Georgia Bulldogs face Georgia Southern with one eye on SEC, BCS races
Missed opportunities, such as this drop by Malcolm Mitchell inside the 5-yard line against LSU in last year's SEC Championship game, is what has the Bulldogs so excited about their BCS possibilities this season. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
ATHENS – When it comes to the BCS championship race, Georgia coach Mark Richt refuses to talk about it. He won’t even acknowledge that the it’s nice just to be in the discussion. This past week he dodged questions about it like spitballs flying across a classroom.
“I don’t worry about it,” said Richt, who will lead the No. 5-ranked Bulldogs into Saturday’s game against Georgia Southern. “I don’t, because I can’t control it. If you worry about stuff you can’t control, you’re really wasting your time and you’re going to make yourself crazy a little bit. I can only control what we do on a weekly basis.”
But that hasn’t been the case with Georgia’s players. While they’re clearly focused on Saturday’s game against Georgia Southern — the coaches have made certain of that with four full-contact practices this week rather than the customary one they would have during a normal week of game preparation — that hasn’t kept them from scoreboard watching. In fact, they say they’ve been playing with one eye on SportsCenter the last two weeks and they definitely will the next two.
“Oh, yeah. We know we have to continue to take care of business this week and next week and three weeks from now,” Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray said. “But I’m definitely going to be watching the Kansas State and Oregon and Notre Dame matchups for the next three weeks. Hopefully we’ll see two of them lose.”
That is what has to happen for Georgia to have any shot of reaching the BCS title game. The Bulldogs are set to play No. 4 Alabama in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 1 if the heavily-favored Crimson Tide (9-1, 6-1 SEC) can get by Auburn on Nov. 24 in Tuscaloosa. Meanwhile, the three teams Murray mentioned are all undefeated and ranked ahead in the BCS.
The SEC needs at least two of those teams to lose to have a representative in the title game for a seventh consecutive year. Obviously the Bulldogs are rooting hard it would be them.
“After the Ole Miss game, we were all just sitting there in the locker room; no one left because we were all watching Notre Dame (playing Pitt),” senior linebacker Christian Robinson said. “Everybody in the nation knows we’re cheering for other teams because, at this point, it’s the only way we would have a chance of getting in.”
Tight end Arthur Lynch, a native of Dartmouth, Mass., was telling everybody that Boston College to pull off the upset over Notre Dame last Saturday. Senior cornerback Sanders Commings can recite in a snap the remaining games for Kansas State, Oregon and the Fighting Irish.
For the record, No. 1 Kansas State is at Baylor on Saturday and home against Texas on Dec. 1; No. 2 Oregon has games against Stanford on Saturday, at Oregon State on Nov. 24 and Dec. 1 in the Pac-12 championship game; and No. 3 Notre Dame plays host to Wake Forest on Saturday and travels to Southern Cal on Nov. 24.
Said Murray: “It’s cool. It definitely excites our guys. There’s nothing wrong with thinking big and dreaming big. We just have to makes sure we stay focused on these next two weeks and finish off the season strong.”
The task at hand begins Saturday against Georgia Southern. The Bulldogs play their FCS neighbors to the South every four years as a sort of favor to the late Erk Russell, who resurrected the program in the 1980s and built it into the FCS powerhouse it is today.
And that’s what concerns Richt. The Eagles are a program that is accustomed to winning and is not intimidated about playing storied major programs in large stadiums. Coach Jeff Monken took his team into Tuscaloosa last year and rolled up 302 yards rushing and scored more points on eventual BCS national champion Alabama than anybody did all year en route to a 45-21 loss.
That is the real rub for Georgia when it comes to its BCS pursuits. Georgia Southern – and its schematic cousin Georgia Tech, which plays Georgia next week – is built to make defenses look bad. The spread-option offense both teams utilize is virtually unstoppable. That’s not to say unbeatable, but they’re going to move the football and score. In the beauty contest that is the BCS and the college poll system, the Bulldogs aren’t likely to accrue many style points the next couple of weeks.
But that’s not Richt’s concern. He’s more worried about potential for an earth-shaking upset such as the one Appalachian State executed against Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2007.
“I look at Georgia Southern as a winning program,” Richt said. “I really don’t look at what league they’re in. I know that a team that’s used to winning is much more difficult to beat than a team that’s not used to winning. . . . Michigan might have been better off playing a Division I team that year. When you play teams that are used to winning, they’re the toughest ones to beat.”
