Fighting to the finish, Georgia overrides Florida – and history
A sight seldom seen in Jacksonville: Mark Richt victorious. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
Jacksonville — At halftime Mark Richt invoked the fresh memory of the St. Louis Cardinals. “Guys that don’t quit have a chance,” he told his Georgia Bulldogs.
Much later, Richt would tell the assembled media: “We didn’t quit.”
Folks can and will argue over the worth of one victory over a Florida team that hasn’t won since September, but no one can question the weight that had fallen on the Bulldogs regarding their strange inability to win this one game. “There was some history and some demons,” Richt said, and the way this game began it was as if those demons would beat Georgia by themselves.
Florida’s first play from scrimmage netted 72 yards. Its first touchdown came on a fourth-and-19 pass 7 1/2 minutes into the game. (Who goes for it on fourth-and-19 so early in any game?) Its second touchdown came on a 99-yard kickoff return by its second-best returner. Everything that had gone wrong for Georgia in this series the past two decades was going wrong all at once, but that, in a weird way, might have been for the best.
Said cornerback Brandon Boykin: “You could say a lot of bad things happened. We had to calm down. But this team is special. After we lost to Boise, I told people, ‘Don’t worry about this team.’ We’ve bounced back.”
Said offensive coordinator Mike Bobo of his team’s 17-3 deficit: “Nobody said, ‘Hey, here we go again.’ ”
Surely a few Bulldogs thought it, but they put aside any nattering negativity to focus on the task at hand. Said Todd Grantham, the defensive coordinator: “That game was a test of our mental toughness. We kept going. We kept playing the next play.”
One play changed this game and maybe the course of Georgia’s season. The same Richt who’d ordered a field goal on fourth-and-goal against Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl last December rediscovered the nerve that had marked him as a young head coach. Ninety seconds before halftime, his team down 14 points, Richt had Aaron Murray throw into the end zone on fourth-and-five. Michael Bennett hauled it down, and from there Georgia believed.
Said Alec Ogletree, the superb linebacker: “Once the offense scored right before halftime, we fed off that.”
The Gators’ offense, overseen by the famous Charlie Weis, would manage 32 yards and one first down in the second half against Grantham’s defenders. With quarterback John Brantley unable to work under center due to an ankle injury, Florida went almost exclusively to the empty backfield, and Grantham, cogitating on the fly, trumped Weis at every turn.
Grantham: “It’s a credit to our players … From halftime on, we were playing a new game plan.”
Midway through the third quarter, Richt did it again. His team down seven points, Richt chose to have Murray throw again — to different receiver down a different sideline — on fourth-and-six, and Tarvarres King outfought Jaylen Watkins for the ball. At last, the game was tied. It would come untied due to a field goal generated by another long kickoff return, but by then Georgia had made its point: This day would not be like other days against the hated Gators.
Richt: “I just thought the best thing to do was to go for it on fourth down. I just felt like we needed a touchdown. I didn’t think threes were going to get it.”
The fourth quarter was all Bulldogs, and they celebrated in a way that far outstripped a four-point victory over a 4-4 opponent. What did this game mean? Said King: “Everything. We’re back.”
Again, that might be overstating. But when a team has failed so often in this venue, any break in the pattern is major news. “Now that it’s over,” Richt said, “I can say, ‘Yeah, it was a big deal.’ It was a big deal for me personally.”
For two years we’ve parsed Georgia results and asked, “What does this mean for Richt’s job status?” After Saturday, we can say this much for sure: Richt’s Bulldogs started 0-2 but have won six in a row; they’ve beaten Florida, which hadn’t happened since 2007, and they’ve kept themselves in position to take the SEC East if South Carolina slips. At this moment, it’s almost impossible to imagine Georgia parting ways with this coach anytime soon.
