It was an awful loss, but it wasn’t the end of UGA’s ascent
It wasn't the greatest homecoming for Georgia's Aaron Murray, was it? (AP photo)
Tampa — This was a bad loss, OK? This was a really bad loss by a team that had positioned itself to win by two touchdowns until its quarterback began throwing the ball to the wrong team. But in the grand scheme — and by “grand” I mean a distance of Grand Canyon dimensions — losing to Michigan State might be a good thing for the Georgia Bulldogs.
A year and two days ago, Georgia was wondering how how long it would take to rise from 6-7. To the Bulldogs’ credit, they rose to 10-2 and to the SEC East title in the span of 11 months. In its final two games, Georgia proved its transformation from underachiever to champion is not yet complete.
In the SEC championship game, Georgia led LSU 10-0 but lost 42-10. In the Outback Bowl here Monday, the Bulldogs led Michigan State 16-0 and had outgained the Spartans 217 yards to 81 when, four minutes into the third quarter, Aaron Murray scrambled to his right and saw Tavarres King near midfield. Murray thought King would backtrack. Instead King ran deeper. Murray’s pass, directed where King wasn’t, was intercepted. With that, a game Georgia had dominated began to unspool.
Said Mark Richt, Georgia’s coach: “Aaron had plenty of space. He was being pressured, but he wasn’t under duress.”
Had Murray scrambled for a modest gain, had he flung the ball out of bounds, Georgia might well have won this game breezing. The interception gave the Spartans a lift they hadn’t really earned, and therein hangs a lesson.
Said Todd Grantham, Georgia’s defensive coordinator: “Good teams are always going to make plays. You have to learn to put teams away, and there’s a learning curve for that. You’ve got to educate yourself. You’ve got to go through things.”
What Georgia went through the rest of this excruciating day was a crash course in comeuppance. Ahead and in control, the Bulldogs blew that 16-point lead, surged back ahead inside the final seven minutes, saw Michigan State tie it with 19 seconds left in regulation and managed to mess up three overtimes as badly as three overtimes can be messed up. It was as if the Football Fates said, “Yeah, you’re young and you’re talented, but you’re not there yet.”
Bacarri Rambo intercepted a Kirk Cousins pass at the beginning of overtime, and that should have been that. But Richt, choosing to err on the side of extreme caution, opted to have Blair Walsh try a field goal on third down from the 25, which is where you get the ball to start an overtime. Sure enough, Walsh missed. (A low snap contributed.) Two more overtimes would follow, and finally it ended with a Walsh kick being blocked.
Georgia’s offensive yield in the three OTs: Eight plays for minus-4 yards. Indeed, Michigan State — which managed two first downs in the first 35 minutes — would outgain the Bulldogs 391 yards to 339. Georgia couldn’t run a lick, and 20 Murray completions were offset by two interceptions, a lost fumble and four sacks.
The second Murray interception was returned for a touchdown, the fourth time this season a Murray throw yielded six opposing points. Three of those came in losses. As superb as Murray can be, there’s still a bit of the wild point guard in him: He can keep both teams in the game.
Said Mike Bobo, the offensive coordinator: “We’ve just got to do a better job as a team of protecting the football.”
Said Richt: “You’ve got to respect the ball.”
Somehow Georgia contrived to lose on a day when Brandon Boykin, ostensibly a defender, scored three times (tackle for safety, punt return, pass reception). Somehow the champ of the SEC East lost to the champ of the Big Ten Legends Division, and we all know the SEC shouldn’t be losing to the Big Ten in a bowl game. That said …
This ugly loss does not — repeat, does not — invalidate the 10 games Georgia won in 2011. This game is not — repeat, is not — proof that these Bulldogs will never win anything big under Richt. Yeah, it was a wretched ending to a turnaround season, but the turnaround stands.
Said Boykin, a senior who was the game’s MVP: “We made huge strides from 6-7, but great teams finish when they’re supposed to. The LSUs and Alabamas — there’s a reason they’re going to the national championship game. We held LSU to 12 yards in the first half and didn’t finish. We had the lead today and didn’t finish. Once they figure out how to pound a team and not give up anything, Georgia can be special.”
