Georgia goes up 10-0, then goes down hard to LSU
After early success, it was a difficult night for Georgia's Aaron Murray. (Johnny Crawford/AJC)
(UPDATED: 9:20 p.m.)
This is when all involved with the Georgia program will tell themselves, “Well, we got here.”
They will cling to the fact an inspired defense allowed LSU only 12 yards and zero first downs in the first half. They will bang their heads against the fiberglass Uga’s throughout downtown Athens over the what-might-have-beens, if two dropped touchdown passes on their first two possessions hadn’t left the team with only a field goal. They will grit their teeth as they mold toy Honey Badgers out of Play-Doh, then crush them with their fists.
But in the end, the Bulldogs’ return to the SEC Championship game after six years resulted in an ugly tilt on the scoreboard. The final: LSU 42, Georgia 10.
That might not tell the whole story. But it reaffirms what we sort of knew: Despite the season’s 10-game winning streak and the remarkable resiliency we witnessed after a 0-2 start, the Bulldogs just aren’t there yet.
“It doesn’t seem real right now that our momentum stopped,” said tight end Aron White, whose first-quarter touchdown gave the Dogs a 10-0 lead. “It really catches you off-guard when all of a sudden the accolades and the wins stop. It’s definitely going to take a while to get over. But at the end of the day, I don’t think a loss to the No. 1 team in America from the best conference in America is going to take away from the season we’ve had. We can’t say we’re the best, but we can say we were pretty damn good.”
Hard to believe, the Dogs led 10-0. They would have rejoiced more if they didn’t believe that it should have been 21-0, the residue of dropped touchdown passes by Tavarres King and Malcolm Mitchell. They will wonder how a game in which they once held a 134-7 advantage in totals so completely spun out of control.
“Basically we lost the momentum, they gained it and we couldn’t slow it down,” coach Mark Richt said.
Three months ago, the Bulldogs left the Georgia Dome after a 35-21 loss to Boise State, leaving most wondering about their direction, their resilience and, most of all, Richt.
That shouldn’t be the case any more. But the sting of 42-10 losses tend to sting a while.
Following White’s touchdown, the Dogs’ next 10 possessions resulted in seven punts and three turnovers (all leading to LSU touchdowns). The Bulldogs saw a game that they were implausibly dominating get turned around by a gravity-defying punt returner known in the swamplands as the “Honey Badger.” Sophomore Tyrann Mathieu returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to give LSU what the offense couldn’t: points. Then he brought back another one 47 yards early in third quarter – unofficially breaking seven tackles along the way. That set up a second touchdown and gave the Tigers a 14-10 lead.
Richt on Mathieu: “I’ll be honest: I enjoy watching the guy play football, other than when he plays against us.”
Soon, it was like somebody pulled the stopper out of the bathtub.
A fumble by quarterback Aaron Murray led to another touchdown. The Dogs’ wore down on both lines. LSU then ran them into the ground. The SEC championship was theirs, and the Dogs’ 10-game winning streak was over.
By midway through the fourth quarter, a Dome crowd that was two-thirds Georgia fans was two-thirds empty with a decidedly purple-and-gold tilt.
The Dogs will have a few weeks off before their bowl game. They’ll need it to recover — mentally moreso than physically.
About the what-might-have-beens: The Bulldogs’ defense forced six straight three-and-outs. But that success didn’t carry over to the offense. King dropped a third-down pass in the end zone on the first drive, forcing the Dogs to settle for a 40-yard field goal by Blair Walsh. Malcolm Mitchell dropped a third-down pass at the LSU 5-yard-line on the second drive, seemingly preoccupied with turning to run into the end zone. This time, Walsh missed from 45 yards.
A 10-0 lead against No. 1 just isn’t good enough when it should be 21-0.
“We wanted to have a better show then we ended up showing for 60 minutes,” Richt said.
It was a good show for a short while.
By Jeff Schultz
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1,203 comments Add your comment
War Dang Dawg
December 3rd, 2011
9:59 pm
Anyone seen my sister? I need to get me some.
SE GA Dawg Fan
December 3rd, 2011
9:59 pm
punt return thrown to official prior to the God-send Matthieu crossing the goal line. Should have been no TD.
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
9:59 pm
1980 UGA is up there with 1984 BYU for lamest titles of all time.
War Dang Dawg
December 3rd, 2011
9:59 pm
“Name the SEC school that got destroyed in the SEC championship.”
Hint: it wasn’t any of the schools that failed to qualify for the game. They were home watching on TV.
