Georgia wins SEC East — and looks like threat to Alabama (UPDATED)
It was a night of celebrations for Todd Gurley, Aaron Murray and the Bulldogs. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
(UPDATED: 11 a.m. Sunday)
AUBURN, Ala. – This is the place where few expected Georgia would be after that ugly night in Columbia last month — not only winning games, but winning them impressively, humiliating an opponent on its home field. This is the place where many may have projected the Bulldogs to be before this season began, but certainly not since (because even Buffalo looked like a greater threat in the season opener than Auburn did Saturday night).
This is where Georgia is today: SEC East champions for the second straight season … and, yes, as improbable as it might once have seemed, a legitimate threat to beat Alabama in the Georgia Dome in three weeks.
Doubt it?
Why?
The Bulldogs thoroughly dominated Auburn 38-0. Georgia fans chanted, “SEC, SEC” in the second half. They were easy to hear because because by then most of the Auburrn fans had left.
Maybe body-slamming Auburn no longer is considered a monumental achievement for an Auburn opponent. The Tigers, two years removed from the BCS title, suddenly look two levels removed from Division 1. They’re having their worst season (2-8, 0-7) in 60 years.
But this isn’t a one night aberration. Georgia (9-1) has won four straight since the loss to South Carolina. It has won the last three by a combined score of 92-19.
A touted defense that looked out of sync for much of the season has allowed just one touchdown and four field goals in the last 12 quarters. Aaron Murray, who had three first-half touchdowns against Auburn, doesn’t look anything like the quarterback who had three first-half interceptions against Florida.
The Dogs run the ball. They stop the run. They’re not committing turnovers or dumb penalties.
While Georgia is ascending, Alabama is sputtering (relatively speaking). The Crimson Tide was fortunate to escape Baton Rouge last week with a win, and was upset Saturday by conference newbie Texas A&M — in Tuscaloosa.
“It’s been unbelievable,” said Murray, who celebrated his 22nd birthday. “Most teams might fold [after the loss to South Carolina] and think, ‘They’re going to win all of the rest of their games and our chances of making the SEC are slim.’ But we know anybody can win any week in SEC. South Carolina lost a couple, we beat Florida and now we’re heading back to Atlanta.”
Murray, who has been a different quarterback since Florida week. When he got to the team hotel, he found balloons and chocolate covered strawberries decorated like footballs, sent by his parents. He and teammates immediately scarfed them down.
His parents did not make the trip. His father, Denny, underwent surgery for thyroid cancer last month and recently underwent radiation.
“My dad had some radiation and he can’t be around people right now for three or four days, so he had to stay back,” Murray said. “Sad. First game he’s missed since I was like eight years old. He wanted to be here, I wanted him to be here, but it’s the best thing for him.”
There will be a bigger game upcoming for Murray’s parents to attend. Players and coaches generally limited their comments to the final two regular season games against Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech, not yet looking ahead to Alabama.
But safety Bacarri Rambo acknowledged, “I’m sure some people didn’t think we would [be in this position]. I’m sure a lot of people still doubt us. But we feel we can beat anybody.”
And even the coach Mark Richt said Georgia is no longer focused on winning just the conference title. A berth in the BCS bowl game is possible, although the Dogs would need to win out and get some help from the teams ahead of them in the rankings (losses by two of the following three: Kansas State, Oregon and Notre Dame).
“Atlanta is not the end of the road, we hope,” Richt said.
They did not respond well to an early hole in Columbia. But now for the first time, they are playing with a sense of momentum. They’re playing with an edge.
Assuming no hiccups against Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech, the Dogs nonetheless will be underdogs to Alabama in the Georgia Dome.
But this Tide team suddenly looks beatable. It was fortunate to beat LSU 21-17 win last week. On Saturday, Texas A&M made its first conference game trip into Tuscaloosa and won 29-24. Alabama allowed 418 yards in offense and forced three turnovers. (Auburn fans were grateful because when the Alabama score was flashed on the scoreboard it gave them something to cheer about it. That won’t cheer again until coach Gene Chizik’s firing.)
Two years ago at this time, Auburn was on the way to an undefeated season and Georgia was on the way to the Liberty Bowl (and lost).
