Georgia proves only it also can lose a close game to Florida
Aaron Murray led rally but had too many mistakes in his first Florida game. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
JACKSONVILLE — It wasn’t humiliating. Is that better? After two mostly miserable decades in this rivalry and consecutive dismemberings of 49-10 and 41-17, should it feel better to know Georgia walked off the field and could have won?
“No — it’s a loss,” Akeem Dent said.
“An L is an L,” A.J. Green said.
“This kind of hurt more,” Washaun Ealey said.
Georgia came close Saturday. That shouldn’t be the objective.
Maybe comebacks say something about a team’s character. Maybe the Bulldogs grew up a little in the second half. Maybe the quarterback won’t have early-game jitters next time. Maybe one year again, they’ll actually beat Florida.
But this program should not be about gauging the degree of severity of losses.
They lost in overtime 34-31. They showed remarkable resolve by rallying from a 21-7 halftime deficit to tie it twice, the last time at 31-31 with 4:36 left in regulation. That’s certainly more resiliency and substance that the past two Georgia teams showed in Jacksonville.
A.J. Green's 15-yard touchdown sent the game into overtime.
But here’s the reality check. This is not a great Florida team. It entered with its worst regular-season losing streak in 22 years. This is certainly the worst team Urban Meyer ever has fielded. It’s so bad that a 4-4 Georgia team on the wrong end of a lopsided rivalry was favored.
The Dogs lost anyway. That makes 18 in the past 21 years.
“I really don’t look at it like that,” said athletic director Greg McGarity. “College players have a two- or three-year window. They weren’t here the whole time.”
He is right about that. The real problem is that the one-year view is no better.
At 3-4 in the SEC, they are dead in the conference race.
At 4-5 overall, they are clinging only to mathematical possibilities for a lower-tier bowl.
The Liberty Bowl never should be the objective.
Green has been through three of these Florida games now. He probably won’t go through a fourth. The NFL calls. But it will take some time to forget this one.
“I swear I thought we were going to win this,” he said.
The loss dropped Georgia to 4-5 and Mark Richt to 2-8 against Florida. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
The comeback started with a field goal in the third quarter, making it 21-10. The Georgia scored touchdowns on its next three possessions. Murray, after completing only 5 of 14 passes with two interceptions in the first half, went 13-for-21 with two touchdowns in the second.
And we wondered: “Where did this team come from?”
“We were clicking on all cylinders,” Green said. “We had the momentum.”
Trailing 31-24, Murray drove the Dogs from midfield with under seven minutes left. On third-and-goal from the 15, he found Green in the middle of the end zone to tie the score. The teams went to overtime.
One more Murray mistake decided it. He tried to hit Green in the corner of the end zone, but the pass was tipped by linebacker Jelani Jones and intercepted at the 11 by safety Will Hill. (He nearly returned it for a touchdown but was pushed out of bounds at the 4-yard line by Tavarres King.)
Murray on the interception: “I’ve just got to learn from it. I wish I could take that throw back.”
The Gators got the ball back and ran three plays before Chas Henry’s game-winning 37-yard field goal.
Green, as a member of the field-goal block team, had a close-up view.
“I felt like I was going to block it,” he said. “It was real close.”
How close?
“I could feel the wind from the ball. Then I turned around and thought, ‘Dang.’ I was hoping a bird would fly down and knock it down.”
That just doesn’t happen in this rivalry. Things go wrong. Meyer justifiably gets torched for deciding to bring “Time To Die” guy, Chris Rainey back from suspension for this game.
What happens? Rainey scores the game’s first touchdown on a 20-yard run.
But this was less about Rainey than it was about Georgia. The Dogs are better than they were at 1-4. But not a lot. Beating Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky doesn’t prove a lot. Nor does losing close. It just makes for a little more pain and a little less humiliation.
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1,166 comments Add your comment
Dawg The Mediocrity Settler
October 31st, 2010
8:32 am
Yay Gators. Firing Richt isn’t the answer. Look how UT is faring after firing their long-term, winning coach.
