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
chase
November 18th, 2012
10:02 am
Scott
“teams that lose by 28, and have 1 win over a ranked opponent all season don’t deserve to be in BCS championship conversation.”
REALLY?………cause in 2003 Oklahoma lost the Big 12 Championship game to unranked KST by a score of 35-7 and guess what the next thing they did was….oh yeah, play for the NC
and if UGA beats BAMA, they will have beaten the #2 ranked team TWICE….nobody else can claim such a resume
Scott
November 18th, 2012
10:02 am
How do they disagree? they rank nobody on UGA’s schedule besides UF and SC (who dominated…35-7 isnt even indicative of how big of a beatdown that way). HairyDawg – please help me find another good win on that schedule besides UF?
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 18th, 2012
10:02 am
Mobile Dawg
I agree to the point that I just dont believe Richt and this coaching staff will win a national title cause he cant get a team prepared to win the big games
As a matter of fact Richt wont surprise me if he gets the team ready to play Bama and beat them; the problem is he cant do it 2 times in a row
2005 rings a bell when we upset LSU then turned around and got embarrassed by WVU
I saw EM all last night
November 18th, 2012
10:03 am
KSU vs Baylor was a joke. Bay,r gives up 500 yards per gem to anybody. Last night BAYLOR abused KS. THE KS QB is NOT Heisman material. He will need three years MIN in the NFL to be a starter. Case closed.
Stanford had a very decent chance to whip Oregon and they did. Case closed.
THE REAL USC lost to cross town rival UCLA BUT they will whip ND.
Alabama and UGA both have equal oops to win the MNC and the SEC is looking again like the best of the best.
UGA needs to destroy GT by the 3rd and then sit the starters.
Go Dogs.
Scott
November 18th, 2012
10:04 am
Chase – I think it was pretty clear at the time that OU was not deserving. USC was far and away the best team in the country in 2003. OU lost in the BCS game anyways, further proving the point that teams that get blown out by 28 don’t deserve a slot in the BCS game
drew
November 18th, 2012
10:04 am
I’m a Tech fan, but I always pull for UGA unless they’re playing Tech. And all this talk about beating Alabama is playing right into Tech’s hands. UGA is without a doubt the better team, but it’s ONE game…chit happens…turnovers…missed assignments…sometimes the lesser team wins. And you can bet your butt Tech will be up for this one. What I’m saying is, UGA better not look past Tech.
But there’s one reason I cannot pull for UGA to win a NC: It’s fans. I’m old enough to remember 1980, and all the chest thumping and bravado from UGA fans that continues TO THIS DAY. Just reading the comments above reminds me of how deluded the UGA fan base is…hell, since they won in 1980 they think they’re gonna win it all EVERY YEAR (at least, until the lose a couple and start calling for Mark Richt’s head!).
As a Georgian, I’d love for the Dawgs to win a NC. But as a Tech fan, I don’t know if I can endure another 40 years of the arrogant, drunken, delusional woofing from their fans. Luckily, if Tech doesn’t bring them back to earth, ‘bama will.
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
10:04 am
Chase
Sorry guy, FL is still mathematically in it. On the slim chance either or both UGA and Bama lose this week and the winner loses in the SECCG, FL beats FSU, FL is back at #2.
BigJim
November 18th, 2012
10:04 am
Mark Richt: 3-15 against ranked opponents, since 2009.
ShowMeYurTD's
November 18th, 2012
10:06 am
2012 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT RESULT/TIME RECORD/TICKETS
Sat, Sept 1
vs
Miami (OH)
W56-10
1-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 8
vs
UCF
W31-16
2-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 15
vs
California
W35-28
3-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 22
vs
UAB
W29-15
4-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 29
@
#20 Michigan St
W17-16
5-0 (1-0)
Sat, Oct 6
vs
#21 Nebraska
W63-38
6-0 (2-0)
Sat, Oct 13
@
Indiana
W52-49
7-0 (3-0)
Sat, Oct 20
vs
Purdue
W29-22 OT
8-0 (4-0)
Sat, Oct 27
@
Penn St
W35-23
9-0 (5-0)
Sat, Nov 3
vs
Illinois
W52-22
10-0 (6-0)
Sat, Nov 17
@
Wisconsin
W21-14 OT
11-0 (7-0)
Sat, Nov 24
vs
#21 Michigan
12:00 PM ET Tickets
Hairy Dawg
November 18th, 2012
10:06 am
Scott – here’s your statement I referred to:
“teams that lose by 28, and have 1 win over a ranked opponent all season don’t deserve to be in BCS championship conversation.”