Said Richt: “At the moment, this one hurts. But in time it will heal.”
Some of you might consider those empty words. But we need recall another bowl loss, the Music City defeat by a Boston College team of no special distinction, that capped Richt’s first season. It was easy that day in Nashville to claim that Georgia was still the same old Georgia, but soon it wasn’t. The next year the Bulldogs went 13-1 and won Georgia’s first SEC title in two decades.
By Mark Bradley
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1,128 comments Add your comment
Football Bat
January 2nd, 2012
7:43 pm
Has anyone noticed Mark Richt’s BIG POOSY strategy of running for the locker room with time/timeouts on the board? Hey, why bother using :19 seconds to try and win when the locker room awaits??? Anybody remember the UCF game? If there’s a stat for CHICKENSHEET moves, I would bet he’s right at the top.
Kydawg
January 2nd, 2012
7:43 pm
I think the world of CMR but UGA will never win another SEC anything until they get an OC with some guts and a killer instinct (play to win) attitude as coaches
New Mission
January 2nd, 2012
7:43 pm
where will richt do his mission work this year?
GATA
January 2nd, 2012
7:43 pm
UGA MUST COMMIT TO RUNNING GAME. PERIOD. This offense puts everything on the shoulders of Murray, and as good as he is, it won’t win these close games against good teams.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 2nd, 2012
7:43 pm
Pick up your 10 win season T-shirts at either chazzo columbus or Altamaha Dawg’s house
stan
January 2nd, 2012
7:44 pm
i was really pulling for UGA. cause Tech really let me down. i see UGA has the same problems. coaching lost both bowl games. what is with ATLANTA / GA TEAMS PRO and COLLEGE?
Willie Martinez
January 2nd, 2012
7:44 pm
It is long past time for Richt to go. From the incessant losses to Florida to the beatdown in Knoxville to the national humilation of the blackout game to the embarrassing uniforms and equally embarrassing play against Boise State, it is time for him and his staff to go. I’d like to be proud of Georgia football again, but this isn’t happening with Richt in charge. His sell-by date has long past, and McGarity needs to find the right man to restore pride in Georgia football.
Football Bat
January 2nd, 2012
7:44 pm
When our tailback bounces off the Def Tackle for a loss every first down, are we still establishing the run? What happened to Malcome?
EAsy Schedule
January 2nd, 2012
7:44 pm
Ga may have the easiest schedule in the SEc in 2012!!! They get ole miss instead of alabama and don’t play lsu or arkansas! fla and auburn will be easy wins—another SEC east title is in the bag! Ga upsets alabama for the sec title—bank on it!
JB
January 2nd, 2012
7:44 pm
First call on the radio show this week ought to be…………..”Coach, first of all, I hope you and Bobo apologized to the team. Second, you need to move Bobo to recruiting cord. and hire a OC with some moxie and a pedigree, whatever it cost,,,,,and like with Grantham, you need to get hell out of the way and just do Ford commercials”………….I’ll hang up and listen.
South Carolina DAWGS
January 2nd, 2012
7:45 pm
Congratulations to the Gamecocks on 11 wins in ONE season. I am a UGA grad that has lived in SC for 42 years and believe me DAWG fans – IT is HARD to be a Gamecock FAN – they have lost so long and so many it is good to see them FINALLY do something right.
$750,000
January 2nd, 2012
7:46 pm
Grantham will be expecting a huge raise or he will be looking for another job! $750,000 will not cut it for this coaching superstar. he’s looking for $1.5 mil minimum—time for Ga to pay up the big$$$$
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
7:46 pm
At least next year we will have a more athletic O-linemen instead of these fat slugs that can’t block. Theus is a beast and will start at LT as a Freshman, Watts Dantzler will be the RT, David Andrews the center, and Beard at one of the guard spots. We’ll also have Xavier Ward,and Zack DeBell. Lot more talent at O-line starting next year.