Oh, please, Tennessee is down because that fat clown Fulmer was doing a terrible job of recruiting and of keep the Vols brand name at an elite level. What you are seeing at Tennessee right now ain’t a reflection of Kiffin, Dooley, or of firing Fulmer. Rather, what you are seeing at Tennessee right now is a direct consequence of Fulmer’s incompetence his last five years in Knoxville.
Moonlight Graham
October 31st, 2010
8:36 am
As a Gator fan who remembers all the excruciating losses from the 80’s (run Lindsey run!) it feels so much better now, as it has for awhile. Eventually, the worm will turn but in the meantime I’m really enjoying this rivalry. See ya’ll next year!
Dan
October 31st, 2010
8:37 am
I love Coach Mark Richt. I hope he finds another job somewhere as it’s time for him to find something else to do with his life.
Hairy Dawg
October 31st, 2010
8:38 am
we needs recruiting talent and pulling schollies from stinkys like Bammers. Mac got to man up and set Adams strait to fix recruiting restrictions. If Adams don’t fix then we gots to replace. Buck stops on Adams.
BoWeevil
October 31st, 2010
8:40 am
Buckeye
AJ Green is the best player we got ?
B.S. he is out there acting like a THUG
He sold THIS ENTIRE SEASON down the drain for $1000 in his pocket for a shirt worth $29.
He was not getting open.
Aaron Murray is and has been our ONLY player.
Suckeye, I don’t care that you think Aaron Murray is NOT our best player. You don’t know and I do.
I PROVED THAT.
Phil
October 31st, 2010
8:42 am
Bobo is a goner,
Exactly. Throwing on 3rd down was stupid. I agree with taking a shot into the corner of the end zone like they did on first down. Throw it where it’s either caught or the defender can’t intercept. Running on 2nd down was ok. Now, on 3rd after seeing what you got(not much), you can LOOK for something over the middle, but if it’s not there, tuck it and get a few yards closer and KICK THE FIELD GOAL!!
Richt and Bozo should have talked to Murray between the end of regulation and OT started(they had about 5 minutes) and explained just that. Something like ” we are going to take a couple of shots into the end zone, If it’s there then take it. If not, don’t force it and just throw it away, we will take the field goal”.
This SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD TO MURRAY. If not, Richt and Bozo are dumber than I thought.
You HAVE to come away with something in OT. And with their kicker situation, a FG by us puts enormous pressure on the guy.
Pathetic coaching in OT.
GR82BAG8R
October 31st, 2010
8:42 am
Georgia will beat Auburn, as the coaching staff stops trying to “over-strategize” and just lets the team play to their talent. Auburn is extremely confident they will be undefeated going into the ‘bama game. These are the makins of an historic upset….
Typical ga fan
October 31st, 2010
8:43 am
That’s ok. We’ll get em next year. And who cares. We beat Idaho and Auburn and we still got a chance at a national champship cause we beat the best sec team! Most idiotic fan base on the planet in any sport.
Atticus
October 31st, 2010
8:45 am
Great game but Bobo called 3 terrible plays in OT. Game over. 7-5 and maybe 6-6 are not a sign of a program moving in the right direction. Murray’s the real deal though.
SHUT UP AND LISTEN
October 31st, 2010
8:45 am
Put Texas, SCal, Ohio St in the positiion where you have to play what has been the best team in the nation over the last 20 years with a week off to get ready for you and the results will be the same. I blame V Dooley and D Evens for letting this scheduling go on for this long. It is the single biggest factor of what’s happening in the series.
boohoo
October 31st, 2010
8:47 am
PLZ , neither team is worth a s@#t and ga fans are proud of the fact they took a down year fl team to OT and still got beat. you guys are grasping for any little crumb of hope, bad news the agony will continue. good news season almost over so ga can get another top 5 rec class only too start the whole painfull process over again for next year.
BoWeevil
October 31st, 2010
8:48 am
“PUKE”
that about sums it up for those of us who go to college at UGA and graduate and who want to have a football program that is not ALL BAD PRESS
Dawg The Mediocrity Settler
October 31st, 2010
8:48 am
Aaron Murray is and has been our ONLY player.
