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
JB
October 30th, 2011
8:40 am
Beating Florida was like a Tech guy finally getting laid in a woman’s prison…..The odds were to great not to happen. They have NO running backs and a QB who could not move one step in the pocket. We better of won.
THE WILLSTER
October 30th, 2011
8:40 am
Huge win for those Damn dawgs!! Love it. Good to see the dawgs get past the history and the demons and all of the lil’ jimmies(that was for the miz), and defeat so sorry a- gators!!
Excuses count
October 30th, 2011
8:40 am
Tampa, Gator… I think the refs are more mature than that. I don’t think their relationship with Muschamp influenced their calls… some calls can go either way and we got them this time….I think the real pain for Gator fans is not just losing to UGA but the state of the program in general… Lots of talent on that Gator team but no chemistry and Muschamp was the wrong hire in my opinion.
edumacated
October 30th, 2011
8:40 am
Tampa,
Your point is taken about the calls, but coming on here and saying “you beat us, but we aren’t that good, so you aren’t any good either,” or “Bammer’s gonna kill you by 30″, whether true or not, is not cool.
Yellow Fuzz
October 30th, 2011
8:41 am
Mark:
I’m still trying to understand your “Truth is Tech’s not very good” article. See you and the dog nation next month!
YF
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 30th, 2011
8:42 am
virginia dog
Good point about the going for it and not kicking the field goal; something I have complained for years about RIcht’s conservatism that has stymied this football team i.e UCF
But I know once we get our kicking game back RIcht will go back to kicking it instead of going for it and building the teams confidence
JB
October 30th, 2011
8:44 am
Interesting during the last 2 years on here being lectured by Florida fans about not supporting our team and coach. How we ought to be behind them regardless………………Go to the Gator board this AM and do a little reading……….It’s spelled Karma.
The Voice
October 30th, 2011
8:44 am
Congrats to UGA for the win. This is a year for streaks to be broken. Come on to our house at 9-2. We are looking forward to it,
GT
October 30th, 2011
8:44 am
Mental toughness is winning against a team you are not suppose to beat. Mental illness is losing to a team you are suppose to beat. Georgia is barely healthy and has no team on its radar that should beat them in the SEC. South Carolina has Arkansas. From here I think Arkansas and Georgia have a lot to worry about.
Yellow Fuzz
October 30th, 2011
8:45 am
Congrats to the Dogs and TO HELL WITH THE AH DOG NATION FANS!
Sourgrapes
October 30th, 2011
8:46 am
Dawgs didn’t not win that game as much as Florida lost it, and the refs helped. Dawgs, you’re looking good, but the best teams you’ve beaten this year have 4 wins out of 8 or 9 played. I wouldn’t stencil in “2011 National Championship” on the side of your double-wide just yet.
I find it *hilarious* that UGA fans are giving Gator fans crap about their highly ranked recruiting class. That’s what we call “irony”
Tampa Gator
October 30th, 2011
8:47 am
RedandBlackDawg…..
Since you made some points…….
1. Demps was about at 60 perenct speed yesterday and could not cut on his damaged ankle.
2. Rainey badly injured his ankle in the first half and played at about 50% in the second half.
3. Rainey held the ball out like a loaf of bread on his fumble and just dropped the ball….hardly hit.
4. Jarvis Jones made a good play on Hammond, but he again did not protect the ball when he was being tackled (I have watched both plays over and over again this morning).
5. Chaz Green, Florida’s starting right tackle, did not play yesterday, causing Matt Patchan to move to the right side where Georgia was able to take advantage of his injured right thumb.
6. Xavier Nixon took Green’s spot and played left tackle and he has been terrible all year….and Jarvis Jones ate him alive.
7. Brantley….when he could move at all…..picked your secondary apart the entire first half. He obviously reinjured his ankle during the game and had no push off at all and was totally unable to pass the ball or move around at all in the second half (and, as I said, I am not sure why he was in the game in the second half).
8. Florida hardly tried to run the ball all day…..and the minus rushing yards came from the numerous sacks of the QB.
9. Georgia’s defense was NOT superior to Florida’s defense. If fact, I thought Florida’s defense was better. Georgia’s offense was better…..but not much better.
