A soggy salute to the Georgia Bulldogs, SEC East champs
Branden Smith returns a first-half interception Saturday. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Athens — On the dark night Georgia lost to South Carolina to slide to 0-2, the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator went looking for spirits to lift. To his surprise, Mike Bobo found that spirits were unbowed.
“I’d tell them, ‘If we hang together and keep working, we’ve got a chance to be very good,’” Bobo said Saturday. “And every one of them said, ‘Coach, we’ve got a chance to be great.’”
As he spoke, Bobo sat in a chair in a locker room, the floor of which had been covered in plastic and doused with water. A nondescript game had ended with the Georgia Bulldogs champions of the SEC East for the first time since the distant year 2005.
“We grabbed water bottles and threw them around the room,” said wide receiver Marlon Brown, scorer of Georgia’s only touchdown this day, and even the 51-year-old head coach got in the soggy swing of things. Seeking to slide across the wet surface, Mark Richt made it only halfway.
“I thought it was going to be fun,” Richt said of his maneuver. “I can’t say it was fun.”
For Richt, the day’s overriding emotion seemed more relief than exultation. He arrived from Florida State in 2001, won the SEC in 2002 and took his Bulldogs to the SEC championship game three times in four years. Then, having set the bar high, Richt went five years without a return to the title game, and when this season began there was no assurance this coach would have this job come 2012. And then the 2011 Bulldogs started 0-2.
“When we lost to South Carolina [the second of the two losses], a lot of things go through your mind as a coach,” Richt said. “Sometimes you’ve got to make something up — you don’t want to lose your team. But [that night] I could stand there with a straight face; it was very easy to believe in them. And I said, ‘If we don’t spit the bit … if we keep grinding, we can do it.’ ”
On Saturday, his Bulldogs finished this latest drill. Yes, they were aided by a schedule that eased after the back-to-back whammy of Boise State and South Carolina, but it isn’t as if Georgia backed into anything. It has won nine consecutive games, beating Tennessee and Florida and Auburn en route, and it finished 7-1 in SEC play. (Let’s note that South Carolina took the East with a 5-3 record last season.)
Richt: “It’s hard to win nine in a row. We’ve done something special.”
The details of a forgettable Victory No. 9 — Georgia trailed Kentucky, which had lost by 30 points to Vanderbilt last week, after 29 minutes and led only 12-10 after three quarters — will soon be forgotten. The ramifications will linger long. Said cornerback Brandon Boykin: “I’ll definitely remember this game for clinching a championship on Senior Day. Everyone had so much riding on this game.”
Richt again: “I told the players this [East title] was the most meaningful to me. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it felt like it today.”
Here he laughed, but there was no comedic content in the job Richt and his staff did to keep this team buoyant after a start that might have sunk another bunch. “It wasn’t just 0-2,” Richt said, “but 0-2 coming off 6-7 [of last season] and with everything swirling around. We did a really good job handling all the noise.”
Said linebacker Jarvis Jones, the sudden star of a ravenous defense that held Kentucky to 13 yards and one first down after halftime: “It’s not how you drive; it’s how you arrive. We kept fighting, and look at us now.”
Said cornerback Branden Smith: “All [the 0-2 start] did was bring us together as one family.”
Said Brown: “We kept grinding.”
Even after 11 games and nine victories, it’s hard to know just how good Georgia is. The Auburn victory was the only time the Bulldogs thrashed an SEC opponent, and for long stretches Saturday they flailed against the worst Kentucky team of the new millennium. But they won. Since the night of Sept. 10, they’ve done nothing except win.
Said Richt: “I don’t know if we’re a great team, but we’re SEC East champs.”
In the grand scheme, that’s all that matters. Georgia headed back to the big game in the big city, back where it once belonged. Full credit to this team and this coach for taking it there.
By Mark Bradley
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710 comments Add your comment
dawgerbrown
November 19th, 2011
7:37 pm
Every team has one or two games like this in a season. Difference is, last year UGA would have lost this game. This year, they found a way to win. (Can we say defense). Look at Oklahoma/Texas Tech, Clemson/NC State, etc. The one thing I am convinced of more than ever though is that UGA NEEDS KEITH MARSHALL!
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
7:37 pm
mettenberg should get some playing time tonite…yeah, georgia can play with this team…hahahahaha…
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
November 19th, 2011
7:39 pm
Was Bobo working the concession stand this game?