Then your program sucks because Murray is garbage. He’ll do just enough to keep you in a game, and just enough to lose you the game just like Reggie Ball always did.
Alabama Jack
October 31st, 2010
8:48 am
Lets see – we are gonna pulverize Idaho State, upset number one Auburn and then beat Tech to go to the Liberty Bowl? Yep, that’s a world class program for sure.
Face it dawgs, you suck.
wastedyears
October 31st, 2010
8:51 am
damn i will be glad when the 4th qtr clock reads 00.00 against ga tech,get it over with already an pleaze no bowl hell at least my other team won iowa a desapline team with heart ,morals.and values .unlike thug central aka uga
jerry
October 31st, 2010
8:51 am
Going for two and got zero. That one point made a difference in winning and going to overtime.
GR82BAG8R
October 31st, 2010
8:53 am
For those of you who think the only way to force the administration to fire Richt is to cancel your season tickets, how hard is it to get them back once you have declined to renew? How long is the waiting list? Do you go to the back of the line? Do you really want to be on the outside looking in when Georgia finally starts doing something with all that talent they recruit? You may have no choice but to keep buying your tickets…..
Chad
October 31st, 2010
8:53 am
Thank you uga football team for once again making me money. 3/3 this week with the ga ore and tcu games.
GT
October 31st, 2010
8:54 am
AJC plays to the Georgia fans. They are like the parents in denial. Not too much mention of Rainey coming back all last week, it was all about the new improved Georgia. False advertising and now we are back to cheap shots for Florida. The press, the fans and the tax payers of Georgia should not be distracted by Florida the problem they have is in Athens. You got a team of very little disciple. They ran their mouths and took cheap shots the whole game. In the meanwhile they fumbled, threw interceptions, missed defensive assignments and in general took a lot of God given talent and wasted it.
Georgia fans give it to Tech for being in the ACC, not having the program of Georgia. Tech plays up to and above their heads just about every game. Once or twice a year they have that bad game but on paper every Saturday should be a bad game. Johnson shows up at Tech and it took Sherlock Holmes to find anything out about him in this paper. I knew everything that could go wrong with Tech as they won the ACC last year. This year they still have a shot at their conference, have not been blown out by any opponent yet you would think Lewis was still coaching over at the flats. Auburn was not treated much better, in this paper they don’t exist. Yet this Georgia team that probably has dozens of expired driver’s licenses and a few hang overs this very morning, but can’t figure out how that spills over into their play,is all we read about. I will venture to bet no school in the history of the NCAA has wasted more talent, Georgia ,by God, grown talent in many cases than is group. The “dream team” that shuts out all recruiting in Georgia, feed the rest crumbs and then get you women and children off the streets of Athens they aren’t safe.
THE CATHOLIC HAMMER
October 31st, 2010
8:55 am
The 7th best team in the PAC-10 defeated Colorado 52-7.
The team currently tied for 7th in the SEC lost to Colorado 29-27.
The current #1 team in the SEC was tied by Clemson, who lost to Boston College 16-10.
wastedyears
October 31st, 2010
8:56 am
idaho state look out we are goin to kill you the signature win of the season coming up!!!!!!!! i just hope they will go along with it hell where iz idaho do they have electricity
Gotta Go
October 31st, 2010
8:56 am
Folks. Look at the facts. He has ONE MORE win against UF than Goff did in 3 fewer games and only one less loss against Tech than Goff did. He repeatedly makes the mistakes in managing a program that would never be tolerated at big time schools. Assistants stay on even after it is obvious that a particular position is underperforming and never attracts big time prospects. When was the last time we had an OL be selected in the 1st round? George Foster, who was recruited by Donnan. Players rarely are any better than when they arrive. Off season arrests are alomst as humiliating as our on the field performance. Can you honestly say we will ever compete for an SEC title again? How many of you really believe we were going to win in OT with the clowns we have wearing headsets? Do you think you would still have a job if you performed like this?
Dawg The Mediocrity Settler
October 31st, 2010
8:57 am
I’m as frustrated as the next fan, but there is no way you fire someone who has accomplished what Richt has and brings in the type talent he does.
