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
Joe Bob Thibodaux
December 3rd, 2011
10:44 pm
Douglas
Day games in Baton Rouge can mean the temperature is over 100 on the field and the sun can interfere with catching punts. But don’t worry,
unless LSU falls off the planet next year, the only SEC night game in Tiger Stadium will be against Alabama because CBS and ESPN cut a side deal to make it happen.
If UGA ends up in the Sugar Bowl, then kick some butt. Perhaps a rematch with Boise is in the works. Good Luck whoever.
JBT
ball licker
December 3rd, 2011
10:45 pm
I feel humiliated and degraded just like when I went to camp at Penn State. UGA really is the cesspool of the South.
Todd Grantham
December 3rd, 2011
10:45 pm
Look. We dominated the first half and they dominated the second. So in my book, it was a tie.
stiggywiggy
December 3rd, 2011
10:48 pm
Why didn’t the CBS cameras zero in on that dumb fat bald redneck hillbilly dawg fan, who’s always pointing to his tatooed scalp? I’d love to see his reaction.
Mad Dod One
December 3rd, 2011
10:48 pm
Congrats to LSU one he!! of a team fans not so much. To the rest of you’ll WE WERE IN THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WHERE WERE YOU. We took an a$$ whipping but we wrere there. We looked like a acc school but we were there. We don’t have a tailback but we were there. Our D looked very good the first half not so much in second but we were there. To all you want to be’s we went 10 & 2 in regular season so WE WERE THERE WHERE WERE YOU AT HOME WATCHING!!!!!!! As always GO DOGS & GATA
Bye Bye UGA
December 3rd, 2011
10:49 pm
UGA Football sucks almost as much as it’s fans… anyone notice that the entire stadium of uga supporters didn’t even stay through the fourth quarter?
LOSERS!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Aaron Murray… quarterback of the future…. what a joke.
Have a great ride back to the trailer park you bunch of university jokes.
fansince74
December 3rd, 2011
10:49 pm
I commend UGA for playing such a good first half but LSU has way too much depth. We LSU fans have watched this dominance all year. Now Georgia has seen it first hand.
Honey Badger
December 3rd, 2011
10:49 pm
Damn, dawg meat tastes good. Kick it to me again. I’ll wear a potato sack to make it even.
Let's talk about UGA!
December 3rd, 2011
10:50 pm
Dear Dawgs,
Every year, I get drunk early. I avoid my probation officer so I can watch the game. I howl at the moon, over the trailer-park, until late into the night. The day after the game, I vomit my guts out, drink another beer, and vomit some more. I even pimp my baby sister for tickets.
I work hard to be a dawg fan.
Why won’t you work hard for me?
Not Less Than Miles
December 3rd, 2011
10:50 pm
Could not have been a better ending. Let the pups get all excited, all full of hope, and then boom, boom, boom. UGA will always be second tier. Get used to it Athens.
Dalton
December 3rd, 2011
10:51 pm
No, the difference between SC and UGA this year was not Arkansas. It was Auburn. Dawgs beat ‘em and Gamecocks couldn’t. At home. You have to win the important games on your schedule (and the players can’t control the schedule) to make it to the SECCG. SC couldn’t do it. Dawgs did. GO DAWGS!
Ellis
December 3rd, 2011
10:52 pm
Crowell, oh well, one play and tap out! Everytime. Pillsbury Dough Boy Soft. The ultimate “energy vampire.” I’ll be surprised if he’s around next year.
Trailer Park Prom Queen
December 3rd, 2011
10:53 pm
The university of Georgia football team now returns to Clark County detention center. We are a bunch of dam thugs. Smoke em if you got em. Crowell’s buyin. Yeah baby. We love our trailer park fans. They leave trash everywhere. We love whoresstwo
voice of reason
December 3rd, 2011
10:53 pm
Crowell is a puzz. Limping on Que. This guy will join the last two superstar running backs kicked off the team. He has no heart, shame because he is so talented.
Denver Dog
December 3rd, 2011
10:54 pm
When the Daaaaawgs get stomped by a real team, they fall back on we beat tech and run this state, whoopie.
