Georgia projects well for 2013, even with flaws in win
Mark Richt gets the Gatorade bath after Georgia's Capitol Bowl win over Nebraska. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
ORLANDO – The players wore hats reading “CHAMPIONS” in all cap letters. The fact that “Capital One Bowl” — and not SEC or BCS — also was stitched on the caps in a much smaller script might deflate that declaration a bit, but it doesn’t take away from where Georgia may be headed.
Were the Bulldogs great in their final game of the 2012 season? Hardly. The defense, purported to be loaded with NFL talent, too often played sloppy and undisciplined. The quarterback, Aaron Murray, threw two interceptions in the team’s first three possessions. It is what happens sometimes in bowl games. The Dogs didn’t save their best for last. Their best came in the next-to-last game against Alabama.
But ultimately, what came out of Georgia’s 45-31 win over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl were signs that this program isn’t likely to take a step back next season.
There will be new players. There will be a different team personality. The schedule will be tougher. But the Bulldogs just finished a season that saw them go 12-2 and come within five yards of winning the SEC championship and going to the BCS title game. They rebounded from the crushing loss in the SEC championship game to win a significant bowl game. They showed resiliency by losing two starting wide receivers (Marlon Brown, Michael Bennett) during the season and a third in Tuesday’s game (Malcolm Mitchell). They endured several early season suspensions on defense and played without two defensive starters against Nebraska (John Jenkins, Abry Jones).
Jarvis Jones and several defensive starters now are expected to leave for the NFL. Maybe Murray comes back, but probably not. But Georgia is in a good place now, a player again on the national scene, and nobody could have seen that coming two years ago in Memphis when the team schlepped off the field a loser to Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl, dragging a 6-7 record.
“The seniors started a legacy here,” freshman running back Todd Gurley said Tuesday. “They’re passing it down to us, and we’re just going to keep moving forward and winning each year. I know a lot of teams will have the goal of going to the national championship next year, but we really believe that. We’re going to bring in a great recruiting class and we’re going to get it done next year.”
Todd Gurley, here breaking through for a 24-yard touchdown, finished with 125 yards rushing to lead the Bulldogs. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
As flawed as the Dogs looked against Nebraska, the result and the season projected well for the future.
It starts with the two freshmen in the backfield, Gurley and Keith Marshall. There were questions about the running game going into the season following the excommunication of Isaiah Crowell, but the two quickly eased concerns. In the final game of the season, Gurley rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown and Marshall made a difficult back-shoulder, 24-yard touchdown catch to give the Dogs a 38-31 lead early in the fourth quarter.
There’s the future.
It doesn’t matter if the starting quarterback is Murray or Hutson Mason. Georgia’s offense should function well, and the team should be in the middle of things again.
When asked about Marshall’s catch, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said, “We’ve kept things pretty simple for him and Todd because they’re freshmen. But that play there gives us a level of confidence next year that we can expand their package.”
Gurley, Bobo said, brought “a physicality to the offense that we needed. He did a great job leading us as a freshman. I told him after the game, ‘You had a great year, but now you have a chance to be great. So let’s go to work.’”
Marshall said he battled knee tendinitis before the season, affecting his workouts. “I lost some of my explosiveness,” he said. “But it’s finally feeling better. I’m looking forward to getting started on my workouts.”
And then this: “Honestly, I feel we’re the best team in the country. We can play with anybody. We were one play away this year.”
There were hiccups Tuesday. The first half took nearly two hours. The two teams combined for 47 points, five offensive touchdowns, three interceptions (including Nebraska’s pick-six against Murray), a field goal and a blocked punt for a safety. The Dogs trailed 24-23, then 31-23. But Murray, after starting 11 for 24, stopped scaring NFL scouts. He connected with Chris Conley for a 49-yard touchdown, then later scrambled away from pressure to connect with Marshall. Later, he found Conley again on a “jailbreak screen” against Nebraska’s blitz — nice call by Bobo – for an 87-yard score. Checkmate.
It ended well. There’s reason to believe it could end well next season, too.
