A sobering night: Georgia is outclassed and overwhelmed
This forlorn shot is somewhat indicative of the night itself, wouldn't you say? (AP photo by Brett Flashnick)
Columbia, S.C. – Billed as a prove-it game, Georgia can only hope this was instead a case of false advertising. If the nation’s No. 5 team proved anything Saturday night, it’s that it shouldn’t be ranked that high, or perhaps at all.
South Carolina was primed to make a point. It took Georgia, which had averaged 48 points in its first five games, 58 minutes just to score a point here. To say the Bulldogs looked a step slow from the get-go is to suggest that “Ishtar” slightly underperformed at the box office. In the first 10 minutes, Georgia managed to get outclassed across the board — on offense, on defense, even on special teams. Not coincidentally, South Carolina had mustered three touchdowns before the visitors managed their second first down.
In a way, this recalled the infamous first half against Alabama in September 2008, the night the Bulldogs wore their black jerseys and trailed 31-0 at the half. But Alabama hit Georgia with a series of body blows. South Carolina was firing haymakers to the jaw: A 42-yard completion that should have been a Bacarri Rambo interception on the game’s second snap; an interception off a tipped Aaron Murray pass on Georgia’s third snap; two Connor Shaw touchdown passes to unencumbered receivers, and finally an outrageous punt return by Ace Sanders.
All the improvements Georgia has made over the past 13 months — or seemed to have made — were called into question in this wretched first quarter. South Carolina was bigger, faster, stronger, tougher and yes, better-coached. The Gamecocks knew what they wanted to do and did it with gusto. Georgia had no good ideas. South Carolina showed it could run the ball, pass the ball, stop the run and rush the passer. (And, lest we forget, return punts.) The Bulldogs could do none of the above.
Example: On Georgia’s only real threat of the first three quarters, Mark Richt chose to go for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal at the 2. Murray somehow completed a pass for one yard to Rantavious Wooten. “The ball probably should have gone to the [other] side,” said Mike Bobo, the offensive coordinator.
The talent Georgia had displayed against Missouri and Vanderbilt and Tennessee looked rather less impressive this night. Surely some of that had to do with playing on the road, but venue is no excuse for losing 35-7. South Carolina was ready, and that’s a function of coaching. Georgia wasn’t, and that’s a malfunction of same.
Even more distressing was that the big-name Bulldogs — Murray and Jarvis Jones and Rambo and the freshman backs — were rendered pedestrian by comparison. South Carolina’s offensive and defensive fronts exerted their will. The great Marcus Lattimore got all the tough yards. Shaw, who’s from Flowery Branch, made all the tough plays. The Bulldogs acted content to stand back and admire such excellence, and by appearing so passive in such a setting they left themselves open to all the old doubts.
Even in their division-winning season of 2011, the Bulldogs lost to the four best teams they played. This year they’d won five games without meeting anyone of real consequence, and this effort, if that’s the word for it, was so desultory as to make you wonder when, or if, Georgia will ever again beat anybody any good.
Surely they will. They’re too gifted not to break through against somebody. But a game like this made everyone who has attempted to paint these Bulldogs as smarter, tougher, better — and that’s my hand you see raised — feel a fool. When you’re beaten like this, there can be no disclaimers, no qualifiers: This was simply a horrid showing.
Said Richt: “I told the guys, ‘The bad news is that we took a whipping. The good news is that we all took it together … They whipped us pretty good.”
This was worse than the 42-10 loss to LSU in the SEC title game. Georgia wasn’t quite ready for such a game, and the Tigers were too good. But these Bulldogs were older and presumably wiser, and none of that wisdom was brought to bear here. And if Georgia, after all its staff changes and glitzy recruiting, remains incapable of competing on the big stage, whose fault is that?
Todd Grantham’s defense was superb much of last season but seems misdirected now. Bobo’s offense had run up boxcar numbers against lesser lights, but against South Carolina it had but 149 yards through three quarters. And Richt, who’s in charge of this whole operation, used to be able to take teams anywhere and beat anybody. Where did that mojo go?
No, the season isn’t over, and yes, it’s still possible for this team to win the SEC East and play for the conference title. But the season changed Saturday night. Georgia was exposed on national TV as undeserving of its hype, and it can take a program a long time to recover from such an indignity. The Bulldogs’ ceiling got lowered here. When they arrived, we wondered how good they really were. We have a clearer idea now.
By Mark Bradley
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Coaching Matters
October 7th, 2012
1:39 am
It was embarrasing to hear the crowd chanting ” overated, overated, overated”.
But more embarassing was that I never saw Richt talking to the Coordinators or any coach when things were clearly out of hand, instead he stood there as if he got new that his mother had died. Before the start of the 3rd Quarter he gathered the team, but I never saw any communication with the coaches.
BitterDawg
October 7th, 2012
1:40 am
Georgia Struggles vs Teams Which Finished the Season Ranked:
Since 2008–> 2-14
Last 2 Years–> 0-9
VS SEC since 2008–> 0-9
VS Top 12 since 2008–> 0-9
Time for a CHANGE?
