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
BoBo the Clown
November 19th, 2011
10:37 pm
Richt still needs to make changes or its gonna be the same underachieving crap. Get Rid of Bobo and hire a new recruiting coordinator should be the first order of business after the blowout loss in the dome to LSU.
FLA DAWG
November 19th, 2011
10:38 pm
“great”, “non-descript”, “fun”……….not the way I’d characterize the game or our win of the SEC East.
Lucky that UT, UF, Auburn stunk and we didn’t have to play LSU or Bama. Oh yeah, we were also lucky that SC stunk enough to lose two SEC games – though good enough to beat us.
Sorry guys, this win – win is more than highly suspect.
If GT gets up to really play The Dawgs (which I believe they will – because they always do) and LSU just plays an average game we’ll lose the last two games.
The O playcalling and performance of the O Line were absolutely embarrassing. This from the biggest O Line in college and NFL!?
How Bobo has retained his position is a mystery to me.
Loyal Dawg
November 19th, 2011
10:39 pm
flagboy, you’re right. Those same people get tunnel vision and don’t appreciate the job CMR does handling the program. He made some good staff moves the last two seasons and he should have the opportunity to benefit from the better recruits that have been brought in.
flagboy?
November 19th, 2011
10:39 pm
Third Man
November 19th, 2011
9:54 pm
LSU 34, Georgia 10
Shattered dreams and illusions of grandeur.
_____________________________________
Hope cheering for LSU makes you feel better about your own team sitting at home in 2 weeks.
Bobo the Clown
November 19th, 2011
10:41 pm
Oh yeah fire that Will Friend clown because he isnt much better than Stacy Searles. The offensive line was whipped again today.
Grantham vindicated
November 19th, 2011
10:43 pm
After all the flack Grantham caught for calling out Vandy’s dirty play and Franklin talkin smack, did you see his lineman try to take out the Tennessee player’s knee? Then, when Tennessee beat him in OT, did you see him get all huffy and stomp of the field. What a dick. Dogs need to teach this bum a lesson next year.
FLA DAWG
November 19th, 2011
10:47 pm
If Richt is retained and he keeps Bobo as OC for next season get used to this same kind of half hearted win krap…….the SEC East Title means little…………..(remember not so long ago when it was just the SEC Title!)?
GT & LSU are licking their stinger butts and chops, respectively to line up against The Dawgs.
If GT plays the way they did against Clemson it’s gonna be ugly.
If LSU plays an average game it will be even uglier.
The only ranked team we’ve beaten in over 2 years is Auburn and they stink.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement for our Dawgs.
The responsibility lies squarely on Richt.
In fairness, let’s wait and see his team’s performance v GT & (probably) LSU.
Loyal Dawg
November 19th, 2011
10:48 pm
FLA Dawg, our O-Line was not the problem tonight. Our number 1 RB going out with an ankle injury early and having to use a 5-6 175lb. 3rd/4th teamer plus 4 fumbles was more the problem.
Bobo the Clown
November 19th, 2011
10:49 pm
Said Richt: “I don’t know if we’re a great team, but we’re SEC East champs.” Richt knows this team will get its butt kicked in the Dome but he is laughing alll the way to the bank and planting kisses on his wife.
Bobo the Clown
November 19th, 2011
10:51 pm
Mrs. Bobo said no more Kids and that she is so tired.
Fan of the Game
November 19th, 2011
10:56 pm
Vandy Coach has issues. He is a loose cannon!
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
10:58 pm
GT should fire P.J. They got all excited about beating Clemson. Look at Clemson, got hammered by NCState!? They almost lost to Duke! P.J. is joke.
Grandmaster JeJe
November 19th, 2011
10:58 pm
FIRE WOODY
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:00 pm
FIRE EVERYBODY THAT DOESN’T WIN THEIR CONFERENCE- INCLUDING SABAN!!!!!!!!!
Sid
November 19th, 2011
11:02 pm
Fantastic, Dawgs win the SEC East………..what’s next? No, not LSU…………we still gotta beat GA Tech you ninny.
Bobo the Clown
November 19th, 2011
11:02 pm
Fire Crowell!
Bobo the Clown
November 19th, 2011
11:03 pm
Crowell likes to fire one up….
