Newspaper Page Text
2
Friday, October i6, 2009 | The Red & Black
Georgia needs ‘momentum for the season’
Game at Vandy
even more vital
By TYLER ESTEP
The Red & Black
My how the tables have
turned.
Unranked and sitting at 3-3 for
the first time in the Mark Richt
era, Georgia heads to Vanderbilt
Saturday. While it would be a
stretch to even say the
Commodores are mired in medi
ocrity, it’s Georgia that will be
Vanderbilt’s homecoming oppo
nent, and it’s the Bulldogs point
ing to this game as a huge one.
“Everything else that we talk
ed about before the season is out
of our hands,” said quarterback
Joe Cox.
“Anything could happen, but
as far as us winning the East,
going to the SEC Championship,
that’s not anything we can con
trol anymore. We’ve just got to go
one game at a time ... We need a
win more than anything, having
two losses in a row. So we want to
win this game against Vanderbilt
first and foremost before we focus
on anything else.”
But in many ways, this trip to
Nashville isn’t just about coming
out with the win for Georgia.
It’s about putting together a
complete game arguably for the
first time this season, and escap
7l - mm
DANKL SHHWY | TANARUS Rs> • Bun
▲ A.J. Green and the rest of the Bulldogs still have their coaches’ backs.
' 5-^jjjjgggl, -1 B
r j&-’v. ’Hjf w~ -'•iofiHKX*'' ®^"ssi
~ ,*, • /.y,*^'; m -'■ *-\ B. ,If r. ■* *"■ 35p* ■?.*■'.
■Hi f ? Tj ’*
DOWNTOWN Clayton Street
Next to Transmetropolitan
(706)543-6850
ing what would be a flill month of
negativity with a bye week com
ing up before the Bulldogs’
Halloween date with top-ranked
Florida.
“It’s very crucial to just get
things back on track, not only for
the win, but just mentally,” said
linebacker Rennie Curran.
“Everybody’s just exhausted.
This season’s been a huge emo
tional roller coaster, having a
good week, bad week, guys not
playing on the same page. We’ve
just got to go into this week just
looking at those failures and just
using that to have a great week,
using these bad experiences to
turn it into something positive
for our team that can hopefully
get us back on track. We need
some momentum for the rest of
the season.”
Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-3 SEC) is
coming off an overtime loss to
Army, a team that’s been shel
lacked by both Duke and lowa
State this season. The
Commodores’ only wins this sea
son have come against Western
Carolina and Rice.
The Bulldogs are only a game
better and still struggling to put
together an effort where the
offense and defense play well in
the same game.
Neither was particularly adept
in Georgia’s 45-19 loss to
Tennessee in Knoxville last week
end. The Bulldogs need to put it
together more than ever
Saturday.
FIRST & GOAL
“It's kind of hard to under
stand what it is from week-to
week, because I don’t think we’ve
done things differently from the
first three weeks to the last three
weeks,” said tight end Aron
White.“l think it’s just execution.
Some weeks we come out and
everything’s clicking and you’re
just going, and the last few weeks
I just feel like we haven’t been
able to get anything going and
get things moving. It’s definitely
not anything that I don’t think
that we can overcome.”
In 2007, the Bulldogs followed
a 35-14 beating at the hands of
Tennessee with a last-second win
against the Commodores.
In 2006, another trouncing by
the Volunteers led the Bulldogs
into a loss on a game-ending
Vanderbilt field goal the next
week.
This time around, Georgia
needs a win more like the ones
they came to know during the
majority of a current string of 13
wins in its last 14 contests with
the ’Dores.
“It’s very important. Each
week is important,” said defen
sive tackle Jeff Owens. “You never
want to lose, you just want to go
out and play harder and do what
you have to do on Saturday. We
have to go out and play for each
other and dominate. For us to be
successful, everybody’s got to do
their job and leave everything on
the field.
“You’ve got to sell out.”
With criticism abounding, Dogs
speak up for their coordinators
By FLETCHER PAGE
Thf. Red & Black
Following Georgia’s
embarrassing loss to
Tennessee, offensive coor
dinator Mike Bobo joined
Willie Martinez in hearing
the questioning cries
regarding capability.
Criticism of the two was
expected because of a 3-3
start reeking of inconsis
tent play, but players say
those on the field should
be held just as account
able.