JB
October 30th, 2011
8:47 am
Good Question………….If Walsh was not in a slump, would Richt have gone for those 2 , heroic by the way, 4th down TD passes. or would he of kicked FG’s and we lost last night? It’s a fair question.
JB
October 30th, 2011
8:50 am
Tampa Gator…………….That’s all true……but every year when we march out our excuses for losing to you guys, we don’t get a lot of ” yes, that’s true” from you guys. We both took the field with what we had….and we won.
Reality
October 30th, 2011
8:51 am
That is the worst Florida team I’ve ever laid eyes on. Brantley couldn’t start for the Buford Wolves and has a 3rd leg.. Georgia is the most overrated team in the country.
JB
October 30th, 2011
8:52 am
I hope the other Tech teams shows up. The crummy one………………Who the hell was that last night in those gold helmets???????
Yellow Fuzz
October 30th, 2011
8:52 am
The dog players and coaches showed a lot of mental toughness. The AH, rabbid, dog nation fans continued to show a lot of the same mental illness. As I walked about a mile to my car after the game I kept thinking, What an embarrassment to the state of Georgia! Glad to live my life knowing that my degree from Georgia Tech will always supercede my wife’s (and AH inlaws) degree from georgia. Tech people are definately a cut above in every way. And, lol, georgia people know it.
Reality
October 30th, 2011
8:53 am
Your QB and freshman RB were exposed for being what they are: grossly overrated.
Fix uh flat
October 30th, 2011
8:54 am
Enter your comments here
Tampa Gator
October 30th, 2011
8:54 am
JB…..
Excuses are for losers……and Florida does not have any good excuses for losing yesterday…..but they have a lot of good reasons. And the main reason is…..they are not very good this year. But no teams in the SEC East are very good this year…..as clearly stated by Herb Herbstreit on ESPN Saturday morning when he said, “How irrelevant is the SEC East this year?” It is highly irrelevant because LSU and BAMA will destroy whatever team shows up from the East. Just a fact. More than likely……they will also destroy whatever team shows up in New Orleans for the BCS NC game. So I guess that makes the rest of the NCAA irrelevant when it comes to LSU and Bama this year.
Saltdawg
October 30th, 2011
8:55 am
You people really amaze me. You call yourself UGA fans but you continue to downplay the victory. Its pathetic, I see the reason why our fans are the laughing stock of the SEC bc we have no faith in our team or coaches. That sucks as a player, coach, and a true fan like I am. I will neva be upset over a win, yes we need to sure up some things on Offense and special teams, but we just beat Florida. Remember 3-18 in the last 21 meetings and the first win since 07. Players made plays to win the game. They executed when need be. Who cares bout bama or lsu? We need to support this team and hop on board bc thats the only way we will beat these two teams and make it back to being the premier SEC team again. Richt has done a helluva job so far after starting 0-2. Im all behind the staff and team. Great game guys, and Im glad to be a real GEORGIA BULLDOG FAN!!!!!!!! Go Dawgs!!!!
Blair Miss Project
October 30th, 2011
8:56 am
Walsh walked out on the turf for his last failed kick and his face was soooooooooo full of choke and I am a failure and just plain old tension, as he focused on the kick TV cameras were in his face and yu could see the fear. UGA has that kicker from Sacramento, Calif. so, let him wrap the season. Walsh is a head case now and is a bundle of nerves. He is a joke artist now. Yes, vs M M State he will hit maybe three and they will say he is back but he is done.
Murray is also a problem. YES, he hit two TDs and made those perfectly BUT our receivers Mike Bennett and T. King went up and handled and muscled the ball. THEY made tough GRABS on his pretty good lobs.
Murray had his soul mate Orson Charles wide open and over threw him about 8 yds. He also had Brown or King streaking twice down his left sideline and made errant throws. Murray is over rated.
UGA won, so for now …………………who cares.
Go Dogs.
News | MrSEC.com
October 30th, 2011
8:57 am
[...] Mark Bradley: “One play changed this game and maybe the course of Georgia’s [...]
Is this all we've got???