I guess they disagree in the fact that they have made UGA part of the BCS championship conversation by virtue of voting them to their ranking… And, that’s all that matters to make it to the title game, right???
BigJim
November 18th, 2012
10:06 am
Great wins like yesterday’s vs DIV II GA Southern get you noticed…by the Capital One Bowl!
ShowMeYurTD's
November 18th, 2012
10:07 am
Ohio state who?????? Urban who??????
Scott
November 18th, 2012
10:07 am
HairyDawg – Still waiting on those quality wins. UGA has played only THREE teams that are .500. THREE out of 11 games vs. teams that will be bowl eligible. How can you have 8 teams on your schedule out of 11 that will not be in bowl games, lose to one of the only ones who will be in a bowl, and claim you somehow deserve a top 2 ranking?
BigJim
November 18th, 2012
10:07 am
Hopefully that Capital One Bowl committee will get Georgia an opponent weaker than Central Florida…who beat Georgia last year.
Hairy Dawg
November 18th, 2012
10:08 am
Scott – simple fact of the matter for ANY team is beating the teams that are on your schedule… And, if the polls have you ranked right, and you take care of winning, and the teams ahead of you lose at the right times, just about any major conference team could have a shot…
BigJim
November 18th, 2012
10:08 am
The new name for the Capital One Bowl: the Mark Richt Bowl.
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
10:09 am
chase,
Should ND get beaten this week and FL beats FSU, FL could easily slide in as #2 after the SECCG. FL’s schedule can not be denied. They are still in it.
Mobile Dawg
November 18th, 2012
10:10 am
chase, I hope you’re right, “disney dawg”. So you’re saying that Richt coached teams have consistently shown up for big games the last five or six years, got it. Listen sport, I hope the Dawgs win out and I get to enjoy another national title. But I’m not going to come on here and spout off about how great we are. Just going to enjoy one victory at a time.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 18th, 2012
10:11 am
chase
Have we beat Bama yet??
No
I argued with you and the others on here that if we won out we wouldnt go to the national title because they would put an undefeated ND or Kstate or Oregon in the game ahead of us because of them being undefeated
And I was right
Did you not watch tv all week; Since the bama loss they all said the SEC was not going to play the national title if 2 of the 3 unbeatens win out
Scott
November 18th, 2012
10:11 am
HairyDawg – So you’re going back 10 seasons to find a team that was blown out in it’s last game of the year, and then proceeded to lose the BCS title game to try to prove why UGA should be in the conversation? Talk about grasping at straws.
BTW – that 2003 OU team played 9 teams that would end up in the post season. That seems a bit more deserving than the 3 UGA has played, no?
Hairy Dawg
November 18th, 2012
10:11 am
Hoping our Dawgs make it to the NC, but what a great finish to the college football season overall!
We know as long as UGA and Bama both finish with wins next week, the winner of the SEC championship game goes on to the NC…
But, if Notre Dame loses, it will be crazy to see who then matches up in the title game…
Here’s a thought: If Florida State takes down the Gators, and then wins the ACC championship game, does an 11-1 FSU jump the 9-2 teams ahead of them to the title game??
Or, if UF beats FSU, and ND loses, does UGA then get a rematch with UF in the title game?? LOL
Even Oregon probably has a shot to make it back in because they won’t fall too far down the line…
Infinite possibilities still out there…
Scott
November 18th, 2012
10:16 am
HairyDawg – Again, when you’re going to end up with a lot of 1-loss teams as it appears we are this year, you have to differentiate them somehow. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to look at
1) What is the schedule you played?
2) How did you perform against that schedule?
I think UGA looks fairly good on point 2, minus that night in Columbia, but on point 1, I don’t think they measure up.
