Historically speaking, circumstances don’t bode well for Georgia having success in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 30.
Under coach Mark Richt at least, the Bulldogs generally haven’t played great in what might be deemed second- and third-tier bowls, especially when the expectation was to play for much more.
Georgia is 8-5 in bowl games under Richt. Of the five losses, four of them came in the Music City (Boston College, 2001), Liberty (Central Florida, 2010), Outback (Michigan State, 2011) and Gator (Nebraska, 2013) bowls. It most of those cases, motivation — or lack thereof — could have been construed as a factor.
That would appear to be a danger this season, as Georgia prepares to meet No. 21 Louisville (9-3) in Charlotte, N.C.
The No. 13-ranked Bulldogs (9-3) were, on the eve of their regular-season finale against Georgia Tech, eyeing a possible SEC Championship game berth and a likely spot in one of the “Big Six” bowls on New Year’s Day. But all that went up in smoke with the 30-24 overtime loss to the Yellow Jackets.
Then, on bowl selection day, Georgia had to watch Missouri and Auburn — teams it beat soundly — swoop up more desirable spots in the Citrus and Outback bowls.
Precedent would indicate the Bulldogs should guard against a lack of enthusiasm
“There’s always that (chance),” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “But that’s where we’ve got to coach. That’s where our players have got to decide to compete. It’s important.”
The Bulldogs insist it is important to them, and for a lot of reasons.
“We’ve just got to be hungry, really,” senior wideout Michael Bennett said. “It was disappointing losing to Tech and Missouri beating Arkansas (to get into SEC title game). It just didn’t work out. We’re really pretty pissed off about that whole situation, to be honest.
“Losing to Tech and watching them swarm our field, it really upset us. But we have no one to blame but ourselves. And that’s what it comes down to. So I think if we take that anger and channel it into this game, it will come down to preparation we have here and in Charlotte. If we do that, I think we’ll come out with a victory.”
Richt talked about other incentives. The Bulldogs could win at least 10 games for the eighth time under Richt and the 18th time in school history. It likely would mean another top-10 final ranking, which would be the sixth time under Richt and the 21st time in UGA annals.
Just winning, period, appears to be the primary motivation.
“You know, things didn’t turn out how we wanted, obviously,” said senior center David Andrews, who was elected the team’s permanent team captain this past weekend. “But we want to go out and win this game because it’s the next game. The Belk Bowl is a great bowl and Louisville is a great opponent, and we’re just glad we have an opportunity to play another game. Whoever lines up in front of you, you want to beat them.
“Yeah, we’d like to have something tangible to play for, but we just want to win every time we play.”
It should help that Todd Grantham will be one of the coaches on the opposing sideline. Louisville’s defensive coordinator was with the Bulldogs for the previous four seasons before bolting for more money and a longer contract this past January.
Grantham recruited most of the players who will play on Georgia’s defense next week, and the battles he had with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo were legendary. That said, the Bulldogs must be careful not to get too swept up in such drama.
“When you’ve played enough football games, you realize what’s actually necessary to win a football game, and to win a game that’s going to be played at a high level, you have to focus on the details,” senior receiver Chris Conley said. “When you start getting into this and that and get angry, it takes you out of your element and can really put you behind the 8-ball when it comes actual game time.”
Regardless of the destination, the on-field matchup of Georgia and Louisville is considered one of top of the postseason. The Bulldogs rank second in the SEC in pass defense as they prepare for the pass-happy Cardinals. Conversely, Louisville is No. 3 nationally in run defense, which bodes well for facing Nick Chubb and company.
“We’re thinking about playing Louisville,” Richt said. “They have our respect as far as the type of team they have and the season they’ve had. That’s our full focus – trying to when a ballgame.”