Richt was at his absolute bottom in terms of how he was perceived by the fan base — at least until losing to Boise State and South Carolina last season.
When asked recently about handling the dramatic turn in fortunes, he said, “You just know it’s a part of the business. You’ve got to keep believing in what you do, keep grinding, keep evaluating what you do, because if you need to make a change, you make a change. Maybe you need to recruit differently or train differently in the offseason or try something different schematically. If you just totally abandon what you believe in and try to be something you’re not, you’re done.”
Georgia isn’t nearly done. A defense that underachieved so much of the season is now stuffing opponents.
Then there is Murray, he of the egged house following the loss to South Carolina and the three-interception first half against Florida. He completed his first 10 passes against Auburn. By halftime he had already thrown for 186 yards and three touchdowns. He completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Tavarres King, just after getting knocked to the ground by Auburn linebacker Cassanova McKinzy, which forced Murray to leave the game for a play. His threw a 56-yard strike to King, setting up Todd Gurley’s six-yard score.
This isn’t the same team we’ve watched for most of the season. It’s a team playing like a legitimate threat to Alabama and any other team in the BCS rankings.
And that’s something few could have seen coming.
By Jeff Schultz
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649 comments Add your comment
Rick James
November 11th, 2012
11:16 am
@Charles(Chuck) Barkley is Smart
Ya’ll called me a RACIST when I opposed GENE CHIZIK, am I smart now? Should’ve gave Cam a million to stay. Nick would be the other God in ALABAMA.
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You were not racist for opposing Chizik but not smart for recommending Turner Gill instead..
Discount DoubleDawg
November 11th, 2012
11:16 am
I’m sure if you think hard enough you can remember
Buckeye
November 11th, 2012
11:17 am
Auburn: 0-8 in the SEC! SEC!
How bout them dogs
Steve Superior
November 11th, 2012
11:17 am
Agreed, Tide Rising, and Bama is still a GREAT team because their play is so consistent. I say this as a life long Dawg fan. Can UGA play mistake-free and disciplined in the SECCG? They can, but who knows if they will. Can Bama be rattled into making critical mistakes? They can, but who knows if they will.
No one, that’s who.
Buckeye
November 11th, 2012
11:17 am
Love Johnny Football but it was a team effort that beat Bama
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:18 am
ND Irish,
That may be the general consensus in Athens, GA. but it sure as hell aint the general consensus in the rest of the sec. And yeah I’m sure folks outside of Athens remember last year’s SEC title game- as well as the last couple of bowl seasons.
Ole Big Dawg
November 11th, 2012
11:18 am
That Dawg’ll bite…Bite cha right in the butt….Beware..dont irritate it fellas..
I'm a Georgia fan. It's a license to be stupid.
November 11th, 2012
11:19 am
Yall remember how badly we beat UAB in 2006? What about Central Michigan in 2008? Yeah, we bad! I’d be surprized if Tennessee Tech ever schedules us again after that 38-0 whipping we put on them in 2009. GO DAWGS! WE ARE THE BEST!
Buckeye
November 11th, 2012
11:19 am
Thomas Brown,
I’ll take Bama and give the points. Name the $$.
kingdaddy
November 11th, 2012
11:22 am
LOL, a Tide fan spinning tales with the help of nerds…Bama played no team that mattered until LSU who almost beat them. Still they ran thàt yapper, even though it was a close, well played game by the Tigers. Then a hungry, humble team from Texas, comes into Bama’s house and beats the brakes of of them. Carved them up like a Thanksgiven Day Turkey and spit them out like soured milktoast, lol. Bama finally plays a couple of good teams and gets thumped, yet their fans still run that yapper, LMAOFF. You idiots still think you’re #1, lol. Welcome back to planet earth…;)
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:23 am
“Can Bama be rattled into making critical mistakes? They can, but who knows if they will.”
I know we made one critical mistake yesterday. We got away from a running game that was reliable at getting 5-6 yards a play grinding it right up the middle. When we had a first and goal at the 6 all we had to do was run the ball 3-4 straight plays right at the Tam defense. No way in hell they woulda kept us out of the end zone on 3-4 straight running plays. Why we decided to try and get cute and pass the ball is a mystery. Its not our identity. But that first year O-coordinator I’m certain will be hearing about it from Saban today.
