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Too much at stake for Gators, Dawgs to worry about past

Associated Press file photo (2008)

The Gators celebrate last season's 49-10 victory in Jacksonville, and the Dawgs have long memories.

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By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 29, 2009

Here we are at another Florida-Georgia game.

What kind of shenanigans will the lads, Mark Richt and Urban Meyer, be up to this time around?

"None" would be a good place to start.

Hey, I loved two years ago, when Richt, desperate for any kind of motivational tools, had his entire team dash onto the field to celebrate a touchdown. I think I even spotted Charley Trippi and Herschel Walker in there, too.

Meyer seethed, as only he can, for an entire season, due in no small part to the fact Richt's tactic worked and Georgia won.

Ol' Mark apologized and all, but Meyer seethed right along, right until the Gators meted out their brand of justice last season in Jacksonville, a 49-10 thrashing complete with two late rub-it-in timeouts called by Meyer in the final minute.

There are photos of Meyer signaling for one of those timeouts all over the Georgia football facility.

Boys will be boys, but enough already.

The Gators and Bulldogs don't need to mess this time.

Georgia already has three losses, including a drubbing at Knoxville, where its defense allowed maligned Vols quarterback Jonathan Crompton – the same Jonathan Crompton who could barely complete a pass against Florida – to throw for a career-high 310 yards and four touchdowns.

Then there's the fact that Florida-Georgia, over the last two decades, has been awful short of Georgia. The Dawgs have won three times since 1990, when Steve Spurrier arrived. The Spur Dog went 11-1, Ron Zook went 3-1 and Meyer is 3-1. By the way, Richt is 2-6 against the Gators.

But Florida doesn't need to get caught up in all of this, either. The Gators have work to do.

Suddenly, that steamroll to play Alabama in the SEC title game doesn't seem as much of a mortal lock, not with the way Florida's offense has looked – and that includes the quarterback, the one they call Tim.

Granted, it doesn't look like a mortal lock on Alabama's end either, not after needing a blocked field goal as time expired last week to squeak past Tennessee (there's that team again).

But back to Florida.

It doesn't need to mess. Get in there, win 30-10, get out.

Leave it to the defense.

Move on.

That might be the story of this season.

Leave it to the defense. Move on.

Besides, Urby hasn't had much luck at rub-it-in games this season. Remember the game against – wait for it – Tennessee?

For months and months, Meyer waited to get back at know-nothing SEC newcomer Lane Kiffin after the Vols' coach incorrectly accused Meyer of cheating, though it should be noted the Georgia thing riled Meyer more as that was an insult to the university. Even so, you just know Meyer wanted to pound the Vols when they came to Gainesville.

Only they didn't pound them, because Kiffin held onto the ball, played conservative and let his dad/defensive coordinator, Monte, strangle Meyer's offense.

It made Meyer so mad he eventually made those cockamamie cracks about Tennessee not trying to win the game. It made Urban look like a sore winner. It's really hard to lose the mind game to a coach like Lane Kiffin, who lost in the NFL and continues to lose in college, but it happened.

Florida shouldn't make the same mistake twice in a season.

On with the cocktail party.

Keep your noses clean, fellas.

Mark Richt and his Dawgs are staring at 4-4.

Urban Meyer and the Gators need to move along.

Just play the game.

OK, maybe one late, needless timeout.

Or maybe have Lindsay Scott run on the field after a field goal.

Got to have some fun, right?

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