The Mark Richt Victory Watch

that was good natured ribbing. Tech fans were happy our Dawg died. No one here is wishing for the ill health of your mascot. No one here wants to destroy your historic arena. You make excuses for your poor behaviour, but expect us to walk not just a higher road, but a perfect won. Kyle said this “win meant something.” That is giving huge credit to Tech.

bug off if you are going to call out dawg sports after posting a very common place victory watch.

I believe I was magnanimous in victory . . . very much so, in fact.

To what cheap shots are you referring? I was honest and acknowledged that, for the first time I can remember, it actually meant something to me to beat Georgia Tech.

I believe I paid the Yellow Jackets a high compliment . . . and, frankly, after the crap I’ve taken from Georgia Tech fans for the last year (after I didn’t dish out any of it for the seven years prior to that), I think any cheap shots I took (if I had taken any) would have been justified.

These are people who tell me they want my University to go to Hell and who last week made fun of the death of our mascot. Trust me . . . I was taking it easy on them.

. . . we also gave up three touchdowns in the second half, so the win in no way provides cover for keeping Willie Martinez! It’s a win-win!

Feel free to celebrate, SG Standard. Georgia just beat a good football team (led by an extremely good head coach) that had two weeks to prepare for a reeling Bulldog squad. This was a quality win. We’re allowed to feel good about it.

I’m asking you to clarify them, because I genuinely don’t understand them.

If you think being “especially classy in victory” somehow “isn’t [my] style,” I would respectfully request that you search the archives of this weblog. I’ll stake my reputation against anyone’s in the blogosphere where magnanimity in victory is concerned, and, as I see it, the above posting is no exception.

Yes, there were digs at our in-state rivals, but those digs didn’t take anything like the form our rivals’ petty insults take, and I paid them a high compliment, as well.

I’m sorry if you question my class, but I don’t know how to respond beyond that since I truly don’t know what you’re calling unclassy on my part.

A Georgia Tech win over Clemson might set up a Georgia-Clemson Chick-Fil-A Bowl.

A Clemson win over Georgia Tech would mean Georgia Tech lost.

Either of those is a good thing.

Beyond that, right now, I’m just going to celebrate the win!

my voice has faded more and more as the day has progressed, there isn’t much left now…..

next year – seriously. At least y’all wouldn’t think my screaming, barking & other antics were weird.

One thing I like about Paul Johnson is that he, like Bill Belichick, understands when to go for it on fourth down (which is often). I would have run straight ahead out of the I formation on third down to either pick up the first down, set up a makable fourth down, or give Walsh a chance at the game-icing field goal. On fourth and seven, I probably would have gone for it rather than attempt a 55-yard field goal outdoors.

The thing to remember there, though, is that Georgia Tech needed many, many things to come together for them to win. More of them came together than I would have liked, but they still needed to score a touchdown, and they didn’t get it. It was too close for comfort (although, again, the 21-point second half likely sealed the deal for Willie Martinez, so that the win won’t save him), but, still, it was a W.

… if you’re having incredible success running the ball and you find yourself about to run a crucial 3rd and 3 play, why would you call a passing play? I mean, it seems like Mike Bobo figured out the whole “stick with what’s working” thing last night, and then forgot it for one play at the end of the game when he tried to “fake out” the defense. Don’t overthink the thing… it’s been working, so do it!

Yesterday made it clear that a mediocre SEC team is better than a good ACC team and a good SEC team is a lot better than a mediocre ACC team.

I’m giving serious thought to not ranking any ACC teams above about No. 20, since none of them have any impressive wins against anyone except each other.

The Georgia Sports Blog is right . . . the ACC champion would finish fourth in the SEC East.

Ultimately, all of us knew that we needed to see something different in this game if the Dawgs were going to have a chance.

If Georgia had come into this game and played like they did against virtually every other opponent this season, they would have had the same results. I credit our offensive coaching staff with realizing that changes were needed, adjusting and making those changes, and reaping the success that came with it.

As for the defensive coaching staff… we saw more of the same. They came into the game with the same plan as last year, didn’t change it as the game progressed, and their players failed to display solid fundamental tackling abilities. Even the defensive backs regularly got beaten deep once again… it was Shaw and Nesbit’s inability to hit those receivers that cost Tech points on those possessions. Even on the final 4th and 10 play, their receiver was wide open… he just couldn’t catch the ball.

I’d say that I came away from the game very proud of our offense, proud of our players on defense, and still disappointed with the defensive coaching staff.

Either way, though… today is a great day to be a Dawg.