Grande Perro
November 19th, 2011
7:39 pm
Looks like LSU is going to beat Ole Miss by 150. We need to start the wheaties now.
Send'em Uhauls
November 19th, 2011
7:40 pm
Fire Will Friend this clown is a joke. Our O line was dominated most of the game. LSU is gonna have a field day against us.
Honeybadgersgotbutteronhisfingers
November 19th, 2011
7:40 pm
Wanted: A home to rent in El Paso end of December? Accoutrements required: Wi-Fi to play WOW 10 hours straight. Small bunk beds so my fell PI Lambs and I can play tickle. Cheetos. Man, I can’t wait to play a 7-5 Cal Bears team in the Sun Bowl!
Go Jackets!!!
Grande Perro
November 19th, 2011
7:41 pm
Bobo took a nap at half. Somebody woke him up for the celebration.
oakwood dawg
November 19th, 2011
7:41 pm
we looked like crap the 1st half. 2nd half our defense played great. offense sucked tonight. need a good running back. crowell, in my opinion, is not a very good running back. he gets hurt too easily. hope we can get marshall out of n.c. believe he will overshadow crowell. at least we won and the w is the only important thing. i do know one thing i.e. we must get better on offense to beat the bumble bees and whoever we play in the championship game. just hope we don’t have to play arkansas
cause they will carve us a new one.
Send'em Uhauls
November 19th, 2011
7:41 pm
Crowell is gonna be another Thug for UGA. Mark it down.
Grande Perro
November 19th, 2011
7:42 pm
Bobo had a flat tire on 85
Grande Perro
November 19th, 2011
7:42 pm
His son called the game off of his PS3
red hill
November 19th, 2011
7:42 pm
I like the way you think, Bradley. Here’s hoping for a little chaos the last weekend of the regular season. Arky/LSU will be interesting as will Barn/Bama. I hope we beat Yech but we’ll see.
oh!-... its my leg
November 19th, 2011
7:43 pm
we need a running back
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
7:44 pm
the pictures i saw earlier in the year of gurley and marshall they seemed to small…
@cuz…i read your posts a couple of days ago regarding your daughter and Minnesota…you guys are in my prayers…good luck and god bless…
PerroGrande
November 19th, 2011
7:44 pm
Harton weighed in at 135 before the game. He is the best back in football…per pound.
PerroGrande
November 19th, 2011
7:46 pm
I think you have Thomas confused with Crowell
PerroGrande
November 19th, 2011
7:46 pm
We should be able to put 12 men in when Harton is in there…
Send'em Uhauls
November 19th, 2011
7:47 pm
Mark Richts recruits 165lbs. scat backs like he did at Fla. State. Works in the topsy turvy ACC.
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
7:47 pm
gurley and mitchell are no bigger than what you have now…they are acc backs in a sec world…look at bama and lsu’s backs…
PerroGrande
November 19th, 2011
7:47 pm
I thought the cats were trying to kill him…picking him up and throwing him down.
Jimmy
November 19th, 2011
7:48 pm
Is that true? Harton is 135? He sure looks it.
I know this…judging by the times he was knocked off his feet when running full steam ahead…he is going to get seriously hurt.
That kid needs to bulk up.
Honeybadgersgotnone
November 19th, 2011
7:48 pm
MB- Schultzie so shrewdly postulated in his last article: “Everyone” thinks UGA does not have a shot against LSU. Have you told him you think there’s a shot, because that would be dispelling his very shrewd theory?
HopDawg
November 19th, 2011
7:49 pm
Combined SEC record of SEC teams UGA beat in 2011:
0-6 Tenn
0-6 Ole Miss
1-6 Kentucky
1-6 MSU
2-5 Vandy
3-5 Fla
4-3 Auburn
Add in New Mexico State & Coastal Carolina.
Not impressive.
Spurrier smirks
November 19th, 2011
7:50 pm
Yep I hope Georgee keeps ole Markie.. I wanna make it 3 in row over that boy.
HopDawg
November 19th, 2011
7:51 pm
Thank goodness we didn’t have to play the Big 3 this year from the SEC West Bama, LSU, Arkansas.
Don Draper
November 19th, 2011
7:51 pm
TampaGator — You come onto an Atlanta based newspaper talking crap and then get your feelings hurt by “all the UGA fans on these blogs” …. Here’s an idea, troll the Tampa Tribune blogs and you won’t have to endure UGA fans and everyone is happy
Fools Gold
November 19th, 2011
7:52 pm
UGA’s football team is nothing more than Fools Gold and it will pan out at the Dome when LSU destroys them.