I know there’s a lot of SEC myopic viewpoints here, but you can’t tell me UGA playing 3 bowl teams (SC, FLA, Vandy) measures up to what Kansas St (8 bowl teams, 4 top 25 teams) or Oregon (7 bowl teams, 4 top 25 teams)have played.
UGA’s 2nd best win after Florida, is what? Vandy? Compare to the 2nd best wins of KSU (@WVU, TexasTech, Oklahoma State), Oregon (Arizona, Washington, @Arizona St) doesn’t really compare.
Hairy Dawg
November 18th, 2012
10:16 am
Scott – Don’t know what you’re referring to about ten seasons ago… I’m simply stating that in ANY season, ANY major team – no matter how hard or how soft their schedule is – has a chance to make the NC game if they win at the right times, and the teams ahead of them lose at the right times…
Don’t you think if Oregon had lost a close game at the very beginning of the season, they would have worked their way back up to the top by now??
Voting is all based on wins at the right time, and losses by others at the right times… It’s not a complete overview of their entire season…
And, only rarely does a “soft” schedule kill the chances of a major program that has talent…
dude mcguy
November 18th, 2012
10:17 am
Let’s Geaux Jackets! If UGA wins BCS title then college fb is a joke. I hope the Crumsin Turds destroy them in the SEC champ game.
Resident Georgia Fan
November 18th, 2012
10:18 am
If we learn anything here it is that anti-SEC pollsters do all they canto prop up high school teams like Oregon and undeserving teams like Kansas State. Football is a lot like physics: the laws of nature always come out on top. SEC wins its 7th straight. And it may well be the team with Gs on their helmets.
Hairy Dawg
November 18th, 2012
10:19 am
Scott- I don’t disagree with you entirely…
I’ve looong thought the same thing… That somehow voting should be done as an overall look at the entire season – not just on wins and losses and the right and wrong times…
And, voting probably really shouldn’t be done until late in the season as an overall look at all teams seasons… But, then that would take a lot of the ongoing fun out of it each week…
Dewnsav
November 18th, 2012
10:20 am
BigJim…who is your team again ??
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
10:21 am
dogs run the Capital One Bowl!
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
10:22 am
Or was that the Liberty Bowl v Conf USA?
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
10:23 am
Scott,
Right on! The dog’s “signature” win was vs. 6-4 Vandy!
chase
November 18th, 2012
10:23 am
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
Nice try….
you told me UGA would lose at least 2 games, wouldn’t beat Florida and end up in the Outback bowl or worse
Scott and whoever else who thinks UGA doesn’t deserve it
Should we talk about 2002 when Miami got in w/their schedule, or OhSt’s PATHETIC schedule every year or NDs schedule (even the “good” teams they’ve beaten have multiple losses)….or hey how about non-deserving like BAMA last year who lost on their own home field, didn’t play for the SEC and yet got mulligan and played in the NC …or a 2 loss LSU team in 2007 that lost their last game at home to unranked ARK and somehow magically jumped over UGA and played for it…..
I mean, is there ANYONE here who buys into NOTRE DAME? …….NOTRE DAME would be a big underdog to either BAMA or UGA…talk about overrated
I still think the stars are aligning for a 1980 re-match of UGA vs NOTRE DAME and boy could the networks sell that as such!
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
10:24 am
dogs,
What does Win With drive on Falcon Sundays?
Hairy Dawg
November 18th, 2012
10:25 am
Buckeye – did the NCAA put the ban on all OSU blogs, too, as part of your probation??
Must be why you’re hanging out here…
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
10:30 am
hairy,
I have no life.
Dewnsav
November 18th, 2012
10:31 am
and how about the the Buckey’s signature win…uh, err, ummm, well, hmm,…lol…go dogs
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
10:32 am
dewnsav,
Signature win?
All of them!
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
10:35 am
Buckeye
Buckeyes never have and never will beat an SEC team for a championship
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 18th, 2012
10:43 am
chase
I never said we couldnt beat FL or we would lose to FL bud; I said Richt probably wont beat FL
Yes I said we would lose two games; the season isnt over is it?
