Georgia short takes: Dogs should’ve spiked the ball
Jay Rome's touchdown catch gave Georgia 7-0 lead two plays after fake punt. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
(I’ll be back with my column on the Georgia-Alabama SEC championship soon. Until then, here are my three “short takes” on the game.)
1. Great drive until the last decision: Trialing 32-28, Georgia was given a second chance to drive for a winning touchdown when an Aaron Murray interception was turned over on replay, which showed the ball hit the ground. So with the ball at the Dogs’ 28 on second-and-10, Murray then capitalized when completed passes to Arthur Lynch (15 yards), Tavarres King (23) and Lynch again (26), moving the ball to the Alabama 8. However, with the final seconds (from :09 after Lynch’s second catch) ticking down, Murray did not take the ensuing snap and spike the ball to stop the clock. Instead, he ran a play and completed a tipped pass to Chris Conley, who was tackled at the Alabama 5 and time ran out. It was a great three plays and a dreadful fourth. While it’s no guarantee that the result would have been different, spiking the ball to stop the clock would have allowed the Dogs to set up for one more play, potentially a more successful one.
2. It’s still about blocking and tackling: I know Georgia parlayed a fake punt into a first down and eventually a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead, and Alec Ogletree’s 55-yard return of a blocked field goal (by Cornelius Washington) gave the Dogs a seemingly insurmountable 21-10 lead in the third quarter. But we saw again why football is still about being able to knock the other guy over. Alabama’s offensive line, widely considered the best in the nation, took over the game in the second half, enabling the Tide’s Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon to pile rushing yards and the team to drive to three touchdowns after trailing 21-10. As Alabama’s line physically beat up the Dogs’ front, Georgia’s defense started to tire and missed tackles.
3. Georgia proved its worth: It’s probably of little consolation to Georgia fans but the Bulldogs proved their worth in this game. Some doubted their standing of being the nation’s third best team, behind Notre Dame and Alabama (according to BCS rankings). There were criticisms of their perceived easy schedule and the way they were manhandled by South Carolina earlier in the season. But Georgia just narrowly lost a game to a program that has won two of the last three BCS championships and will be favored for another title against Notre Dame. There were four lead changes in the second half. If the Dogs don’t let down, they will have a chance in a bowl game to finish off a 12-2 season with possibly a top-5 ranking.
By Jeff Schultz
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475 comments Add your comment
GT Fan
December 1st, 2012
9:26 pm
Shine, get your head outta your arse.
Unlike bama to uga, the dawgs “gifted” NOTHING to UGA, and still lost. Bama’s gifts were the sole reason UGA didn’t lose by 21+
Delusional Dawgs
December 1st, 2012
9:26 pm
@ TrashTalkin – teams in the Southeast who have won national champs since your last one back when Jimmy Carter was president
Georgia Tech, Clemson, Bama, Florida, LSU, Auburn, Tennessee……am i missing anyone? oh yeah, you guys somehow cant put together ONE season even though 5 other teams from your conference have done this recently.
but YOU RUN THE STATE!!!!!
ATLien
December 1st, 2012
9:27 pm
YOU HAVE TO SPIKE THE BALL THERE. There is no other decision you spike run two plays and don’t throw it short of the end zone. I know he wasn’t targeting the receiver that caught the pass but a spike prevents that from happening as every receiver would be in the end zone or close to the goal line. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE SEQUENCE
Ga8TR
December 1st, 2012
9:27 pm
Spiking ball. Clock management 101. Not a course taught at UGA, apparently. Please, keep Mark Richt for as long as possible. Greatest also-ran in conference history.
Dewnsav
December 1st, 2012
9:27 pm
Gator Guy…guess you know where all the “feel better” drugs after anther November spanking in Jacksonville …go dogs
F22
December 1st, 2012
9:28 pm
Tide rising
idiot comment
sabin too conservative…..
what an idiot…..
I am a dog guy but my God…..
Be thankful you got him or u would still be getting spanked by auburn
dienlafin
December 1st, 2012
9:28 pm
Has anybody seen Aaron Murray’s house tonight?
Jlew
December 1st, 2012
9:29 pm
Tide Rising,
I believe UGA basically had 400 (396) against that awesome nation’s #1 rated defense. And Bama played some solid defense on that last drive. If you’re honest, neither team was good on defense.