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107 comments Add your comment
SlimG
November 16th, 2012
4:56 pm
Ever wonder why techies hate Ga? Same principle as everyone wants to be more successful than the people in their lives. People can’t stand to look up to a peer.
Dawgs just need to keep getting better and things will work out fine. Great job this year fellas!
Jackets need to grasp the way football is played today. Can CPJ change? Don’t think so which makes recruiting difficult.
It’s just football though people
Game on Ch.2
Buckeye
November 16th, 2012
5:08 pm
See the dogs are only on local TV. Must mean there’s TONS of national interest in the #5 dogs
NOT
SlimG
November 16th, 2012
5:12 pm
Haven’t even seen Amish u on tv this year or can name any player on their team Lmao
Buckeye
November 16th, 2012
5:14 pm
columbus dog,
i’ve been to columbus, GA. Too many times, Awful place, awful drive on 185 and home, if I recall, the former dog great and currently up on weapon charges, Isaiah, The Formerly Anointed One II.
I recall a decent BBQ place in Phenix City where, as they claim, their butts smell.
As far as O-H-I-O, I think it was the Cleveland districts ( and home of Obama Phone Lady) where zero votes went Romney.
So, hope your food stamp card got reloaded and you claimed your unemployment benefits today.
Enjoy your 40.
PO
Andy in AL
November 16th, 2012
5:15 pm
@909
Unless you subscribe to the Birmingham Times, how would you have heard if the Alabama players complained about GSU?
ATL Eagle
November 16th, 2012
5:32 pm
No more whining- play the game! All I know is GSU will score more points against the Dawgs than Auburn! And Yes- GSU scored more pts against Alabama last year than any other SEC team in the regular season. Southern goes on to FCS playoffs to determine true champion- and the Dawgs have to deal with the BCS – Beauty Championship Selection. No injuries and hope both teams excel post season….Erk will be watching
HardTruth Soldier
November 16th, 2012
5:42 pm
Wow this is a crazy blog, and crazier comments. How is anybody talking about getting to the Title with Alabama on our schedule? Ga Southern is 8-2, and heading to the playoffs, Tech would love to destroy our season, and we talking titles! KSU isn’t lying down and getting walked over, neither is Ore, or ND. Georgia has got to play there life is on the line. Do it Dawgs, do it to the end !
Buckeye
November 16th, 2012
5:52 pm
Free Lilly and Twinkees
I hear you can buy Twinkees with food stamps
Buckeye
November 16th, 2012
5:53 pm
Atl Eagle
Rooting for you to shock dogs!
prediction
November 16th, 2012
6:19 pm
watch UGA actually make it to the BCS championship and be the first SEC team in 7 years to lose to another conference team. Wouldn’t surprise me.
Jeremy Wallace
November 16th, 2012
6:36 pm
Buckeye…. to quote Mike Wallace ” a hairless nut”. I have never and will never look at a “the” Ohio State ” ( talk about narcisstic) blog. Why are you here? Get back to us when you have a W against a SEC team(that didn’t include a close win when your head coach knew that he was playing ineligable players and was therefore forfeited)What’s you guys’ record in that column?!!.0 and ten?Thanks! Look forward to not hearing from you for a long time.GO DAWGS!
Ghost
November 16th, 2012
6:48 pm
Any team that gives up 49 points to Indiana shouldn’t talk.
Jeremy Wallace
November 16th, 2012
6:49 pm
BTW buckeye, don’t even start talking about SOS here.I’ve watched many OSU games ’cause they were on national TV. Miami of Ohio!!!LOL!!! Urban Deuchebag must have been salivating at a chance to “coach” in that tough league. I’m glad that my least favorite foorball pragram (out of theSEC) hired pure sleeze. Now i wish them all the worst.Hope you guys enjoy your well deserved post season!And truelly hope that UGA gets to be your next (postseason)SEC beatdown.You know,since you guys bailed on our home-home series. GO DAWGS!
EagleDawg
November 16th, 2012
7:43 pm
I’ll be in Athens tomorrow pulling for an upset. Go Eagles!! GATA
ugab
November 16th, 2012
7:50 pm
Are the players going to even show up. We all know they chop block. Get over it and play.
ugab
November 16th, 2012
7:53 pm
Last years Lsu beat down was embarrassing. How many TD passes did UGA drop? Then the dawgs just gave up. Out of shape and Man handled. Its going to be nearly impossible to beat Saban twice in one year.