“That’s probably one of
the worst feelings is people
saying how bad the coach
es are doing when you
know its on you,” said
Georgia quarterback Joe
Cox.
Fans began doubting
Martinez last year, and
were quick to cast judg
ment in, “See I told you so
fashion” soon after the sea
son-opening loss to
Oklahoma State. And,
looking at the statistics,
there is some validity to
the complaints.
The Georgia defense is
not playing at the same
level as in previous seasons,
ranking last in the SEC
while giving up over 30
points a game, almost dou
ble the points allowed (16)
in 2005, Martinez’ first year
as coordinator.
Still, Georgia defenders
repeat strong sentiment for
their coach, who just a
short time ago was thought
of as an up-and-coming
head-coaching candidate.
“To me, it’s a joke,” said
Georgia linebacker Rennie
Curran.
“They obviously don’t
know the type of person
coach Martinez is and the
type of brilliance he has as
a coach. I feel like he is one
of the best coordinators
out there.”
Bobo has, for the most
part, skirted by criticism
■ m §& too® 'Dinara
I I I I ** ” 1 I
J6sbssee^^s^^
I FLEECE SALE I
JJFRF'E I
a \ 1 ■rW ® m
j mmmm 'Wtr' mjmrn
; W V ' |j||gl|££*Vs
WES BLANKENSHIP | The Rep a Black
▲ Tailback Carlton Thomas is stopped against Tennessee.
Georgia is looking to regain its momentum at Vanderbilt.
since taking over the offen
sive coordinator duties in
2007. In his first two sea
sons calling the shots,
Bobo had Matthew Stafford
and Knowshon Moreno to
build game plans around.
Now, following his two
stars’ departure to the
NFL, he has the Uth
ranked offense in the con
ference, averaging fewer
yards a game than the likes
of Kentucky and
Vanderbilt.
“I have all the confi
dence in coach Bobo and
all the guys in the locker
room do too,” said Georgia
tight end Aron White.
“Day-in and day-out he
puts his heart and soul into
the program and does his
best. I can’t expect any
thing more than that.”
Players’ demeanor this
week regarding criticism
was a mix of frustration
and motivation. Martinez
and Bobo are the men
these players pledged four
years of service to as highly
respected recruits in high
school.
“I mean, people are
going to talk,” said safety
Bryan Evans. “Some are
just observers of football,
they don’t know football.”
Said White: “You know
it hurts a little bit, because
you expect a certain
amount of allegiance from
the fans but I know where
they are coming from
because they are trying to
help make us a better team.
They’re trying to give us
advice.”
Said Curran: “It frus
trates me when I see stuff
like that from people that
really don’t know what
they’re talking about say
ing negative things.”
Said Cox: “It’s tough
hearing about your coaches
being on hot seats and all
that because they’re not
playing the game.”
Coach Mark Richt came
Gl'OM(. IA SQtJA'KF MALI • AIHI Ns
355- 3 I 3 1 • WWW. AL UM N IHA'L L XdM
to Bobo’s defense directly
following the Tennessee
loss, and has done the
same for Martinez in the
past. He told his team
Sunday to expect a surge
in negativity.
“I just talked to them
about making sure they
stay focused on the impor
tant things,” he said.
“There are certain things
you can control in life and
certain things you can’t
control. What people say
about you or your team or
your coaches, you can’t
control that. All you can
control is how you focus,
how you prepare and how
you keep your mental
frame of mind. We have
control over that, so those
are the things that I talked
about and really helped
them understand that the
only thing we can do that
can be the most productive
thing for us right now is to
really focus on this ball
game.”
Richt’s prognostication
proved accurate as players
began fielding questions
about play-calling,
schemes, preparation and
all matters involving coach
ing Sunday night.
But they’ve been proac
tive, calling a players-only
meeting Tuesday night.
What was said is classified,
but playing better for the
sake of Martinez and Bobo
is one discemable mes
sage.
“I always say, it’s not
just about who you have
coaching the guys, but it’s
about the players running
that scheme and the play
ers executing,” Curran
said.
“They’re calling plays
and they’re not going to be
able to call perfect games
all the time,” Cox said.
“You have to have guys
make plays and execute
the game plan out there.
We haven’t done that.”