Trailer Park Prom Queenie
December 3rd, 2011
10:54 pm
The university of Georgia football team now returns to Clark County detention center. We are a bunch of dam thugs. Smoke em if you got em. Crowell’s buyin. Yeah baby. We love our trailer park fans. They leave trash everywhere. We love horesstwo
UGA grit landscaper
December 3rd, 2011
10:54 pm
Just face facts. Louisiana field hands are better than Georgia field hands.
joe
December 3rd, 2011
10:56 pm
GA must be experienced in how not to get too high vs a great team and lose focus when things go wrong…The true sign of a great team is one that gets ahead and acts like they have been there before….GA cannot do that yet. They must be coached to be that way or be in the situation enough to win enough to believe the still can win when things go bad against them…It is called knowing they are going to win regardless…I saw that in LSU tonight even though they seemed down in the first quarter…Well we gave them life by kicking to them and then Second half we turned it over, gave them the short field, kicked to them again and ran up the middle and just did not play well enough to be an SEC champion…
GTBob
December 3rd, 2011
10:56 pm
Like I said all week. UGA fans thought they had a chance. They really didn’t. Nothing to be ashamed of UGA fans. When the best team in the SEC plays the 5th-6th best team in the SEC, things like this can happen.
UG
December 3rd, 2011
10:58 pm
Enter your comments here
Ruus, the interim Uga
December 3rd, 2011
10:59 pm
Look, I’m not waiting around in this dump until you inbreed my replacement. I’m transferring to Mississippi State.
Velveeta the Trailer Park Tramp
December 3rd, 2011
10:59 pm
What a wasted day, I shaved my pits, brushed my tooth and wore my UGA shorty shorts to the game and the boys still lost. I spent my boy’s welfare check on tickets so me and Lulubelle could scare up a gang bang at the game.
All I got was bruised knees and a bag of beef jerky as the boys all said the hos at UGA would do it for free.
North ave. faithful
December 3rd, 2011
10:59 pm
Good grief 2010 BCS champ, LSU has 2 teams that could beat your team from last year, your team last year reminded me of a championship mighty mite team. 1 stud player is why you won. without scam newton your just another team. sorry to get involved in this but hes getting on my nerves. good luck in your bowl game dawgs.
bubba4dawgs
December 3rd, 2011
11:00 pm
Dawgs, you have no reason to bow your heads! You played a magnificent first half with only a few misques could have made the score even better! True, LSU is the superior team but not as much as the final score showed!
I say regroup, hold your heads up and recognize what you have a a solid team that is definitely on the rise for next season! All you “naysayers” go ahead and crawl back under your rocks and let me know where you are so I can come by and take a pee on your rocks, bore holes all around your rocks so I can pour pee down in there just so you don’t get thirsty!!
DAWGS, get ready for a good bowl game of which you richly deserve! Come away with a win and show the DAWG Nation that your belong and start next season off with a big win and march right back to the title game! You’ll have some good players coming in and the freshmen on this team will grow some more as well! Forget any negative thoughts you may conjure! Remember, let the positive prevail!! Always……GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!
Ndamukong Suh
December 3rd, 2011
11:01 pm
Isiah,you take “classless” to another level
Let's talk about UGA!
December 3rd, 2011
11:02 pm
As a dawg fan, why do I feel compelled to step into Mama’s closet and hang myself with an electrical cord?
Go Dawgs!
Sic ‘em!
Woof! Woof! Woof!
UGA
December 3rd, 2011
11:02 pm
GT Bob,
strong logic. so, as you put it, the “5th or 6th best team in the sec,” lost. how many pts did that team beat tech by? did you all week predict that uga would beat-down tech? please tell
voice of reason
December 3rd, 2011
11:03 pm
Good comment Denver Dog. Just beat Tech. This team has enough talent to beat the world. How is it they always fall so far below expectations? Good recruiting is a part of a head coaches job and CMR does very well here. Unfortunately he has surrounded himself with poor offensive coaches. With the offensive talent on this team there should be no excuse for this kind of failure. Don’t know who the offensive line coach is, but he has all the talent he needs. To fail like his line did tonight is really bad. Goodness, they outweigh all of the NFL teams.
General George Armstrong Custer
December 3rd, 2011
11:03 pm
To bubba4dawgs: I’ll bet you’d have told me to hold my head up high after Little Big Horn.
