Upsets launch Georgia into BCS title picture (UPDATED)
It took a little while but Aaron Murray and Georgia eventually took charge. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
(LAST UPDATED: 12:18 a.m.)
ATHENS – For as much as Mark Richt prefers his Georgia players focus on opponents (Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech) and not acronyms (SEC, BCS) in these final two weeks of the regular season, it was difficult not to notice what was scrolling on the Sanford Stadium video board before Saturday’s game.
First came the screen shot with large bold letters screaming: “BCS STANDINGS.” Then came the screen shot listing the nation’s top ranked teams, from No. 1 Kansas State to No. 5 Georgia.
The topic is impossible to ignore. It’s why, even in games with seemingly foregone conclusions like Saturday’s against Georgia Southern, some will look at the way things started for the Bulldogs on this day and think, “Uh-oh.”
But don’t overthink this.
Did Georgia come out a little flat, a bit sloppy and probably unfocused against an FCS opponent? Clearly. When a team is one of the nation’s top ranked clubs and just before halftime it is clinging to a 10-7 lead over an inferior opponent — which resides in a full neighborhood to the south of college football’s power structure — it’s a problem.
But after what the Bulldogs have overcome in the past few weeks, a letdown should not have come as a surprise. Most importantly, they recovered. Aaron Murray’s touchdown pass to Malcolm Mitchell with four seconds left in the first half keyed a 31-0 string and Georgia went on to bury Georgia Southern, 45-14.
And who could’ve expected this scenario? Hours after the Bulldogs’ win, the BCS’s No. 1 ranked team, Kansas State, was hammered by Baylor 52-24, and No. 2 Oregon lost at home in overtime to Stanford 17-14. This means No. 3 Notre Dame is certain to take over the No. 1 spot when the new BCS rankings come out Sunday night and, more importantly, the door to a potential seventh straight national title has swung back open for the SEC.
Simplifying this from Georgia’s viewpoint: If the Dogs win their next two games over Georgia Tech next week and Alabama in the SEC championship game, they likely will wind up in their first BCS championship game. Entering the week, Alabama ranked fourth in the BCS and Georgia was fifth.
ESPN’s Brad Edwards projects that the top five in the new BCS rankings will be: 1) Notre Dame; 2.) Alabama; 3.) Georgia, 4.) Florida, 5.) Oregon
After Stanford’s win in overtime, several Georgia players celebrated on Twitter, with Murray sending out the message: “Yesssssssssssss!!!!!! The Murray household just went crazyyyyy!!!!!!”
Christian Robinson and the defense got better as game went on against Georgia Southern's option offense. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
Richt has tried his best to steer the talk away from the BCS. Most of the first half of the Georgia Southern game showed us why. As Richt said of the first half, “We were fortunate to come out of there even with the lead.”
No kidding. With Georgia leading 10-7, a personal foul/chop block penalty by an Eagles’ lineman negated a first-and-goal situation from the Dogs’ five-yard-line. That set up a 39-yard field goal attempt that Georgia Southern missed. It set the backdrop for a touchdown drive going in the
BCS standings are shown on Sanford Stadium scoreboard before game.
other direction. Instead of facing a potent halftime deficit of 14-10, Georgia led 17-7.
“I feel like that swung the mood in the stadium and on the sideline,” wide receiver Tavarres King said.
From that point on, it was Aaron Murray-to-anybody. He threw touchdown passes on four straight possessions.
Should Georgia have let an FCS opponent hang around that long? No.
But in the end, poll voters and BCS computers will see the lopsided final score. This certainly isn’t the first time the Dogs have played to the level of their competition. But the objectives Saturday were to win and use the Eagles’ option offense as a scout team for next week’s game against Georgia Tech. In that sense, mission accomplished.
“I don’t know how the BCS does things,” nose guard John Jenkins said. “But if that (45-14) looks good on style points, hey, we’re styling.”
