Georgia tops its top foe

Georgia football coach Mark Richt isn't one to declare a clear-cut rival for his Bulldogs.

His two coordinators, however, took a different approach following Saturday night's 30-24 win at Georgia Tech.

"We've been working for 365 days," defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. "These guys did a good job in preparing those 365, and we wanted to win badly tonight. We know who the No. 1 school is on our schedule that we've got to beat, and we just did it tonight."

Georgia's win over the Yellow Jackets was its eighth in nine tries under Richt. The Bulldogs are 7-2 against South Carolina, 6-3 against Auburn and 5-4 against Tennessee during the same stretch, with Florida being the obvious obstacle Georgia has not been able to hurdle.

The Bulldogs are 2-7 the past nine years against the Gators.

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo quarterbacked Georgia to a 37-17 upset of Florida in 1997, which wound up serving as the lone win against former Gators coach Steve Spurrier in 12 tries. The Bulldogs defeated Georgia Tech all five seasons (1993-97) with Bobo on the roster, and they had won seven straight against the Jackets with him as an assistant until last season's 45-42 loss in Athens.

Bobo made it clear which foe he views as the top rival.

"Being from the state of Georgia and having played here, I know what the rivalry means," he said. "It never gets old when you have a chance to beat Georgia Tech, and they feel the same way."

Bobo said upsetting the Jackets will have a positive effect on recruiting. Freshman Washaun Ealey and sophomore Caleb King combined for 349 rushing yards on 38 carries, and freshman receiver Rantavious Wooten and sophomore tight end Aron White combined for four catches for 46 yards.

"There have been a lot of positives for us this year, even though it's not what we wanted," Bobo said. "Offensively, a lot of young guys are making plays, and that's going to be a selling point. We've got to keep adding players to that mix."

Georgia's lone offensive seniors are quarterback Joe Cox, lineman Vince Vance and receiver Michael Moore.

Since the victory ...

The Bulldogs have experienced a little bit of good and bad since Saturday's win.

Ealey was named Monday as SEC freshman of the week after rushing 20 times for 183 yards. The Bulldogs rushed for 339 overall, the most since amassing 372 in a 59-24 win over William & Mary in 1988.

Another freshman, defensive end Montez Robinson, was arrested by UGA police early Monday morning for underage possession of alcohol and released on $500 bond. Robinson was named SEC defensive lineman of the week after tallying five tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss Nov. 7 in the 38-0 win over Tennessee Tech.

Odds and ends

Cox on King: "He's finally starting to run like that guy we saw in all those Rivals clips." ... Georgia is not practicing this week. ... Left tackle Clint Boling after Saturday's game: "That's the way the O-line wants to do it."