Sugar Bowl Sam
December 3rd, 2011
11:03 pm
Nooooooooooooo, wait a minute georgie fans, you can’t have it both ways! Last week, all y’all could do was crow about beating Georgia Tech and pronounced them irrelevant as you’re in the big, bad SEC. Well boys, this week, welcome to the SEC! Save all the trashing talking for LSU and slip some money to whomever did your scheduling this year, it’s the only reason you were even in today’s game. Trash talking Tech and then taking such an azz kicking today – pathetic!
ATLLSUalum
December 3rd, 2011
11:05 pm
As I said last week when all of Bull-puppie nation was chirping about how good UGA had become this year. Had they had LSU, Alabama and Arkansas on their schedule this year. they would have been looking at another lackluster 7 and 5 season at best.They were lucky to get the 10 wins they have with the non typical SEC schedule they played. Those guys didnt even belong on the same field with the mighty Tigers. Geaux LSU in the national championship game rematch with Bama…
GTBob
December 3rd, 2011
11:05 pm
did you all week predict that uga would beat-down tech? please tell
Nope. I did not. I am pretty objective when picking games. After the Duke game, it was pretty obvious that our team had packed it in for the season.
joe taxpayer
December 3rd, 2011
11:05 pm
and we still have not beaten a good team in at least 4 years
Seth
December 3rd, 2011
11:05 pm
Ok state right now deserves the chance
The Real Deal
December 3rd, 2011
11:06 pm
I swear to God could “Honey Badger ” be any more gay! I mean really he couldn’t come up with something better! Georgia Football forever!!
Seth
December 3rd, 2011
11:08 pm
Lsu Okie State. Sorry tide You had your chance at home.
True dawg
December 3rd, 2011
11:08 pm
You know TECH fans love to hate on UGA
winners of 1 out the last 10 in state rival game! You know we didn’t get our title stripped either.
Ralph Kramden
December 3rd, 2011
11:09 pm
Hey…. LSU just scored again. The Bulldogs SUCK…. HAHAHAHA !!! Fire Richt !!!!
Bedford
December 3rd, 2011
11:09 pm
Why is anyone surprised. Look at the teams both teams played. Lsu killed them. Ga struggled. It;s not that hard. I bet 5k on lsu Those that took uga must be RIMM longs. LOL
Crowell+espntop100= Mark Dick Changing diapers!
December 3rd, 2011
11:09 pm
IT ALL GOES BACK TO SPRING BALL. THE BACKS LOOKED PRETTY GOOD TO ME. THEY GAVE CROWELL THE STARTING POSITION WHEN HE STEPPED A FOOT ON CAMPUS. NEVER LET EM REALLY COMPETE. #22 RICHARD SAMUEL GETS HURT!…WHO SHOULD BE NEXT IN LINE?? #24 KEN MALCOME!! IT’S A NO BRAINER!!! #1 CROWELL IS A TALENT BUT UGA HAS THE BIGGEST OL IN THE NATION!!!!! HE’S NOT DOING ANYTHING SPECIAL!!! ANY D-1 FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK CAN RUN BEHIND THAT LINE! UGA FANS TALK ABOUT RECRUITING MORE BACKS. WELL I SAY DON’T BABY THE ONES YOU GOT IN THE FIRST PLACE. KEN MALCOME GETS THE BALL IN THE FOURTH QUARTER EVERY GAME HE’S PLAYED. HE DID A HELL OF A JOB AGAINST TECH & LSU. DAMN NEAR MAKES YOU SCRATCH YOUR HEAD & WONDER WHY THEY NEVER MENTION HIM.
NO OFFENSE TO THE SMALLER BACKS BUT THEY OBVIOUSLY DID NOT GET IT DONE TODAY! UGA LAST DRIVE THEY WERE IN THE REDZONE 1ST GOAL. THEY TAKE MALCOME OUT & THROW HARTON #20 IN THE GAME!!!!!!! TO MY SUPRISE THEY THROW THE DAMN BALL EVERY DOWN!!! STUPID PLAY CALLING!!!!