By Jeff Schultz
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772 comments Add your comment
goFalcons
January 2nd, 2013
11:37 pm
UGA BATTLE BAMA FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, THE GATORS LOSE TO UGA AND GET A BEAT DOWN BY L’VILLE,,,,,,,UGA FANS FUSS THAT 14 PT WIN IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH,,,,,,,,,THE GATORS DISGRACE THE SEC,,,,,,NEXT QUESTION PLEASE
goFalcons
January 2nd, 2013
11:39 pm
5150 STATS LIKE THAT GIVE THEM TO EXPERTS, I LOOK AT WHAT YOU SAY AND SAY MAN THAT IS A LONG POST AND NOT READ IT
Ga Homers
January 2nd, 2013
11:39 pm
Do Shultz and Bradley get paid the word to constantly praise the Dawgs? The AJC is really a subsidiary of the Red and Black.
5150 UOAD
January 2nd, 2013
11:40 pm
Wow Stafford is your come back? You mean the ONLY UGa QB to play meaningful time in the NFL since Fran Tarkington…..Well you can count Quincy Carter the pothead reject too I guess. he did play a few games for Dallas.
Rick James
January 2nd, 2013
11:41 pm
Florida is showing us that Nick Saban was right in saying that it was a shame that Georgia didnt get the second SEC BCS bowl bid..At least we didnt need a waiver from the NCAA to play in a bowl game with a losing record..
goFalcons
January 2nd, 2013
11:42 pm
5150 Q CATER MADE THE SAYING PLAY WITH POISE A FOLK LEGEND,,,,,,LOL
goFalcons
January 2nd, 2013
11:44 pm
FYI,,,,,,,,I THINK H WARD SPEAKS FOR US AS FAR AS OUR TALENT,,,,,,,HE IS A LEGEND IN THE NFL
Rick James
January 2nd, 2013
11:45 pm
I’m still amazed at Tech fans who critiize Georgia football..Strange though how they never talk Tech/Georgia football on the field.I wonder why?
5150 UOAD
January 2nd, 2013
11:46 pm
Q. Carter was a dumb as a box of rocks and stoned as a football bat.
goFalcons
January 2nd, 2013
11:47 pm
for some strange reason i still pull for the gators right now
5150 UOAD
January 2nd, 2013
11:48 pm
Hinds was a great player but he was vote many times as the NFL’s dirtiest player by the other NFL players.
5150 UOAD
January 2nd, 2013
11:50 pm
“for some strange reason i still pull for the gators right now” ……………..that is the SEC inbreeding all you SEC fans seem to have.
goFalcons
January 2nd, 2013
11:52 pm
just to much SEC in me like the tree killer said it to much bama in me,,,,,,,,i get it,,,,,,to much love for my ! the braves, 2 the falcons, 3 uga,,,,,,,,i get it!!!!! just to much love for my teams,,,,,,,,i get what he said but not agree with the killing of the trees but he did it after auburn put a number 2 on the bear statue,,,,, and i get it,,,if anybody disrespect lets say the number 3 for the braves and it would be on or disrespect the number 34 for our dawgs i get it…………..they put a number 2 on bear statue and he responded,,,,,,,,,i get it,,,,,,,,it not right but i get it
Moist Dawg
January 2nd, 2013
11:56 pm
They shouldve put a number 2 on bear bryants grave instead of his statue
5150 UOAD
January 2nd, 2013
11:56 pm
gators making the score look a little better when Louisville was in prevent D. Looks like the Gators still have work to do.
goFalcons
January 2nd, 2013
11:57 pm
auburn should of never put the cam shirt on the statue and the trees would be alive,,,,,,,,,,,,i get fans like that,,,,,,,he not start it they did but he react and he gets prosecuted,,,,,,i tell you right now as the biggest braves fan in the world,,,,,,,the umps made a bad call and i finish drinking my blue can lite can and chucked it out on the field,,,,,,,i would not be a true fan if i did not do that
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:00 am
L’ville owned the gators, see me on monday gators and we decide if you should keep that SEC card
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
12:01 am
Wow you drew a mustache on my mom’s photo so I’m going to kill your dog……yes that makes perfect since to SEC fans.
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
12:02 am
Is that now another ACC team beating a SEC team? Well not in the ACC yet but another TOP SEC team goes down.
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:02 am
us UGA FANS fuss about winning by 14,,,,,,,,,gators you disgrace the SEC
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:06 am
what matters to the SEC is championships and after bama beat down the miget green kids, that will make how many? 6 or 8 straight,,,,,,,,,i lost count
son's who?