George Stein
January 2nd, 2012
7:46 pm
GO DWAGS.
Still Waiting!!
January 2nd, 2012
7:47 pm
One more failure to grab the brass ring. How many times before you realize it’s not gonna happen?
waynester
January 2nd, 2012
7:47 pm
Clearly outcoached. Spartans came out at half fired up…Dawgs— totally flat. We earned this loss, bigtime….
Jonesboro
January 2nd, 2012
7:47 pm
I can’t believe that I’m still a Uga fan. Every year they lose and lose and lose. Screw this team
timbo
January 2nd, 2012
7:47 pm
Question to you leg humpers. What was your record against ranked opponents this year? Last 5 years? How in the hell do you think the dawgs are good at all. And, you lost to a Big Ten team this year, UCF last year. Lose like a man you leg humpers.
DP
January 2nd, 2012
7:47 pm
Of course, when just a day ago Bradley basically took dictation from Richt on a column titled “Richt says Georgia will be ‘knocking on the door’ of greatness”, I guess it’s too much to expect that he would hold Richt accountable for choking away today’s game.
But on the bright side, there’s an even weaker schedule to look forward to next year!
Dawg enuff
January 2nd, 2012
7:47 pm
This was definetly a game that UGA lost,not a game that MSU won!
fbGuy
January 2nd, 2012
7:47 pm
Way too many experts here. Everybody knows better. Richt blew it (please spell his name correctly). Yes it hurts. Yes we’ll be back. Go have a drink, take a deep breath. UGA will be back fie. With Richt
Erk Russell's Dog
January 2nd, 2012
7:48 pm
Will Altamaha or chazzo let me trade in my 6win t-shirt from last year.Or can I trade my 2012 bandwagon that won’t roll for one.
Paula
January 2nd, 2012
7:48 pm
So, Marky Mark, do you think UGA will be able to beat a ranked team next year?
Albany1992
January 2nd, 2012
7:48 pm
Yea… time to quit on this program….. its pointless. Go Falcons!
Let's Be Honest
January 2nd, 2012
7:48 pm
Bradley – Where are the comments about the miscues on special teams today? Arguably lost them the football game. You’ve completely rid Richt of any coaching miscues or faults in today’s loss, where yesterday you were relentlessly berating Johnson, and placed the loss entirely on his shoulders. Please put your personal vendettas and biases aside when writing your articles. No wonder people don’t buy this paper anymore.
JB
January 2nd, 2012
7:48 pm
Bradley, your headline should of been ” SO CLOSE BUT MANAGEMENT NEEDS SOME HELP”
Ted M
January 2nd, 2012
7:48 pm
“four minutes into the third quarter, Aaron Murray scrambled to his right and saw Tavarres King near midfield. Murray thought King would backtrack. Instead King ran deeper. Murray’s pass, directed where King wasn’t, was intercepted. With that, a game Georgia had dominated began to unspool.”
King thought the scrambling Murray was gonna run and moved to block the DB. Murray should have run and faked out his own receiver. But you’re right that was the turning point.
timbo
January 2nd, 2012
7:48 pm
In the words of Larry Munson…..look at the excuses falling from the sky!
Still Waiting!!
January 2nd, 2012
7:48 pm
The door to greatness is locked.
DP
January 2nd, 2012
7:49 pm
Bradley choked on this column as badly as Richt choked at the end of regulation and in the first OT.
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
7:49 pm
waynester
January 2nd, 2012
7:47 pm
Clearly outcoached. Spartans came out at half fired up…Dawgs— totally flat. We earned this loss, bigtime….
_______________________________________________________
Don’t agree that the team was flat. Offense and defense came out playing good. No adjustments by OC which caused the defense to wear out in the 4th quarter was the problem. Also, too many crucial turn overs. The team was not flat.
Mobile Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
7:49 pm
I hope McGarity has the nads to tell Richt his extension after next year will be based on game day coaching, preparation, and decision making. It will truly be a disappointing day if Richt gets it after this year.