No, this isn’t the most polished bunch you’ll see. (Richt described his special team as “mostly average to scary.”) But Georgia spotted Florida 14 points and held its nerve in a way the Gators — 14 penalties for 106 yards — could not. In a game where the Bulldogs invariably invent ways to lose, they found a way to win. They might not be the smoothest-running bunch, but these ‘Dogs will hunt — and fight.
By Mark Bradley
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932 comments Add your comment
UGA 24 UF 20 48-40-2
October 29th, 2011
11:29 pm
Chomp on that, beeyatches.
UGA2002 is a fraud
October 29th, 2011
11:29 pm
UGA2002
October 29th, 2011
11:20 pm
Wow, nobody will even notice Georgia beat Florida. GT just beat Clemson. GT can beat top 5 teams, when is the last time we beat a top 25 team?
Yeah, Tech is great. Clemson was great. Did you see all of that great passing. Only 7-8 dropped passes. No defense. Yeah, they were the 5th best team in the country.
ole dawg
October 29th, 2011
11:29 pm
So who you gonna hire UGA 2002? Give me your coaches name? If you are going to fire the most successful coach in UGA history you damn well better have a sure fire better coach already hired.
Fair and Balanced
October 29th, 2011
11:30 pm
We won? Am I dreaming that Im writing on ajc blog? Ga won? No wait…….this will all be different when I wake up.
funny...
October 29th, 2011
11:30 pm
Some of you need to just enjoy the win.
Save the Richt crap for some other time, really.
The only thing I’ll say about coaching is that Bobo really needs to go by the end of the season.
War Dang Dawg
October 29th, 2011
11:31 pm
Good point, Dawg enuff. Last year Florida won by 3 in OT against the worst Georgia team since 1996, our last losing season. But unlike Ckgator, I’m not into moral victories. You either win or you don’t.
athdog
October 29th, 2011
11:31 pm
ole dawg,
Wisdom…finally.
ole dawg
October 29th, 2011
11:31 pm
Oh yeah UGA 2002… prove that a BCS NC will never happen under Richt.
funny...
October 29th, 2011
11:32 pm
Ralph Friedgen will be available at the end of the year.
He’d straighten this offense out.
funny...
October 29th, 2011
11:33 pm
Also, I’m very concerned we don’t have a special teams coach. Georgia has so much money they don’t even know what do with it all.
HIre a coach for Christ sake. Until then, just kick the ball out of bounds. Ball on the 40 is better than a TD. I mean really.
athdog
October 29th, 2011
11:33 pm
however, we absolutely HAVE to get this kick coverage figured out and IMO, we also have to figure out why we get the ball TO the redzone, but have such a hard time getting it IN from there. Looks to me like playcalling. We’ve got plenty of tools, I just think we don’t use ‘em well sometimes.
UGA2002
October 29th, 2011
11:33 pm
BTW Athensdawg, we didn’t have a top 5 recruiting class this year. We haven’t had one of those according to ESPN since 2008 and when we did- we were #5.
And what have we done with that? 6-7 last year with a UCF loss? 0-2 to start the easiest schedule in the SEC?
To say everything is fine is what everyone outside of Athens should want to hear.
What we got today was a gift that only means something to a UGA fan but newsflash, UF is now 2-4 in the SEC and we didn’t even earn our W.
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 29th, 2011
11:34 pm
ole dawg…..despite today’s win against a really bad UF team (who got beat by more than 30 pts by both LSU and AL)….
we are STILL 2-10 against ranked teams!!!!
Sir, you need to raise your standards…..unless, mediocrity is your thing
funny...
October 29th, 2011
11:34 pm
If you wanted to fire Richt.
I wonder if McGarity would go after Pete Carrol. That would be about the only guy I can think Georgia could get that would be a step up.
funny...
October 29th, 2011
11:35 pm
You know what I like….
It’s a year of this.
funny...
October 29th, 2011
11:36 pm
Muschamp is still 0 for Jacksonville and 3-5 as an asst/head coach against UGA.