October 30th, 2011
8:57 am
Both teams were sloppy, and it was an ugly game. The best worst team won, but it’s certainly nothing to beat our chests over. SO WHAT?!?!?! Florida was horrible…we were just a little less horrible.
B'dawg
October 30th, 2011
8:58 am
I suppose if Penn Wager and his crew were calling the game the gators would have won, again, and Tampa we wouldnt be having this conversation about blown calls. The problem with Florida fans is that are horrible winners, but at the same time excuse laden losers.
Ted M
October 30th, 2011
8:58 am
Unfortunately it doesn’t look like Arkansas or Florida is good enough to beat SC.
WR Dawg
October 30th, 2011
9:01 am
Georgia was clearly the better team. Even Florida knew it. This was an unusual game in that both teams were trying to beat themselves more than the other team. Georgia early on with nerves and the whole game with woeful special teams were trying to hand the game to Florida. Florida’s offense was on a respirator the whole game except when we sold out on an unneeded blitz and didn’t hustle and stay in our lanes on special teams. Murray went into a funk with his timing on passes in the second half but in spite of it all we found a way to win. My nerves can’t take this every week. I am too old for this! Go DAWGs. Win however you can but JUST WIN BABY! But please practice special teams this week and open up the playbook a little bit Bobo! And don’t look past New Mexico State!!!! Too late for any more setbacks……….
Tampa Gator
October 30th, 2011
9:02 am
Reality…….
I attended Florida in the late 60s and early 70s……and those teams were the worst teams in Floirida history…….and John Brantley’s dad (who was in one of my classes back then) was the QB of a 1-10 Florida team. Now….that was a bad….a really bad Florida team. Florida is a very good wide receiver, a very talented OL, and a power RB from being a top tier team again. And those players may be on their way in this year’s recruiting class. And Driskell and/or Brissett are very, very talented QBs in Florida immediate future.
RTD
October 30th, 2011
9:02 am
Mark, you are still an ass! Go Dawgs.
Herbstriet's REAL Issue is UGA
October 30th, 2011
9:02 am
In Ray Goff’s era as UGA coach, UGA played Ohio State in the old Citrus Bowl and won.
Eric Zeir outperformed Herbsritt and Garrsion Hearst basically embarrassed their former Heisman candidate tailback Robert Smith, as UGA won like 24-7.
Kirk Herbstreit still carries that huge humiliation around to this day. A friend of my in NYC, while on business sat next to him in a restaurant about three years ago and they talked and this Cittus bowl thing came up. He is miffed to this very day. UGA chaps him to the core, so when he can, he hammers them. Fine. Free Country. Does not bother me.
Now ………………….. you know the rest of the story.
Gooooooooooooooooooo Dogs. Sic EM !!
Reality
October 30th, 2011
9:03 am
Agree w Blair Miss. The WR’s made great plays on the touchdown passes, but they were nothing special by Murray. He is nothing special- neither is Crowell. I’m really anxious to see how the defense fares against a halfway decent offense. Florida is horrible on both sides of the ball.
Reality
October 30th, 2011
9:05 am
Tampa Gator, I wasn’t alive then. But this Florida team is pretty darn bad. Brantley can’t even throw the ball inbounds. And he moves like Charlie Weis in the pocket.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 30th, 2011
9:05 am
Tampa Gator
Face this excuse
If UGA had better coaching the last 22 years the record would not be what is has been
UGA has had tremendous talent, but Bonehead coaches.
Im glad we won but Im not beating my chest like the other delusional UGA fans on here until we beat a good FL team or beat FL 2 yrs in a row
Until then we still are a middle of the road football team
Tampa Gator
October 30th, 2011
9:05 am
Ted M…..
Arkansas will beat South Carolina. And Brantley should be near 100 percent when the Gators play South Carolina…..and Florida is a totally different team when Brantley is 100 percent….ask Bama in the first half of that game if you don’t believe me.
I think Georgia will play either Bama or LSU in Atlanta………..and that is your nightmare to come.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 30th, 2011
9:06 am
Tampa Gaterd
Face this excuse
If UGA had better coaching the last 22 years the record would not be what is has been
UGA has had tremendous talent, but Bonehead coaches.
