The fantastic four factors you shouldn't blame

The University of Georgia does not accept mediocrity, but that hasn't prevented it from having a mediocre football team.

The Bulldogs have somehow become a team that cannot finish a game, cannot play consistently and cannot win the big game at home.

Something needs to change. The performance last Saturday on both sides of the ball would have been absolutely unacceptable even if they had pulled out the win.

So with the Bulldog nation looking for someone to blame, here's who NOT to blame.

. Andy Bailey . If you think Andy Bailey is the reason we lost against Vanderbilt, then I would ask you to please be silent while we logical people discuss the game.

You cannot expect a kicker to have to win the game when playing Vanderbilt. Plus if you think about it, Andy Bailey's two field goals and Vanderbilt's ineptitude may have been the only reason we were even in the game to begin with.

. Joe Tereshinski . Joe T was 11-for-17 with 151 yards and one touchdown. That is a good game - not the best, but good. Now while I no longer defend Joe T as the starter simply because our season is practically a failure, laying any blame on Joe T is unrealistic.

Joe T was responsible for the only offensive touchdown of the game for the Bulldogs. He has played consistently for the most part this year and has been a victim of Georgia's woes at wide receiver. He is the only team member who resembles a leader right now, and he gave his best effort last Saturday.

. Mark Richt . Mark Richt's play-calling, in particular, has come under scrutiny. Now I don't know enough to really give an educated opinion on this matter, but I do know that no play is impossible to pull off.

The draw plays on third down that everyone seems so put off by would be big gain plays with good blocking and explosive running, but as you well know, Georgia does not have the ability to do either.

Play-calling does not win or lose games. Consistent or inconsistent execution does. The reason Mark Richt's plays look so bad is because the unit running them is unable to carry them out.

. The referees . The men in white and black usually are mentioned in any loss like the one to Vanderbilt, especially with the number of penalties called during this game (seven on Georgia for 50 yards total).

The fact is, however, that the officials from last weekend did an excellent job. They never made a call that changed the game, and as far as I could tell, they never made a call that was unwarranted.

In fact, if anything, the referees sent more helpful calls Georgia's way toward the end of the game, namely a face mask on Georgia's last offensive drive.