Same old story: Turnovers doom Dogs against Gators
Aaron Murray finally had a game where he looked like a redshirt freshman, but he also led a remarkable comeback by the Dogs. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
I had a sinking feeling as they broke for the half in the Georgia-Florida game when Urban Meyer told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson, “You look at the history of this series, turnovers win the game. That’s gonna be the key to the second half.”
At the time, his team was leading 21-7 largely because the Dogs had turned the ball over and missed on at least one take-away. As it turned out, Georgia battled back valiantly in the second half to tie the game up twice and send it to overtime. But in the end, Meyer proved to be the seer, as a tipped ball on third down of Georgia’s first OT possession was intercepted by the Gators, giving them the ball and the chance to win it with a field goal by their backup kicker.
I guess you can say that losing a thriller by 3 points in overtime certainly marks some sort of progression over the past two years, when the Dogs were hammered by the Gators, but when you consider that Georgia was favored this year over a Tim Tebow-less Florida team on a three-game losing streak, the end result doesn’t hurt much less than the two previous losses.
The Gators got off to a slow start in the scoreless first quarter, as has been typical of them this year, but then it was all Florida in the second quarter as the game looked to be headed toward a repeat of the same old tired scenario that has plagued Georgia most of the past decade. Despite their talk this week about approaching the Jacksonville showdown as just another SEC game, it was obvious that the Dogs were playing extremely tight, and the turnover problem that had largely disappeared over the previous three games returned with a vengeance.
It wasn’t just the times Georgia turned the ball over. It was the Dogs’ inability to accept the gifts that Florida tried to give them. It wasn’t a case of the ball bouncing wrong; it was Georgia not covering. One fumble Sanders Commings tried to pick up and run with instead of just jumping on the ball, and the Gators ended up getting it back. Another time the Dogs recovered a fumble only to immediately lose it. And with 24 seconds left in regulation Bacarri Rambo had a potential interception hit him in the hands but couldn’t hold on to it.
The tendency might be to lay the blame for this loss on the fact that Aaron Murray definitely had his worst game. I remember back during the depths of the Dogs’ four-game losing streak someone noting that the play of Murray had been the lone bright spot and wondering, “Imagine how it would be if he had a bad game and played like a redshirt freshman.” Well, that happened in the first half, as Murray was frequently off in his passes (a 63-yard scoring strike to Tavarres King in the second quarter being the main exception) and coughed the ball up on a sack.
But Murray looked sharp most of the time in the second half as he led the Dogs back and Georgia outscored Florida 24-10. One thing you can say about this group of Dogs is that they don’t give up. As Mark Richt noted after the game, even on that interception in OT, they could have just let the Florida defender run it back for a score but the last two Georgia players finally managed to force him out of bounds at the 1-yard line. In the end, the Gators still prevailed, but it wasn’t because of a lack of effort on the part of the Dogs.
Not much consolation, though, considering this was the year Georgia looked best positioned to come out of Jacksonville with a win. Facing Trey Burton another three or four years isn’t a very heartening prospect.
I’ll be back Sunday afternoon with more thoughts on the game. Until then, feel free to share your views of the latest loss to the Gators.
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425 comments Add your comment
GTDog
October 31st, 2010
3:07 pm
Thanks GR82BAG8R….we’ll see in a few weeks. I feel the same about that game as I did going into the game with you guys…possible, but probably not.
I tell you though, I don’t understand the sniping about that Brantley kid, I thought he looked good yesterday. I’m looking forward some really good games in Jax the next few years…
GTDog
October 31st, 2010
3:09 pm
Wow, POWERDOG, a sane voice on here! Whew, what a relief…and MDAWG, I was over at AU a few weeks ago looking in their trophy case, but I didn’t see that NC trophy? Did Charles tip that one over too? lol
HUMPGATOR
October 31st, 2010
3:09 pm
DTDog: georgia beating auburn… dream on!
Vance
October 31st, 2010
3:12 pm
I said before the game that I would believe a win when I see it. Valiant effort. Mark Richt’s legacy will be he was the coach that “almost was, but never quite got there.” I admire him and appreciate what he’s doing at UGA, but he is 2-8 against UF–despite all efforts, even he has not been able to get UGA over the UF hump.
GTDog
October 31st, 2010
3:30 pm
Actually, I’m not the guy who said UGA would beat AU, that was from a different post.
However, while agreeing that it’s not likely UGA will win that game, if you believe it’s impossible, you are sdaly mistaken…
GTDog
October 31st, 2010
3:40 pm
I believe that about Richt’s legacy being the guy that ALMOST got there! I remember those other guys on the list: Paterno, Bowden, Dooley, Spurrier, Mack Brown. I recall when ALL those guys were being talked about as good coaches who just couldn’t get it done…tsk, tsk, tsk
Not too late
October 31st, 2010
3:42 pm
First of all, get rid of Ealey, King, Green, and Rambo. They just inept thug wannabes who are just taking up space on the roster and tying up scholarships.
Then fire Mark Richt.
GTDog
October 31st, 2010
3:44 pm
Man, I’m glad I don’t play ball anymore, I’d go nuts reading this crap…
Losing the Battle
October 31st, 2010
3:48 pm
UGA is just a second tier program.
