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
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
8:18 pm
LSU and Arky should be a heck of a game…Arky has won 4 of the last 5 i believe…life in the sec west is brutal…sec east, not so much…
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:19 pm
Wow, 5 td’s against Kentucky with Ealey last year.
0 with Crowell this year.
Sure wish Richt hadn’t run Ealey off, he was a lot tougher and more productive than Crowell.
Yellow Sh1t
November 19th, 2011
8:21 pm
Here we come the jacket fans who love to scream how badly we will beat UGA this week and when it doesn’t happen again this year we will complain about how unfair it is that all the UGA players are thugs.and criminals.
Well get ready Nerds we coming for YOU!
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
8:22 pm
sadly for crowell, i believe he will finish his career at another school…he’ll need to be broken before he can be fixed…
Prince
November 19th, 2011
8:22 pm
catlady, tell us about your experiences as a college tailback.
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
8:23 pm
Honestly……I think everyone knew the type of “me” player Crowell was during the “it’s all about me” recruiting process (remember the…..”was it a Bama or a Braves hat at the Georgia game?”
Maybe Richt can pray for a “come to Jesus” moment for the young man.
ddawg
November 19th, 2011
8:23 pm
According to the haters …we were going to get beaten down by everyone we’ve played this year. We may not beat LSU but we won’t lose to anyone from the Amateur Community College Conference.
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:23 pm
This year seems hallow. We wern’t tested against Alabama, LSU or Arkansas, and don’t have a win against a team with a winning SEC record, except Auburn. I don’t get any satisfaction out of beating up on New Mexico State and 1-6 SEC teams like Kentucky. UGA fans are desperate.
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:25 pm
Oh for the days when Ealey would put up 5 td’s on a team like Kentucky. How far we have fallen.
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
8:25 pm
hey prince, it’s a blog…opinions are what drive a blog… you don’t have to have experience to have an opinion…get back to nursing your Zima and listening to your adam lambert cd…
Dawgs suck
November 19th, 2011
8:25 pm
UGA sucks and LSU is gonna crush ‘em
Boise Wins!
November 19th, 2011
8:25 pm
The funniest comments on this board about how LSU is lucky to get the turnovers. If you watched them this season you’d know that their strongest and fastest players are on defense. It’s on purpose. When the other team is behind 10 points in the second half, it’s over. The more the other team tries to throw to catch up, the worse the rout. Enjoy the game against Tech, little doggies. While the doggies were losing to Boise, LSU was demolishing Oregon. Top teams don’t lose to Boise. Second-tier ones do. That is all.
Brad
November 19th, 2011
8:25 pm
Tried of hearing how UGA has backed into a trip to the SEC CG? Anyone told you lately how tough Bama and LSU have had it this year. Respond with the facts.
Take a look at these stats for Opponent SEC records:
. UGA = 16-32
Alabama = 17-31
LSU = 15-25
The Bulldogs SEC schedule doesn’t appears as easy as once thought
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:26 pm
Time for Hutson Mason anyone?
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
8:26 pm
ddawg…..
You already have……..the league Boise State plays in.
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:27 pm
Give me a break, Bama & LSU have dominated their opponents, UGA has barely beaten theirs.
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
8:28 pm
Brad….
What that tells you is how bad the SEC…..other the LSU, Bama, and Arkansas……is this year. The difference is how Bama, LSU, and Arkansas beat those teams…..vs. Georgia….and how Bama and LSU did against Penn State and Oregon….vs. Georgia vs. Boise. Is the picture clearer now?
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
8:28 pm
brad, the hole in your arguement is that uga didn’t play Lsu, Bama or Arkansas…uga is the tallest midget…
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
8:31 pm
Brad….
Georgia won the East. Congrats and deseved……but……Georgia’s SEC schedule was about as easy as easy can be….and your best opponent this year in the East….beat you….SC…..and Florida…with its worst team in 20 years….almost beat you….and a very bad Kentucky team played you very tough today.
MrDan
November 19th, 2011
8:31 pm
Damn good Defense. Congrats to Todd Grantham for a job well done and
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
8:32 pm
They just showed that “kiss” again on ESPN. Oh my…..I wonder what Marc is doing right now to celebrate the title……..hummmmmmmm
Brad
November 19th, 2011
8:33 pm
Hey TampaGator have fun at th Papa Johns pizza bowl
Prince
November 19th, 2011
8:34 pm
Hey evil, I`m going to give you the benefit of doubt that you didn’t realize I wasn’t talking to you.
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:35 pm
When anyon TRIES to compare UGA to LSU, remind them LSU has beaten 6 ranked teams.
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
8:35 pm
MrDan…..