There was no stylin’ early. After an opening touchdown drive, Georgia scored three points on the next possessions (fumbling once) against a Georgia Southern defense that had given up 88 points to your basic non-BCS outfits: UT-Chattanooga, Appalachian State and Howard.
Pick your cliche:
“We were shooting ourselves in the foot,” Murray said.
“Self-inflicted wounds,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said.
Georgia defensive linemen were getting upset by what they perceived as Georgia Southern’s intentional chop blocking. They were penalized only once, knocking down Georgia’s Kwame Geathers, but Jenkins said, “I felt like I was sliced and diced that game.”
But both the defense endured and Murray began shredding the Eagles’ secondary.
Actually, Murray has torn everybody apart lately. Since the fourth quarter of the Florida game, he has completed 62 of 88 for 1,005 yards, 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions. “Is he eating Wheaties or something?” King said.
The Dogs continued attacking to the final minutes, even after putting in the second-string defense. The last touchdown pass came by Parker Welch with 3:13 left. The thought occurred that they were trying to impress voters and computers. But Richt and Bobo both denied that.
“We had three runs called but they kept bringing both safeties on blitzes,” Bobo said. “On third down I was like, ‘OK, we’ve got to throw it. We have to protect our backs, too.’”
Richt never has been a pour-it-on coach. If anything, he has been accused of being just the opposite. So nobody is going to complain. And by next week people will only remember the score.
By Jeff Schultz
Recent ramblings from the digital jukebox
• Short takes: Murray wakes up the offense
• Live: Georgia hopes for easy day against Georgia Southern
• Weekend Predictions: Dogs, Jackets, Falcons and the lust triangles
• Falcons’ flaws aren’t worse than any other NFL team
• College hoop kings provide rare thrills for Atlanta
• Falcons’ startling admission: Ray Edwards was a blunder
• Will SEC get team to BCS championship (answer below) (with video)
• Short takes: Murray, Georgia defense and angry Auburn fans
• Georgia wins SEC East, and looks like threat to Alabama
• Richt is coaching through pain (because he fell off a swing … honest)
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495 comments Add your comment
Suckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:02 am
Can’t wait to see those criminal thugs at THE ohio state penitentiary with their chicken, run away from the SEC head coach get pounded by the maize & blue.
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 18th, 2012
9:04 am
Let’s see, who would you bet your house on in a SECCG?
Alabama? 11-1 this year, 22-2 in the past 2 years, 57-6 in the past four seasons and 2 BCS National Championships (one last year mind you) and a Heisman trophy winner.
How about who is at the helm? AJ McCarron, 22-2, 21 TDs and 2 INTs, He has won 1 BCS. Against the sometimes #1 sometimes #2 team in the land, LSU, he is 3-0 in three years.
And you have? Aaron Murray? 3rd year, 6-7 in his first with a loss to UCF in a bowl game and 0 wins against a ranked team, 10-4 the next year with all 4 of those losses coming to teams that were ranked at the end the season and 2 were blowouts and 10-1 this year with the biggest win in the programs history coming against a UF that turned it over 6 times and still was going for the tie.
In the 2 games against ranked opponents this year UGA was… 0 TDs and 4 INTs.
WOW. How about that UGA defense? 1 game against Florida they looked good. UF? A team that in four tries hasn’t scored 4 TDs in a game and that’s against UGA, Missouri, LA-Lafayette and Jacksonville St?
Could be the biggest win for UGA in a decade or so came against a team that is so overranked that I’d put money on FSU winning by at least 2 TDs this weekend.
But back to the defense, how many points did Tennessee out of all teams score? How many points did SC score against?
You’ve clearly got some desperation this year with UGA. This is there one chance to try and win it all because your schedule is so weak, next year you actually play some decent teams. But you’ve amassed 10 win seasons for two years now that UF and UT suck and South Carolina who is clearly better and has owned you for years now plays harder schedules and falls. Even then you didn’t win the SEC or any bowl game.
Hate to tell you, Alabama 42-UGA 7. I’d say 10 but your kicking game is horrible, so we’ll go with 7.