I also said before the season anything less than 11-1 this season is an utter failure with our schedule and talent; care to tell that or did you forget
Pitbull
November 18th, 2012
10:44 am
Here is something to ponder:
Georgia beats Tech
Alabama beats Auburn
USC beats Notre Dame
If the SEC championship game is close, do Alabama and Georgia play each other for the BCS tropy.
The precident is already there.
Alabama and LSU last year.
Florida and FSU in the 1990’s.
Could it happen?
reality
November 18th, 2012
10:48 am
Lets get real! Until the playoff starts (and Obama is right, there should be 8 teams) who ever “wins” the NC is mostly luck anyway. Such as losing early (good job UGA) is much better than losing late (too bad Oregon). So why not Dawgs as #1? Sure makes it fun around here with everybody spouting off and thumping their chests. Lets go Georgia!
EJJ
November 18th, 2012
10:48 am
Ralph Kramden – “the Blind Academy” football team could beat Ga. Southern? I have a blind nephew you jack ass. Really surprised your comments were published. I hope my response to you gets equal time. Season ticket holder since 1986? Is that supposed to impress people? As a sports fan who recently moved to Georgia that does not have a “dawg” in the ACC or SEC fight, I am still trying to figure out which teams and which fans have the most class and to pull for or against. After your insensitive comments and arrogance, I hope your team loses every game they play from this point forward. You are an idiot.
As far as the game goes, the blocking scheme that GA. Southern uses is legal – if anyone wants to complain, send your comments to the NCAA and get the practice banned. As an impartial spectator it looked to me like the game was decided with about 1:24 left in the first half. Ga. Southern was going to score, and go up 14 – 10. The refs made a home cooked call forcing the Ga Southern to try and settle for a field goal, and then followed that up with a ridicuous pass interference call. Bingo – 17 – 7 at halftime and the game was over. I’ve met some incredibly classy Dawg fans — I guess sooner or later a Ralph Kramden was going to surface. RK if you really did go to Georgia and graduate, you are joke as a person, and should stop trying to represent a good university and a classy coach. Based on the person I believe Coach R to be, he would want no part of jerk like you in his fan base. Good luck against Saban and Alabama Dawg nation – I hope you get to play ND and bring Athens a national title.
Honey boy
November 18th, 2012
10:48 am
You guys waste your time bickering and, sadly, so do I reading this drivel….why don’t we all wait u ntil AFTER the dam NC game and stop the dumb ass sophomoric ranting and trying to one up her with trivial factoids?
Oops, this is a sports “blog” after all ….
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
10:51 am
Pitbull
That scenario would likely put FL against the SEC champ
Not So Fast, My Friend!
November 18th, 2012
10:56 am
Buckeye, you remind me of the idiot wannabe knight in Monty Python’s Holy Grail – looking up at the real knight after his arms and legs have been systematically removed, and blustering about it being a battle. It was no battle, and neither is the Big Ten’s attempt to garner any attention away from what is clearly the best conference in the land. If OSU was in the SEC they’d struggle to beat Vandy, and you know it. Urban State struggled to beat UAB and UCF, middling to low-tier Southern schools – and you’ve got the stones to point at UGA?! How the mighty have fallen . . . it’s almost sad. Almost.
Take your penis-envy trolling elsewhere. You’re out of your league in an SEC blog.
simply hooligan
November 18th, 2012
10:57 am
Enter your comments here
ARdawg
November 18th, 2012
11:04 am
Not so fast
Well stated
simply hooligan
November 18th, 2012
11:05 am
Play the games and the outcome will determine the rest. I love the Dawgs and hope the finish well. If they do, we should have a shop. Can’t look past Tech and need to play Bama with alot of emotion and discipline. Murray has to have protection in both games and D needs to keep getting better. It is fun being in this positiin this late in the season. I still believe the SEC is the best football conference in the country an whoever is in the NC game(UGA,Bama, or Fla) should win and if it isn’t UGA, I will pull for the SEC over any other conference. Just sayin’.
simply hooligan
November 18th, 2012
11:06 am
Wow, hate typing on a phone.
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
11:06 am
not so fast,
Bite me.
Buckeye
November 18th, 2012
11:07 am
not so fast,
You too are a midget.