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
big raise
January 2nd, 2012
8:09 pm
richt wants at least $4 million next year—he wants saban / miles type cash or he will be looking around in 2013 for big money.
Elementary my Dear Watson
January 2nd, 2012
8:10 pm
Coach Bobo…please explain your reasoning on running three straight times on our last possession in regulation? Do not bother, I know the answer……” Well our defense was playing excellent and I wanted them to secure the win for us tonight “. YGTBKM……You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me? Dale Carnegie’s Sales Class on ” Closing The Sale ” is coming to Athens next week and I am enrolling you myself. You must be their, roll will be taken.
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
8:10 pm
Ted M, yes I wanted to see them win against a good team and they should have won this game. But, I agree with Mark. This is a young team still learning how to put a team away. The first half of the LSU game showed their potential. The second half showed that they were still to young and inexperienced to win one like that. If you don’t think they have improved ask yourself, would that team that lost in the Liberty Bowl last year would have gone 3 OT’s with Mich State?
GT Fan
January 2nd, 2012
8:10 pm
These are the ESPN (box score) posted attendances for Outback & Sun Bowls with stadium capacities alos noted:
Outback Bowl: ATTENDANCE: 49,429 …. Capacity: Just under 66,000
Sun Bowl: ATTENDANCE: 48,123 ….. Capacity: Just under 52,000
According to many GA fans, GT stinks at football & has a horrible program b/c they can’t sellout games they play in. Is UGA now in the same boat?
1eyedJack
January 2nd, 2012
8:11 pm
On the bright side, if there is one, the Dawgs improved four games this year. If they improve four games next year I’ll take it.
Saban Never Sleeps
January 2nd, 2012
8:11 pm
With Mizzou coming into the east, playing for 4th place just got tougher for you puppies.
Atticus
January 2nd, 2012
8:11 pm
Mike he has certainly made his mistakes but you are 100% wrong and you know why, because every other college coach would take him next year. Did you hear Gruden talk about him? Stafford threw picks too. The MSU kid who will be drafted and is a senior, they throw picks. Did he play a big part in blowing this game? No doubt but if Bobo and Richt let him keep making plays at the end of the game we should’ve put it away. If Mitchell and King catch those TDS he has over 200 yards and 3 TDs agaisnt the #1 defense in the country!
He needs a better QB coach and OC, bottom line.
abominable snowman dawg
January 2nd, 2012
8:12 pm
Jarvis Jones would be insane to come back to Athens next year. For what, to lose to some Big !0 team in the Gator Bowl? I know some of you dawg fans would come back, but, thats only because you might get to meet Dale Jr. during the coin flip.
1eyedJack
January 2nd, 2012
8:13 pm
Our plane will be one trophy light on the return trip, so we’ll save a little gas. Thing green.
Atticus
January 2nd, 2012
8:13 pm
One other thing, Orson Charles, who is from Tampa and we are trying to get him to come back……how many times did we throw to him today??? Nice job jacka— Bobo!@
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
8:13 pm
If we do end up having a great season next year (which I think we will) then you’ll see fair weathered fans like I-95 and others jumping back on the bandwagon.
Erick Beebe
January 2nd, 2012
8:14 pm
We need to frame Mark Bradley’s words for next year to remind him of how wrong he is. He fails to understand the most basic of life’s lessons – if you want to call yourself the best, you must play, and beat, the best. Playing a lame schedule so you can pad your resume with easy wins will never allow Georgia to grow into the team he claims it will be. The BCS will never invite GSU to the championship game so UGA can have a cake walk.
abominable snowman dawg
January 2nd, 2012
8:14 pm
UGA would be crazy to pay Richt Miles/Saban $$$. I’d give him $1.00 more than Johnson at Tech, no more.
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
8:16 pm
Richt and Bobo need to open up that old playbook and throw a lot of things out and come up with some new ones.
NYC Dawg
January 2nd, 2012
8:16 pm
Firing Richt does not make sense. I know it and Mark Bradley knows it. Richt needs to be the executive leading the program, and he is good at that. Richt should not be calling plays; the OC should call the plays. CMR needs to replace his OC, pure and simple. it should not be a huge deal. Unfortunately, the longer CMR drags his feet, the worse the situation gets.
Atticus
January 2nd, 2012
8:17 pm
kerry
we will for sure because of the schedule but that iss not an excuse. If TN, UF or AUB had even slightly better teams we wouldn’t. But its not likely we would beat LSU.
Richt finally figured out he needed a new DC and look at the results. Without an elite OC, we will blow one or two games and not fulfill the potential we have with this talent and Grantham (bogth a credit to Richt). Grantham will be gone after next year if the defense plays like it can.
Jamie
January 2nd, 2012
8:17 pm
A+ talent, C- coaching! Nuff said
Atticus
January 2nd, 2012
8:18 pm
They need to play to WIN, not to avoid losing……let the kids play football. That last series in regulation and the first series in OT was an embarrassment!