Sr
December 1st, 2012
9:29 pm
Murray telegraphed that last pass. Shoud have looke dthe DE off, by starting his eyes somewhere else. Ball got tipped, then Alabama makes the tackle and time runs out.
And if you’re going to throw that pass at the end locked in to the receiver all the way, at least put some air under it if you’re not 6 foot tall, so the ball gets to the end zone instead of being tipped.
Don’t expect that kind of play from a 4th year qb like Aaron Murray.
Trashtalkin'?
December 1st, 2012
9:29 pm
Delusional Dawgs – Good point: “recently”. What have y’all done to GA recently? It’s not about running the state. I never said that. I didn’t realize there were any other teams in the state. Are there? Do you know of any? What “Tech” are we talking about?
BIRD
December 1st, 2012
9:30 pm
ROLL TIDE!!!
DownInAlbany
December 1st, 2012
9:30 pm
I agree, Murray should have spiked the ball, but, the pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage. I don’t thnk it was intended for Conley. He was obviously surprised by the ball.
Delusional Dawgs
December 1st, 2012
9:30 pm
@ Trash talkin – by “dull” i meant a more derogatory term that rhymes with plumb and grass, but was trying to not be too in your face. and you still don’t get it, which is priceless and so typical of UGA fans! I’ll spell it out for you later if you remain “dull” enough to counter with another Tech jab, or Buffalo jab, or Georgia Southern jab, or 0-8 SEC auburn jab……get it now???
GT Fan
December 1st, 2012
9:30 pm
Shine … another idiot “SEC fan”.
Last I checked, and going back to 2002, Texas A&M hasn’t won 10 games in a season until they joined the SEC.
Leading up to 2012, you’d say the same thing about A&M……. if they played in the SEC they’d be lucky to win 4 or 5 games.
512 yds, 350 (rushing), 26 1st downs surrendered by an SEC, NFL-heavy, defense. Pathetic!
Mobile Dawg
December 1st, 2012
9:30 pm
Tide Rising, why open your mouth and reveal your ignorance. Just be quiet and enjoy a hard fought win by Alabama. I congratulate the classy Bama fans and wish them luck against ND.
LakeDawg
December 1st, 2012
9:31 pm
Jeff, you are dead wrong. The correct call was to hurry up and run a play against a defense that was scrambling to get set up. Without the tip its either a TD or an incomplete pass and there is still time to run a second play.If you spike the ball you get two plays against a defense that is set up.
puppies choke on the bone
December 1st, 2012
9:31 pm
Alabma played a medicore game, Ga played the best game in their history and still couldnt win. So much for the cupcake scheduling. BTW Swann beating your chest for making a tackle shortly before getting your butt beat badly for a TD truly makes you look like an idiot
Alpha23
December 1st, 2012
9:32 pm
BS, once again, some of the so called elite, black players show they can’t keep their heritage from showing. Stupid personal fouls for 15 yards, cost uga the game!
Trashtalkin'?
December 1st, 2012
9:32 pm
Delusional Dawg – No. You’re right. I DID miss that reference. Sorry. Couldn’t connect the dots. Seems like your trash talking is about as good as your “Tech” team: non-existant…
Sr
December 1st, 2012
9:32 pm
They outrushed Georgia 350 yards to 113 rushing.
Grnatham didn’t make the adjustments to stop the rush, and that was the biggest difference in the game.
Shankit
December 1st, 2012
9:33 pm
4 point deficit. 2 point conversion was the difference. Field goal at end would have won it.
Larry
December 1st, 2012
9:33 pm
Once again, Murray chokes in a big game. Say what you will, but he is just not a very bright QB.
Go Tech
December 1st, 2012
9:34 pm
Watching the dogs lose a big game once again has made my day. It’s a hoot! And seeing all these dog fans whining is icing on the cake.
Pathetic
December 1st, 2012
9:36 pm
Paid off or idiots? Overpaid coaches let defense get overmanned until last drive. What? We didn’t think they might just keep running the ball when we made one real tackle all day? (Just happened to result in a fumble 1 yard from the goal line). Grantham watches us without adjustments. Murray gets paid off to throw intentional game ending pass and Conley is apparently stupid enoughf to catch it).