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:00 pm
1980 UGA average opponent ranking 4-7…LAME!
SE GA Dawg Fan
December 3rd, 2011
10:00 pm
Totally gross…no longer reading Schultz’s blogs. Schultz, you must be weird. Sure you weren’t at Penn State or Syracuse?
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:01 pm
Not all of us got to play in thr East WarDangDog
2010 BCS Champs
December 3rd, 2011
10:01 pm
no more comments from me…….my mom unplugged my computer
Dalton
December 3rd, 2011
10:01 pm
@Thuga…see my earlier posts. UGA earned the right to be there. Bama couldn’t even win their own division. Nor could the Hogs. Yes, the west is far superior than the east this year. But UGA won their division, and earned the right to be there. LSU is a superior team, no doubt. Haters can continue to hate, and sore losers can continue to trash. But the DAWGS are the SEC East Champions.
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:01 pm
31 years since going undefeated??? AU only has to wait 8-9 years per.
WE RUIN THIS STATE
December 3rd, 2011
10:02 pm
The reason that the CMR extension was announced before the game is that UGA accomplished its two key goals:
1. Beat Tech
2. have a top 10 recruiting class.
This game dosen’t matter to a team that does not have a national championship as its goal.
DILLIGAF
December 3rd, 2011
10:02 pm
War Dang Dawg:
UGA could have easily hung 60 on your pathetic team.
Cheezsnak will be gone in two years and your team will be irrelevent for another decade.
Vandy will make the Tiggers the doormat of the SEC for years to come.
UGA/85′
GATA!
YEP
December 3rd, 2011
10:02 pm
kiss the ring, you must have just got home from being a soccer dad. How was practice?
Lets talk about Hershel Walker
December 3rd, 2011
10:02 pm
Just to make us feel good
SE GA Dawg Fan
December 3rd, 2011
10:02 pm
War Dang Dawg, who is obviously a totally jealous War Eagle, is the perverted one…
Let's talk about UGA!
December 3rd, 2011
10:02 pm
Ouch!
I was drunk by 10 a.m., Russ was mauled by a honey badger, and I vomited on Mama’s keyboard.
?
December 3rd, 2011
10:02 pm
Enter your comments here
2010 BCS Champs
December 3rd, 2011
10:03 pm
kiss the ring,
we rule…..we didn’t even play in the game that we’re knocking another team for…..you’re awesome….i’m awesome
War Dang Dawg
December 3rd, 2011
10:03 pm
Kiss the Ring, I’m guessing you’re an Auburn fan. Which means you might have finished 3rd in the East this year.
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:03 pm
UGA earned the East like Jetho Tull earned the grammy for best heavy metal albumover Metallia.
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:05 pm
We would have Wardangdawg…but we would have finished 3rd knowing what championships were like.
YEP
December 3rd, 2011
10:05 pm
Miss the ring, Alabama owns you and will always own you. Go hide. Maybe there is another Cam to be bought in the future.
WE RUIN THIS STATE
December 3rd, 2011
10:05 pm
The reason that the CMR extension was annouced before this game is that UGA accomplished its two key goals:
1. Beat Tech
2. Have a top 10 recruiting class.
This game does not matter unless your goal is to win the national championship
Disinterested Party
December 3rd, 2011
10:05 pm
BCS 2010, I figured you’d bow out from this blog once you got called out for pretending to be an Auburn grad when you barely got admitted to Southern Union. What a wuss.
Grandmaster JeJe
December 3rd, 2011
10:06 pm
“Sign of a stupid coach:
“Basically we lost the momentum, they gained it and we couldn’t slow it down.”
No, Mark, ‘basically’ you got your a** handed to you. Basically, a smart coach made smart halftime adjustments while you assumed you didn’t need to change anything. Basically, you got outsmarted and outplayed again. Basically, you lost to the only three teams on your schedule that weren’t mediocre.
Basically, four other SEC coaches won BCS championships in the last 5 years. Four coaches with less tenure than you. You have delivered zero championships in 11 years.
Basically, you should be fired for believing ‘momentum’ determines the outcome of a game. If momentum is so determinative, how can it be lost?
FIRE MARK RICHT.
”
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!! He does not deserve an extension. Did not beat ONE good team this yr. got owned by SPURRIER AGAIN
2010 BCS Champs
December 3rd, 2011
10:06 pm
7-5……it’s what auburn football is and what auburn football does
WE RUIN THIS STATE
December 3rd, 2011
10:06 pm
Its a good think UGA lost becuase if they had won the entire downtown would have been torn down.
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:07 pm
UGA gets top 5 classes every years…sad.
Dalton
December 3rd, 2011
10:07 pm
You crack me up, kiss!