Dawg enuff
January 2nd, 2012
8:19 pm
This WAS a case of the kicker losing the game! It was a case of fearless coaching decisions to go for the score in the first of the game. Missing FG’s in overtime,once for the game,and once at the end to tie,shows that it wasn’t coaching that lost the game,but poor player execution! If they had not stuffed the run in the first half at 4th and 1, that 6 points could have changed the game! Maybe getting a runner who can bust through the line,or a kicker,[snapper,holder, whatever] that can kick,snap or hold,maybe the fortunes can change! Don’t blame the coaching you morons!
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
8:19 pm
All the fair weathered fans are hilarious. ” I won’t be satisfied if we don’t when at least 10 games” at the start of the season. Then we do and lose a tough bowl game, now all the fire Mark Richt nonsense starts again. My guess it’s a bunch of trollers from other teams that have nothing better to do than come on a UGA blog are the ones posting stupid crap.
1eyedJack
January 2nd, 2012
8:19 pm
A few coaching seminars wouldn’t hurt anybody. Maybe they can wait til the Falcons get bumped from the playoffs and they could get a group rate.
LakeDawg
January 2nd, 2012
8:19 pm
Coaching clearly cost UGA the game. As bad as Paul Johnson was- trying to run out the clock from the beginning of the 4th quarter. Bobo and Richt tried to run out the clock from the beginning of the second half. UGA went completely in a shell. MSU was crashing their safeties on every 1st and 2nd down, yet UGA threw ZERO play action passes in the second half. Bobo and Richt coached scared. They replaced Malcome with a 168 lb back, because they were scared Malcome would fumble. Once Murray threw the interception, there were going to be ZERO passes thrown over the middle. Murray’s biggest fault is he is too hard on himself after a mistake, which sometimes leads to him blowing up. However, good coaching could help him mature and overcome this. However, Bobo and Richt reinforce this flaw by completely abandoning the pass and confirming in Murray’s mind that he is a screw up that can’t be trusted. Thus the cycle continues. Richt’s statement that we have to value the ball sounds good, but sends the wrong message. The reason that the pick 6 and other bad throws happened was because Murray WAS valuing the ball and short arming his passes, because he was AFRAID of throwing an interception (a mindset he gets from his coaches). Being AFRAID seems the be the defining characteristic of Richt’s coaching philosophy. To win an SEC or NC, a coach has to have a set of grapefruits. Alas, Richt has raisens. Unfortunately, UGA is stuck with a coach who is too good to be fired and too mediocre to win anything of consequence. Richt is a decent coach in a conference full of very good to great coaches. My prediction for next year is 11-3 with a Capital One bowl victory over Penn State.
abominable snowman dawg
January 2nd, 2012
8:20 pm
Not sure firing Bobo is the answer. How about recruiting kids that fit the offense you are running. If you want to run up the middle, get some big backs. The biggest line in the world got handled by a much smaller d-line today. Just like the Boise game. How do you fix that?
AugustaDawg
January 2nd, 2012
8:20 pm
Where we supposed to lose those games we won? We can’t help the schedule. Complain when we lose the games we are supposed to win. Today could have gone either way. Young pups will hopefully learn from this and turn them into wins next year. What if we had lost to ole miss etc….hopefully line will improve and Murray will make better decisions. IC needs to mature and maybe he’ll be pushed next year. Go Dawgs!
we steal ruin this state
January 2nd, 2012
8:21 pm
My son saw a ga fan at the game holding a sign that said “GO DWAGS”
Jeff and the Camaros
January 2nd, 2012
8:23 pm
I am watching Oregon, with a 4 pt lead, and they are throwing the ball, and flying around. And aren’t handing the ball up the middle when EVERYONE knows it isn’t going to work!
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
8:23 pm
What this game came down to again was the lack of a RB and a running game coupled with poor O-line play. That’s it. That won’t be a problem next year.
Atticus
January 2nd, 2012
8:23 pm
The positive is I love the players on this team. Tree is a beast, same with JJ and Rambo really improved this year into an elite player. The defense will be lights out next year.
Murray needs a better OL and running game and protect the ball more. And the coaches need to let them play. His mistakes would’nt have cost us the game if he would’ve let him run the offense at the end of regulation or in OT.
TailBack U
January 2nd, 2012
8:24 pm
39 rushes for 51 yards— Need recruits at O-line, QB, 2 RB’s, and COACHING.
Ted M
January 2nd, 2012
8:24 pm
Yes they have improved and the 10 game winning streak & beating crap out of Auburn did give me hope. But we should have more right now not some point in the future.
Given their schedule they should and likely will win the east next year. I want them to win that game, I don’t want to hear “well LSU, Alabama or whoever is really good, no shame in losing that game”. Ga has the same talent as those guys…do they have the same coaching?
Atticus
January 2nd, 2012
8:24 pm
Augusta how about beating someone ranked? Tell me all the good teams we have beaten the last 5 years?
abominable snowman dawg
January 2nd, 2012
8:25 pm
With all the NFL openings, chances are Grantham is on somebody’s radar right now. Probably should be on Falcon’s radar, too. I personally don’t think Mr. Crowell will be back next season. Uga and the SEC are too big a stage for him. He’s better suited for the big fish-little pond situation. I wish him well in whatever he decides to do.
