I understand it’s taking place in the same venue and against the same coaching staff, but I’m having a hard time understanding all the angst this week over the stinker Georgia laid against South Carolina in 2012. Shaw is gone. So is Lattimore. Ditto for Clowney, Quarles, Taylor, Ace Sanders and any other big name who made that night so miserable. It’s one thing to tell yourself that you can’t take any opponent, under any conditions, lightly. It’s another thing to carry that worry into a game two years later.
Don’t beat yourselves up, guys. Learn from the experience and move on.
By the way, one other thing. Andy Staples hints that the loss that year in Columbia affected the team more than the loss in the SECCG.
Anyone who saw the subsequent Alabama-Notre Dame game knows that means the ‘12 Bulldogs came five yards away from winning the national championship. But that night at Williams-Brice Stadium might haunt them more than their missed chance at the Georgia Dome. “It was just like a nightmare come true,” Gurley said.
He’s talked to the players, so maybe that’s true. But how do you feel about that? Yeah, the blow out sucked, but to lose to ‘Bama that way, after scratching and clawing back to have a last chance to win and play in a national title game that had eluded the program for decades was as gut wrenching as anything I’ve ever sat through as a Georgia fan. But maybe that’s just me.
Get The Picture 
I must admit that I’ve been a little worried that there’s been some over-analysis going into this game.
I hope we don’t let the 2012 Gamecocks beat us twice.
Stuff like this is one of the reasons I hate the overblown “Munsoning” that has become so fashionable.
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The 2012 game was a perfect storm. It was a once in a lifetime occurrence. I detest all the focus on how the offense has had trouble there. It’s a mind game and it has no reality unless you believe it.. Total BS.
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I don’t mean this as an “in the arena” comment at all, but I think those two games are different from a player’s perspective and a fan’s perspective. I can see where a player might be haunted more by the blowout because they were embarrassed, it hurts their pride. The Bama game certainly hurt me more as a fan, but the players could walk off that field and look back at that game with their heads high.
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I had dreams and nightmares about the Dome ending for weeks.
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Getting embarrassed is worse to me as a fan than losing a tough fight against a worthy opponent, it does more damage to the program’s image too.
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Yep …
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I think I understand. They don’t have to question themselves against Bama, they played their hearts out. What happened against SCU was shameful. It really was a question of their toughness and desire and they didn’t just fail, but failed miserably. The people calling the game noted that they “quit”. I do think you can talk about a game like that too much, but I’m hoping it’s a real motivator. I sorta like the fact that no one is pumping them up with that 11 point win from last year.
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In the stadium, it felt like it was over after that first quarter. We stuck around til midway through the 3rd, but it was the worst blowout feeling I’ve experienced, even more so than the 1st half of the 2008 Alabama game.
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I get this. That Bama game, we were clicking pretty early until the roughing the passer penalty and things just went south from there. The S. Car. game was just an embarrassment seemingly from the get-go.
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It did pretty much feel like it was over after the first quarter, since the O was doing jack, and the rest of the game just brutally played out. I am offended at saying our guys quit; that’s just bs. The players were simply shell shocked the moment they walked on the field and gave up a big play and then turned the ball over, the place was just going nuts. Maybe you had to be there, but it was simply an overwhelming environment…
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It never bothers me when we compete and lose, especially to a great team. What bothers me is when we fail to even show up and even compete (SC 12, Tenn 07, some Florida games, etc).
Yes, we were that close. But I always found that much more fun than being miles away when not showing up…..Yet, funny thing is that 07 and 12 were the years we were close to winning it all and had a blowout game in the season……..kind of weird.
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That Tennessee 07 game remains the only UGA game I’ve ever turned off and left.
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Remember in that Stinker, Murray had a bad pick early that let the game get up. Also remember that we were literally an inch short of our own pick, as one of their long gains was right off the fingers of a DB.
That game basically just had 3-4 series that went SC’s way from the get go and we were looking at 21-0.
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Really it was just like Bama 08.
Bama drives we get a force a fumble that was over turned by a questionable call (hands to face or something). Bama scores.
Next series AJ pulled his catch and toss move (did that against SC once too) where he caught the ball, but did not secure and Bama had the ball at our 20-30 yardline.
One or two mistakes cost these games. When we look back, we think how could we have been so unprepared, but really we were prepared. We just had a couple small mistakes that turned the game on us early.
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Personally, I’m not concerned because of just 2012. I AM CONCERNED BY THE WAY EVERY RICHT COACHED TEAM HAS PERFORMED OVER THERE.
