When Georgia finally put away LSU on Saturday with a couple of kneel-downs, Georgia coach Mark Richt ran along the hedges at Sanford Stadium with his arms raised in jubilation. He swallowed up his wife, Katharyn, in a tearful embrace and broke down again in a postgame interview with CBS.
It was all very uncharacteristic of the Bulldogs’ leader. For the past 13 years he has prided himself on being even-keeled and unwavering. But after the top-10 gauntlet Georgia had just endured, Richt’s reaction was understandable.
Then, as he finally reached the interview room to reflect on the day’s events, it was as if reality grabbed Richt by the scruff of the neck.
“We’re going to Knoxville, Tenn., man,” he said. “If anyone thinks it’s going to be easy, you’re crazy.”
To his credit, as everybody else waxed eloquent in the preseason about Georgia’s killer four-game stretch to open the season, Richt always implored them to include “that fifth game up at Tennessee.” Never mind how good or bad the Volunteers may be or at what stage they are in their latest rebuilding project, Richt has simply has had his heart broken too many times by the Big Orange to take victory for granted.
Here’s a little history lesson to understand from where Richt is coming from:
- In 2004, the Bulldogs were a 16-point favorite and coming off a 45-16 win over defending national champion LSU when the Vols stun them 19-14 in Athens.
- In 2006, Georgia was ranked No. 10 and favored over a solid Tennessee team, which summarily dismantled the Bulldogs en route to a 51-33 upset. It was the second time in history that Georgia allowed 50 or more points in Sanford Stadium.
- In 2007, No. 12 Georgia arrived at Neyland Stadium with the fire-Phil Fulmer talk at fever pitch in Big Orange Country. The unranked Vols rallied around their coach and steamrolled a Bulldogs' team that finished the season ranked No. 2.
- In 2009, neither Tennessee (2-3) nor Georgia (3-2) was very good. But the Vols, under first-year coach Lane Kiffin, annihilated the Bulldogs 45-19, then declared recruiting war in the state of Georgia.
- Even last year, when the Bulldogs arrived undefeated with a No. 5 national ranking against unranked Tennesse, they had to fight to eke out a 51-44 victory.
With that context, one can understand Richt’s incredulity at the notion that his team could be in danger of a letdown against the Vols.
“If we were playing somebody else, you might start talking that way,” he said. “But not when you play Tennessee.”
The No. 6-ranked Bulldogs (3-1, 2-0 SEC) are again favored over Tennessee (3-2, 0-1). Georgia opened as a 10-point favorite and the line has gone up since then. But the outcome appears dicey beyond the Bulldogs’ vulnerable emotional state.
Georgia enters the game with at least two key starters questionable to play because of injuries. That one of them is arguably the best back in America — Todd Gurley (ankle) — is unsettling enough. But then freshman free safety Tray Matthews unexpectedly went down midweek with a hamstring strain. That throws an already young and balky secondary into scramble mode.
Connor Norman or Quincy Mauger, another freshman, will be called on if Matthews can’t go. The Bulldogs feel good about tailback Keith Marshall, who had 96 yards in Gurley’s stead against LSU.
To be sure, the Bulldogs have many decided advantages over Tennessee, not the least of which is having endured that fire-and-brimstone start. They also have a more-than-slight edge at quarterback, where senior Aaron Murray is poised to become the SEC’s all-time leader in passing yardage.
“We are feeling great,” said Murray, who needs 100 yards to bypass the old mark. “We have a lot of momentum. I think the biggest thing is that we have great leadership, and our leaders are really going to have to step up right now and make sure guys are staying focused.”
Richt, for one, is trying his darnedest.
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