Go Gamecocks!
ATHENS, Ga. --- The day after the largest loss in Mark Richt's coaching career and the second most lopsided ever for Georgia against rival Florida, the Bulldogs coach did what he normally does the Sunday after a game.
Richt broke down game film to look for clues to improve, after Florida's 49-10 throttling Saturday.
"You're always going to be critiquing what you do," Richt said. "We do that every week."
Getting better and winning Saturday's 12:30 p.m. game at Kentucky are about all that's left for the Bulldogs to worry about.
The harsh reality is the Bulldogs are out of the national title race and are likely to miss the Southeastern Conference title game for the third season in a row.
Georgia returns to practice today, but Richt can't be sure of the players' state of mind.
"Everybody spent themselves in a worthy cause and lost," Richt said. "It's hard to deal with. You've got to get right back to work and get ready to play because Kentucky is playing for just as much as we're playing for right now."
The Bulldogs (7-2, 4-2 SEC) fell six spots Sunday to No. 14 in the USA Today and AP polls, its lowest ranking since Oct. 21, 2007 -- when Georgia was 20th.
Fourth-ranked Florida (7-1, 5-1) can clinch a trip to the SEC title game with a win Saturday night at Vanderbilt or vs. South Carolina on Nov. 15. Georgia would need to beat Kentucky and Auburn, and Florida would have to lose its next two games, something Richt said is unlikely.
"We're not going to say it's over, until it is over," Richt said, "until it does in fact become a moot point."
Alabama's 41-30 victory Sept. 30 and Florida's 39-point blowout changed the complexion of the season for the Bulldogs, the nation's preseason No. 1 team.
"When the season's over, the history might prove they're the two best teams in the country, too, or at least two of the top five," Richt said. "We had a chance to be one of those with the victory in either one of those games, for that matter."
Georgia's chances to beat Florida vanished quickly with four second-half turnovers, the biggest coming when Joe Haden returned a Matthew Stafford interception 88 yards to set up a touchdown.
Florida coach Urban Meyer said Sunday a decision was made to try to force Georgia to throw the ball.
"They have one of the best backs in college football and we were going to sink that eighth defender in the box the entire night, and we did that," Meyer said. "We picked our poison."
Knowshon Moreno, who averaged 167.5 yards rushing the previous two games, was held to 65 on 17 carries. Stafford, meanwhile, had his first three-interception game in two years.
Georgia was on an emotional high after the 52-38 win at LSU before facing Florida.
"It's just tough to peak week after week after week and we didn't," Richt said. "I've got to do a better job of getting them to be able to do that."
Reach Marc Weiszer at marc.weiszer@onlineathens.com.
Comments
Go Gamecocks!
You uga fans can dish it out but you can't take it.
Keep practicing your end zone dances, little puppy pretenders. You are better at those.... If you can't hang with the big dogs - stay under the porch.
Good morning GatorRaid.
sctex - Where did you chase them all away to? I'm hearing echos between dem hedges....... :-)
So what's left? No more black shirts, no more red shirts...... the white ones will show stains from their runny noses as they are crying. Any ideas?
I am startled by the dawg mass extinction, they definitely were all put down, a mercy killing. Just think sc and raid, no more "we are going to the bcs championship game if..." anymore......trash from the dawgpoop......isn't this great.....the beating must have been so humliating for them that they are afraid to show their tails......think they must be drumming up some really good excuse; good luck. HE HE HE HE....
Morning Gator Raid, I love my DAWGS. So you won the last 264 out of 266. Probably just luck. Wait til next year...or the year after that...or maybe the following year. You should be very afraid. I hear Mark Richt just purchased some green incredible hulk jerseys. Your luck is going to run out. GO DAWGS!!!
I4PUTT - LOL Man, I still love ya! You can even wear red and black to my house - if you really want to.
at least put put showed; even if it was a sputter.
Most people do something called sleep, and others have no life and come in here at 5:22am....
one down two to go
ugadawg GOT BIT.
Go Gators!
Three silly dawg haters giggling away. That's a young team, unlike UF, and SC will never be shXX no matter who the coach is so get it while you can.
sctex - You still laughing at these puppy antics? I am! I suppose we have our fun in two weeks. I will never underestimate Steve Spurrier - so that's the end of my "trash talking" about the GameCocks right there. Now back to these tender pink vienna sausages excuses for real dawgs........I started giggling in 1990 - haven't stopped much since then.
