Georgia football: One quick thing about bulletin board material

When you’re sitting on top as the Georgia football program has been in recent years, people outside want to take their shots. Not a good idea. 

If you’re a sports fan, you’ve heard the expression many times before. Bulletin board material. When someone outside your team — usually an opponent or rival — says something stupid that could be used as motivation.

In many cases, these little press clippings or sound bytes are overblown and really don’t matter as much as many fans think. But from time to time, something is shared that takes on a life of its own, becomes a universal meme for fans, and has a timeless quality.

We may have something in that vein happening right now, and the timing for this quote is as odd as the quote itself.

When Georgia beat Ohio State in the 2022 Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff Semifinal game, it was looked at as a game for the ages. Two highly talented and motivated teams battling to the last second of the game.

When it was over, Georgia triumphed by the slimmest of margins, and everyone gave both teams, winner and loser, credit for an incredible game and season. Georgia players were heard giving mad respect to Ohio State and their team.

It seems perhaps that respect didn’t go both ways.

Recently, Ohio State offensive lineman Dawand Jones was quoted to say that Ohio State viewed Georgia as “fat and lazy”.  The Buckeyes felt Georgia was “ripe for the upset” and had cruised to their record over the previous two seasons.

Seems like something you’d want to say if you win…but, I digress.

Georgia football opponents need to learn, “Them Dawgs is Hell”

Regardless of what Jones meant, what context he was saying it in, or how completely accurate it was, it’s now out there, and this one may stick around for a while.

You may remember in 2012 when Missouri joined the SEC, and Tigers defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said Georgia played “old man football”.  In their first game against the Bulldogs, Mizzou was defeated 41-20, and since then that quote almost always comes up when the Dawgs and Tigers get together

Georgia is 10-1 against Missouri since the Tigers joined the conference.

Old man football, indeed.

While the Bulldogs and Buckeyes don’t meet up on a yearly basis, there’s a good chance they may have more than one postseason matchup if the two programs continue their dominance in recruiting and on the field.

“Fat and lazy” is going to become that thing. That dumb thing. That quote which helps hyper-motivate the Bulldogs. It’s bulletin board material that won’t go away as long as these two schools are in business. Kirby Smart may have it printed on a giant banner to hang in the Bulldogs’ practice facility.

It’s just not the look you want to throw out there. It implies a lack of respect for a name that’s earned more than their share of it. Ohio State will have to hear about it every time they meet, and lose to, the Georgia football team.