The type of talent he brings in? Are you seeing elite talent out there that I’m not? And, even if he was bringing in alot of talent, he shouldn’t get too much credit for that. He is the head friggin’ coach at the state university with the state’s most popular collegiate football program in a state with alot of talent. Given that significant built in advantage, any retard should be able to bring in the mediocre classes Rich has without even trying all that hard.
Al
October 31st, 2010
8:58 am
uga game against tech will be to get bowl eligible. how pathetic is that dogs?
Jay
October 31st, 2010
8:58 am
Typical Jeff column.
It was a close 3 point overtime game. Georgia should have won it.
Jeff spins it 1000x worse than that.
Typical sensationalism.
TennesseeDawg
October 31st, 2010
8:58 am
Once again all the nerds roll out of their mom’s basement to get some attention. No one will cover them because no one cares about Tech. Georgia could lose every game 45-0 and still kick Tech’s butt at the end of the year. Come on out, nerds and get your beatdown.
fire dawg
October 31st, 2010
8:59 am
We will not win without a BIG CHANGE! We fielded better players this year. Fla. did not even have an established identity on offense, they used three different guys at QB!!!!
FACE IT PEOPLE,WE WERE PLAIN OUT COACHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10 yrs is long enough to ESTABLISH a program! Darn g8rs lost O cord,D cord,Heisman gb, 9 or 10 other starters to NFL!!!!!!!!
If Richt was ever going to win one, this was his year.
3-18,3-19,3-20, How much losin’ is enough losin’?
UGA pays out millions to a coach that wins NON conference games( at least he used to). Fire Richt and SAVE THE MONEY,we could probably beat lou-laff and lose to the BUFF’S without a head coach!
Jay
October 31st, 2010
8:59 am
If Georgia wins, Jeff acts like it’s meaningless, if Georgia loses, Jeff acts like it means more than a loss.
Just 1 game, a loss, nothing more, nothing less.
uga2002
October 31st, 2010
9:00 am
Beat Auburn gr2bnthebag or whatever your name is?
How about Auburn 55 UGA 24 for the very reason you just mentioned, Aubirn has confidence and a lot of it for good reason. And they’ve got a pad the numbers bye this week and a real bye after us. I tjink the only thing they’re going to be doing is game planning for us and everyone seems to think they can stop them but nobody does. Get over yourself. Auburn big plus a rub it in followed by a chant of KEEP RICHT! KEEP RICHT!
Ga Dawg 97
October 31st, 2010
9:02 am
Jay sounds like the loser he is! It was more than that. We need a change at the top! Time to find a head man, he’s become Ray Goff.
wastedyears
October 31st, 2010
9:02 am
damn flyn them thugs back to athens leave them there or let them walk ….ah coaches included
Tombo
October 31st, 2010
9:02 am
Yep…Murray made some turnovers. One by Green not coming back to the ball, one by the tight end not catching a ball in his hands. The fumble was a fluke…a guy on the ground kicked the ball while he was being spun around. Yes…bad game for him….especially at beginning of game.
BUT, we still scored 31 points. Despite all the turnovers. Despite BOBO not getting our best player (Green) involved in the game until the second half.
Our DEFENSE allowed 34 points by the worst Florida offense in decades. Yes, the defense had some really good plays. But they got gashed up the gut for a 20 yard and 50 yard score. Play action pass beats us deep. Why can’t we defend third and long?
Oh yeah, our kickoff coverage was awful (again). A personal foul on a punt return when we had them pinned inside the 5. We fumbled (but recovered) a kickoff return.
Too many missed opportunities all night long whether if was fumbles we didn’t pick up, inabilty to take advantage of a defensive stop, inability to stop a drive on 3rd and long, inability to tackle on kickoffs, or a personal foul penalty when punter had them pinned inside the 5.
Phil
October 31st, 2010
9:03 am
SHUT UP AND LISTEN
We had a bye week before the Florida game last year and didn’t help at all. Richt simply can’t get the job done against Florida. And Bozo’s play calling in OT didn’t help. Hell, kicking the field goal on 1st down might would have been enought to win the game! But no, let’s play stupid and come away with nothing and give the game away.