Serious Dawg fans need to start organizing and demanding that Richt be fired. Otherwise, sports writers will be asking the same question this time a year from now.
Richt represents mediocrity. Saban and Meyer represent excellence and championships. Richt simply isn’t in their class, nor will he ever be. Richt would have to be incredibly lucky to win the division, and the odds against him winning the SEC championship would be at least 50:1.
Those are the simple facts, and there’s no amount of enthusiasm or cheerleading or Top 5 recruiting classes that can get around it.
As they say in poker, “Read ‘em and weep.”
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 31st, 2010
3:50 pm
Reality Check Time
Next year Tennessee will still be down
South Carolina will not be as good on defense
KY and Vanderbilt who cares
So we could easily win against those teams and be in the hunt
but
Since we have an inept staff that cannot beat FL we will just watch another SEC championship game at home
THE (G) ON THE MUTTS HELMET STANDS 4 GATOR
October 31st, 2010
4:37 pm
I AM GLAD TO SEE THE HILLBILLIES SUFFER!
Young Georgia Fan
October 31st, 2010
5:14 pm
Commings sucks, point black period.
chazzo
October 31st, 2010
5:28 pm
I don’t have any answers. But, it is plain to see that it’s time to face the music. Something just plain doesn’t work at UGA and seems beyond fixing. If Richt is going, make it now.
Delbert D.
October 31st, 2010
5:28 pm
Things could be worse. Notre Dame lost to Tulsa, and lost their QB and leading rusher to season-ending injuries in the process. Notre Dame has top 10 recruiting classes, too.
Gator Guy
October 31st, 2010
5:44 pm
Thanks UGA for the warm-up before heading to Atlanta—you guys gave us a better scrimmage than you normally do. Anyway, enjoy the Peanut Dip Bowl, or wherever it is 3rd rate programs like yours go!!!!See you next year, that is if enough of your players can get permission from their probation officers to travel out of state again!!!!hahahahahahahaha
45ACP
October 31st, 2010
5:46 pm
Losing is not all bad. There is more elbow room on the bandwagon now.
A lot of the DINO’s jumping off.
What??
October 31st, 2010
6:34 pm
I don’t know about the rest of you UGA fans but I am sick and tired of loosing to Florida.
That being said I could sit here and discuss all of the things that UGA did wrong, but what would be the benifit of that discussion? Absolutely NOTHING!
Lets face the cold hatd facts here. Richt is a good man. The kind of man that you admire. The kind of man that has “heart” for his fellow man.
The sad part is that he has fallen as a coach. Richt is not willing to change his thought process for game planning and “style of play” required to win the SEC. Forget the BCS title!
The best thing that UGA can do at this point is make a business decision. One without emotion. One that will be for the advancement of the football program.
As I said before, Richt is a good man. That should not be the factor in deciding IF he should retain his job as the coach for UGA. That decision should/ shall be based on his performance. That performance has fallen far short of expectation.
G8TR
October 31st, 2010
7:24 pm
Please keep Mark Richt. We need to see him on the sideline again next year. Much appreciated.
T-DAWG
October 31st, 2010
7:56 pm
My DAWG is a puppy after all….
g8rman
October 31st, 2010
9:24 pm
no Tebow?…no problem….
BoWeevil
October 31st, 2010
9:47 pm
BLIND HOMERS
&
1eyedJack
“one of the best games I’ve ever seen”
?
We lost 8 times out of 10, and from the outside, this was one of the best games you’ve ever seen. Yeah, if you are a Florida fan. Let me assure you that falling behind 21-7, three times our score to a team who just lost the last 3 games in a row before playing us, watching us inexplicably go for 2 after we had to settle for a field goal to make it 21-10, then 21-16, and then score again after their score score again and have to go for 2 and make it to tie, then settle for overtime and have them catch yet our 4th interception, not to mention the 34-yard sack and fumble along with our inability to just fall on their fumble inside their 20-yard line, then coming in here and having to endure BLIND HOMERS telling us all what horrible fans we are; that the game was no fun to start with, got us thinking that we just knew we were going to blow it somehow and then fizzling out all together so quickly in overtime, that it was
NO FUN
11 Arrests 4 Wins
November 1st, 2010
7:36 am
18 out of 21….8 out of 10….same ol GA
11 Arrests 4 Wins
November 1st, 2010
7:39 am
Wasn’t it the “great” AJ Green that tipped the balled in OT? Well, if he could “tip” it—why didn’t he catch it? I thought he was so great. Seems he’s not. Just another over-rated, over-hyped GA playuh.
Gators baby!!
November 1st, 2010
4:10 pm
I’ll say this for UGA, they don’t give up. They really had me worried until the very end. They had complained about Bobo and I kind of saw what they meant when they got into OT. So glad to see my Gators get back to winning, but Georgia did play their tails off, so I’ll give them some credit. If I’m not mistaken, Richt is now 2-8 against us, so I wonder if he’ll be their coach next year. If I was them, I’d look at that record and say enough is enough, but then again, what good, proven coaches are avaleable right now? Probably should throw some money at Gary Patterson or Jim Harbough and see if that works.
Nethalmenthees
November 1st, 2010
8:40 pm
You have a tiny weenee penney