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
9:08 am
Buckeye
You’re a nerd everyday, you don’t need permission. ND loses next next and the top 3 of the BCS is guess what? SEC! SEC!
Suckit
El-Toro GATA
November 18th, 2012
9:09 am
Glory! Glory! Glory! to ole Georgia!! I can see the head lines all over the place GEORGIA VS NOTRE DAME for the BCS National Championship!
Yes BAMA we know you are there! but we are way more hungrier than you are! and WE WILL BEAT YOU!
Wutehvah
November 18th, 2012
9:09 am
Dawgs so close yet… Bama gonna roll!! Just wait till next year, like you always do.
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 18th, 2012
9:15 am
Just keep in mind, in the SEC West in the past 10 years we’ve won 5 BCS National Championships with three different teams.
The SEC East has produced 2 and all by the same team.
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:15 am
ardog,
Stand on you own four legs.
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:16 am
ardog,
Re-read A RTR’s post regarding you sorry record.
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:17 am
Question:
Who has the most delusional fan base according to Mandel?
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:18 am
Answer?
dogs
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 18th, 2012
9:20 am
@wutevhvah, HA HA!
Tis true, something about 2008 so close or something but nobody cares. LSU or was it Florida won it all? Going to be the same with this year, so close but Bama won it all.
BTW, in Alabama… they don’t really ever talk about UGA, you know why? Inconsequential. Door mat from the door mat side of the SEC (minus South Carolina).
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
9:21 am
Buckeye
If your school ever does start playing by the rules again and you actually get a winning program playing by the rules and by some act of God you wind up in a Championship game just pray it isn’t against any school in the SEC. You never have beat us and you never will.
Who gives a fat rats a$$ what Mandel thinks?
air of mendacity
November 18th, 2012
9:23 am
buckeye – what bowl are you guys going to? Oops – I forgot – cheaters are ineligible. I wish dawgs could get hold of the cheaters. We would beat them like circus monkeys.
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
9:23 am
Buckeye
Those Tech trolls are just slightly below you on the cred scale. Why would I read that vitriol?
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:23 am
ardog,
Mandel has more readers than you.
Never is a long time just like 1980 was a long time ago
A RTR Hit-N-Run from ATL
November 18th, 2012
9:23 am
Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that GT will end UGA’s run anyways?
That’d be one for the ages and I’d have to sit here and watch the posts come in.
You realize, the Iron Bowl for 4 straight years will be launching the national champion? Impressive. What’s the… what do you call the GT/UGA game? Does it have a name?
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:24 am
Final records:
Buckeyes 12-0
dogs 10-4
439the
November 18th, 2012
9:24 am
It’s funny how they actually play the SEC championship game every year…it would be so much easier to look at history and statistics and just declare a winner. I mean, come on…how often do upsets happen in football?
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:24 am
ardog,
Are you a closet Petrino fan?
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
9:26 am
Buckeye
You never have and you never will. Hurts don’t it?
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
9:27 am
Buckeye
Sorry about your bad luck
439the
November 18th, 2012
9:27 am
Interesting QB stats…
http://espn.go.com/college-football/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/sort/collegeQuarterbackRating
Guess which QB is the highest rated QB in college football?
ShowMeYurTD's
November 18th, 2012
9:27 am
GO DAWG’s…..GT game, great rivalry, GA-38 GT-17….On to BAMA…we have a great chance to win the SEC this yr. Thank you Texas AM for exposing the cracks in BAMA’s armor. CMR watch the tapes and be prepared. Murray focus, focus focus. This may be our yr.
Dewnsav
November 18th, 2012
9:31 am
Question:Which fan from another team is the most obsessed, (and jealous of) with UGA football ??
Dewnsav
November 18th, 2012
9:32 am
Answer: Buckeye
Dewnsav
November 18th, 2012
9:32 am
Answer: Buckeye
439the
November 18th, 2012
9:33 am
Funny, I must have missed something…when did Alabama win the west? Come back and talk trash when you actually earn the privilege to play in the SEC championship game.
