Georgia Bulldogs: 10 Most Painful Losses Since 2008

Nov 29, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Domonique Noble (23) celebrates with a piece of the Sanford Stadium hedges after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in overtime at Sanford Stadium. Georgia Tech defeated Georgia 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

After going 6-2 in SEC Play in 2008, with the only two losses to rising Alabama and eventual National Champion Florida, I was still very high on the Dawgs’ chances to play in a major bowl game.  All that was in the way of a 10-2 regular season and Sugar Bowl berth was in-state rival Georgia Tech, a team that Mark Richt had never lost to and he was getting Paul Johnson’s team in Sanford.

It was a very rainy Thanksgiving week in Georgia.  Many of my friends didn’t want to make the 1.5 drive back to Athens from the Atlanta suburbs to get drenched in the cold November Rain.  We weren’t as cool as Slash nor as crazy as Axl Rose to likely contract pneumonia.  While the Georgia Bulldogs had a balanced offensive attack thanks to QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia Tech only had to run the football to take control of the game with their triple option attack.

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Willie Martinez’s linebacker corps had never seen an offensive attack like the triple option before.  The Dawgs front seven couldn’t commit to tackling a man and played with wandering eyes trying to follow the football.  It was more of a high-scoring affair than a traditional shootout since Tech hardly ever threw the ball in the rain.

Stafford and company tried to keep pace with Tech’s three-headed rushing monster but ultimately couldn’t keep the Jackets out of the endzone enough times to beat their in-state rivals.  Losing to Tech is always bad for Dawg Nation because you never hear the end of it, no matter how many years it has been since Tech last beat Georgia.  Combined with the inability to even slow down the triple option made me want a new DC right then and there.

What makes this loss especially painful was just how helpless Georgia was to defend the triple option.  We all knew it was coming and there was no hope for stopping it that day.  Mark Richt made it a point to master defending the triple option because I don’t think anybody invested in UGA football wants to get that embarrassed defensively ever again.

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