Was there at every game for ‘80 season. They wanted to win and were given the chance to do so.
Richt has no apparent ability to coach in big games.. At least tech knows it has no chance. Does Richt get a raise for getting to seccg? Bet he does and has already cashed check..
Pathetic.
Tide washed away the stain of Georgia
December 1st, 2012
9:36 pm
Sorry Bullpuppy fans, but you’re now officially screwed. It won’t be a cupcake schedule for Georgia next year. And Florida and South Carolina draw easier schedules than they did this year. Your Bullpuppies will have to earn another trip to the SEC Championship, and lets face it, they never earn ANYTHING. Florida gifted them a win; that’s the only reason they were here this year. And yes, they were thisclose, but even with Nick Saban having less talent than Mark Richt and managing his timeouts poorly in the first half, he was still the better coach.
MTSeats
December 1st, 2012
9:36 pm
help the needy, richt needs more $.
Missed the game
December 1st, 2012
9:36 pm
I’ll ask again….did Georgia win?
23 SEC Titles
December 1st, 2012
9:38 pm
Congrads Jawja, you played the entire 60 M. Enjoy those SEC East rings M Mitchell, J Jenkins, D Swann, and any others that said NO to Nick. Our Ga boys have a most impressive collection of
CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS. At least you can still say Richt has a winning record against Bama lol..
23 and counting……..
mike
December 1st, 2012
9:38 pm
As a Tech fan I would just like to see Tech play with the same heart and effort as UGA. Sure, Tech doesn’t have the athletes that UGA has but UGA never quits. They play hard the entire game. Tech seems to just give up at times.
Robards
December 1st, 2012
9:38 pm
They still were manhandled by South Carolina and had but one really good win. Nice effort today, though.
UF Fan
December 1st, 2012
9:38 pm
Add Miami and FSU to your list of national champions
Seneca Jim
December 1st, 2012
9:38 pm
Like Coach Mike Smith says ” you have to be able to run the ball and you have to stop the run.” The Dogs could not stop the run…
DawginNY
December 1st, 2012
9:39 pm
Thanks, Bama fan. Considering, you had one forced turnover that resulted in a missed FG and another that occurred after we had stopped you on 3rd down, that was a 3 point swing. 50 yd FGs are often blocked and special teams is part of the game. Oh, and I think you turned your interception and long return into 3 points as well. The game was closer than it should have been? That’s like me saying Bama only won because of Georgia’s penalties.
Alpha23
December 1st, 2012
9:40 pm
So, down 21-6 at the half, all the techie idiots are over here running their fat mouths!
Delusional Dawgs
December 1st, 2012
9:40 pm
Trashtalkin – I’m sure the “Tech” you speak of is a place where their fans look at the football games as what they are – games, not the meaning of life. I’m sure they will still graduate people from a top 5 in the country engineering school, go on to get productive jobs and lead productive lives.
and even though they don’t “run the state”, they have more national championships than UGA will ever sniff, a richer tradition, a more RECENT national championship than UGA, and once CMR gets sick of the whiny fan base that will likely be calling for his head and finally retires, get back to the days of ray goff, donnan, etc and continue to live in the past and continue as an irrelevant national team
Abe the Fan
December 1st, 2012
9:41 pm
Was Marshall hurt or something? How does he not play more???
Tide washed away the stain of Georgia
December 1st, 2012
9:41 pm
I loved how all the Bullpuppy fans were crowing on Facebook once Georgia got up 21-10, talking about how nice a trip to Miami would be and how all the critics were wrong. I never get tired of seeing Georgia fans’ misplaced swagger before they’ve ever won ANYTHING. But, hey, look at it like this, Georgia and Alabama both get to celebrate each year. Georgia fans get to be allllllll excited and celebrate top-ranked recruiting classes, and Alabama fans get to all excited and celebrate … you know … championships.
redwave73
December 1st, 2012
9:42 pm
UGA should have gone for it on the 4th and inches in the 4th quarter. Bama was chewing them up at that point so why punt it back to them. Make that first down and who knows what would have happened. I guess Richt has been watching too many Falcon games lately. No guts, no glory.