GR82BAG8R
October 31st, 2010
9:04 am
Did anyone see what happened to Miami yesterday after Virginia knocked their QB out of the game? The ‘Dogs are zeroing in on Cam….
Ga Dawg 97
October 31st, 2010
9:04 am
Hey Jay, it was a HUGE loss. It was a chance to salvage the season. Now it is in the toilet and now the hated Gators are on the right track and have a chance at another sec title. Wake up brother!
Jay
October 31st, 2010
9:04 am
Last 2 years, Georgia got beat 49-10, and 41-17, this year, 34-31 in over-time.
Seems like an improvement to most people with common sense.
Krogunner
October 31st, 2010
9:06 am
Two words Chris. Peterson.
Jay
October 31st, 2010
9:06 am
SC will beat Florida or Arkansas, so this loss was meaningless and wouldn’t have won the SEC East anyways.
GR82BAG8R
October 31st, 2010
9:06 am
All you Georgia fans need to man up and accept that no matter how much talent you have, you will periodically have years like this. It makes you appreciate the good years even more. It also allows you to savor moments like beating the no. 1 team in the nation in their home stadium and watching their hopes for a BCS title go down the drain.
Dawg The Mediocrity Settler
October 31st, 2010
9:08 am
Last 2 years, Georgia got beat 49-10, and 41-17, this year, 34-31 in over-time. Seems like an improvement to most people with common sense.
I hope you don’t enter the workforce with that mindset. You’ll never keep a job long
wastedyears
October 31st, 2010
9:08 am
uga pleaze dont even go to auburn u have embarras us enuff this yr just call this one in an forfeit im predicting auburn 49 thug central 28
Jay
October 31st, 2010
9:09 am
Until the end of the season, no one knows if this loss was meaningful, or not. When SC beats Arkansas or Florida, the loss to Florida for Georgia meant nothing.
Krogunner
October 31st, 2010
9:09 am
Jay, a loss is a loss. Florida lost Tebow and like 10 others that are playing today. This was our chance. This was the 07 Florida team, and now for next year the gun is loaded again. We get blasted in jax in 2011.
SNAPDOG
October 31st, 2010
9:10 am
Dumbo I mean Bozo I mean Dodo I mean BOBO gotta GO GO………….And does Murray even know who A.J Green is. Never even looks in his direction, what’s the deal with that?
Dawg The Mediocrity Settler
October 31st, 2010
9:10 am
It also allows you to savor moments like beating the no. 1 team in the nation in their home stadium and watching their hopes for a BCS title go down the drain.
HAHA!!! You couldn’t tackle Lattimore, you couldn’t catch Burton. What the hell makes you think you can stop Camputer Newton?
Gatormeat
October 31st, 2010
9:10 am
While we are used to blowing the dogs out, this was even better. You dogs thought you actually had a chance to win and we took it from you. The reason why is because you were not man enough to stop us. Chew on that all year dogs and be ready to get another whipping next year. Until then you just have to take it. Again
wastedyears
October 31st, 2010
9:11 am
damn we look good losing i think we have got it down to a work of art
Jay
October 31st, 2010
9:11 am
The severity of the losses to Colorado (3 points), Florida (3 points), Arkansas (7 points), SC (9 points), shows Georgia is competing.
That’s all fans want in 2010, is for Georgia to compete, play hard, and not get blown out.
Lugnut
October 31st, 2010
9:11 am
What is this “we” crap. As Seinfield noted, the team lost. You watched. As far as getting rid of Coach Richt – do you really want to see him come in an the coach of another SEC team and whip GA as often as the schedule allows? Hey, sometimes, it just ain’t your year. It happens. 1979 was no picnic. But the next year was kind of OK.
By the way, for all the clinically overwrought, find an additional hobby. This jock-sniffing thing has turned embarassing. GA lost – your life did not change. Move on.
Dawg The Mediocrity Settler
October 31st, 2010
9:12 am
When AJ Green gets his jersey on Senior Night, does he get the one he sold to an agent? Or do they tell him we would’ve given you one, but you sold it?