Georgia earns respect in defeat, but loss not easy to take
Kenarious Gates drops to a knee as Georgia lost SEC title on game's final play. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
This was the day when representatives from every other conference, when every critic weary of the SEC’s six-year-plus rule in college football, should have come to the realization, “Oh. So that’s why they’re the best.”
Georgia and Alabama looked like the two best teams from the two best conference, if not the two best teams in the nation, and they just played a conference championship that saw four lead changes in the second half and the game not decided until the game’s final play.
What would happen if Georgia and Alabama played 10 times?
“It probably would look like that every game,” Bulldogs wide receiver Tavarres King said. “And there would be several different outcomes.”
Georgia doesn’t have that luxury. The Dogs lost the SEC championship game 32-28 at the Georgia Dome. They came that close to playing for a national championship.
They had a chance at the end, with quarterback Aaron Murray having driven the team from its own 28 to the Alabama 8 with 15 seconds left. At that point, we can debate whether Murray should have spiked the ball to reset the offense. But suffice to say, the game ended with a tipped pass that was caught at Tide’s 5, the final seconds ticked off and one team celebrated its impending berth in the BCS championship game while the other collapsed in exhaustion, uncertain of its bowl status.
The irony here was that Georgia probably gained more respect in defeat than in any of its 11 victories. The Dogs were criticized for a perceived soft schedule, for the way they were physically hammered be South Carolina, for the hiccups at Kentucky.
Yet on Saturday, even the opposing coach, Nick Saban, was moved to comment: “I think it’s a crying shame if Georgia doesn’t get to go to a BCS bowl game. That game came down to the last play. It’s ridiculous. Some teams are 7-5 and talking about winning their conference and going to a BCS bowl game? Something’s not right here.”
So yes, the Dogs proved their worthiness on this day.
Coach Mark Richt has made the program relevant again in the SEC, and therefore on the national scale.
Afterward, Richt said, “I told them I was disappointed. But I wasn’t disappointed in them.”
That said, Georgia lost to a better team.
Alabama was the superior team physically. The Tide rushed for 350 yards, led by Eddie Lacy (187) and T.J. Yeldon (154). The physical domination started with the Tide’s offensive line taking over the game in the second half, blowing open holes in Georgia’s defensive front. It continued with the Dogs, clearly worn down and drained, began to miss tackles.
“[The defense] got tired of being run against — I could figure that one out,” Richt said. “We just got knocked off the ball.”
At some point, it figured Alabama would try to get Georgia to bite on play-action, and that’s exactly what happened. With the Dogs leading 28-25, Alabama had a first down at the Georgia 45 when quarterback A.J. McCarron faked a handoff, stepped back and hit wide receiver Amari Cooper streaking down the left sideline, behind cornerback Damian Swann. The touchdown put Alabama, which once trailed 21-10, up 32-28 with just over three minutes left.
The Dogs had two more chances. They went three-and-out on one possession and quickly had to punt. They used their last two time outs during Alabama’s possession but forced the Tide to give up the ball one more time. They got the ball back with 1:08 remaining.
“We’ve had plenty of one-minute drives during the season so it’s not like guys were freaking out or anything,” Murray said later. “We were just like, ‘Let’s play ball.”
On the fourth play of the drive, Murray had a pass tipped and intercepted at midfield. But he and the team got a reprieve when the play was reversed by replay, which showed the ball hitting the ground. The quarterback then completed consecutive passes to Arthur Lynch, King and Lynch again. The ball was now at the eight with about 15 seconds remaining.
Richt decided to keep going and not have Murray spike the ball to stop the clock. “Even spiking the ball takes time,” Richt said. “We had a play called.”
The play was fade route to Malcolm Mitchell at the back of the end zone. But there were only nine seconds left when the ball was snapped, Murray’s pass was tipped at the line and Chris Conley caught it in traffic at the five (first instinct). He was buried and time ran out.
Richt: “In that play you want a touchdown or an incomplete pass.”
In between is trouble. In between ended the game. Georgia was that close going to the national championship game. That’s something they will have to live with.
By Jeff Schultz
If you blinked, you missed a blog
• SHORT TAKES (UGA): Dogs should’ve spiked the ball
• Braves dump a pitcher (Hanson) they once viewed as gold
• Falcons’ offense hits a wall (but as usual it doesn’t matter)
• Braves need this free agent splurge on B.J. Upton to pay off
• Weekend Predictions: Georgia pulls the upset but Tech goes down
• Georgia’s best chance vs. Alabama may be to step on the gas
• SEC title would mean Georgia’s return to elite status
• Georgia playing at level we haven’t seen under Richt
• Upsetting Georgia would give Tech needed boost for future
• Vince Dooley: Joy from Georgia’s resurgence, pain from son’s firing
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
754 comments Add your comment
Buckeye
December 2nd, 2012
2:39 pm
dogs,
Come to think of it, winning the SEC! SEC! least, finishing outside the Top 5 and going to a non-BCS bowl is another great year for the dogs!