BLOWOUT SALE! "Take the short drive to Athens, we have a special 'Between-The-Hedges' sale. There are over 600 Red Ford F-150s available at the lowest rock-bottom rankings of the season. All are equipped with a black "G" on the tailgate. Some even come with logo magnets and window flags. TODAY ONLY! At no extra cost - we will provide a large ORANGE "L" decal to put over the "G". This is a great chance to show your 3 quarters of actual game attendance pride and keep practicing 'The Stomp'. Free raffle for a personally autographed Mark Richt edition - with a No-Sean butt-print in the Gator liner in the bed. Don't miss out, y'all! Mention UGA's pre-season ranking for FREE 2009 season tickets and a black T-shirt."
GatorRaid you kill me. I guess it's just going to be me and you talking about the BUTT KICKING the dawgs received this weekend. Where's Scott and his "brilliant" analysis of the game? He must have used all his hot air for his pregame column hypes. He could be at Athens holding the crying rag for Stafford and Moreno. This is no joke, my wife is a dawg fan and after the 3rd quarter she went upstairs changed her UGA clothes, went outside and turned her UGA doormat over. She even went as far as to take the UGA scarff off her dog. I swear, fair weather fans.....
Pistol - I hope that's "kill me" in a good way. Did you read my stuff from yesterday thanking the red-shirted fans for leaving early so we could see more blue seats and not have a color clash?
Yes, it's killing me in a good way. I did see your post about the red-shirted fans dressed up as empty blue seats. Did you notice that right after the game the Chronicle posted a story titled Florida routs Georgia. I posted to the story and a few hours later the entire story was removed from the Chronicle site. I guess the thin skinned dawg fans must have complained that the story was hurting their feelings and threatened to get Jessie and Al down her to clear the air.
Pistol - Yeah man - took 4 of my posts away with that stunt too ...... but I'm still grinning. I'm not done with them yet.... I want "GayTurd steve-o toy-boy" to show up.
Where are you steveblow? Gator I will definitely be cheering for the Gamecocks to beat Florida. Good luck to the Gators this Saturday. Michaux is a bum. Go Gamecocks!!!!!!!!!!!
sctex - No worries, man. I would expect nothing else from a loyal fan. I still admire the Ol' Ball Coach and appreciate what he did for us. If you ran away from your team, you'd be no better than a yellar dawg fan. Let's get through this weekend then have some fun next week with the jaw-jacking. Garcia is gonna LOVE Brandon Spikes by the end of the game though. ;-) They will have had numerous "intimate encounters". Ask No-Sean Mo-Renee if you don't believe me.
Sorry I'm late, I was our with Gator raid's wife. I left you a present on your pillowcase. DOGGIESTYLE!
steve-o - Don't worry - your rectum will stop bleeding in a few days after that raping you got. Glad you didn't suck on the car exhaust too long - I was getting worried. It's just a game. To quote Scott M. "time to get over it".
Fla outplayed Ga the whole game ... as much as I hate to admit. I blame this loss on the plays called from the coaches - Bobo would be in deep trouble come today's practice.
I love this!!!! I have waited all season for this butt kicking. UGA deserved it, with all of the preseason smack. GO GATORS
It maybe time for UGA to start looking for a new football coach, since Coach Mark Richt has yet to beat the USC, UF, Auburn University. and UT in the same year...!!!
I got 2 words for GaytorMaid...shut up! LOL! Just kidding. I just got home and was reading all this crap. Oh well, I'm man enough to let it go and give the Gators their respectful due. I don't mind hearing the trash from Gator fans, because they earned it. But I don't respect the fans of other schools jumping on Florida's bandwagon, only because they'll be hating the Gators when it's time for them to play each other. To me, you're either a Gator, or a Gator-Hater...pick one! Same goes with Carolina, Auburn, Bama, etc.. Oh, well, maybe I'm just old and stuck in my ways. Anyway...good luck against Bama in the SECC game! (Uh, sctex...I know you don't know what SECC stands for because ya'll have never NEEDED to know, but it stands for "South Eastern Conference Championship"!)
volop. bobo is twice the coach willie martinez is.
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