HopDawg
November 19th, 2011
7:52 pm
Should we be excited today? We beat a team with a 1-6 SEC record by 9 points.
HopDawg
November 19th, 2011
7:53 pm
If Crowell thought Kentucky hit hard, wait until he gets hit by LSU. And Murray collapses once Crowell & Thomas goes out, so look for a blowout.
1997Alum
November 19th, 2011
7:56 pm
Anyone else at the game notice Crowell did not run out of the tunnel with his teammates before the game? That concerned me.
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
7:56 pm
Anyone watching LSU dismantled Ole Miss……in the first quarter. They play in a different league.
Honeybadgersgotnone
November 19th, 2011
7:56 pm
Poor little wittle Spurrier is going to the Pulan WeedEater bowl this year. Maybe you can keep the bowl game respectable this time? Or not.
Hahahahaha.
Fools Gold
November 19th, 2011
7:57 pm
LSU is already putting a beatdown on Ole Miss 21 – 0. A team UGA struggled with. Its gonna get UGALY at the Dome.
jay
November 19th, 2011
7:58 pm
To all the other SEC fans who say Dawgs don’t have a chance in Dome, 10 of you have NO chance
since you won’t be there. And Tech fans, you aren’t scheduled to beat Dawgs again until 2020.
HopDawg
November 19th, 2011
7:59 pm
Dang, Murray tanked against Kentucky, for real? Scary. 2nd worst game of the year for Murray when the team needed him the most (pass effic), he played his worst. We had no running backs, Ealey, King, Crowell, Thomas, all gone. No QB, Murray went AWOL again.
But boy oh boy, Grantham’s defense played BIG in the BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR FOR US!
Jimmy
November 19th, 2011
8:00 pm
I am a UGA fan and I don’t think our chances against LSU are too good.
It depends on which UGA team shows up to play.
If our D stuggles to stop Tech…then we will struggle against LSU.
I think our D matches up well against their O.
If we can run the ball effectively and our D plays as it has the past few games…we have a chance.
BIG IF’s
south
November 19th, 2011
8:01 pm
UGA will be just fine….they won’t need a RB next week and will see how things play out for SEC CG…the haters on here are really pretty pathetic how insecure and scared you are of UGA…
I’d be scared to if I was starring at getting my A** whipped for the 10th time in 11 years
Jimmy
November 19th, 2011
8:04 pm
How well we do against LSU will depend on which UGA teams shows up.
Our D matches up well against their O.
If we can run the ball effectively and our D plays as it has the past few games
we have a chance.
We just can’t turn the ball over or give up big plays on special teams.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
November 19th, 2011
8:04 pm
Grande Perro
I actually can believe calls were made from a PS3 or from a coin toss
Jimmy
November 19th, 2011
8:07 pm
LSU has gotten 21 of their points from turnovers.
Their last TD was a fumble recovery in the endzone.
Ole Miss could be in this game if they eliminated mistakes.
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
8:07 pm
keep drinkin jimmy…
PerroGrande
November 19th, 2011
8:08 pm
Any chance LSU is scared to show up on the 3rd?
Douglas
November 19th, 2011
8:12 pm
Come on guys…we were down to our 4th string RB…so I’m not that disillusioned by the win. Any news on Crowell?
Burma Shave
November 19th, 2011
8:12 pm
Dawg players can’t read
Nor can they write
They need to tell Richt
To go fly a kite
BURMA SHAVE
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
8:13 pm
…..and dreaming…..Jimmy.
Rusty
November 19th, 2011
8:15 pm
So many jealous losers on this blog.
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
8:16 pm
and….Jimmmy……Ole Miss would be in the 35-0 game is Ware had not just run 40 yards for a TD.
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
8:17 pm
Lsu is crushing ole miss on the road…without midget or prima donna backs…
A Farewell to Arms
November 19th, 2011
8:17 pm
Crowell will be gone before next season begins. He’ll have so many suspensions by then that Richt will have to send him home to his mama. The guy is a cancer just like Ealey and King.
catlady
November 19th, 2011
8:17 pm
“Oh, I broke a nail!” Maybe Coach can recruit some tough men (who are not also thugs).