Buckeye
December 2nd, 2012
2:40 pm
New dog T-Shirts for sale:
WAIT TIL FEBRUARY!
older1
December 2nd, 2012
2:40 pm
if GA. . had made that field goal in first half , if Bama had not had theirs blocked. 2 pens. for 15 yards so on and so on. cheap shot on Murry no call . truth is game could have gone either way. great college football. GO DOGS AND GO BAMA AND WIN OUT.
Erk Russell's Barber
December 2nd, 2012
2:40 pm
-time for UGA fans to accept reality. while a very good team, y’all just ain’t all that. haven’t been for over 50 years, maybe longer. despite what Beau Bock says, its not your birthright to win the nat championship every year.
-funny to see so many UGA people complaining about trolls from other teams on this blog, considering your track record with the GT blog. karma’s a bitch.
-go ahead and fire Richt. please, oh please. Donnan’s still available. so if Goff. Chizick is free. or you could promote Bobo. or lure Chan Gailey from Bufffalo. maybe you could get O’Leary from UCF. you fire Richt and two things happen: a) Richt is snapped up by anyone he wishes, and UGA fall back to the pack.
Erk Russell's Barber
December 2nd, 2012
2:43 pm
Ron Zook is available
mike wilkerson
December 2nd, 2012
2:48 pm
Good god..Florida hammered Texas am…there,,,hammered FSU at their place,,hammered LSU in gainesville,,,and hammered South Carolina,,,,who hammered GA,,,,,Texas am hammered Alabama at Tussc.,,,,,,and LSU almost beat,,Al,,and u say the best 2 teams played last night,,why was Alabama ranked ahead of Florida after the comparable Texac am and lsu games,,Ga,hammered by South,Carolina…Fla..turned the ball over 6 times and sitll ,Ga.COULD ONLY SCORE 17 PTS,,Florida is the BEST team in the country, and if there was a plus one-this year,,,,the Gators would be National Champions….two mediocre teams played last nigh–whyyyyyy was Al. ranked ahead of the Gators,,,to begin with,,,,get real ….
Buckeye is SEC's B I T C H
December 2nd, 2012
2:49 pm
Urban will never win against the SEC.
Shack
December 2nd, 2012
2:56 pm
Buckeye is only guy that is being honest. Georgia fans have been leaning on their SEC crutch for too long. Yesterday wasn’t about how tough SEC is, it was about how Georgia shriveled under the bright lights and how a bama team is superior.
Little puppies quit crying…. I’m still scratching my head why pollsters had u so high after gamecock flogging coupled with cupcake schedule. U didn’t even belong on the field.
dawgster
December 2nd, 2012
3:12 pm
@fake dawgster at 2:05 p.m…real classy….taking someone else’s name…but hey have fun..glsd to see you have a sense of humor…
dawgster
December 2nd, 2012
3:30 pm
Making excuses for uga and attacking my fanbase on this blog is just exhausting!
I better get back to hanging drywall before the bossman sees me on his computer.
loyal dawg
December 2nd, 2012
3:31 pm
For atll you Dawg haters and team haters Go somewhere else. And as for the hack at 680 the fan, Chuck, you and your station will never, NEVER have me ever listen to your station ever again as long as you are employed. You are an ex teacher with no sense and a hack. Thank God, you left the classroom and hopefully the station booth too. You are stupid.
DP
December 2nd, 2012
3:31 pm
Buckeye, you’re confused. I’m an Alabama guy, was in school there when the Bear’s team delivered a 35-6 drubbing to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl on 1/1/78, the first in the long line of bowl whippings Ohio State has taken from the SEC. The Big 10 should have stuck to its policy of only sending its champion to the Rose Bowl against the Pac 10 (Pac 8 at the time), would have saved Ohio State a lot of SEC drubbings.
When Buckeye fans see Urban Meyer on the sidelines, do they think back to his Gators pounding Ohio State after the 2006 season in the BCS championship game? You can thank Saban and Alabama for sending Meyer to the hospital, retiring, and then going to the Big 10 where he knew the competition was soft.
Joe Bob Thibodaux
December 2nd, 2012
3:33 pm
Hello Jeff:
That was a great game.
I believe Georgia would beat Notre Dame is they had a chance.
Hats off to Bama.