Barney
October 29th, 2011
11:36 pm
UGA beats a 4-4 team and acts like they’ve won the Super Bowl!!!
War Dang Dawg
October 29th, 2011
11:36 pm
Ole dawg, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Richt is more successful than Dooley. He needs 4 more SEC championships and a national title before he can pull even with Dooley. And Dooley didn’t get the two automatic wins that today’s coaches get, with the I-AA and directional schools. Take the La.-La.’s, Georgia Southern’s, and Idaho State’s off of Richt’s record and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a better winning percentage than Dooley.
But we beat Florida today, and for now, that’s good enough for me. I agree we should get off Richt’s back for the time being.
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 29th, 2011
11:37 pm
a couple of observations:
Murray has not progressed since last year
Crowell is more interested in flashing his lovely hair braids
Special teams???…….enough said
Bobo’s playcalling is mind boggling
Fire Richt and the whole lot….except Grantham
My dream: Chris Petersen or Gus Malzahn with our stout defense led by Grantham
funny...
October 29th, 2011
11:38 pm
Those of you whining about a BCS NC really have no idea how tough it is to play and win that.
02 – 13-1 probably would have won if the season falls correctly
05 – If DJ doesn’t get hurt we beat UF and probably Auburn as well
07 – Bad loss to USC really hurt us but that team was amazing.
It’s not like UGA has been too far from a BCS NC.
ole dawg
October 29th, 2011
11:38 pm
Uh STILL… let’s talk about what the score was in the AL-FL game while Brantley was still in the game for Gators. That seems to be a fair comparison. How many yards was it that Brantley had on Saban/Smart mighty AL defense?
RCB
October 29th, 2011
11:38 pm
Did I hear the faint tone of sorrow or has it just been too long since this writer has said “I was wrong and I am sorry”. Forgivenees is a wonderful gift and Mr. Richt would be more than happy to offer that gift to you Mr. Bradley. All you have to do is ask.
Roger
October 29th, 2011
11:39 pm
The Great 8:
Mitchell, Jones, Bennett, King, Ogletree, Jenkins, Boykin, Commings, Samuel, all stepped up and made some big plays.
Murray had his worst game of the year, as expected, we’ve all come to see Murray crumble under pressure, 40% accuracy, interception, and his worst QB rating of the year.
Charles dissapeared again in a big game, as usual.
UGA2002
October 29th, 2011
11:39 pm
@ole dawg, probabilities are not in his favor. Look up the tenure of coaches that have won.
athdog
October 29th, 2011
11:39 pm
funny..
Pete Carroll? The same guy who is the cause of USC to be on probation/loss of Heisman trophy/loss of scholarships Pete Carroll? No, I think not.
However, I like the Friedgen idea a lot..
DawgByte
October 29th, 2011
11:40 pm
This could easily be billed as “The Inept Bowl”. I can’t recall the last time I saw a more ugly game. Georgia’s Special Teams are anything but Special. Even Butler figured out a way to stink up the field. For a program worth $483,000,000 you’d think we could afford a Special Teams coach. There’s no excuse for such horrendous play.
In the Inept Bowl UGA found a way to stink up the field a little less than Florida, although Aaron Murray tried real hard to keep pace with the Gator’s swankiness. The good news for Georgia fans is taking solace in the fact that Florida flat out sucks, I mean really sucks! I don’t think Galen Hall ever coached a Florida team this bad.
Hats off to Jarvis Jones. He’s been a beast all year and was THE MAN today for Georgia. Without Jones we lose this game, it’s that simple. Grantham made some great adjustments at halftime and stuffed Florida for net 62 yards in the second half. Well Done!
Time to celebrate this much needed victory and get back to the drawing board!
UGA2002
October 29th, 2011
11:40 pm
@bradley: At this moment, it’s almost impossible to imagine Georgia parting ways with this coach anytime soon.