I call it the curse of Quincy. Sure 2000 wasn’t Richt’s squad but that 6 TO game from Quincy started the offensive nightmare (although I guess it dates back to 94).
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*5 ints
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Richt is 4-2 in Columbia.
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Only 2-2 against Spurrier in Columbia. Spurrier lost to Richt in 06 and 08. He beat Richt in 2010 and 2012. Games before 2005 are irrelevant as Spurrier was not the coach so far as Richt vs Spurrier is concerned.
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Here’s the comment I was responding to: I AM CONCERNED BY THE WAY EVERY RICHT COACHED TEAM HAS PERFORMED OVER THERE.
I love how some of you change the rules in the middle of the deal.
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Just like what Spurrier did at Flarduh is irrelevant yet we’re constantly reminded of it. Just like we’re constantly reminded of how much of a genius he WAS. He’s a good coach at USC, nothing more.
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Yeah, but those 2 losses were just like THE WAY EVERY RICHT COACHED TEAM HAS PERFORMED OVER THERE.
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Richt is responsible for the Quincy curse that began in ’94…it’s a fact!
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I think they’re referring to the fact that under Richt, UGA averages 13ppg in Columbia. Despite all the monstrous numbers this offense has put up everywhere else, Williams-Brice has been a black-hole for our offense. But then, I wrote a whole blog on that.
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Read that, Ben.
I’ve never been a big believer in style points, though.
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Don’t confuse us with factul infermashun! Is this turning into one uh them fancy-pants “critical thinkin'” sights? If so, cancel my perscription and give me a refund!
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Easy question… If I could pick one game to win, it would be the Bama game. Every team can lay an egg on any given day. Didn’t FSU lose by 31 to Miami in the first game of the year then go on to win the MNC that same year? You think they ended the year unhappy? Me either.
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No. Notre Dame went on to win the national title that year.
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I agree with you Senator. The loss to Bama HURT as a UGA fan more than any other recent loss. It hurt much more than the SC blowout. The blowout was just embarrassing while the Bama loss kinda ripped out you heart and stomped on it. To be so close… Argh! It still makes me mad.
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Dear lord…don’t let Columbia become the new Jacksonville.
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He’s been there a decade. It ain’t happening if it hasn’t by now. I don’t get why folks keep psyching themselves out over the man. Over things that happened over a decade ago, no less. Lol! I’m just glad it’s only fans that hold onto something way past it’s use by date.
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There are those who preach that those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. (Ed Burke, I believe, said that.)
But some pretty fair football coaches say the best attribute, especially for a defensive player, is a short memory.
I kinda combine the two thoughts. I remember the ones we won, don’t think about the ones we did not. (I do admit that’s easier for me cause I can remember Knoxville, Jacksonville and Nawlins in 80 when my mind wanders to things I can’t do anything about.)
Re-hashing one point of view of the Bama game is like slamming your hand in a car door…over, and over and over.
What’s the point?
Me? I am getting ready to remember Saturday afternoon.
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Ed Burke…yeah, I remember him. He used to be the club champion at Atlanta CC, or maybe it was the Athletic Club, or was it Marietta CC…. back in the 80s. A 1 handicap. He never said anything about history repeating, though. He usually talked about what kinds of scotch he liked–that sort of thing.
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Ed was a conah back at Tech in the early 50’s. His memory is filled with things nobody would believe today.
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Same guy. Drank blended scotch, though, not single malt. I never really liked him.
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We gave Alabama our best shot and just came up short. We out coached them that night, but we didn’t quite play the perfect game that beating that team required. With that offensive line and them having 2 backs getting 7 and 8 yards a clip before being touched just underscores how fortunate we were to even be in that game. A fake punt, a blocked FG return for a TD, a goal line stand, that game had it all.
Not showing up in Columbia was embarrassing. I was at both games and I had and have nothing but pride at how we played in the dome vs. Alabama while I was and am disgusted at how we played in Columbia. As far as disappointments, they aren’t even close. I do think that helps, not hurts, our chances Saturday. We’ll be ready this time. I’m not guaranteeing a win, but I do guarantee we aren’t gonna lay down like we did two years ago.
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“We out-coached them that night…” Have you been smoking angel dust? CMR and Bobo blew the game at the end by not spiking the ball! Holy Christmas…2 years later and some of you still don’t understand what really happened. Sheesh.
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I don’t buy the premise that spiking the ball was the thing to do. Nor do I think that “blew” anything. The same play could have happened the same way after a spike.
If you run for as many yards as Alabama did that night and you don’t win comfortably, you got out coached.