JBT
DP
December 2nd, 2012
3:36 pm
And Buckeye, I believe that Alabama thrashing of Ohio State was just a year before the last game of Woody Hayes, who ended his career in disgrace by delivering a forearm shiver to a Clemson defensive player.
MariettaGator
December 2nd, 2012
3:39 pm
The announcers had it right. Quit trying to throw against Jarvis Jones, instead run right at him. It worked. The best team won despite the heroics in the final minute. The only highlight of the season was beating Florida. Three big games the whole season and the dogs went 1-2. Richt criticism is deserved. He can’t win in big games and I hope he gets a contract extension…
Buckeye
December 2nd, 2012
3:40 pm
Gosh, I wonder if out HC is gonna run to the Big East now?
Buckeye
December 2nd, 2012
3:41 pm
Why aren’t we going to a bowl?
Buckeye
December 2nd, 2012
3:42 pm
Gosh, Muschamp is winless against Georgia.
Game Changer
December 2nd, 2012
3:44 pm
Chuch Oliver asked a great question, one which HAUNTS Mark Richt and Aaron Murray every day in life. Loyal Dawg, you do more to hurt UGA football program by accepting what is average at best and trying to defend it publicly.
Fact is:
UGA is out coached by Alabama
UGA QB is not as good as Alabama QB
UGA players as a whole are no where near the quality of Alabama in talent ( exceptions Saturday: A Ogletree, T King, T Gurley )
DP
December 2nd, 2012
3:46 pm
The coaches poll is out and for some reason I can’t find Ohio State in it.
Game Changer
December 2nd, 2012
3:49 pm
Schultz: surprised not one UGA poster other than myself realizes your poking fun at UGA football program with the words ” earns respect “, knowing that you are a Gator. If you aren’t first, you are last, if you aren’t cheating, you aren’t trying to win. Go Dawgs
Moutain Man
December 2nd, 2012
3:50 pm
Maybe somebody mentioned it but Saban won the game when he went for 2 to take a 4 point lead forcing the Dawgs to have to get a TD at the end. Smart, smart decision with good execution. That is what makes a National Champion. Roll Tide!
Old Dog Class of 80
December 2nd, 2012
3:52 pm
Someone tell me – did Saban know he was going to need those 2 exrta points? He made a damn good decision there. Why didn’t we COPY him and go for two extra points on our next touchdown? Then we could have kicked a field goal and, if made, sent the game into overtime. If we had not made the extra two points, we would have lost by 5 rather than 4. Big deal.
Maybe that is the differences in our coach vs. Saban.
Smart like a fox
December 2nd, 2012
3:53 pm
a moral victory
Nick Saban
December 2nd, 2012
3:59 pm
Second place is the first LOSER!!!!
JB at home
December 2nd, 2012
4:16 pm
I don’t want to come off critical, because I thought the Dawgs played great, and had chances to win up till 00 on the clock, but two observations that 90% of Dawgs fans would agree with. We have not tackled well and stopped the run in a long time. I don’t remember when. Average teams run on us. Second, I think Murray is a gamer and talented but has not given Georgia the “it” factor at QB. The turning point in the game to me was the long intercetion when King appeared wide open for the TD. Not saying we would of won, but it might of changed some dynamics. The OL should de really good and Gurley with a year in the weight room will be unstoppable…….But we gotta learn to tackle and stop the run.
Danny Ford
December 2nd, 2012
4:29 pm
Let the whining begin ……..fire Richt & Bobo.
Buckeye
December 2nd, 2012
4:32 pm
3:40 and on Buckeye
Imposter
Buckeye
DFA
December 2nd, 2012
4:33 pm
So much butthurt.
Buckeye
December 2nd, 2012
4:33 pm
dp,
You’re talking history. You’re right. FL vs. OSU was not fun.
I’m talking less than 24 hours ago
Welcome to # 6 in the AP and out of the BCS.
ylojkt
December 2nd, 2012
4:33 pm
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Really?
December 2nd, 2012
5:13 pm
I am used to the pathetic no family, no friends, no life, no one at all that cares whether they live or die hate filled nothings that post here very day but I am still stunned by some of these idiotic posts.
Not surprised to see the usual generic pretenders swarming out of the cesspool of failure that is their lifes hiding behind a fake Georgia fan identity. It is strange to see gaytor fans here running their sucks as if they have done something though. Granted their fanbase is low on IQ points but even for those jort wearing rednecks chest thumping over having done nothing of note at all for 2 seasons is a bit perplexing.
Oh wait are the gaytors proud of being the text book definition of backing into a BCS bowl? I know they have finally managed to become even more pathetic and meaningless than the saddest ajc troll. Good job.
