I do as a UGA fan and I do it for free. Hope you understand that this blog can be brutal and ugly at times my friend…
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October 17th, 2012
11:55 am
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Chip Towers
October 17th, 2012
11:58 am
Paul in NH: “Goal” is to win SEC East.
Pussy Galore
October 17th, 2012
4:57 pm
Dawgs will run the table and Florida beats SC and Dawgs whip Bama in SEC Title game and whip Oregon in National Title game. Believe my friends and keep hope alive!
Yawn
October 17th, 2012
9:00 pm
Beating Kentucky? What are we now, Tennessee? I don’t even care about Kentucky. Win the big game all Dawgs care about, FL. Beat FL.
Armyrangerdawg
October 18th, 2012
2:22 am
Two words for you TOOLS….. RAY GOFF… Just sayin…
Less taste in athens
October 18th, 2012
7:26 am
You think East is won Nope ask florida after we whip kentucky bad and next we go to Jacksonville Boo Boo Um Bo Bo have plays ready up middle n stop…and Murray will toss eggs at Fla defense with 4pks n 2 fumbles lost in a 55-24 Gator win….and the cryin excuse’s will fill the Georgia air from Richt to boo boo and friends and Fla will play alabama in the SEC championship Game… we be 9-3 at end….and go lose in Bowl Game like did last Jan on tv..Murray will again flap his mouth sayin we goin all the way win a natl championship and in 2013 will flub as LSU and alabama come callin ..and fast as Mark Richt drivin a ford Truck scores of 45-10 lost at home n a big lost vs LSU 45- 6 here…..and poor Murray out played by mettenburger who was kick from Ga…will have a field day….and again Murray no hiesman trophy for him! 7-5 record for Us in 2013….and excuse’s will follow why richt can’t win!
Mark
October 18th, 2012
12:32 pm
I’ve heard from a good source that SC players stole UGAs signals early in the game and new the plays as they were being called. Source – SC student who has class with SC defensive end.
Keith
October 18th, 2012
12:46 pm
Mark- SC to dumb to do that- they didnt have to with Bobo- most everyone knows what plays will be called. I have heard fans in our own stadium from visiting teams tell me what the next play will be.
Keith
October 18th, 2012
12:48 pm
If we are depending on this coaching staff to get this team ready to play a huge game in Jax we are in trouble…..NO WAY does this bunch beat Fla. All Murray does is watch film and tell us they will be ready….end result- another butt kicking on National TV.
Aaron Murray: QB/Heisman Candidate
October 18th, 2012
12:52 pm
Hey everyone: I have been in the film room all week and I can tell you we will be ready to go against KY. Once we get back home, I will be in the film room all next week to get ready for Fla. I know already they are a great team and we will need to be at our best. Unfortunately, sometimes our best just aint good enough. I can tell you me and the boys will be ready to play like we were against Carolina. This game is huge. My family will be there.
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October 19th, 2012
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[...] With ultimate goal still intact, Dogs focus on ‘winning every game’ [...]
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