Elementary my Dear Watson
January 2nd, 2012
8:25 pm
Coach Mike Bobo, please tell me what you were thinking on that last drive in regulation? Never mind, I know what your answer is: ” Well, our defense was playing excellent and I wanted our defense to secure the victory “. ” I felt like if we ran it three straight times, that would run some clock off “. Ok next question: Was a first down, that would have closed the victory out, ever in your thought pattern? “. ” Oh , no it wasn’t, just running some clock, punting the ball back and let our defense do it’s thing. Coach Bobo please put this on your calendar next week. Dale Carnigie Sales Seminar on ” How to Close the Sale ” is coming to Athens and I myself, am enrolling you. You must be in attendance,,,,roll will be taken.
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
8:25 pm
We will also add Justin Scott Wesley at WR next year who I hear has been a beast on the scout team this year. We will be absolutely loaded at WR next year.
jack bull
January 2nd, 2012
8:25 pm
Bobo was NOT the problem today. well, other than not trusting his QB, which i don’t blame him, Murray is average, AT BEST. I do blame Bobo, and Richt for that matter, for sticking with Murray. I know for a fact that S Spurrier would be looking at a different QB.
I can’t put my finger on it, but Murray just nuts up against good teams, period.
Monroe's First Redcoat
January 2nd, 2012
8:26 pm
Isaiah Crowell….3 carries for 3 yards. At least his yards-per-carry average went up………
Ted M
January 2nd, 2012
8:26 pm
I thought Ken Malcome looked pretty good.
APB for...
January 2nd, 2012
8:27 pm
True Dawg Fan
headley lamar
ty webb
superDawg
dawgfan
and the rest of you
Isn’t karma interesting.
ddwque
January 2nd, 2012
8:27 pm
UGA needs to get rid of Bobo or demote him to QB coach and get an OC who can develop a game plan that better utilizes the immense amount of talent in Athens.
Buzz 2011
January 2nd, 2012
8:27 pm
BulldogBen says Dawgs played nobody, nobody of consequence…….Did the Dawgs play GT??? GT played Clemson ( #5 ranked ) who became ACC champs and GT won.. GT played and beat #24 NC..We lost to Dawgs but burned their defence for what 400yrds.. Why didn’t you keep up with your Dawgs?? How many top 25 teams did The Dawgs win?? You aren’t too bright are you ??
brian white
January 2nd, 2012
8:27 pm
if you (richt or bobo) don’t trust murray to through it ,then why not mason?
Atticus
January 2nd, 2012
8:27 pm
We have a great TE kerry, how did we use him today? A freaking joke, I am sorry.
You are correct, MM, King, Brown, Conley, Bennett and JSW and Wooten comes back and a few others. The best group we have ever had.
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
8:28 pm
snowman, Crowell will be back next year. He said so. He said he was happy at UGA. Hopefully a year in the S&C program and a year of maturity he will be better next year even though over 800 yards rushing is not bad. With a top RB like Marshall sharing the load with him they will not get beat up as bad.
Ted M
January 2nd, 2012
8:28 pm
Richard Samuel does stink though. That guy is slow. He’s huge too and can’t run over anyone.
WeBurn
January 2nd, 2012
8:28 pm
Georgia beat no one good this year. Florida had its worst team in years, Auburn won eight games and obviously was rebuilding, and Tech is, well…Tech. But as usual, Bradley gets caught up in the hype, along with all the delusional UGA fans. Go add up the records of the teams you beat and you’ll get a cold dose of reality.
Post of the day from 1/1/12...
January 2nd, 2012
8:28 pm
1eyedJack
January 1st, 2012
10:12 am
“you have to take your hat off to Utah”
What’s with the hat-tipping? Coach Fishfry must have been channeling Fredi Gonzalez there for a moment. H3ll, he wasn’t even wearing a hat.
But I guess it’s apropos since Fishfry and Fredi managed two of the three biggest collapses in Atlanta history. The third would have been that drunkard Sherman burning the place to the ground, but I bet the gentile folk of Atlanta weren’t tipping their hats to that misanthrope.
——–
A tip of the hat to Mark Richt and 1eyedJack
Mike Bobo
January 2nd, 2012
8:29 pm
I know what the hell I’m doing, ok?
kerryb
January 2nd, 2012
8:30 pm
Atticus, I agree with you. Kevin Butler was saying it on the radio after the game. He didn’t understand when they were loading 8 men in the box why we didn’t go down the seam or in the flat to Charles to force them to make an adjustment.
abominable snowman dawg
January 2nd, 2012
8:30 pm
kerryb, UGA is LOADED EVERY YEAR. I REPEAT, EVERY YEAR. Your hero CMR does NOTHING WITH HIS TALENTED SQUAD. As soon as you and his followers accept that he will not lead UGA to a national title, the better off you will be. Then again, being the Clemson of the SEC is good enough for you.
1eyedJack
January 2nd, 2012
8:30 pm
Well, this year is over, and that’s for dang sure. We could wallow in our misery or turn our attention to recruiting, keeping our juniors, strength and conditioning, spring practice, a favorable 2012 schedule, and before you know it it’ll be time to do this again.