Fate
December 1st, 2012
9:42 pm
Mark Richt should be fired tomorrow. He is the biggest joke of a coach. Why the heck you signal your QB to run the play when he wants to spike it?
Bobo, why keep calling pass plays on 3rd & 1? You idiot.
I HATE GEORGIA………..
Roll Dam Tide.
Dum-Bass
December 1st, 2012
9:43 pm
Georgia Bulldogs, the “Atlanta Braves” of the SEC. Mark Richt and Fredi Gonzalez could switch jobs and no one would notice the difference! BTW, you “nitwits” saying spiking the ball was not the right thing to do can talk to any NFL QB and coach and they will tell you yes, by all means spike it, and set up two throws into the endzone, in case what JUST HAPPENED TODAY DOES HAPPEN. You don’t gamble with just a few seconds left. Some of you “MR clones” amaze me!
James
December 1st, 2012
9:43 pm
Strat Cat Dawg – Guess I am a bandwagon fan. If you think CMR and company is a great staff and we are fortunate to have them. Look across the field at the National Champions, again. How many times has UGA even finished in the top 5 since CMR took over??? Come on dude, because you want to be die hard doesn’t make your delusional rants valid. You can brag on him all you want, just look at his record, it speaks for itself. How many top 10 ranked teams has UGA beat since 2001? Come on, it only takes 1 hand. If you want to see a great program, you just did, but it was on the other side of the field. This was a good year and they did make it to the dance and had a shot at glory. It took 11 years of CMR football to say that. That makes you happy? Really? Next year will be hard on you. But it will not be CMR’s fault.
DawginNY
December 1st, 2012
9:43 pm
I hate all these maggots talking trash after the two best teams in the country went toe to toe and the game ended on the 4 yard line. Go back under the rock you crawled out of.
steve
December 1st, 2012
9:43 pm
A peewee coach would have known to spike the ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the he!! was he doing. I’ve never said this before this, but fire Richt!!!!
Fate
December 1st, 2012
9:44 pm
Florida goes to Sugar,
Georgia goes to Capitol One.
Nice.
Go Tech
December 1st, 2012
9:44 pm
Thanks Bama! Thanks whining dog fans! You both have made this day most entertaining and most enjoyable.
Trashtalkin'?
December 1st, 2012
9:45 pm
Delusional Dawgs – Wow. Took a while. Great response. Most “Tech” fans try to say something about “engineering” at some point when we’re talking football, because they don’t have much to say. Thanks for keeping the tradition alive. Thanks, too, for being concerned about GA’s game instead of your game. I love how you’ve made a big deal about our program. You took the initiative, and that’s saying a lot. GA fans need to be better about returning the favor and making a bigger deal out of all the other games that Tech plays, too. It’s just hard to think about you guys as being significant…Sorry.
Ga8TR
December 1st, 2012
9:45 pm
Hope we get to watch that final Murray throw as often as we get to watch Lindsey Scott run. It’s a classic that we can treasure forever. Keep looking back to 1980, Dawgs. It’s all you’ve got.
Delusional Dawgs
December 1st, 2012
9:46 pm
@Trashtalkin’? and by the way, your computer spell check needs an upgrade – its non-existent .
as in:
1) UGA national championships since the Carter administration
2) UGA SEC championships since 2002, 1983 before that
3) UGA wins in big games in the past 5 years
4) UGA fans who are able to not whine and complain after yet another…..heartbreaking…….gut wrenching…….LOSS!!!
(but you run the state, so theres always that!)
MiltonGATECHFan
December 1st, 2012
9:46 pm
As a life long GT fan I would like to congratulate the UGA football team on playing a great game against a great team. To all you UGA fans complaining about your head coach and your oc – You have no idea how lucky you are to have the coaches you have. Ya’ll could be like GT fans and have Paul Johnson as your HC, OC, DC, etc etc… UGA is a good football team with a great following so be happy you aren’t stuck with a lousy coach that you can’t buy out cause you don’t have the money. If only GT had UGA problems GT fans would be a happy bunch of college football fans. Congrats on making it to the SEC championship game and congrats on playing a damn good game.
Dawgbone
December 1st, 2012
9:46 pm
Our D is loaded with NFL picks ?
Our DC Grantham thinks he’s the best, and worth all that money ?
Puhleease !!!
This loss is one the coaches !!