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Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > August > 30
Saturday, August 30, 2008
‘All right. 1-0. That’s good’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Athens — Given the seven months of delirium that led up to the opening kickoff, maybe it’s not surprising that perspective was already obliterated Saturday.
A quarterback throws for 275 yards and two touchdowns. Then he laments his overthrows and underthrows. A defense blanks an opponent for most of three quarters. Then some complain about missed assignments.
A team leads 10-0 and 24-0 and 38-0 and snuffs the drama out of the game so early and so emphatically that the only thing left to wonder is how Uga VII will handle being center kennel. (Answer: About like you would expect: He fell asleep.)
One game. One win. Thirteen Saturdays of nitpicking left?
“It has been hard,” Georgia center Chris Davis said Saturday when asked about handling expectations. “My family is diehard Georgia fans. Every time I go home Sunday night for dinner it’s always like, ‘You better not disappoint us.’ I’m like, ‘Gee, thanks guys.’ ” And pass the potatoes.
Seven months after drilling Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl to close last season and two weeks after this bandwagon jumped the rails when the Associated Press dubbed thee, “No. 1,” the Bulldogs opened the season with a 45-21 win over Georgia Southern. At least, I think they won. Postgame analysis would have you believe some wonderfully choreographed debut mutated into a tragic opera.
Mark Richt began his postgame comments simply: “All right. 1-0. That’s good.”
Then he broke into “La Traviata.” Foolish penalties. Drops. Overthrows. Missed assignments. Sloppiness. And my personal favorite, “The first punt snap was shaky.” I think later in Act III, somebody gets stabbed in a duel and survives, only to have his love interest contract an awful disease and die in his arms.
Is this what it’s going to be like all season?
“As coaches, when things don’t go the way we want, we get bent out of shape,” Richt said. “But it’s good to get the victory.”
This was game one. Teams are not supposed to be perfect yet. The idea is to get better as the year unfolds. The idea is to get better after dispatching a 1-AA opponent when you play Arizona State and Alabama and Tennessee.
You know what would have been a problem Saturday? If the Bulldogs had come out against Georgia Southern and not led 10-0 and 24-0 and 38-0.
To struggle against an inferior team would suggest players, like fans and media, had lost focus. To open the season with first-half turnovers and costly penalties would throw significant doubt on what this team can achieve.
Instead, Georgia did just the opposite.
Yes, it got sloppy in the second half. But heat and humidity and the lack of any semblance of a challenge by the opponent will do that.
“We know we’re good. Everybody knows we’re good,” said defensive tackle Corvey Irvin. “It’s just about going out and showing it every week. Coach Richt has been real big about reminding us to not buy into the hype.”
The Bulldogs ended last season as the No. 2-ranked team in the nation. They ran onto the field as a No. 1-ranked team for the first time since 1982 (before losing to Penn State in the Sugar Bowl).
Did it feel different playing a game as No 1? Of course. It had to.
“I could definitely tell the atmosphere was different,” Davis said. “The fans were a little more riled up.”
Said Stafford, “It was loud when they called out, ‘We’re No. 1.’ That was kind of cool. But other than that, it feels just like another season. You’ve got to grind. It’s a long year in the SEC.”
The Dogs won the national title 28 years ago. They started that season ranked only 16th. But Herschel Walker ran over Bill Bates at Tennessee and things just kept building. Lindsay Scott ran over logic in Jacksonville. Notre Dame was dropped in the Sugar Bowl.
When a team starts low and climbs, it avoids some of the pitfalls of expectations. Start the season No. 1, and it’s a little different. People look for flaws.
Here’s a thought: When a team leads 38-0 in the third quarter, it’s not worth the analysis yet.
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