KBP
November 19th, 2011
11:07 pm
FLA Dawg . . . SEC east title means little. Wow, really? I wonder if the Gamecocks, Gators, Vols feel that way? Sure 2009-10 were bad years and we lost to ranked and unranked teams during that 2 year period but it is not our fault that the teams on the schedule this year were unranked when we played them. . .we beat them! This has been a tremendous turnaround improvement over the last 2 years.
Amazing
November 19th, 2011
11:07 pm
How can you salute this idiot? Oh wait, you are the same idiot that saluted Spurrier when he won the east last year and went on to suffer the worst SEC Championship (lost by 39 points) in its 20 year history.
Care to backup your congrats with a prediction.
How proactive is that sheep in Athens. Richt said, “I don’t know if we’re a great team, but we’re SEC East champs”. He knows what waits. Day of reckoning.
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:07 pm
Bench Jarvis Jones- he’s terrible. Richt should have never recruited him.
Logan
November 19th, 2011
11:08 pm
Huge win? Kentucky was 1-6 in SEC.
All UGA’s SEC wins were against sub .500 teams except Auburn.,
All the other teams were either 0-6 to 3-5.
Really a cream puff of a schedule.
UGA dn’t play nobody.
And when dey win, it’ by a few points, not like mightly LSU & Bama.
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:08 pm
Bench Ogletree and S. Williams. They stink. What was this mediocre staff thinking?
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:10 pm
blah blah blah…..forget all the haters and lets be happy that georgia came back from those two horrible losses to start the season. They could have folded and felt sorry for themselves, but they didnt. They got better, and kept winning. I am proud of them. Winning a game like today, where they were totally flat and obviously looking forward to the next weeks, was awesome. Yes, they will be underdawgs in the sec championship…but hey, so was texas tech and iowa state…..go dawgs!
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:11 pm
oh and oklahoma and oregon are both losing
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:12 pm
Florida, Auburn, UT and Miss State are terrible. They should shut those programs down. Look at the lousy players those guys bring in. Did those guys get scholarships?
Bud
November 19th, 2011
11:15 pm
Let Rambo run the ball.
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:15 pm
Oregon should fire their sorry, half a$$ coach. Hecouldn’t beat LSU or USC. And why does Mack Brown still have a job!!!???? That guy needs to go too.
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:16 pm
fumble usc
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:18 pm
Sack USC!
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:18 pm
oregon is coming back
Columbus
November 19th, 2011
11:20 pm
Bradley, this was the best, most fair and balanced column you have written about UGA this year. Thank you.
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:25 pm
Does anyone believe Oregon should play LSU again for the BCS NC? I’d rather seen Bama and LSU again. It didn’t seem like that game was fully settled.
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:25 pm
Oregon dodged a bullet there!
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:26 pm
i dont think oregon is that good
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:27 pm
There is no way Oregon’s missing this kick. Right down the middle.
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:28 pm
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:28 pm
wow what a loss by oregon
bubba4dawgs
November 19th, 2011
11:28 pm
Bye Thomas! Go pick some plums for a living! You sure as hell can’t follow rules! Oh, and take your buddy Crowell with you! You two can puff together!! UGA is looking for running backs for next year!! GO DAWGS!!!
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:29 pm
LSU & Alabama are clearly the two best teams in the country right now.
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:29 pm
that is good for alabama
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:29 pm
lane kiffin makes me sick
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:30 pm
BCS cannot seem to get away from a potential LSU/Alabama rematch. Cracks me up.
Amazing
November 19th, 2011
11:31 pm
Penn State kept Paterno 17 years after he had a team finish in the top 5. Everybody understood it was because they were chasing the all time record.
What in the hell is GA keeping Richt for. The SEC is clearly down this year. After FL, TN, Auburn retool, Richt will become a nobody again.
Pathetic GA fans settle rather than demand another Goof.
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:32 pm
the only fly in the ointment is the lsu/arkie game now
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:33 pm
So if the pigs win, who goes to the SEC Championship?
UGA
November 19th, 2011
11:33 pm
if only UGA had beat S.Carolina like they should have, they would have their name in that BCS title game hat too
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:36 pm
if arkie beats lsu…then it would be a 3 way tie and would go to who has the highest bcs ranking at the time I think
WDE2
November 19th, 2011
11:36 pm
Don’t forget the Iron Bowl there kat……
Drunk Bee
November 19th, 2011
11:37 pm
Or if UGA had played Louisiana- Monroe or Furman instead of BSU!
katherine
November 19th, 2011
11:37 pm
i dont think alabama is going to have any problem with auburn…..but you never know