ATHENS, Ga. — The location is new, and the predicament is rare.
Georgia will conclude a football season in Charlotte for the first time in program history when the No. 13 Bulldogs face No. 20 Louisville on Dec. 30 in the Belk Bowl. The Bulldogs are in a bowl for an 18th consecutive season and a 14th straight year with Mark Richt as coach, but this is only the second time under Richt in which Georgia enters the postseason after a loss to Georgia Tech.
"I think we'll be ready," senior receiver Michael Bennett said. "We had a really awful weekend with Missouri winning the East and us losing to Tech, so I think we're looking forward to getting back on the field and getting a win.
"Ten wins is a big deal. It's my last game, and it's against a ranked opponent. It's all motivation."
Georgia was in the College Football Playoff picture -- albeit a longshot -- on Thanksgiving, when the Bulldogs were 9-2 and ranked No. 9 by the CFP's 12-member committee. During the two ensuing days, however, Georgia surrendered the SEC East title when Missouri rallied past Arkansas and then lost the state title when the Yellow Jackets pulled out a 30-24 overtime triumph at Sanford Stadium.
The Bulldogs took a 24-21 lead over Tech with 18 seconds left in regulation on a fourth-and-3 pass from Hutson Mason to Malcolm Mitchell, but a questionable squib kick and a 21-yard Justin Thomas scramble enabled the Jackets to pull even with a 53-yard field goal.
"That's where we've got to coach," Richt said when asked about rebounding from a difficult defeat, "and that's where our players have got to decide to compete. It's important. We have a chance to win 10 games for I don't know how many times, but it's a chance to get 10 wins and a chance to finish in the top-10.
"We're 13th now, and there is a very realistic shot to end up in the top-10 in the country when this whole thing is said and done."
Georgia's only other loss to Georgia Tech under Richt took place in 2008, when the Jackets pulled out a 45-42 thriller. The Bulldogs began that year ranked No. 1, and a disappointing 9-3 regular season nearly carried over to 9-4 in the Capital One Bowl.
Playing against underdog Michigan State, the Bulldogs trailed 6-3 at halftime before regrouping for a 24-12 triumph in the final game for Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno.
"I think everyone has moved on from the Tech game," Mason said. "Look, I'm a black-and-white guy, and we didn't get done all that we wanted to get done this year. We didn't win an SEC championship, but this is where we're at, so let's go 10-3 and not 9-4.
"Let's finish this season off right, because it's been a heck of a season for our offense."
Bulldogs players have downplayed going up against Louisville and first-year defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who had the same role at Georgia the four previous seasons. A 10th victory would give Georgia a 21st season of double-digit triumphs and the ninth in Richt's 14 seasons.
A win in Charlotte also would give Georgia's seniors 40 victories in four years, an achievement that has been topped only by the 1983 (43 wins), 2004 (42) and '05 (44) senior classes.
"A four-year total of 40 victories would be a great accomplishment for those guys and for everybody," Richt said.
Said senior linebacker Amarlo Herrera: "This is another chance to play football. That's what motivates me."
Odds and ends
The Bulldogs had their second of four on-campus bowl practices Thursday, working out for 90 minutes in full pads. ... Mitchell telling reporters Thursday why he chose staying at Georgia over leaving early for a chance at the NFL draft: "I don't think the NFL plans on shutting down anytime soon."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.