SawThat1nce
November 18th, 2012
9:33 am
What happened the last time that the Buckeyes played in the National championship?
439the
November 18th, 2012
9:38 am
I love the fact that the haters are going to have to hear UGA talk tech, SEC, and NC for the next few weeks. It’s already getting to them.
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
9:38 am
SawThat
Allow me to answer that, they got one pushed in, shoved up and broke off. And ironically enough, by a team from the SEC East.
Buckeye, never have and never will. Never is a very long time
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
9:40 am
SEC is on pace to make it 7 years straight. The only question is, which SEC team will it be. Florida is not out of it either. Bama played in it last year with the same credentials
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 18th, 2012
9:43 am
Buckeye
Your championship game against Miami was given to you thanks to the refs giving you that fantom pass interference call
Im sure someone in the Ohio St program paid them off for favorable calls; thats what your program does
what happens when Ohio St plays real competition; they get blown away by SEC level competition
Hey did you forget Buckeye; You lost to Ray Goff
ShowMeYurTD's
November 18th, 2012
9:46 am
SEC championship IS the National Championship!!! Go Dawgs
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:48 am
patched,
We’ve won more than one. You know what one means? 1980.
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:49 am
I’m like a flee. I get under dog’s skin.
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:50 am
patched,
Now the Ray Goff reference hurts. Touche!
Mark Richt
November 18th, 2012
9:50 am
Were going to get our asses kicked by bama , I quit
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:53 am
Question, why don’t I have a life?
Mobile Dawg
November 18th, 2012
9:53 am
I wish the Dawg fans would shut up and show a little class, still got two games left to play. I’m still in fear of the Mark Richt effect, you remember the one where we just completely fail to show up at least two games a year. Until Richt exorcises that demon he has not righted the ship.
chase
November 18th, 2012
9:54 am
Funny how naysayers complain about Georgia’s “soft schedule” because they didn’t play Bama or LSU out of the west BUT nobody complains about BAMA’s soft schedule for not having to play UGA, FLORIDA, or SCAR out of the East!
oh and if Georgia wins out, that means they will have beaten the at the time #2 ranked Gators and #2 ranked Tide
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:54 am
Question, why are we on probation?
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
9:55 am
Question why are we the most corrupt program in the NCAA?
chase
November 18th, 2012
9:56 am
ARdawg
Florida is “out of it” because they have looked so bad to the human voters lately AND I doubt they will allow a team that didn’t play for the conference title in for 2 years in a row….and how could they possibly jump either BAMA or UGA if either win out?
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 18th, 2012
9:57 am
who has Ohio St played???????????
Mark May just laughed at the Big 10 again saying himself who is even good in that conference
chase
November 18th, 2012
9:57 am
Mobile Dawg
your statement is moronic
Hairy Dawg
November 18th, 2012
9:58 am
How about a little Heisman love for Murray?? I haven’t heard a peep from anyone touting him…
Number 1 rated QB in the land… Led UGA to SEC East title… 10-1 record… About to be #3 BCS team…
If he leads them to a win over Bama, and to the NC game, he’s got to be at the top of the race!
Scott
November 18th, 2012
9:59 am
teams that lose by 28, and have 1 win over a ranked opponent all season don’t deserve to be in BCS championship conversation. Seriously – 1 win against a ranked team, and then the rest of the schedule is garbage…Tennessee? Vandy? Kentucky? Mizzou? Auburn? Mississippi? Where are the quality wins?!?
chase
November 18th, 2012
9:59 am
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
If you are the original “FLAT TIRE”
how about apologizing for all the grief you were giving me this season when I said the Dawgs would win out and have a chance at the NC and all you wanted to do was tell me I was crazy and a “dreaming disney dawg apologist”
you should’ve had faith man
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
10:00 am
Question, why did our HC run from the SEC?
Hairy Dawg
November 18th, 2012
10:01 am
Scott – Too bad the AP writers, the coaches in the coaches poll, and the computers all disagree with you… They must ALLLL be wrong….