With an eye on Florida, concentration will be key for Bulldogs against Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Georgia coach Mark Richt grabbed a microphone and stepped on a stage at UGA’s Legion Field on Thursday night and declared himself a Florida Gators fan.
“Believe it or not, I am cheering for the Gators this weekend,” Richt told a thousand or so Georgia students and fans gathered there to hear a Jason Aldean concert. “We need them to beat South Carolina to get us back in the driver’s seat.”
Losing a game in the SEC certainly makes for strange bedfellows.
The Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1 SEC) were unceremoniously dispatched by South Carolina 35-7 in Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 6. But during Georgia’s bye last weekend, the Gamecocks lost at LSU.
That means a loss by South Carolina (6-1, 4-1) to No. 2 Florida (6-0, 5-0) on Saturday — coupled by a Georgia win over Kentucky — will set up what essentially will be an SEC Eastern Division elimination game for the Bulldogs against the Gators next week in Jacksonville. A Georgia win in that game would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker over Florida. A loss, and the Gators almost certainly will roll on to the Dome.
But, of course, first things first. And the timing of events Saturday will be interesting.
Florida and South Carolina kick off in Gainesville, Fla., approximately three hours and 15 minutes before Georgia does the same against Kentucky. That means the Bulldogs could know the outcome of that game about the time they take the field at Commonwealth Stadium.
That could be a good thing or a bad thing.
“We know we’ve got to focus on our business or it won’t mean anything,” Richt said. “So I’m not worried much about it. I don’t want to sit there and have that game become a distraction in any way to our preparation for our game. But I don’t think we’ll be able to stop anybody from knowing what happened in the ballgame.
“I’m not expecting that we can keep it some kind of secret or even that I want to keep it a secret.”
In the digital age of social media, it’d probably be impossible anyway. The good news for the 11th-ranked Bulldogs is Kentucky (1-6, 0-4) is a team against which they can afford to be slightly distracted. After last week’s 49-7 loss at Arkansas, the Wildcats’ average SEC margin of defeat is 28.5 points. That happens to be the approximate line by which Georgia is favored in Saturday’s game.
There have been many contributing factors for Kentucky’s demise. It has lost two quarterbacks, two tailbacks and two safeties to injuries. Jalen Whitlow, a freshman who started out as a wide receiver, will get his third start at quarterback for the Wildcats Saturday. Nevertheless, coach Joker Phillips said, hope is alive.
“They’re excited to go out and play,” said Phillips, who had 42 freshmen and sophomores among the 68 players he took to Arkansas. “They don’t think about it. They’re getting an opportunity to play, and a lot of them are getting an opportunity to start, so I don’t sense a hopeless feeling.”
Georgia emerged from its undressing at South Carolina similarly positive. Because of last year’s experience — they won 10 in a row to overcome an 0-2 start and reach the SEC Championship game — they were espousing hopeful optimism following the off week.
“It definitely stinks that we’re not in the driver’s seat right now,” said quarterback Aaron Murray, who’s coming off an 11-for-31, 109-yard passing performance against the Gamecocks. “But we just have to do our thing. We have to make sure we win the remainder of our games because if we lose even one more, there’s no shot of making it to Atlanta.”
Said cornerback Sanders Commings: “The goal is still to win the national championship. We’ve got to have a little help around the league and around college football, but it’s still definitely the goal for us.”
All of that will be out the window if Georgia loses to Kentucky, which has beaten the Bulldogs twice since 2006 and traditionally plays them tough in Lexington. And it could be all for naught if the Gators don’t handle South Carolina.
But rather than hide from that reality, Richt has embraced it. He even wore a red shirt with orange stripes on Monday to underscore his pro-Florida sentiment this week. And while there won’t be a television in the Bulldogs’ locker room at Commonwealth Stadium, Richt said he’ll make no attempt to barricade the information superhighway.
