On his Sunday conference call with the media, Georgia coach Mark Richt said the Bulldogs will get back to work this week and focus on winning a football game. Georgia and Kentucky will meet for the 62nd time in a rivalry that dates back to 1939. Last year in Athens, the Bulldogs posted a 24-13 win. However in Georgia's last trip to Lexington, the Wildcats recorded a 24-20 victory. The Wildcats edged Mississippi State 14-13 this past Saturday in Starkville while Georgia fell to fifth-ranked Florida in Jacksonville. The Bulldogs will face a veteran, physical Wildcat defense that is very big up front at defensive line and at linebacker.
"We always critique what we do every week," said Richt. "We have all of our friends in the media and fans that do it, we do it and review the film. You watch it and make judgements on how we're playing, the personnel, who is playing and how much. We do it after every game and after every practice. We study the film and figure out what is the best action to take. Our main goal is to get back in the win column."
Richt added during the season that he talks with his team about the series history with their opponents and bouncing back from a tough defeat.
"We'll talk about it, you refer back to last year or the last time you were at their place," said Richt. "Kentucky did a good job against us that day and got the victory. Our biggest issue is making sure we're doing the right things and improving and moving forward. I am going to find out a lot Monday and Tuesday and see where we're at. I know everybody spent themselves in a worthy cause and lost. It's hard to deal with but you have to get right back to work and get ready to play."
Georgia came out of the Florida game relatively healthy, and Richt said he doesn't expect anybody to be out this Saturday. The Bulldogs welcomed back senior linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and senior tight end Tripp Chandler against the Gators after the duo had missed the previous three games due to injuries.
When asked about the recent performance of true freshman placekicker Blair Walsh, Richt said he will be fine. Walsh made 10 of his first 12 attempts but then in the last three games has made just three of his past eight attempts.
"He has hit the upright twice and missed a couple, and I don't get too concerned if he is striking it well and missing it by a little bit," said Richt. "If he was missing it by a mile, I would be much more concerned. That's not happening. He's a young kid and he'll get back on track."
After tough losses to then eighth-ranked Alabama and fifth-ranked Florida, the question was posed about Georgia's performance in those contests compared to the other games this year.
"Part of it is that we're young up front, and I don't want to make excuses, but we're playing a bunch of puppies up front and that hasn't helped us, but give these two teams credit, we'll see when the season is over," said Richt. "We played a big game against LSU, that was meaningful and played well. Also, I'll say that both of those games that we didn't play well, we were coming off a long road trip that was very emotional. Then, we come right back and play another one. It's tough to peak week after week, and I have to do a better job too."
Georgia won at Arizona State on Sept. 20 and then the following Saturday lost to Alabama. On Oct. 25, Georgia beat No. 11 LSU in Baton Rouge and then fell to fifth-ranked Florida last Saturday.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/11/214850