I'm a Georgia fan. It's a license to be stupid.
November 11th, 2012
11:24 am
Dawgs should easily be a 2 touchdown favorite vs. Alabama. WE ARE GEORGIA!!! Ask anyone who watched us dismantle Idaho State in 2010. They’ll tell you who we are. GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!
Rick James
November 11th, 2012
11:25 am
@GTBob
Jeff thinks UGA is a serious contender to beat Alabama because they looked good against a 2-8 team. If I have a heart attack it will be because I can’t stop laughing
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No thats not it Bob..It because Georgia it better than you want to give them credit for and Alabama is not as unbeatable as you would like them to be..The Aubun game has nothing to do with it..It’s based on the LSU,Texas A&M games Alabama played.You’re smart enough to know that but again your dislike (envy) for Georgia clouds your common sense and comprehension skills.
shep
November 11th, 2012
11:25 am
Easy now. Don’t git in a big huff. Auburn is the worst football team I have seen in a long, long time. Alabama will crush us. Texas A&M has the best freshman ever and played their best game so far. Alabama made a slew of mistakes. They sd have won. But, I liked it because Saban needs to be taken down a couple of notches before he thinks he is God. Oh. He already does?
Red Stick
November 11th, 2012
11:26 am
LSU probably would have got beat by A&M also if they had played them yesterday. A&M’s style of offense and Johnny Football is tough to handle when you just had a huge physical and emotional game the week before.
I’m not making any excuses for Alabama; just my opinion.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
I'm a Georgia fan. It's a license to be stupid.
November 11th, 2012
11:29 am
You told him Rick James!! Guess he don’t remember our beat-down of New Mexico State last year. And what about the way we manhandled Houston in Coach Richt’s first season? Some people never learn! GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:29 am
kingdaddy,
Our schedule is ranked 14th in the nation while yours is ranked 40th so far. While you were playing Buffalo we were playing a team called Michigan. Maybe you’ve heard of them?
As for getting carved up I’m not sure if you just didn’t watch the game or if you’re just stupid. We were 2 yards from winning the game. Lemme help you out there son. 5 pts is a loss. Losing 35-7 is an asskicking. We may lose here and there. Everyone does. But we don’t get our asses kicked by 3 or 4 touchdowns. In the last 6 years we’ve lost a total of 3 games by double digits. One by 11 in the seccg against Florida in a game that we led going into the 4th qtr. And 2 games by 14. How many times has UGA been “carved up” or blown out by 20 pts or more in the past 6 years?
kingdaddy
November 11th, 2012
11:29 am
Auburn would beat Ohio St. or GT…
Steve Superior
November 11th, 2012
11:29 am
Will somebody come and pick up my visor for me? I want to throw it again but I’m too old to bend down and pick it up. If anybody needs me I’ll be in my trophy room and trying to remember when I coached at UF and didn’t have a team that bitterly disappoints me year after year.
(I used to like Coach Spurrier. His digs at UGA were priceless and I think he is one of the all-time great college coaches. But after reading his comments concerning Clemson and Coach Dabo, after they send condolences for Marcus Lattimore’s injury, I now see spurrier as the old, classless ba$tard that he has turned into)
Big Boy
November 11th, 2012
11:31 am
kerryb , Bama will kill the dogs in the dome say 35-13 ! I have 50 bucks to back it up ! Do you have that sort of cash laying around in your trailer ??? Come on punk ……………
Scooby
November 11th, 2012
11:32 am
Patched:
“Guess what; next dont bother coming on this blog talking about who SC plays; SC doesnt play LSU or Bama next year
UGA plays LSU next year”
I hope you beat them and they’re as tough as they were this year when you play em. I always pull for the east against the top teams in the west. We’ve had Bama, LSU and our annual game against Ark over the years. Finally beat Ark, still have a problem with LSU and beat Bama year before last. So, I can honestly say that we have had a pretty tough schedule in the SEC.
Granted, we’ve lost to some bad teams but we always have some of the top teams on the schedule. Its all good.
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:32 am
Red Stick,
Great to see you again. I kinda had a bad feeling about the Tam game from early in the season and I told my friends that it was a trap game cause it would be our 5th straight sec game but more because it would be coming a week after the LSU game which of course is a big, emotional game for both Bama and LSU. Still no excuse for losing to Tam. I think they just outplayed us for the most part. I just think it showed in the 1st qtr how flat we were when we went down 20-0. The whole team just looked out of syn on both sides of the ball.