DP
December 2nd, 2012
5:15 pm
Buckeye, get it through your thick head I’m an Alabama guy, not UGA. Check my posts. Alabama, as in #2 in the BCS and looking to become the first team in the BCS era to win back to back championships and 3 in 4 years, versus 1 national championship for Ohio State in the last 40 years.
Either Alabama or Georgia would beat Ohio State or anybody else in the Big 10, as Alabama demonstrated with its mauling of Michigan.
DP
December 2nd, 2012
5:26 pm
Hey “really”, there’s nothing more pathetic on these boards than morons who use the term “gaytor”.
5150 UOAD
December 2nd, 2012
5:28 pm
36 or 32 BAMA to 21 UGa should have been the Final Score…
The REFS really helped keep UGa in the game
5150 UOAD
December 2nd, 2012
5:32 pm
Haha….MARK BRADLEY says 5 yards short for UGa.
5 yards?
Don’t you mean a few more REFEREE favorable calls to give UGa some more undeserved points.
Buckeye
December 2nd, 2012
5:33 pm
dp,
I rooted for you last night. Hard.
I will root for Notre Dame on Jan 7. Hard
I’ve also posted that Alabama would be a welcome addition to the AFC South. That’s a compliment.
I rep Ohio State. Not the B1G.
You are Da Man of the SEC! SEC! Most others ( i.e. dogs) ride your coat tails.
shep
December 2nd, 2012
5:35 pm
ALUM: You are about stupid. Get a life.
Big D
December 2nd, 2012
5:36 pm
Winners win and losers lose. Winners find a way to win and losers find a way to lose. The score is not important and being close is for losers. The game was close which is not evidence of quality but is evidence of equality. The Oklahoma/TCU game was also closeas was the Stanford/ U.C.L.A. game. A note for Georgia coaches: Teach your players that when the clock is runningt out and they must score, don’t catch the ball short of the goal line unless unless they are open.
Buckeye
December 2nd, 2012
5:38 pm
dogs,
I know Ohio State is on probation. Not new news. We’re back in next year.
That said, how does it feel that Northern Illinois (MAC! MAC!) is in the BCS and you’re not?
Buckeye
December 2nd, 2012
5:40 pm
Except for Bama/Notre Dame, it;s a lousy set of BCS match ups.
Look forward to Louisville upsetting FL in the Sugar.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
December 2nd, 2012
6:02 pm
UGA will get a recruiting bump due to the game. Monty Adams will go with the dogs because he can get minutes next year with ease.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
December 2nd, 2012
6:05 pm
Oh and Kirby Smart will interview with auburn on Monday. The auburn mafia trying to use Kirby to give them some credibilty when they go ahead and hire Bobby Petrino. All this BS smokescreen by the folks behind the curtain is so funny. About as funny as the auburn creed BS. When you have the banker,the woodcutter,bingoman, and the old drunk coach,DaTrupa, and the DaLupa credibility isn’t going to happen.
suck it auburn.
Mrknowitall
December 2nd, 2012
6:10 pm
How awesome is this? We get another lunchtime bowl game in sunny Florida on New Years Day! This Richt/Bobo combo sure seems to work well for us..
Dum-Bass
December 2nd, 2012
6:12 pm
YEP, JS, they got so much “respect” they get to play in the Capitol None Bowl against Nebraska, a team that just gave up 70 (that’s 7-0) to Wisconsin. With all that respect Mark Richt must be feeling like Aretha Franklin now!
magnolia, tx tom
December 2nd, 2012
6:46 pm
Suck it, schultz. Get rid of fat boy Grantham and Dawgs win.
Doraville53
December 2nd, 2012
7:04 pm
What Lost the Game/ SEC Chamionship for UGA… Porous Rushing defense, or a Serious Overall Lack of Time Mgmt on the part of Coaches And KEY Offensive Players, or a combination thereof… i think the concensus is All of the above. Is the UGA Staff, students of Les Myers ??????
LHarding Dawg
December 2nd, 2012
7:09 pm
The “sidewalk fans” are out in bunches tonight. Great game! Both teams left it all on the field. Congrats to the Alabama team.
11-2 and a New Years bowl, not bad! Good job Coach Richt and team. I’ll see you in a few weeks.
harold
December 2nd, 2012
7:16 pm
RICHT IS NOW 1-12 AGAINST RANKED TEAMS. HOW DUMB NOT TO SPIKE THE BALL AND HAVE TWO SHOTS AT THE END ZONE! STUPID!
Mark Richt
December 2nd, 2012
7:21 pm
kiss my ass