ATHENS, Ga. -- Jim Donnan won more than two-thirds of his games as coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. He lost his job Monday largely because he didn't win the ones that mattered most.

In a stunning move that caught everyone off guard, Donnan was fired by the Bulldogs just three weeks after athletic director Vince Dooley gave the coach a vote of confidence.

Jim Donnan struggled against Georgia's traditional rivals and it cost him his job.(Allsport)

The Bulldogs began the season ranked No. 10 and favored to win the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. After an early defeat at South Carolina, Georgia lost three of its final four regular-season games for the second year in a row, finishing 7-4 and ranked 24th.

Particularly galling to the Bulldog Nation: a third consecutive loss to Georgia Tech for the first time since the early 1960s, which cost the team a possible New Year's Day bowl.

"There was a lack of confidence in the direction of the program," Dooley said.

Donnan went 5-6 in his first year at Georgia, but he put together four consecutive winning seasons for an overall mark of 39-19. The Bulldogs, however, had a combined record of 6-14 against their biggest rivals -- Georgia Tech, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida.

"Obviously, he's a good coach," quarterback Cory Phillips said. "I guess it came down to the fact that he couldn't beat the big four."

Speculation on a successor immediately centered on Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, who last week turned down a reported offer from North Carolina for as much as $1.4 million annually.

Dooley and university president Michael Adams, who will conduct the coaching search, wouldn't comment on possible candidates. Dooley said the list would not be limited to head coaches.

"We will have a competent, qualified, aggressive coach at the University of Georgia," Adams said. "We don't intend to be rushed into making a decision."

The firing of Donnan was made at the behest of Adams, who took his case to the executive committee of the athletic board during a hastily called afternoon meeting.

"I don't believe the program was headed in the right direction," he said. "This is not just about wins and losses or Xs and Os. There were several facets."

Adams questioned the teaching ability of Donnan and his staff, while also making vague references to behind-the-scene problems.

However, an NCAA report released last week showed Georgia had the second-highest graduation rate among SEC football programs. The only major scandal of the Donnan regime involved unauthorized use of an athletic department phone card, which resulted in seven players serving one-game suspensions at the beginning of this season.

Adams refused several times to reveal specific concerns.

"I'm not going to go down that road," he said. "I'm simply saying that we looked at a whole range of things other than wins and losses."

Dooley admitted that he wanted to give Donnan another season -- "with the idea that next season would be extremely important." The AD changed his mind after hearing the concerns of Adams and the athletic board.

"There was a consensus within the university," Dooley said. "It was obvious to me that a change needed to be made."

After consulting with the players, Dooley said he wanted Donnan to coach the Bulldogs one final time in the Dec. 24 Oahu Bowl.

"The feeling among the players is we would like all of the coaching staff to take us to a bowl," running back Brett Millican said. "Hopefully, they will respect our wishes. We're the guys that are out on the field sweating and bleeding."

Donnan did not immediately comment on his firing or whether he would remain with the Bulldogs through the bowl game. A woman who answered the telephone at the coach's home said he was not taking calls.

Several players hinted at a possible Oahu boycott if Donnan wasn't the coach. Dooley, who was a coach for 25 years, downplayed those feelings after meeting with the team.

Georgia will pay more than $2.1 million to buy out the final three years of Donnan's contract. In addition, the school still owes $221,000 to Donnan's predecessor, Ray Goff.

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