You may be right, and that’s bad for UGA.
HEATHER DINICH IS A MORON
October 29th, 2011
11:40 pm
YEAH YOU DODO’S DID A GREAT JOB BEATING UP ON THOSE BCS 5TH RANKED …OH WAIT THAT WAS GA TECH…MY BAD
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 29th, 2011
11:42 pm
funny……ifs, buts, coulda, woulda, shoulda
fact is four other SEC teams have won the last 5 BCS NC…….UGA has as much money, recruits, facilities, as any of them….if not more
UGA hasn’t won……so if all things being the same….what’s the difference??
Yup….coaching
ChiliDawg
October 29th, 2011
11:44 pm
Thank goodness. It wasn’t pretty, but we beat Florida. Did I mention that we beat Forida. Excuse me for repeating myself, but we really beat Florida. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Then stop gripping and pull for the Dawgs. I bet much of the criticism is coming from people who never played a down, their comments sound like they’ve played and coached all their lives. Did I mention we beat Florida and have won six in a row? Go Dawgs!
Nashdawg
October 29th, 2011
11:44 pm
Yes we all know the special teams play was horrible. Yes Blair is having a horrible season….blah…blah….blah. But the bottom line is the dogs won. Shut up Tech punks and Florida cry babies.
ole dawg
October 29th, 2011
11:44 pm
So UGA2002, what makes another coaches probabilities better? Unless of course you have a commitment from a coach that has won a NC.
Jim
October 29th, 2011
11:44 pm
Good win for Georgia—worst kickoff coverage I have ever seen in one game, terrible field goal/punting game, and a bad quaqrterback. Somebody needs to deal with this or they will not beat Auburn.
Buzzzzzzz
October 29th, 2011
11:44 pm
I’m so proud that Tech won with its student-athletes, unlike the shameful cesspool of remedial studies goons in Athens.
Go, Yellow Jackets!
Ward
October 29th, 2011
11:44 pm
For all us UGA fans, we should definitely savor this for the rest of the night…BUT, come tomorrow we will face the reality that we still have accomplished nothing this year. As it stands right now, no team we have beaten has a winning record. Murray has regressed this year, he holds the call too long, does not have command of the offense as much as one would hope, and just makes bad plays at times when we can ill afford them…Our offensive line, which is the biggest in pro and college football, continues to let too many people come through on pass rush and opens very few holes for the running game AND we lost our best lineman for the rest of the year to a broken leg… Bobo still shows no rythm calling plays almost 4 years of being an offensive coordinator. Some drives are brilliant, but too many are just plain head scratching…Our special teams coaching by committee is proving to be a major flaw for a team that once was known for great special teams; our once clutch kickers have regressed even more than our QB, which seems impossible…Our defense is showing some progress and that is encouraging, but I still see a lot of missed assignments that get covered up when the other teams makes their own mistakes and we still have problems covering the back out of the backfield… Look I am happy to have won 6 in a row and have one of those be a victory of Florida, but I still think Auburn and Tech will get us this year and we will be 8-4… far better than last year, but not good enough!!!
Even if we go 9-3 or 10-2, we still need major changes with this program…
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 29th, 2011
11:45 pm
UGA2002…..I disagree.
Only the most delusional of UGA fans would believe beating Florida today is as meaningful as beating a Spurrier team……McGarrity (hopefully) is smarter than that……
athdog
October 29th, 2011
11:45 pm
Nice win by Tech tonight….dominant, one might say. One might also say ‘yeah, well it was Clemson
and that’s what they do’. Anyway, congrats to the Jackets. Looking forward to stomping some more
bumblebee butt.