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I knew the old fool would bring his hindsight 20/20 mirror out on this. Every UGA fans wishes anything but what happened had happened. My God, man, the coaches gave you an explanation that showed they were on top of it and made a deliberate choice based on circumstances. And that choice was logical. Now there is another school of thought about should have been done, but it isn’t any better, in fact worse, than what was attempted.
Have your opinion, but they made a deliberate choice, it wasn’t like they came back and said, “we didn’t think of that”, or “we miscommunicated”. Then you would have a right to pursue that as a poor job of coaching, but go back and listen this time, maybe you blocked out what they said because you act like it was a screw-up. It wasn’t, it was a play that went horribly wrong but still gave us two shots at a TD…either method did that. At worst it was a “tie”, certainly not worth two years of babbling about it and running the staff down.
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Mac, my post above was in response to Derek’s statement “we out-coached them…” We sure as hell didn’t “out-coach them.” I’m willing to give CMR/Bobo a pass because they had to make a split second decision about what to do without a lot of time to think about it. But don’t try to say it was the right decision because it wasn’t. The result is proof of that.
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Look at your last two sentences and tell me you aren’t really going to stand on that. You know, absolutely know the alternative would have worked? Don’t waste my time if that is what you know about football. You want to say you would have done something different, fine, but don’t act like your judgment, even based on hindsight would have changed the score. I wish for a different result too but the explanation showed they had what they wanted in place, and gave Bama no time to reset or rest. Both alternatives provided time for two plays. Be a big man and accept the tough result but cheap shotting with nothing to back your position is beneath a Dawg fan. It is like whining about Jacksonville continually.
And we did out coach them, and our team played closer to their max potential than they did, we just fell a smidge short.
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If not for a receiver reacting to natural instinct to catch the ball, we have one more shot with 2-3 seconds on the clock….
That was the perfect example of damned if you do and damned if you don’t. There is perfect reasoning behind either decision.
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See my post above,Merk. That is one of the reasons why you have to stop the clock–to tell the receivers to NOT catch the ball unless they are in the endzone. It’s either a TD or an incompletion and we do it again. But when you have no timeouts you simply cannot have a completion in bounds that doesn’t score. Time runs out and you lose–every time.
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Also, see my post below.
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I have no desire to get into this debate about the damn spike (I wouldn’t have spiked it and the coaches made the right choice). But if we make that FG we win that game.
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Unless they award points for spiking the ball they did the right thing. I wish they could have got the play off a little quicker but you had the following. The play already called in. The #1 rated passer in the country on a hot streak throwing his best pass, that over the shoulder fade to our best athlete. The best chance to get the most plays off was to just line up and go. Get that play off quick enough and you have one, possibly two more shots. Help me understand what spiking the ball there in that situation with that play already dialed up does? I’ll hang up now and listen…….
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If you spike the ball you stop the clock, huddle up and get everybody on the same page. One of the things you say in the huddle is: “Nobody catches the ball unless you are in the end zone. Just knock it down if it comes to you and you are not in the end zone.” That is said to prevent the very thing that happened–someone catching it, getting tacled and time running out without getting off another play. CMR/Bobo played it the way Homer Smith said in his book to play it if you have one timeout left. If you have NO timeouts left, you spike the ball. Anyone watch the Abilene Christian-GA State game 2 weeks ago? That’s how you play it if you are out of timeouts. Why is this important? Because for people to learn from their mistakes they have to first understand it was a mistake.
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“If you spike the ball you stop the clock, huddle up and get everybody on the same page. O”
And the D gets to huddle too
“One of the things you say in the huddle is: “Nobody catches the ball unless you are in the end zone. Just knock it down if it comes to you and you are not in the end zone.” That is said to prevent the very thing that happened–someone catching it, getting tacled and time running out without getting off another play.”
Spiking it would have gotten us one more play, so your point is moot
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No. If on the next play the ball goes to another wideout who is not in the endzone and he knocks it down instead of catching it, the clock stops and you play yet another play. You continue to do that until you run out of time, run out of downs or score a TD. We only got 1 play off with 30 seconds left in the game and Georgia at the Bama 5. Spiking and then throwing to the end zone results in 4 downs getting used–the spike and 3 pass plays. Murray completes one of those 3 for a TD if given the chance.
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P.S. Another reason this is important: That screw-up cost Georgia the SEC Championship and likely the BCS National Championship. Or is the game just supposed to be played for fun?