January 3rd, 2013
12:06 am
I see the troll is still on here bashing kids. What a pathetic representation for an alleged adult.
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
12:09 am
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:06 am
what matters to the SEC is championships and after bama beat down the miget green kids, that will make how many? 6 or 8 straight,,,,,,,,,i lost count
========================================
And HOW many does UGa have? You are a Dwag you are not the SEC or a Champion.
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:11 am
only T. Moore who FYI i see on MLB. com will be mad when the Sec Beat notre dame,,,,,it is funny cause for all the crap and BS t. moore said as a writer for the ajc was a notre dame fan, he writes for all teams but when he comes along to the braves on mlb i still tell him how much i miss him,,,,,,,he was the one we loved to hate but T. Moore just said BS to make us mad,,,,,,,,,i for one liked him for some reason
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:14 am
5150, a dawg fan first,,,,,,,,,sec second, but they both come behing my falcons and braves,,,,,,i am a braves fan first,,,,falcon fan 2nd, uga 3rd, hawks 4th, gt 5th, ga state 5th and ga southern 6th, fyi the thrashers would of been 3rd before those idiots sold them to out of the state
bigdawg88
January 3rd, 2013
12:19 am
5150, didn’t florida beat the BEST team in the acc, fl state? And florida is at best the 3rd best team in the sec. And didn’t SC (the 4th or 5th best) beat Clemson, the 2nd best acc team? And let’s not even discuss the whooping the Dawgs laid on your jackets! You can’t claim Louisville yet, they are still Big East. They will fall back to Acc levels in a couple of years though.
Big Crimson 75
January 3rd, 2013
12:21 am
UGA got hosed again.
Saban called it.
Absolutely no way this Fla Team deserved the Sugar Bowl over the dwags.
Highway Robbery!!
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:22 am
max and morgon,,,,,,, a country dj and a fl state fan use to tell us about our sports in the 90’s and look how we have grown,,,,,,,,,,it is 2013 and this is the 404 yr. i got ship to Arkansas 6 months ago and i miss my riverdale home so much but if it goes right, 6 more months and i be back home in clayton county,,,,,,i can not tell you how much i miss my home being here is hard but Atlanta pride will keep u going,,,,,,believe that
Big Crimson 75
January 3rd, 2013
12:25 am
UGA fans, it wouldn’t hurt if your Coach had clout.
Heck, Saban got y’all the Cap One invite.
No one in the NC2A was worried about making Richt mad!!
What’s the saying………Nice guys finish…?
bigdawg88
January 3rd, 2013
12:26 am
And THIS is why we’re so mad about the gaturds being in the Sugar Bowl! Muschamp, learn some humility and shut your mouth! You’re throwing shade on the whole darn conference!! ESPN boards are going wild over this one. Thanks for feeding the trolls!
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:28 am
because arkansas plays the cowboys and i got cable in my weekly and the nfl net work not play games live,,,,,,,i had to pay 9.99 a month to hear my falcons on the radio,,,,,,,,,,but i got so much love for my city,,,,,,,,,,i did it,,,,,,, and now look at us,,,,,,,the Falcons doing things,,,,,,
bigdawg88
January 3rd, 2013
12:29 am
Big Crimson, those are the rules, couldn’t get around it. The rules are pretty stupid though.
Jason
January 3rd, 2013
12:32 am
Louisville dominated Florida.
bigdawg88
January 3rd, 2013
12:32 am
goFalcons, I feel your pain dude! I live in TN and have to watch Titans or Redskin games almost all the darn time! I may have to switch to Directv next year to get the NFL package. Dang! Almost makes me want to get some bootleg satellite!
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:32 am
Crimson you don’t know what you are talking about
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
12:37 am
goFalcons……………..Bi Cri 75 knows and has forgot more football than you will in 20 years of living.
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:45 am
i doubt that kid, i grew up at west clayton elem. school, went to north clayton jr high,,,,,that right we not middle school but jr high, then riverdale high school when the raider was white not today when the mascot is a black raider……..i grew up with J hancock was the word and when he came to our school we say SAT SAT cause he was dumb but i pulled for him when he made it to the nba and played for our hawks,,,,,,,i was the one with our knights at hockey games says KNIGHTS loud when they american anth, was played for our minor leag. hockey team,,,,,,,,,,son,,,,,,,, i know more then you will ever know
Big Crimson 75
January 3rd, 2013
12:47 am
51 — I know.
