There’s no doubt that today’s game between Georgia and Tennessee is a pivotal matchup for both teams. With South Carolina losing to Auburn last weekend and Florida facing another tough game against LSU today, the SEC East is definitely up for grabs for the Bulldogs and Vols.
Of the two coaches in today’s game -- Georgia’s Mark Richt and Tennessee’s Derek Dooley -- it’s widely considered Richt is the one who desperately needs the conference win, but that hasn’t stopped some sports writers from connecting Dooley to the hot seat rumors in the coach’s second year.
(For the record, Dooley should in no way be on the hot seat given what he inherited in Knoxville)
Andrew Gribble and Dave Hooker, who write for the Knoxville News-Sentinel, speculated Thursday on the “Newsmakers with Tim Bryant” show about exactly how warm Dooley’s seat was getting. Dooley’s mother, Barbara, who also has a show on the Athens radio network which broadcasts “Newsmakers”, was apparently listening and didn’t like what she heard. Barbara then drove down to the station to give the two a piece of her motherly mind.
“She just about kicked the door in,” Bryant said.
You can listen to the audio of the show HERE, but below is part of the exchange:
Dooley: “I want to ask you guys something. Back when I was in coaching with my husband [former UGA coach Vince Dooley], the press was our best friends. Now all y’all want to do is beat the coaches to hell and back.”
Hooker: “That’s not me, that’s Andrew.”[laughter]
Dooley: “I want you to listen about my baby.”
Bryant: “You have to hurry because we’ve got a congressman standing by.”
Dooley: “Well, he can just wait. Football is important. [more laughter] Let me say this: Derek Dooley walked into kind of a mess. Florida, [coach Will Muschamp] walks into talent just oozing out of their ears. Jimbo Fisher walks into FSU with talent. And y’all are telling me that Derek Dooley is on the damn hot seat? Are you crazy?”
Bryant: “Did anybody say the word hot seat?”
Dooley: “Yeah, I heard them!”
Hooker: “I didn’t say that.”
Dooley: “Oh, come on, get out of here! You’ve got Mama’s rile up now, buddy.”
It’s pretty entertaining radio, but I wonder how embarrassed Derek Dooley was with the whole exchange. For the record, Tennessee lost to Georgia 20-12, but I still don’t think Dooley needs to be placed on the hot seat yet.