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Nah, if you have a long field and need a hail mary, some sort of trick play, multiple laterals, don’t know what play you want, etc then you spike. We had a short field and the possibility of multiple plays, the momentum, the defense on their heels, a play called in and it was a good one.
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“We had a short field and the possibility of multiple plays.” Yeah, exactly. Tell me again, how many plays did our O get off?
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2 years later and you still don’t get it. We had them on the ropes, the play was there, and except for an exceptional play by their LB, we score the winning TD with 5 seconds left. Case closed.
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+1
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Georgia played like warriors and fought Alabama tooth and nail and came up a bit short. Georgia got embarrassed in Columbia. To me, that’s worse.
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I gotta agree with you Irish. The Bama game was one where both teams played their guts out and it was a shame one had to lose. It was a bigger shame it was the Dawgs. That game in Columbia was a true embarrassment. The team was not ready to play that night and it showed on the first possession. I lay the blame for that debacle squarely on the coaches, the team was not prepared to play and that is what the coaches make huge money to do. I can take playing well and losing to a team that happens to play a little better. I can’t take watching a talent loaded team loaf through a game and lose.
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The first possession where we were inches away from an interception?
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+1
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I hope we come out use 2012 as a statement and everyone is still pissed off about it…. and beat those cocks into the ground! (no pun intended)
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Alabama game was more gut wrenching. Sc in 2012 we were never in it. This year I believe there is a difference. Jeremy Pruitt. He is bringing a different attitude to the team that is trickling through everyone. The coaches, hell even the offensive side of the ball. A mental and physical toughness that has not been seen in Athens in years. The one thing from the Clemson game that I took was the discipline the team showed throughout the game. Uga by 10 We will be headed for a BIG YEAR
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Nice to see some confidence. I feel most, like me, are dreading this game because of what happened in ‘the past.’ Maybe it was just one game but we did look more disciplined. This I know for certain, Coach Grantham never stopped S Carolina…SOS had to be extremely upset when he took the Louisville job.
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I think it’s telling that most of the talk around how the Cocks will win is based on everything but where it matters…on the field. I believe the past is just that. Spurrier is not what he was at FU. Crazy how mortal a coach becomes when you take away a recruiting base and money base like he had at FU. It’s mostly USC will win because of a past record, their HC who hasn’t done anything special to us since he left FU and we can’t forget sandstorm. My favorite is how Spurrier’s 15-6 record against us is brought up but not the record at USC. I’m not dismissing that program or coach but it’s all a bunch of gobbledie gook to mostly ignore the real issues.
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Singularly the most gut wrenching and yet maybe proudest I’ve ever been of a Richt team. There was no quit…
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The Alabama game was just simply devastating…there are no moral victories when you’re that close the glory. I felt the same way when we lost the Auburn last year. It was a microcosm of the ’12 season. Overcoming a big deficit to ultimately lose on a horrific play. That said, I am perplexed that we are so focused on what happened in Cola in ’12. Maybe it’s a way to get the players attention and focus on revenge and not all hype after beating Clemson. Let’s just hope the players are focused on execution and not on getting blown out. Either way…I’ll be in section 17 with my fingers crossed, drunk and trying not yell expletives. Are we bringing the whole band this year? We play better in Cola when all the Red Coats are there, haha!
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No question for me, the SECCG is not a hard loss for me to discuss, it just didn’t have the ending I wanted and yes, the consequences were significant. But the two “roof collapse” games with Bama at home and SC on the road are much more difficult to swallow. I don’t think our guys quit but I believe the game got away from them and they had no chance to recover. Both embarrassing, both almost unexplainable. Teams have those awful experiences occasionally, just sorry it happened to the Dawgs. I do wish they would simply use it as a learning experience this week and let it motivate them. This team has nothing to do with that horrible train wreck, and neither does the SC team. New ball game, play confidently and trust your coaches. Extra focus because it is a tough place to play….return the favor, empty that damned stadium before the 4th quarter.
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Well said Mac
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Good comment all. Lots of good, pertinent points made in this thread.
But to me it all comes back to one basic thing: Will we, or will we not, show up over there and play a sound, solid football game? If we do, we win. If we don’t, there’s a very good chance we lose.
Given what has transpired this year, we have every reason to think there’s an outstanding chance of pulling that off. Certainly, it isn’t an easy task (for us), because that in itself will distinguish this team from any of the last 7 or 8.
Therefore, as it was with Clemson, so is this game almost exclusively about US, and not so much anything else. If we can handle ourselves, this thing will be alright. And that, I think, is what we’re all waiting to see.