I’m just honored to be in the presence.
St Richt is responsible for the most fragile fan base in the Country.
I gotta spar with whack-jobs.
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:49 am
FYI KID J. DUPRI WAS A LEGEND AT WEST CLAYTON ELEMENTRY SCHOOL CAUSE HE STAR IN THE WHODINI VID. LONG BEFORE SO SO DEF,,,,,,DON’T EVER TRY TO TEST MY KNOWLEDGE,,,,,,,,YOU WILL LOSE
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
12:51 am
goFalcons………are you DRUNK now? What the hell are you trying to say? Rappers and College and NFL football are the same HOW?
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
12:57 am
I AM SAYING I WAS AT RIVERDALE PLAYING AGAINST DJ SHOCKLY AND HE WAS TO FAST FOR ME,,,,,I AM SAYING WHEN I WAS AT RIVERDALE LEON DILLARD WAS A GOD AND SIGNED WITH UGA BUT NEVER WAS NOTHING IN THE COLLEGE RANKS,,,,,,,I PLAYED WITH THE BEST SO BELIEVE ME KID,,,,I KNOW WHAT I AM SAYING
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
1:04 am
I AM TALKING ABOUT BEING ON THE BLACK HAWKS BEFORE THEY TORE DOWN OUR REC PLAYING OL. NATIONAL AND SANDTOWN AND EAST POINT AND THEY CHEAT BUT WE BATTLE THEM HARD,,,,,,,THEN POINT SOUTH IN JR HIGH, THEN THE WORLD IS HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE NORTH CLAYTON STUDENTS BEHIND THE PHONE LINES WENT TO RIVERDALE, AND OTHER RIVERDALE KIDS WENT TO A KNEW SCHOOL CALLED MT. ZION
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
1:07 am
I AM TALKING ABOUT VICTOR HILL BEING OUR SHERIFF BEING A CRIMINAL IN MY COUNTY AND STILL GET ELECTED,,,,,BUT MY PARENTS LEFT ME MY HOME THAT I BORN AND RAISED IN AND WHEN THIS JOB IS DONE I BE RIGHT BACK IN THE 30296 TO REP THE TRUTH
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
1:11 am
goFalCOON………….the more you go Ghetto and yell the BriteR you seem. LOL
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
1:14 am
SO KID WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHO KNOWS MORE????????? I AM READY
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
1:18 am
CLAYTON COUNTY IS NOT GHETTO IDIOT, WAKE UP AND LOOK AT THE NORTH SIDE,,,,,,,WE NOT HAVE GANG PROBLEMS LIKE THE NORTHSIDE,,,WE HAVE MEXICANS CLOSE TO RIVERDALE IN FOREST PARK BUT THEY NOT MESS WITH ME BUT THE NORTH SIDE HAS GANG PROBLEMS,,,,,WHEN I GREW UP WE HUNG AT LITTLE 5 PTS BECAUSE BUCKHEAD WAS YUPPIES,,,,,,,,,,GUESS WHAT BUCK HEAD BECAME THE GANG LAND AND WE HANG IN HAPEVILLE AND LOL AT THE RICH UP NORTH THAT THOUGHT THEY BETTER THEN US,,,,WE GET LAST LAUGH
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
1:20 am
YOU RIDE 75 SOUTH AND COME TO FRONTAGE RD ON FOREST PARK AND SEE THE 18TH STREET AND SURENO SIGNS,,,,,,BUT THEY COOL THEY NOT MESS WITH NOBODY BUT GO TO THE RICH NORTHSIDE AND SEE THE CRIME,,,,,,ENOUGH SAID
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
1:24 am
goFalcons……………you are an English major with a PhD in politics too right? LOL
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
1:26 am
Sorry I don’t do 75 south unless I go to Savannah or Sea Island. I like 85 south to my farm in Palmetto much better.
goFalcons
January 3rd, 2013
1:29 am
GLAD TO KNOW YOUR TRUE COLORS BUT COME 75 SOUTH AND AT THE FOREST PARK EXIT WE HAVE THE FARMERS MARKET AND YOU CAN GET ANYTHING YOU WANT KID