dbc
December 3rd, 2011
11:09 pm
From where I sit, the D will only get better. If Grantham can be retained for the long term, look for the kind of depth LSU has right now. Second, Crowell is a liability. His lack of blocking almost cost Murray his head a few times. His attitude and punk mouth are something this team doesn’t need. Let him sit on the bench and text if he doesn’t flunk out which is a distinct possibility. Malcome at least ran with heart — so pride does exist. O line needs way more depth — they couldn’t hold it together in the second half. Murray, while a gamer, isn’t going to take UGA any farther than he has. Don’t see him getting remarkably better next year — he’s good when he’s on, just too streaky. Lastly, Bobo called a good game in the first quarter, then he lost his nerve. If UGA can learn to minimize the mistakes in the future, they can be right up there with the best. Special Teams is a mess and needs a lot of attention in the off-season. Still proud of the way they fought. Hopefully a quality opponent in a good bowl follows.
Congratulations to all LSU fans and the team. You have a truly special bunch this year. I don’t think anyone else is close.
Consider this...
December 3rd, 2011
11:09 pm
LSU beat all 8 of the ranked teams they have played this season by an average of 22 points. Translation: Outside of Alabama, they dominated and blew out everyone! The Dawgs should not be ashamed. It has been a great season that will end with us being the SEC East champs and going to a good bowl game. LSU will play for and win a national championship because they are the best team in the nation. To all those saying UGA is second tier, etc., how did your team do against LSU? How did they do against UGA when they played them? Tennessee fans? Florida fans? Auburn fans? GT fans? Compared to LSU, every team in the nation in second tier. This Dawgs team is very young, and I am looking forward to seeing what they (outside of Isaiah Crowell) have in them these next couple of years. You should get used to the feeling of losing and watching championship games at home from your couches trolls!
LSUTigerinATLANTA
December 3rd, 2011
11:10 pm
Sour grapes huh Flanker!! Funny stuff.
no running game
December 3rd, 2011
11:10 pm
Mark Richt has gotten three choice running backs in the last four years. Two of them have left the team because they had no discipline. Now, the third, who was most coveted by MR is revealing himself to be cut from the same cloth as the two who left before this year started. What is wrong with MR’s recruiting staff, philosophy or his decision making process on which running back to recruit? Maybe he is trying to recruit a kid he can rehabilitate. Maybe somebody can tell him, please get a running back this year with some heart, some discipline, and in the super coach’s words, will “just do right.”
UGA
December 3rd, 2011
11:10 pm
“packed it in” please!!!!! tech gets up for the uga game every year no matter how bad their season has been. don’t make lame excuses for when your team loses.
old FSU playa
December 3rd, 2011
11:10 pm
Those of us in Tallahassee tried to warm you dawg fans years ago that Coach Richt would not make a good head coach. Coach Richt was never one for motivating the team when he was at FSU. That was done by Coach Amato, Coach Andrews, & Coach Bowen. Coach Richt never gave us a before game or half time speech. Thank goodness that when we needed a swift kick in the butt we had other coaches that could do that. Coach Richt would make a good Sunday school teacher or maybe even pastor, but a great head coach he will never be. He doesn’t have what it takes to look a kid in the eye & demand greatness. He didn’t have to do it at FSU & since he’ s been at GA he can’t do it. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. First & foremost he doesn’t have the guts to fire Bobo. I can guarantee you that if Bobo was let go tomorrow, no other school would hire him as there OC. I have a lot of respect for Coach Richt, he did a lot for me during my time at FSU, but he was & never will be a motivator of men.
LBorne
December 3rd, 2011
11:11 pm
I’m and LSU fan as my family is heavily involved in the sports program and I’d be written out of the will otherwise. But I love the SEC and always want to see it remain above the other conferences. The SEC West has had a bad year, but things will change as they always do. Because of the depth and talent, it seems LSU and Alabama are just so far out in front of the other teams this year. Next year can be entirely different. Anyway, I just wanted to say that if UGA played in any other conference than the SEC, they would be #1.
Get a clue
December 3rd, 2011
11:11 pm
Most sec fans HATE uga. It’s not a tech thing.
You annoy us with your inferiority
LSUTigerinATLANTA
December 3rd, 2011
11:11 pm
I predicted win by 30 last week, but no one believed me. If you watched LSU play all year you would know that this team is special and destined to win it all this year. Congrats on your season and cheer the SEC on to another BCS title.
Get a clue
December 3rd, 2011
11:12 pm
I am a Arkansas fan BTW