I'm a Georgia fan. It's a license to be stupid.
November 11th, 2012
11:34 am
Hey Tide Rising, are you forgetting that 38-7 crushing we put on Utah State in 1999? How about 56-0 spanking of Cal State Fullerton in 1992? We have a history of greatness and will not be denied! GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rick James
November 11th, 2012
11:35 am
@GTBob
Am I the only one who finds it odd that Texas A&M was a mid level Big 12 team and now they are one of the top 2-3 teams in the SEC? You would have thought with the incredible talent in the SEC that they would have gotten worse, not better.
——————————————————————————————————————————
It’s called coaching Bob..Kevin Sumlin is one of the best and was at Houston last year.Remember? Texas A&M decided to make a coaching change when they joined the SEC because they wanted to win.Everbody does not have the luxury of hiding behind academics and standing pat like Georgia Tech.
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:35 am
“Finally beat Ark, still have a problem with LSU and beat Bama year before last”
Scooby,
Yes. I remember that game 2 years ago very well. That loss to S. Carolina was in my opinion the worst beating we’ve had in the 6 year Saban era 35-21. We just got jumped on from the git go. Kinda like yesterday.
kingdaddy
November 11th, 2012
11:37 am
Rising
Michigan has beaten nobody. I gave you credit for barely beating LSU, who BTW, should have and could have won that game. The only other good team you played beat you guys like a sledghammer hitting a tentpeg, lol. How about another big helping of “crow”, LMAOFF…
BullDawg Rick
November 11th, 2012
11:38 am
Went to the game on the Plains yesterday… Whatta grand time.. It was almost like a home fame in the Classic City… THe only celebration for the kittens was the kitty walk & the Bama score.. After those two things it was LIGHTS OUT…
Need to have a few things fall our way, but this is college football & crazier things have happened…
Keep focused week to week & see how the chips fall!!
Goooo Dawgs!!!!
PS – Shout out to KAT, Stan & Cindy!!!
kingdaddy
November 11th, 2012
11:39 am
Bama ducked the top 3 SECe teams for good reason, lol. They are now stinking up the west…
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:42 am
kingdaddy,
And who in the hell has UGA beaten? Talk about an easy ass schedule. Jeez. You got BLOWN OUT by S. Carolina and you beat Florida because they turned the ball over 6 times. You barely beat the worse Tenn. team in 50 years. You’ve played 2 good teams and the end result was a blow out and a win because the other team gifted you 6 times.
And as far as talking smack about the big 10 and Michigan you sure got a short memory son. Aren’t you the guys who lost to a middling big 10 Mich state team in a bowl last year??? The same Mich state guys that we destroyed 49-7 in the same bowl a year before?
kingdaddy
November 11th, 2012
11:45 am
Yahoooooo, Bama beat Michigan…but they folded like a card-table last night…AT HOME, NO LESS, LMBO…
Steve
November 11th, 2012
11:45 am
Tide Rising, sorry you know nothing about college football. You see, UGA has no control over their SEC schedule. Florida “gifted” UGA with six turnovers? How about UGA CAUSED those turnovers. What a moron. Nice loss yesterday : )
Cdpridg
November 11th, 2012
11:45 am
I see alot of crying…sniffling and bawling from all the wannabee fanbases..lol! Meanwhile..Dawg fans keep on smiling. It is truely great being a Georgia Bulldawg..I mean we OWN all of our rivals…AU..GT..UT and have turned UF….series..hmmm How Bout Them Dawgs!!
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:47 am
“Bama ducked the top 3 SECe teams for good reason, lol. They are now stinking up the west…”
kingdaddy,
One 5 pt loss constitutes “stinking up the west”. You aint too bright are ya son? As for ducking anyone we’ve played Florida the last 2 years and beaten them 24-3 and 38-7 I think it was. I see no reason to dodge them. And dodging the dawgs??? Puh-leeze. I don’t think anyone fears the dawgs. Not even Buffalo. When you can win a couple of bcs titles or maybe even just one then let me know and maybe then someone will actually “fear” you.
kingdaddy
November 11th, 2012
11:48 am
They did finish in the top 10…where was A&M ranked again??? And you were at home, right??? LLO…:)
Ole Big Dawg
November 11th, 2012
11:48 am
How many have the DAWGS won now…8 or 9 now…see the Dawgs rolling to a 12 to 13 win season. Dawgs have nothing but upside…sky is the limit for the Dawgs this year and they seem very hubgry..Our Time Our Team..No regrets!