Im glad we won but Im not beating my chest like the other delusional UGA fans on here until we beat a good FL team or beat FL 2 yrs in a row
Until then we still are a middle of the road football team
JARVIS JONES
October 30th, 2011
9:06 am
ALL YOU OUT THERE INCLUDING MARK BRADLEY , WHO THOUGHT WE WOULD LOSE YOU CAN KISS OUR !@#$%^&*()
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 30th, 2011
9:07 am
Tampa Gator
Face this excuse
If UGA had better coaching the last 22 years the record would not be what is has been
UGA has had tremendous talent, but Bonehead coaches.
Im glad we won but Im not beating my chest like the other delusional UGA fans on here until we beat a good FL team or beat FL 2 yrs in a row
Until then we still are a middle of the road football team
Randy
October 30th, 2011
9:07 am
Give Georgia the win but all the while remember this. You beat a team with an injured quarterback. No RB’s an extremely young secondary, a head coach with no experience and a new defensive coordinator and an offensive coordinator with no players he chose. Add to that the fact they almost beat you then go have your parade. All the while Florida grins knowing it keeps Richt in Georgia a few more years.
B'dawg
October 30th, 2011
9:07 am
Why cant Florida admit, without excuses, they just got beat. When you play a rival like that, no matter who is hurt or not, you have a game plan. Last year we had the better team, but we lost because you guys had a game plan. This year you had the same speed players, AND we just played better defense. Your defense gave up 24. Our defense gave up 13. Our offense 24.Your offense 13. End of story.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 30th, 2011
9:07 am
Tampa Gator
Face this excuse
If UGA had better coaching the last 22 years the record would not be what is has been
Joey
October 30th, 2011
9:08 am
It’s a home game for Arkansas, Ted M, so it’s probably a 50-50 proposition.
I hope we win out, and maybe it’s best if SC does too. Let them get shellacked in Atlanta, and we’ll go play a Big Ten (Eleven, twelve?) team in the Outback.
Had Mitchell played
October 30th, 2011
9:08 am
Malcom Mitchell is UGA’s BEST wide out. He did not mke the trip. Keep this in mind Gators.
As an aside ………………….I was so proud of Marlon Brown in the first half, especially. He twisted and fought for every yd after making very nice hand grabs. I was happy and proud for him. He is a speciman at what ………….. 6′4″ and 225? He needs to really continue to make excellent strides. I like this kid.
Go Dogs.
Tampa Gator
October 30th, 2011
9:09 am
Reality…..
Do you not know that Brantley played the entire game on a severly damaged right ankle? Brantley was not very moble before the injury. No doubt he was not any more moble than Weis yesterday…if fact….Weis was probably a lot more moble than Brantley yesterday….come on man….read the newspaper, the net, or watch ESPN.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 30th, 2011
9:09 am
Tampa Gator
UGA has had tremendous talent, but Bonehead coaches.
LakeDawg
October 30th, 2011
9:10 am
@TampaGator
UGA 24 UF 20………ummmmmmmm, that Gator meat shore is tasty.
UGA's FROSH Conley
October 30th, 2011
9:11 am
Paulding County’s Chris Conley looked very good yesterday on a catch or two or three. He too is a large wide out. He will be a player next year. UGA has a goodun here and with Malcom Miitchell. Brown returning also will be good news, along with Michael Bennett and Valdosta’s Jay Rome at TE in 2012 and beyond.
Go Dogs.
Evansdawg
October 30th, 2011
9:11 am
Bennett is a bad-a$$!!!
Tampa Gator
October 30th, 2011
9:11 am
Flat tire…..
That post was just too “brilliant” to be true. Wow!
But you are right……..If Florida’s coaching had been worse than Georgia’s coaching, Georiga would have won some of those games they lost. Just brilliant, my man.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 30th, 2011
9:11 am
Tampa Gator
Im glad we won but Im not beating my chest like the other UGA fans on here until we beat a good FL team or beat FL 2 yrs in a row
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 30th, 2011
9:13 am
Tampa Gator Im glad we won but Im not beating my chest like the other delusional UGA fans on here until we beat a good FL team or beat FL 2 yrs in a row