“First of all, I don’t think there’s any way you can keep anybody from finding out what’s going on in the world of college football,” he said. “Even if I tried to say, ‘I don’t want anybody to say anything about that game; I don’t want to hear anything,’ you might get on the bus and the bus driver says something. Everybody’s going to be watching that game.
“The reality of that situation is South Carolina will have three more SEC games to play after that game and we have four more games. So, again, we know we have to focus on our business.”
MORE ON GEORGIA FOOTBALL
- Freshman Jordan Jenkins says he’s ready if Jarvis Jones can’t play
- Bobo: Bulldogs need to back to running back with Gurley, Marshall
- Georgia’s defense looking to stem tide of big plays
- Notebook: Defensive star Jarvis Jones ‘questionable’ for Kentucky
- Schultz: Does Bulldogs’ NFL talent have their heads somewhere else?
- A quick look at Georgia’s next opponent: Kentucky
- Bulldogs players and coaches talking about moving forward
- With ultimate goal still intact, Dogs focus on ‘winning every game’
- South Carolina loss boost Georgia’s chances in East
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193 comments Add your comment
DawgNole
October 20th, 2012
1:33 pm
By the way, don’t look now, but LSU’s Tigers are getting their arses shut out at Tex A&M.
DawgNole
October 20th, 2012
1:34 pm
Bazooka Joe
October 20th, 2012
10:57 am
Dawg Haus – I agree,South Carolina is not a “rival” – heck I might even consider Clemson more of a rival than South Carolina. I normally dont care one way or the other about South Carolina except when we are playing them, the only reason there is any “hate” now is Spurrier, not the chickens themselves.
If I had to rank them I would say South Carolina is at best #5 on our list of rivals (my order… Tech, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, SC or Clemson)
________________________
Any team that beats you consistently becomes a “rival.” SC is fast approaching that status with UGA.
NCDawg
October 20th, 2012
1:35 pm
I don’t have a problem with CMR saying he’ll be rooting for UF nor do I have a problem with singing to a recruit. Many of these kids grow up feeling like nobody care about them or only care about what they can do on the playing field. He surprised the young man and he will remember that for a long time.
The only problem I have with CMR is the results that show up on the field. Like I said before… the talent is there, the facilities are there… it is time for the results to match the raw material. The other stuff above has nothing to do with that and therefore it isn’t in the equation for me. The worst thing to do after you screw up is to hang your head about it folks. There isn’t a player or coach that doesn’t hurt to the core over the loss. The only real answer is how you handle the next task. In this case beating UK tonight and UF next week. After that, if you prove yourself worthy by beating UF, is closing out the season by continuing to build on that achievement. Raging and kicking the dog and saying stupid things does nothing. You screwed up, learn from it and DO something about it.
Geaux Tigers
October 20th, 2012
1:38 pm
LSU is nowhere near as good as their ranking. I’m mad right now.
Bully
October 20th, 2012
1:40 pm
Good Post NCDawg
Fats G
October 20th, 2012
2:37 pm
Wanna bet Kentucky takes Pee Wee Herman’s bicycle today? South Carolina made these dawgs into whinning little gurls I am afraid to say
Joey
October 20th, 2012
2:41 pm
Hell, enought with the “backing-in” BS yu bunch of Techies.
I think UF wins today, if no more than SC is just not a good road team (except in Athens).
BUT, and this BUT is as big as Kim Kardashian’s, if we beat the #2 ranked BCS team to get into the SECCG, it’s hardly “backing in.”
I would mean that SC lost too many SEC games, and UGA beat the team that beat SC.
That ain’t “backing in,l by anybody’s opinion – but to a Techie, and to Steve Spurrier.
I’m hoping for it, but no way am I predicting it.
Joey
October 20th, 2012
2:43 pm
Whew! typos galore!
Sorry, a 6-pack in . . .
Joey
October 20th, 2012
2:49 pm
“The great Nick Saban. What do you think they were talking about? I’d rather have Mark Richt any day.”