Glory Between the Hedges
November 16th, 2012
8:10 pm
OMG lets stop acting like the Dawgs are going to struggle tomorrow. Georgia southern may score like 10 points late in the game. Were giving an 8-2 Georgia Southern team way to much credit. Gurley is going line up and drag defenders down the field. I love my dawgs but tomorrow is going to be a boring walk in the park.
Dbrew
November 16th, 2012
8:15 pm
Buckeye, I see you know nothing about nothng. You need to save your right-wing BS for the Fox News blogosphere.
Too bad your beloved Buckeyes can’t play in a bowl game. I’d love to see Urban and OSU get their rear-end hande to them. Preferably by an SEC team.
Go Dawgs.
Coach
November 16th, 2012
8:17 pm
Just when did UGA’s coaches discover that Georgia Southern cut blocks? That would have been useful information when scheduling this game.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 16th, 2012
8:18 pm
Dawgs rule! Gonna go all GOrilla on ‘em.
Tim-Buck-Two
November 16th, 2012
9:05 pm
Damn, must be a slow day on the techerhead blogs AGAIN. There all on here…
Oh well, we’ll have to stomp the $hit out of the triple floption, high school, offense two weeks in a row.
GO DAWGS!
GATA!!
harleyman
November 16th, 2012
9:32 pm
Wish we were playing Tech before Southern as the Eagles are the better team.
kingdaddy
November 16th, 2012
9:38 pm
Can you blame them???
manateedawg
November 16th, 2012
11:46 pm
So what do you think is the real cause of Bukeye’s hatred for all things UGA and GA? Did he get caught in a Ludoici speed trap and spend a weekend in beautiful South GA, or did his sister-from-another-mister dump him to trade up to a “one” tooth trailer park trophy who resides in our great state? Whatever it is, he’s got some serious issues!
Mattndboro
November 17th, 2012
12:44 am
This is the only game that I root against Georgia. Being a GSU graduate, I have to cheer on the Eagles. I have been to every GSU-UGA game so far and I always leave proud of my team.
Go Eagles ! Hope everyone is injury free after the game too.
Kingsx7
November 17th, 2012
4:28 am
JUST WIN BABY !!!!!!!!!!!
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 17th, 2012
7:45 am
Ga. Southern doesn’t stand a chance against the Dawgs. They just don’t have the horsepower especially on defense. I hope their triple option offense offers a challenge for the Dawgs defense, but I doubt that also. We’re gonna steam roll them and they know it and we know it. How’s that for some whine. GO UGA !
HardTruth Soldier
November 17th, 2012
8:44 am
GT=Wide Receiver U ? Please, have you bumped your head? Megatron, I’ll give you, but Stephon Hill, like the Jets ain’t did nothing, DeMareyus Thomas one claim to fame was the best pass Tebow has thrown, and all of a sudden ya’ll Wide Receiver U ? O.k let me remind you, we have A.J. Green, Massaqoui, Kris Durham, Leonard Pope, Randy McMichael, Ben Watson,Orson Charles still playing, and Hines Ward who’s a first ballet lock to go to the Hall of Fame. GT, YOU GUYS ARE ONCE AGAIN the stepchild to the Big Kahuna in this state, and next week we shall beat you like a inmate is beating Jerry Sandusky every chance they get……Where is GT Bob? Hiding I betcha. Hey GT, don’t think you’ll have a chance to be the BCS buster next week, it ain’t happening……Well let’s go get primed to Watch “Gurshall” run for 150 a piece, and beat up little brother. Hate to do it, but sometimes you have to remind him he still the “Little” brother. … After next week, we’ll be waiting on the Rednecks with Tobacco, Pickup Trucks, and there doudlewides to come trolling in to Atlanta, but Rednecks remember this, we want that ring to, and this train is starting to roll hard & fast.
Tarryuga
November 17th, 2012
9:06 am
UGA gets the win, hopefully with NO INJURIES!!