~~~
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Ok I get repsecting your opponent, offense hasn’t been great in Columbia, we really, really, really played bad there last time, yada yada yada….
but for christ sakes we’ve been humming this tired tune for two weeks. The coaches and players need to realize that they are infact, gasp! the better team. Prepare like it, and walk into Williams brice on Saturday ready to play like it. yeah we have stuff to fix and work on after the Clemson game but South Carolina is frankly a train wreck. Do not make them out to be something larger than what they actually are, we did that enough already for Florida back in the day. Not to mention last time we played, when they were actually decent, we smoked them, with Grantham on the sideline doing jack sh!t and a freebie touchdown on a dropped punt.
I’m sure these guys have worked hard the last two weeks. Please just roll the opening scene from Patton, replace the word Germans with gamecocks, and hold yourselves to the high but attainable standard of dominating a weaker opponent for sixty minutes in their house.
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We may just have had too much time, everyone seems to be over thinking it. We should win, go execute and we probably will. That game two years ago is only an example of what happens when you don’t show up ready and maintain your poise, I think our team has gotten that message. Time for the fans to let it go.
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Regression to the mean…Dawgs cover Saturday.
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I blacked out after the SEC championship game. I woke up Hangover style. My house was destroyed after the 30 guests with kids left. The next day was hell on earth. It was worse than USC thumping us. Much. Much. I’m too old for that.
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The SCU loss left me embarrassed and pissed. The Bammer loss ripped my guts out. There’s a big difference. As a fan or player, I’d rather be heartbroken than embarrassed and pissed.
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I think there’s a lot of remorse over the ’12 scu game because neither our coaches or players seemed prepared. It was important to get that monkey off our back by beating them last year, and just as important to beat them in their place this year. I believe UGA is much more motivated to win this game than most of us realize.
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Bama 2012 hurt much worse at the time it happened, but SC 2012 was shameful. I can look back on the Bama game with pride which is a big deal for me and makes the Carolina loss worse.
Bit you know what makes me smile? Remembering how Richt called for an on-side kick during the first half last year. That was a huge middle finger to the Ol’ Ball Coach and it set the tone for what followed.
If we stop the run and limit Mike Davis, we will crush them. If we consistently let him get 5-6 yards on first down, we will have trouble but still have a chance to win. Based on an admittedly small sample size, we are very simply a much better football team.
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SC was much worse. I wish everyone would let 12 SC go, we’re making this out to be some big bogeyman, and not only that but we’re encouraging SC’s fans by giving them some kind of idiotic 12th man sense of superiority while preparing our kids to live out a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure. Different teams, different years, get your mind prepared to go in there and kick their asses. Make fun of Sandstorm – dance to it when they play it. Bring red and black hankies and wave back to them from the sidelines for playing such sissy music. Openly mock them. But don’t give them your power – I hope our boys go in there and crush their spirits and take whatever they damn well please for four straight quarters.
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I will say this, I missed the SC game (had to work) but recorded it on the DVR and kept tabs on it. When I got home i erased the game and told myself it was never played. I still haven’t watched it. The SECC game, on the other hand, I have watched several times over. It was a very good game, I just turn it off when we get to the 5.
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What is best in life? Crush your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentations of their women. Go Dawgs!!
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Damn, I’ve seen that before. Ghengis Khan?
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I don’t know, the Alabama game in 1985 was pretty bad.
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Who gives a damn about SoCar ’12 anymore? Bama will forever be one of the most devastating loses in the programs history. We lost to South Carolina and still made it to the SECC with a chance to play for the Natty. So. Damn. Close.
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The 2012 off-season was a disaster, even by Georgia offseason standards.
Isaiah Crowell, Nick Marshall, Sanford Seay, and Chris Sanders were dismissed. Jordan Love, Derrick Lott, Carlton Thomas, Quintavius Harrow left the team. Leonard Floyd and John Atkins were not admitted by the university. Alec Ogletree, Bacarri Rambo, Chase Vasser, and Sanders Commings were given 2-4 game suspensions to open the season.
At one time that year, we were down to 65 recruited players on the roster. Special teams were populated by walkons and out-of-position players. Malcolm Mitchell opened the season at cornerback.
South Carolina was the sixth game, but only the second game with our suspended players back, and we were far from midseason form. Also, Aaron Murray was dealing with some difficult news going into that game.
The result wasn’t surprising when you look back on it. What was surprising is how strongly Georgia was able to close that season. Murray, the defense, and the leadership on that team had a lot to do with it.
This year, we are entering the game with a much stronger roster and I am confident the result will be much different.
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