The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dogs set bar high, but key hurdle left
Seniors don’t want to end UGA careers with another loss to Georgia Tech.
ATHENS — Having played their final home game, which resulted in another blowout win over an SEC East opponent, the Georgia Bulldogs are allowing themselves to talk a little about what they’ve achieved this season. That hasn’t been the case all season with that whole “next game” mantra.
But some things have been achieved at this point. UGA (10- 1, 7-1 SEC) finished undefeated at home for the first time in five seasons. They won the SEC East championship. And not by a little. With that 29-point victory over Kentucky on Saturday, they outscored their division brethren 247 points to 72, or an average score of 41-12 per game.
It was as thorough and complete a domination as we’ve witnessed by Georgia in some time. So, clearly, the right team will be representing the division when the SEC Championship game kicks off at 4 p.m. on Dec. 2 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
And that was the plan. Georgia is exactly where it intended to be at this point. Almost.
“It didn’t go exactly how we wanted,” senior tailback Sony Michel said. “We planned on winning every game. Ultimately, things don’t always go as planned.
But, you know, this is the type of season we planned on having.”
And finally there remains one more (regular-season) box to check.
Could UGA be tripped up? Here’s what Nick Chubb had to say about what happened at Sanford Stadium just after the last game of last season.
“The last game didn’t go how any of us wanted,” he said of the 28-27 loss to Georgia Tech. “It kind of hurt inside. I’m a very prideful guy.”
The Bulldogs allowed 14 points in the final 6:28. And then you might recall that about half of the field-side hedges on the north side of the field were left bare.
It’s a scene these seniors haven’t forgotten. It also was Georgia’s second loss in three seasons to the Yellow Jack- ets. That’s the main reason why the Bulldogs are in no danger of overlooking their 5-5 (4-4 ACC) opponent this week.
Leaving school with a los- ing record to the state rival borders on sacrilegious.
“That was o ne of the things I thought about per- sonally, something I needed to come back and finish,” senior Lorenzo Carter said. “I had unfinished business. I didn’t want to leave having a losing record to Tech.
Right now I do. All the seniors do. So we wanted to come back play our ball and finish strong.”
Said fifth-year senior John Atkins: “That’s what a lot of guys came back for, losing to Tech last year. You don’t want to lose to Tech in your last year. I mean, we’re not thinking about the SEC yet. Tech’s the next game.”
The last time Georgia lost three to the Yellow Jackets in such a short span was 1998- 2000 when coach Jim Donnan’s teams dropped three in a row. He was out of a job after the third one.
“We came back for a big-
ger purpose and we’re still working toward that,” senior outside linebacker Davin Bellamy said. “Everything’s been nice till now but it’s all about how you finish.”
Said Michel: “I think most definitely we have built a foundation for our coach, offensively and defensively. The guys have bought in to what we’re trying to do; the standard is set. And I think the bar is only going to be raised when we leave. I’m excited for this program. Great things are ahead. We have guys here who are willing to learn. It’s crazy to see what’s going to happen.”