Great defense…..they shut down a powerful Kentucky offense today. Dominated a powerful Auburn offense last week. And shut down Florida with a one-legged QB. How did they do against Boise and SC? Better question…..how will they do in Atlanta? We will see just how good they really are. They may be that good…..but they have not proved it against a good offense this year.
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:36 pm
What happened to Crowell? Ealey put up 5 td’s on Kentucky last year.
NJ Dawg
November 19th, 2011
8:36 pm
Congrats to the Dawgs for winning the East! Definitely wasn’t pretty but the defense got the job done for them and after all…a W is a W. Murray and the receivers looked like they’d been looking at different playbooks all week and I’m surprised Crowell can even get out of bed every morning without hurting himself.
They desperately need to stop recruiting these lanky, weakling RBs. We need some beef at RB for crying out loud, someone that can run people over instead of dancing around like a ballerina and getting leveled when the wind blows the wrong direction. Just give Figgins the ball, I bet he could carry a pile for 3-4 yards a carry most of the time…dude is a beast.
.
November 19th, 2011
8:37 pm
TampaGator — All of your pissy rhetoric and bitterness is not going to change the fact that the Gators suck this year and GA won the East….you just have to deal, no matter how much you try to minimize it
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
8:37 pm
Logan…..
Here is a comparison for you.
Opening game….LSU dominated Oregon at their home.
Opening game….Georgia was dominated at “home” in the Dome by Boise.
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:37 pm
UGA defense coughed up 80 points against the 2 ranekd teams they played this year.
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
8:37 pm
hey prince, whatever…
catlady
November 19th, 2011
8:38 pm
IC is NOT playing “for free.”
Brad
November 19th, 2011
8:39 pm
Hey Logan how do you figure that. 35 Boise 17 SC
Your Friend on FB
November 19th, 2011
8:39 pm
just found out Clemson isn’t that good….TECH NERDS come get your beating.
TampaGator
November 19th, 2011
8:39 pm
8:37…….I am not bitter aboout Georgia winning the East (I have repeated posted that they deserve the title) or denying that the Gators are not very good this year. But I am saying the LSU is at an entirely different playing level than Georgia.
Also…..you keep posting without a name? Are you bitter about something?
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:41 pm
ealey got benched for fumbles, Malcome & Harton get more snaps.
Fools Gold
November 19th, 2011
8:41 pm
It will be back to reality for dawg fans in two week and they will wished that Richt would still be on the Hot Seat. More years of mediocrity and underachieving under Richt.
catlady
November 19th, 2011
8:42 pm
Prince, you are right. I ‘m just an old lady. However, I remember when players were MEN. “Coach, put me back in. It’s just an arm. I don’t really use it that much. And the eye? I can use the other one.”
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:42 pm
UGA gave up 45 vs. SC, 35 vs. Boise.
Your Friend on FB
November 19th, 2011
8:42 pm
TampaGator if it is ok with you we’ll go ahead and play the SECC game. By the way, noles whop your sorry arse again this year- so stopped talking smack dude.
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:43 pm
How many more days until Grantham takes a Head Coach job?
Brad
November 19th, 2011
8:43 pm
The D only ave up 17 to SC O and special tems gave up 28
Boo Boo The Magnificent
November 19th, 2011
8:43 pm
Crowell had a boo boo today. My offense was vanilla as usual.
.
November 19th, 2011
8:44 pm
TampaGator — Ouch….it hurts doesn’t it?
You whine about all the “UGA fans on this blog”, yet you come onto an Atlanta newspaper site talking all of you Gator crap and bagging on GA and can’t seem to figure out why you get flamed…. Why don’t you hang out on the Gainesville Sun, St. Pete Times, Tampa Tribune blogs if you don’t want to hear from irrational GA fans?
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:44 pm
Murray completed 55%, 1 td, 1 int, against KENTUCKY.
Lets go Hutson Mason!
Boo Boo The Magnificent
November 19th, 2011
8:44 pm
FIRE DABO!
DanTheDawgFan
November 19th, 2011
8:44 pm
All ya’ll Techies, Gators, Richt haters, etc can all go piss off!!
evil empire
November 19th, 2011
8:45 pm
love that Texas A&M is running commercials regarding their move to the SEC…they will be a great addition and will be able to use the SEC to their advantage at recruiting time…lots of talent in Texas…LSU does really well in Houston…the west gets tougher…the east still has uga…
Logan
November 19th, 2011
8:45 pm
Games 1 +2, 45 points + 35 points = 80 ponts UGA coached up against the 2 ranked teams.
Held the 7 cupcake teams down. Big whoop.
DanTheDawgFan
November 19th, 2011
8:45 pm
Logan is an idiot!