*******************************************************
Yeah, give me a singer and hugger any old day over a work-a-holic who wins BCS Titles – 3 and counting.
either jojo is drunk, or is a dumbass. Or both . . .
UGA Class of '91
October 20th, 2012
3:12 pm
Joey,
LOL..!! Im working on my 9th as I type to you!! Go Dawgs..
Ole Miss Rebel Fan in Roswell
October 20th, 2012
3:25 pm
GA is still a very good team imo. Im looking forward to going to the Ga-Miss. game in a few weeks at Sanford Stadium.
Mike Franklin
October 20th, 2012
3:26 pm
A win in Kentucky won’t mean a thing because there are no style points involved. The only hope is that the Lizards eat the chickens today and then the Dawgs go into Jacksonville and have Gator meat for lunch. Short of that, the old ball antichirst in Columbia will have the SEC east in his pocket.
bakers bark
October 20th, 2012
3:45 pm
i told you dummies weeks ago that the best freshman rb in the SEC is Jeremy Hill…PERIOD…gurshall would be scout team scubs in Baton Rouge…
Mentally, the GA-FL game is an away game for GA
October 20th, 2012
3:46 pm
SC looked like crap 1st play…7-0 Gaytors
Mentally, the GA-FL game is an away game for GA
October 20th, 2012
3:47 pm
SC fumbled agian!!! they recovered though… SC looks crappy
bakers bark
October 20th, 2012
3:52 pm
instead of CBS calling its saturday games the “SEC game of the week”, they should instead bill it as “this weeks game featuring two teams Georgia can’t beat”…truth in advertising…
Bully
October 20th, 2012
3:54 pm
Hey that funny baker, considering Ga hasnt played Fl yet…. Try again fool.
bakers bark
October 20th, 2012
3:56 pm
just a matter of time bully…just a matter of time…fool…
Geaux Tigers
October 20th, 2012
3:57 pm
LSU looked like total CRAP against Texas A&M.. LSU Got Lucky today,
7576DAWG
October 20th, 2012
4:37 pm
The two luckiest teams in college football are L.S.U. and Ohio State.
dawgcrzy
October 20th, 2012
4:41 pm
anybody watching the fl/sc game? were not physical enough to play fl
Big Wally
October 20th, 2012
5:02 pm
It is fun watching the Gamecocks implode. Talk about giving a game away.
bakers bark
October 20th, 2012
5:05 pm
well Big Wally, one of them has already destroyed uga, and the other will next week…looking at a uga/vatech chik-fil-a bowl…
Joey
October 20th, 2012
5:06 pm
Geaux Tigers,
Confucius say, “It is better to win ugly, than to lose pretty . . . or lose ugly.”
Or something like that.
I’ve tied you, UGA Class of ‘91! 9 beers!
Dang, UF’s D is fast and nasty. Murray won’t sleep all week watching this film . . .
Big Wally
October 20th, 2012
5:08 pm
Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Disney Dawg/Richt supporter. I just hate SC – Spurrier – and their fans.
Liquid Sunshine
October 20th, 2012
5:28 pm
Florida is whipping South Carolina like a High School team.
That may be good for Georgia’s chances at backing into the SECCG, but two beat-downs in a row for the Gamecocks sure makes those Dawgs look weak, don’t it?
NCDawg
October 20th, 2012
5:29 pm
Anybody watching the SC – UF game?! Haha…I am beginning to think that SC played the game of their lives against UGA and the Dawgs played poorly and it looked even worse than it should have. If SC makes even one of those mistakes against the Dawgs it is much more of a game. No I’m not saying that the Dawgs would have won… but the game would have been much closer. Spurrier looks like he is going to puke. Love it!
Liquid Sunshine
October 20th, 2012
5:34 pm
@NCDawg
Yep, it would have been better for Georgia if Florida’s team could have played SC for them.
KY Jelly
October 20th, 2012
5:40 pm
Heck, if we could get ranked, we could beat these Dawgs.