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:07 pm
Don’t beat top 5 teams…is what UGA does.
proud
December 3rd, 2011
10:08 pm
Anybody that thought UGA was going to win is down right delusional.
War Dang Dawg
December 3rd, 2011
10:08 pm
“We would have Wardangdawg…but we would have finished 3rd knowing what championships were like.”
I have no idea what that means. But I’m sure you know what losing 45-7 and 5 out of the last 6 games to UGA feels like.
WE RUIN THIS STATE
December 3rd, 2011
10:08 pm
The nation’s 4 ranked defense gave up 35 points in one half ? To the same team that Bama held to 6 in two halves ?
Stumpknocker
December 3rd, 2011
10:08 pm
Why in the world should Ga extend Richt’s contract? He’s still doing the same thing for the past 10 years…….He always loses the big game. He has a losing record against teams with a 500 or better record. He recruits thugs and duds……..like Ealey and King and 100 proof prima-donnas like Crowel………. You know just about everybody in the South East has won a Natl Champ since Ga has even smelled the wrapper off of one………But go ahead and Richt that big salary increase and long term extension and while your at it give the Choker-man Grantham a big raise too……in the end you’ll just get the same-ole/same-ole.
YEP
December 3rd, 2011
10:09 pm
kiss the ring, how did it feel to be back as Alabamas beat down boys.
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:09 pm
Seriously what top 5 teams has UGA beaten?
Icanthink of 3 under Richt. Heck AU has had 10 during thattime.
tennessee dawg
December 3rd, 2011
10:09 pm
You bunch of fence riding hot and cold pansies need to pull up your ragged out trailers and move to atlanta and pull for the turds down there richt done a great job what about the onside kick? pretty good call i think not his fault true freshman drops touchdown and king misses touchdown badger throws ball out of bounds and mysteriously no review upstairs murray gives them ball on twenty on and on i could go but bottom line not a lack of talent or coaching on either side of the ball do all of us real fans a favor and go jump of a bridge GO DAWGS
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:10 pm
Yep…4-8 is Bama record in thr 21st century versus us.
YEP
December 3rd, 2011
10:10 pm
Defense did not give up all those points….special teams gave up 14, our offense sure set up some too.
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:10 pm
What top 5 teamshas Richt beaten?
I can onlybe sure of 2006 AU.Was 04 or 05 LSU top 5?
2010 BCS Champs
December 3rd, 2011
10:11 pm
we ruin this state,
6pts (actually 9 pts for the game) or 42pts….doesn’t matter. both UA and UGA lost to LSU.
WE RUIN THIS STATE
December 3rd, 2011
10:11 pm
Grandpa: Please tell us about that 1980 team and Hershel Walker. Was Daddy born then ?
War Dang Dawg
December 3rd, 2011
10:11 pm
“Seriously what top 5 teams has UGA beaten?”
Good point. It’s not like we played anyone worth a damn this year, especially in November. Maybe we’ll beef up our schedule with a powerhouse like Utah State. I hear they play SEC teams real tough.
Aaron I. F. Murray
December 3rd, 2011
10:11 pm
The ‘I’ stands for ‘Interception’.
The ‘F’ stands for ‘Fumble’.
More initials:
THBAML
The Honey Badger Ate My Lunch
James
December 3rd, 2011
10:11 pm
@Dude
How long did it take you to come up with that?
YEP
December 3rd, 2011
10:12 pm
Alabama owns auburn. Whipping boys for the past century.Best team won today.
Lsu has a fantastic team and deserved what happened.
Kiss The Ring
December 3rd, 2011
10:12 pm
How do you UGA fans feels spending all you moeny on UGA wardrobes only to be rewarded with no big timr wins…big timr being beating a powerhouse.
KeepDreaming
December 3rd, 2011
10:12 pm
THANK YOU REFS for not calling the OBVIOUS block in the back on the FONEY badger punt return. THANK YOU REFS for calling your B.S. time outs to fix the game clock, CONVENIENTLY in the middle of Georgia’s offense. THANK YOU REFS for not knowing how to do your job and properly set a ball after a delay of game penalty. BUNCH of morons I tell ya!
LSU Blows, Good Job Bama on another Championship.
IL Jacket
December 3rd, 2011
10:13 pm
Congratulations on a great season Dawgs. No shame in losing to the Number 1 team in the nation. Congratulations also to Coach Richt for all he has had to endure this year.
Go Jackets!!!
WE RUIN THIS STATE
December 3rd, 2011
10:13 pm
Looked like a rerun of the South Carolina game except for the second half shutout. Wait a minute, why wasn’t South Carolina in this game ?