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:50 am
Steve,
I hear ya bro. Lemme make sure I understand this. When UGA loses because of turnovers the other team got lucky. When UGA wins because the other team had a lot of turnovers its because the UGA defense was so awesome.
Steve
November 11th, 2012
11:50 am
Hope to see Tide Rising on here after UGA beats them. I love how you don’t go by the facts. UGA is a GOOD team.
kingdaddy
November 11th, 2012
11:51 am
I ain’t your son boy, but I might be your DADDY…
Cdpridg
November 11th, 2012
11:51 am
TR…I could careless who fears the Dawgs…all I know is when said and done..Dawgs go home with a big fat W…while the opponent goes home with their tails between their legs…..kinda like your team did last night. Talk about overrated..Bama most overrated team in the nation.
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:51 am
kingdaddy,
I’ll Michigan and Dennard Robinson as a worthy opponent over Buffalo any day. It would be hilarious if some Michigan fans could see this smack talk coming from a dawg fan. They would look down on you and ask “Who dis chicken shyte fan base?”. “Who dey?”
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:53 am
Cdprig,
We lost a close game by 5 pts to probably the hottest team in college football. At least we didn’t get our asses kicked by 4tds. Like you guys did against Carolina.
Steve
November 11th, 2012
11:55 am
So Tide Rising is making fun of UGA playing Buffalo huh? Western Kentucky, FAU, Western Carolina. All teams on Alabama’s schedule this year. Moron.
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:56 am
Steve,
UGA is a good team. They are not a great team. And they are a good team primarily because they’ve played such a soft schedule. You’ve avoided the top 3 teams in the west yet again. But that’ll come to an end when a pissed off Bama team shows up in the Dome. Aaron Murray aint no Johnny Manziel sir.
kingdaddy
November 11th, 2012
11:57 am
If you don’t like it, don’t come in here running your piehole after UGA destroyed Auburn and Bama lost at home to the #18 team in the country. You made A&M look mighty good last night, but you screwed up the rest of the SEC loser. Everybody is laughing at you moron. That is what you get for being so arrogant…
Cdpridg
November 11th, 2012
11:58 am
TR..you lost to a newbie..lol! An embarassment to the SEC….there were few bammer fans out early last night but were all headed back to the trailer park 3rd qtr. LSU had your tails between your legs…
Theavgjoe
November 11th, 2012
11:58 am
You Alabama fans thought you we unbeatable. Your should have lost to LSU last week but your bubble was busted yesterday by a multi loss AM team. Even your cry baby QB could not pull it out for you. Perhaps it was because the tears in his eyes caused him to not see the AM player he threw the pass to. You even lost on your home field like you did last year to LSU. You better be careful or your arrogance may cause you to lose even more games this year like you were blown out a couple of year ago by Utah.
Discount DoubleDawg
November 11th, 2012
11:58 am
Look, there is no question that Bama is a great team with a great tradition. Everyone already knows that… The deal is that the loss yesterday makes this season seem like you are underachieving while UGA’s team now seems to be overachieving. As far as the SEC championship game bama will be favored and should win just like yesterdays game with A&M.
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
11:59 am
Steve,
Sez the poster whose team plays FAU team, Buffalo, and double A Georgia Southern. Idiot.
rampdawg
November 11th, 2012
11:59 am
GTBob
November 11th, 2012
11:11 am
bob- glad to see you are done licking your wounds from last week…
Licking my wounds from what?
———————————————————————————————————————————
From that splinter you got in your cooter sliding down the bannister.
Tide Rising
November 11th, 2012
12:01 pm
Discountdoubledawg,
Well if underachieving is one loss by 5 pts when you are 2 yards away from winning the game then so be it. I’ll take that over getting my ass kicked all over the place to the tune of a 28 pt loss.