Dawgs quit on ranked teams.
Who knows? We might beat ‘em anyway!
ugafan13
October 20th, 2012
6:04 pm
Watching the Cocks vs. gators. I notice the difference in intensity between the two coaches there vs our coach. Same with Bama. How are the Gators and Tides national championships vs UGA? Just sayin…
mark
October 20th, 2012
6:15 pm
please don let little arron murry see the gator pass rush,hewont be able to sleep again this week.with the gator D i expect little arron will surpass hs all time big game turnover record
Joey
October 20th, 2012
6:17 pm
Tell you what I noticed, ugafan13.
UF’s superb OC made adjustments and came out moving the ball on SC’s tough D after halftime.
That guy, Brent Pease, beat our ass in the Dome last year with Boise, and unless our offense can do more than they did vs SC, he will do it again.
But that’s next week.
Come on Dawgs, get it going again tonight.
DawgNole
October 20th, 2012
6:20 pm
C’mon Dawg fans, you know you’re loving this SC-fla game. You know you are! If you’re a true Dawgs fan, it’s going just like we want it to.
Everybody deserves a second chance (we blew our first one two weeks ago), including UGA. If fla holds on today, which appears likely at this point, next week’s game is even bigger than it usually is. I’ll be thankful just to have the chance to knock the hated gators off their high horse in a “BIG” game. Now if we lose next week (assuming we beat KY), no more excuses, no more chances; it’s over–and time for Richt to move on.
Meantime, forget about hating on Richt for awhile–and relish this great opportunity our team is about to be presented.
Same As It Ever Was
October 20th, 2012
6:23 pm
It’s been time for Richt to move on so many times now that I’ve lost count.
UPDATED: UGA’s Jordan Jenkins to start at outside linebacker vs. Kentucky as Jarvis Jones rests injuries | UGA sports blog
October 20th, 2012
6:30 pm
[...] UK-UGA: With an eye on Florida, concentration will be key for Bulldogs [...]
1969 Graduate
October 20th, 2012
6:36 pm
I’ve decided to maybe forgive our coaches if they can beat Florida.
Good luck, coaches.
I know our players could beat Florida were they assembled into a team by a competent coaching staff, given a reasonable game plan, given adjustments as required during the game, and furnished with appropriate plays during the game.
When we got killed by South Carolina, I was deceived. I thought SCe was great. Now I see they are just a whole lot better than us.
My gosh, what will Florida do to us in Jacksonville?
I am so sorry our players are burdened with a coaching staff unable to win big games. Why do I say it’s the coaching staff’s issue, and not the players? Simple. The players change from year to year, but the results are consistent. Georgia coaches don’t win the big games against the good teams.
smitty
October 20th, 2012
6:41 pm
Gamecocks look and play as poorly against FL as GA did against them. What goes around comes around… or something. At least it’s evidence GA still has a chance to win the SEC East though they will be underdog to FL.
Mike Franklin
October 20th, 2012
7:07 pm
Is there an in-game thread anywhere on the AJC???
DAWGFAN13
October 20th, 2012
7:15 pm
Jenkins and Geathers are so overrated! I have not seen neither one of them make a meaningful pla all year!
Beast from the East
October 20th, 2012
7:25 pm
It was ugly, but the Gators continue to find a way week after week.
Go Gators!
RHall55
October 20th, 2012
9:17 pm
With the result of the FL-SC game and the way UGA is playing against KY….it definitely shows how much Muschamp and his staff have out worked Richt and his staff….there is too much complacency in Athens!!! Wake up Kool Aid Drinkers….guys are just drawing a paycheck!!!
SL 600 AMG
October 20th, 2012
10:37 pm
We are going to be killed next week! kentucky only scored three points against Arky they score 25 on us!!! florida will put up 50 easy!
Cal22
October 21st, 2012
3:45 am
Richt will be a Gator fan next week too.