Athensdawg
October 29th, 2011
11:45 pm
2 SEC Titles….prior to him it had been 18+ years
3 Division Titles
90 wins in 9 years
75% winning percentage
7-2 record in Bowl Games (multiple BCS Victories)
Only team in Div 1 to have 8 wins/year+ every year since ‘97
Domination of in-state rival
top 5 recruiting classes the last 4 years
Richt had UGA in contention for a “National Title”, whatever that means in a world with no playoffs, in 2007. They did get screwed over by the joke that is the BCS.
ole dawg
October 29th, 2011
11:47 pm
STILL… sounds like you are saying that there are only 5 good coaches in the country and the rest suck. Sounds like you better hire one of those 5 if you let Richt go.
Buzz 2011
October 29th, 2011
11:47 pm
Which ranked team did the Dawgs take down today??
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 29th, 2011
11:47 pm
ole Dawg…..you really are old aren’t you????
Saban, Miles, Meyer, Chizik all won NC and never won them before!!!
Richt’s been here 10 years and hasn’t sniffed one. Hell he couldn’t win with a team with 2 first rounders and a second rounder (Stafford, Moreno, Massaquoi)
wins-by-a-link
October 29th, 2011
11:48 pm
It was not very pretty but it was a win, Special teams were again lacking in effort, Richt must adress special teams concerns, Hire a special teams coach. Murray again had problems hitting receivers, Running game still a concern, Sammuel stepped up made a difference, Crowell may come around but right now he still has a ways to go. This team could have quit after going down 17-3 but to thier credit they didn’t, Defense again again played a great game.
jerry
October 29th, 2011
11:49 pm
I hear Goff is available and Donnan could use the money.
athdog
October 29th, 2011
11:49 pm
Dear Buzzzz
You didn’t see the APR report earlier this week, huh? The whole ’student athlete’ comment? Can it.
ole dawg
October 29th, 2011
11:50 pm
STILL.. just want you to tell me who you are going to hire that is going to bring us this guaranteed NC? Simple question.
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 29th, 2011
11:50 pm
Athens Dawg……at the end of your Richt loving list…..please insert my nickname……followed by “…over the past 5 years”
FIVE YEARS of this nonsense!!!! Enough’s enough!!!
stendek
October 29th, 2011
11:51 pm
To all the posterior kissers of Saint Mark Wretch. Love mediocrity? I certainly do not! I attended the University of Georgia. I have lived through the highs and lows of Dawg football for over half a century. It is from that seasoning that I see something very wrong with the Dawgs over the last several seasons. The last complete Dawg effort was the blowout of Hawaii. That was a long time ago. If this past performance was graded it would be A for defense, C for offense, C for coaching and F- for special teams. Remember the coaches had two weeks to prepare for a vastly inferior Gator squad. For the jerk who loves stats plus the winning streak I offer this:
Ranked Boise State. Embarrassing loss.
Overrated South Carolina. Choke at home.
Coastal Carolina Community College. Duh.
Unranked Mississippi. Expected win.
Unranked Mississippi St. Expected win.
Unranked Tennessee. Expected win.
Unranked Vanderbilt. Expected win.
Unranked Florida. Expected win
The Dawgs have done well on the practice tests but failed the two exams miserably. So spare me the past records. Stats are for losers. The losing mindset in my beloved UGA football program will take decades to reverse after Saint Wretch is long done. True Dawg fans see this clearly!
UGA2002
October 29th, 2011
11:52 pm
When we beat GT back in 2009, that was the last time we beat a team that ended the season with a winning record.
wow we’re on fire! We beat 4-4 Florida and we’re going crazy about it because CMR was 2-8 against them, now he is 3-9!!! Lets go destroy St. Simons!!!!
(STILL) 2-10 against ranked teams
October 29th, 2011
11:52 pm
Ole dawg…..no guarantees in life, an old fella like you should know better by now.
About the closest thing to a guarantee is that Richt (based on past 10+ years of performance) will not win one…
Me?? I’d take my chances with Chris Petersen, Malzahn
jerry
October 29th, 2011
11:53 pm
Richt did have the Dawgs ranked #1 in preseason. That’s better than nothing.