GO DAWGS, SIC’EM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RedandBlackDAWG
November 17th, 2012
9:34 am
Tom
November 16th, 2012
1:32 pm
I suppose you want the SEC to try and schedule another round of SEC games where they play each other then? After all, great teams like Notre Dame schedule a power house like Wake Forest. They don’t get a break in their schedule. The week before they scheduled that other ACC powerhouse Boston College.
Man, just grow up and think before you let your fingers hit the keyboard. GSU is probably a better team right now than GT. As CMR said, you have to respect teams that are used to winning. That’s why the GT game will have less excitement than GSU. GT sure can’t be used to winning.
ARdawg
November 17th, 2012
9:51 am
HardTruth
GT is UGA’s little brother? Not hardly. Barely would qualify for red-headed step sister
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 17th, 2012
11:28 am
Who is doing the LIVE BLOG?
Can’t wait to hear the WHINING about the blocking from the first play of the game.
I guess the UGa D players will cry when/if they go to the NFL about Cut Blocking.
When some of the past articles about UGa players and fight with their girlfriends I think the D players know how to use a Cut Block..
Concerned
November 17th, 2012
11:30 am
What is a Tech anyway? All I have been hearing is GS is a better team than MTSU and Tech. Game on, and we better be ready. By the way, how many times can one team play the same team in one season? Saw where Tech likes The Tar Heels on Facebook.
Columbia SC Dawg
November 17th, 2012
11:42 am
I hereby declare today ACC day in the SEC. How do you like that GTBob and your buzzy bee buddies!
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 17th, 2012
11:45 am
Columbia SC Dawg………….being a dWag fan in Columbia has to be like the weakest fallen angle in hell.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 17th, 2012
11:47 am
Concerned
November 17th, 2012
11:30 am
What is a Tech anyway? All I have been hearing is GS is a better team than MTSU and Tech.
========================================
You really need to get some Smarter people to listen too. I hope those same people don’t give you financial advice.
Columbia SC Dawg
November 17th, 2012
11:56 am
It’s heavenly to be a Dawg in Cola, especially since we’ve proved two years running that SC is irrelevant. You don’t have to beat SC to win the East. Cock fans hate us more than ever. Shoulda woulda coulda … they should have beat the Gators.
Fats G
November 17th, 2012
12:01 pm
While we have 1 eye on the SEC and BCS races, Southern knocks us in the other eyeand we look like idiots. Statesboro GA has alot of history and they will not roll over boys!!
LIVE: Georgia hopes for easy day against Georgia Southern | Jeff Schultz
November 17th, 2012
12:14 pm
[...] – Chip Towers on Georgia trying to stay focused while keeping an eye on the BCS. [...]
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 17th, 2012
12:19 pm
Columbia SC Dawg
November 17th, 2012
11:56 am
It’s heavenly to be a Dawg in Cola, especially since we’ve proved two years running that SC is irrelevant.
=====================================
Funny since the past 3 years the team you say is IRRELEVANT has kicked your BUTT.
ARdawg
November 17th, 2012
12:23 pm
Columbia SC
Pay no attention to the Tech troll. He’ll only attempt to sap you of of your Saturday. He’s a Tech fan, his Saturdays are nothing to celebrate
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 17th, 2012
12:26 pm
So UGa fans thing losing to a RANKED team is irrelevant………..No wonder you love Richt & Bobo.
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 17th, 2012
12:30 pm
ARdWag already has his Rose glasses on today.
Ole Big Dawg
November 17th, 2012
12:34 pm
Its time boys…time to get that Bulldawg Swag going…Sicem Dawgone it Ahroof Ahroof!!
ARdawg
November 17th, 2012
12:36 pm
POAD is already trolling with his head in his rectum. You’re irrelevant troll. Maybe you should say a few Hail Marys and Holy Fathers that you beat Duke for your signature win today. ….Yeah that’s right, Duke for a signature win. Just too damn funny
PIERCE COUNTY DAWG
November 17th, 2012
12:37 pm
Dawgs will blow them out.
PIERCE COUNTY DAWG
November 17th, 2012
12:38 pm
Want even be close
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 17th, 2012
12:56 pm
Wow ARdWag your SIGNATURE the last 4 years has been TECH….LOL.
ARdawg
November 17th, 2012
1:01 pm
Tech is just another cupcake. 11 of 12 troll. Crawl back into your hole of complete irrelevance
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 17th, 2012
1:09 pm
AREdWag……………lov you