Well, we won.
By a field goal.
On the last play of the game.
Against…
…VANDERBILT?????
The win was such a momentous occasion that Georgia players rushed to the middle of the field and celebrated with all their might, as if they had just qualified for the BCS title game.
The celebration so upset coach Mark Richt because it happened right on top of the opposing team’s logo and it looked to all the world as if the Georgia players were trying to rub it in, that he dropped what he was doing, rushed out to the center of the field to break it up, then apologized profusely to the opposing team’s coach during their postgame handshake.
The celebration was triggered by a win over…
…VANDERBILT?????
Vanderbilt has historically been the doormat of our league. Coach Bobby Johnson has significantly improved the competitive level of that program in recent years and now they are a very dangerous opponent, not at all to be taken lightly.
Still, Vanderbilt has not beaten Georgia in consecutive seasons since the 1950s. Yet here they were with a chance to make it two in a row over Georgia, and they spent most of the evening looking as if they would in fact do exactly that. Can you imagine what it would have said about the state of Georgia’s program if they had been successful?
Of course they did not succeed. But they came awfully close, and the fact that they did says something about Georgia’s program as well.
Last week, Coach Richt called off all recruiting visits by his staff. He wanted the whole staff to be in Nashville for the necessary meetings in preparation for this game, because he sensed the magnitude of this game. And the entire Bulldog nation was feeling the same way; the mood of Georgia fans prior to this game was just the same as it would be prior to a high-stakes showdown with Florida or Tennessee or even South Carolina.
This says an awful lot about the state of our program nowadays.
Early in the game there were indications that it would be easy. Georgia forced Vanderbilt into a three-and-out on the opening series, then roared down the field with ruthless efficiency. They missed a field goal, but recovered a fumble on the next play. It then took only two plays for Stafford to find Sean Bailey in the corner of the end zone, a thing of splendiferous beauty which put Georgia up 7-0.
And then, for the rest of the half, it was all Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt chewed up 7:08 on a drive in which they completely dominated Georgia’s defense (or lack thereof) with their running game. The defense bowed up at the end and was able to force a field goal. But on the next series, Vanderbilt went 80 yards for a touchdown, 54 of those yards coming on the final two plays of the drive. One was an end-around which went for 39 yards, the other a reverse which saw Sean Walker scamper 15 yards untouched into the end zone. Both plays have been in the college football lexicon since time immemorial, yet they left the Georgia defense gaping and gawking in awe and wonder, as if they were seeing something completely and totally new which had never before been seen in heaven, on earth, or under the earth.
Amazingly enough, Georgia actually forced a three-and-out on the next series. But Vanderbilt punted Georgia deep into a hole and got it back in excellent field position. Starting from midfield, they streaked down the field in five plays and 1:46 and went up 17-7 after a controversial touchdown catch which was initially ruled incomplete; Sean Walker bobbled the ball but upon review it was determined that he just did have control of it as he was falling out of bounds.
Meanwhile the vaunted Georgia offense wasn’t doing much of anything. Four possessions, two three-and-outs, 43 yards, and no points.
Imagine that. We were getting completely and totally punked by Vanderbilt’s defense.
Well, the offense was able to generate some semblance of life in the second half. They took the opening kickoff of the half and eked out an 8-play, 70-yard drive that pulled Georgia to within 17-14. A 31-yard field goal by Brandon Coutu with 6:12 left in the game tied it at 17-17. The defense figured some things out as well, enough to hold Vanderbilt to only 26 yards during this stretch.
But then Vanderbilt got the ball back. They torched the Georgia defense with one 39-yard pass play and 29 yards rushing. Vanderbilt was seemingly on their way to the winning score–and then running back Cassen Jackson-Garrison let the ball slip out of his hands. Dannell Ellerbe very alertly fell on the loose ball for Georgia at the 7. Georgia very methodically drove 74 yards in 10 plays, milking all but the final 3 seconds in the process. Brandon Coutu came out, kicked the field goal, and that was that.
The good news in all of this: We won. We won a game in our division. That inexplicable six-game losing streak against SEC East opponents is now history. And, we are still in the thick of the race for the SEC East title. If we win out and a couple of other teams lose along the way, we might just make it to the ATL this year after all. And with all of the zaniness in college football this year, and with the SEC East as wide open as it is now, that might actually be a realistic possibility.
The bad news: Our defense is struggling just as badly as ever, especially against the run. Tim Tebow has got to be licking his chops right about now. Our offense is erratic, showing flashes of brilliance mixed in with stretches of nothing. This is perhaps due to Matthew Stafford’s youth and inexperience showing through at times, lack of depth on our offensive line, or perhaps a combination of these.
The game hinged on a critical turnover in the closing minutes which we were able to take advantage of. But good teams–teams like Florida, Auburn, and even Kentucky–don’t make mistakes like that. Florida spent their last two games learning the hard way that turnovers on the road (or anywhere else, for that matter) will get you beat. I don’t expect them to need to learn that lesson again.
We won. We just narrowly escaped having our a–es handed to us by a team which has historically been the doormat of our league. But we no longer have the luxury of grading wins; at this point every win is important, no matter who, no matter where, no matter by how much. The fact that we are now at this point says an awful lot about our program.
True enough, Vanderbilt is much improved in recent years. All our coaches keep saying that Vanderbilt is a good team, not to be regarded lightly. That may be true, but the fact is that we are making almost every opponent on our schedule look good these days. That says an awful lot about our program.
And the fact that our players considered a last-second win over the historical doormat of our league to be of such momentous significance as to justify rushing out to the middle of the field and celebrating with complete and utter abandon as if they had just qualified for the BCS title game, says an awful lot about our program as well.
Sorry folks. I know we won this week. But I still say that Georgia is in dire need of remediation.
In other news: Nebraska fired AD Steve Pederson yesterday. Told ya so.