123 and me
January 2nd, 2012
7:49 pm
Whoever thinks this program is on the ascent is freaking insane. Uga has been in decline for years, I’m shocked the program still has a fan base.
please
January 2nd, 2012
7:50 pm
all you tech trolls need to leave, yes it was a bad loss, we should have won but we didn’t but we did beat tech. We lost 2 the 4 best teams we played because they were better than us, Boise state we were not ready for prime time, SC was better but we should have won, LSU was much better but we played them tough for a halve. Mich St. was ranked higher But we should have won that too, Everybody else we played we beat including the Genuis PJ. The loss stings but I would have taken 10-4 at the beginnig of the year. Beats 8-5 with another loss to your instate rival. God bless and happy new year
Reality Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
7:50 pm
0-2 to start the season 0-2 to finish the season… Go ahead and sign the saint to a 2 year extension because thats all he deserves which is not my opinion because he along with the rest of the staff minus Grantham should be relieved of their duties. We have not beat a high ranked team in 3 or 4 years folks, this crew has all the talent in the world but yet we continual due the same stupid coaching mistakes game after game year after year… Mark Richt needs to go preach the good word we need a coach that can take us to the next level, Mark Richt is not that man!
Contract!
January 2nd, 2012
7:50 pm
richt’s wanting his contract extended aSAP! McGarity better come up with a boatload of money for a huge raise after that sec east title. Bobo wants a lot more money too.
Dawgland
January 2nd, 2012
7:50 pm
Bottom line we gave it away today to a good football team.
I trust our AD will get us moving in the right direction.
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
7:51 pm
Ted M, every time I’ve watched a game they say that when a QB is scrambling the receiver is suppose to come back to him for a pass. I don’t know why King decided to block.
JB
January 2nd, 2012
7:51 pm
10 wins. Adams spent New Years in Florida. Color him happy. Championships are overrated in Dr. Adams book. McGarity, with Adams ego, has little say in the matter.
Ted M
January 2nd, 2012
7:51 pm
Mark you discount too much the fact that CMR hasn’t beaten a ranked team in since for ever.
Gilderoy lockhart
January 2nd, 2012
7:51 pm
What exactly did this team do? Two 2 game losing streaks bracketed around a 10 game winning streak. The 4 losses were to the only really good teams they played. So they hang their hats on what? Wins over average au, gt, and uf teams. I do not buy into this supposed ascent.
Ga Got Hosed
January 2nd, 2012
7:51 pm
UgA got hosed by the refs the whole game! Mcgarity needs to file a protest somewhere! Ga never gets the calls.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 2nd, 2012
7:52 pm
Erk Russell’s Dog
I dont think you will be allowed to trade because you will be labled a troll an non-UGA fan if you do
Boom Boom
January 2nd, 2012
7:52 pm
REDNECKS, DRUNKS. BARKING FANS IS LOSING COMBINATION.
Tyler Atkins
January 2nd, 2012
7:52 pm
Did anyone else notice how empty the stadium was???? There were hardly any fans at the bar either, uga must be bleeding fans away – which is understandable…. why would you want to root for this team??? lol
Dawg enuff
January 2nd, 2012
7:52 pm
Has anyone cared to look at the 2013 schedule! That will quite talk about not playing a tough opponent! It was even tougher until they took out Alabama!
Ted M
January 2nd, 2012
7:52 pm
Maybe but King probably decided to block because Murray runs a lot.
Rilo
January 2nd, 2012
7:52 pm
MB….I would ask how that Kool-Aid tastes but I can tell you wouldn’t know the difference since that is all you drink.
JB
January 2nd, 2012
7:53 pm
don’t think I can read 1000 more blogs. I’m going to watch O’reilly……..I’ll check back on page 18
Reality
January 2nd, 2012
7:53 pm
Unbelievable….Dawg fans should not be angry. This is the best that a UGA can be. Well played game against a superior team.