DISCUSS…
moo-face
October 7th, 2012
1:42 am
I sense it is gonna take a LOT for this staff to live down this crap they put out there tonight and I don’t think there’s any way in the world these guys got enough talent on that coaching staff to do it.
dbc
October 7th, 2012
1:42 am
Captain Obvious: “First of all, the bad news is we took a whipping. The good news is we all took it together. It was a team loss,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said.
Thanks Coach, that will calm us all down. Get the F out!
Gamecocky
October 7th, 2012
1:42 am
Hee,hee,hee !!!! good call Mark……5th in the nation ? really…….good PR dept.
Damon Kelly
October 7th, 2012
1:46 am
No more money from me and no more games. I supported CMR for years but tired of always falling short against ranked opponents. I don’t claim to know the answer but humilitation against ranked opponents has got to end. I don’t know whose is better but this is not working and we are a national joke.and considered a paper tiger. Too many resources in Athens to be so disappointing year after year. I’m sure Buck Belue will smooth it over and blame the players…
Coaching Matters
October 7th, 2012
1:48 am
It has been a bad Sports Weekend in these parts, first the Braves had their celebration after clinching a Wildcard Spot, with all the Champaigne they could get hold of, then forgot how to play defense and bowed out of the playoffs, Georgia Tech got whip, no surprise there, and now Georgia got embarrassed. I pray things will be different for the Falcons so we can have something to feel good about.
yellowfever
October 7th, 2012
1:49 am
Hire Paul Johnson, with Mark Richt’s recruits he will win big the first 2 years then his own sorry recruiting will do him in.
moo-face
October 7th, 2012
1:49 am
2 things I can give these coaches’ some credit for while we are bashing their brains out on here. They have assembled quite a crew of talented players up there. What happens after they get there is another story and I don’t know who couldn’t recruit well at GA with this state just bubbling over with athletic, hard-hitting high school talent.
#2 is kudos to somebody for having the football smarts enough to keep Mitchell from getting out there and creating an even bigger disaster on punt returns. Atleast they finally saw that one coming and did something about it.
daddo
October 7th, 2012
1:53 am
U clay eaters with all your “we’re just like Auburn in 2010.” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…
dbc
October 7th, 2012
1:54 am
And 3 years from now, Richt will still be here, it will be the same, lackluster stuff, and we’ll all be talking about next year. Money folks, that’s what it boils down to — withhold it, and change will happen fast. Keep shelling it out, and you might as well pay it directly to our inept coaching staff.
If I recall, we were having these same conversations 3 years ago! And WHAT”S CHANGED? Other than Richt being rich and the rest of us being jerked around year-after year. Suckers, all of us.
Gamecocky
October 7th, 2012
1:54 am
Hee,hee,hee !!!!!! ranked 5th nationally ?????
Elrod Hunt
October 7th, 2012
1:58 am
Please fire Mark Richt and his circus monkey Bobo.
moo-face
October 7th, 2012
1:58 am
2 things I would like to give this coaching staff credit for while we are bashing their brains in.
#1. They have assemble quite a crew of talented players up there. I give them credit for that. Now, what happens to them after getting to Athens is another story. And I’m not sure who couldn’t recruit well in Georgia with this state just bubbling over with good hard-hitting, athletic high school talent.
#2. Atleast somebody had the football sense to keep from letting Mitchell get out there and create an even bigger disaster than we already had on our hands with his punt returning folly’s.
Maxx4955
October 7th, 2012
2:00 am
Why does Mark Ritcht keep his starters when he knows the game is pretty mover. I can’t for the life of me understand why he keeps his 1st stringers in. How does he expect his young players to gain game experience? Is it me, or is Shawn Williams having the worse season of his career. Shawn Williams is getting worse as the season persist…he is getting burned by every receiver in the SEC… why not put C. Moore in the game. The kid might be young but he hits just as hard as Shawn Williams and is a much, much better coverage guy than S. Williams. Mark Richt and his coaching staff are beginning to make me sick.
moo-face
October 7th, 2012
2:01 am
TWO things I would like to give this coaching staff credit for while we are bashing their brains in.
#1. They have assemble quite a crew of talented players up there. I give them credit for that. Now, what happens to them after getting to Athens is another story. And I’m not sure who couldn’t recruit well in Georgia with this state just bubbling over with good hard-hitting, athletic high school talent.
#2. Atleast somebody had the football sense to keep from letting Mitchell get out there and create an even bigger disaster than we already had on our hands with his punt returning folly’s.
Columbus
October 7th, 2012
2:02 am
Our offense was ill-prepared for their defense. No rollouts for Murray really. No screen passes. I dont get it. I dont get playing to not make any mistakes and weathering the 1st quarter in that environment either. You know when you go into a hostile environment like that, they have ALL the energy and momentum and you have to be cautious and get through it without making it worse and well we made it worse. Take away the 1st quarter and it was much closer BUT UGA still wasnt ready for their defense and I am embarassed of the offensive planning and contigency plan. I know SC defense was ready and I know they were PISSED at UGA since they beat us last year and we still went to the SEC Championship….we didnt have nothing for them. NOTHING to make their aggressive defense pay. Bobo REFUSES to run screen plays. Its ONLY one of the best plays in football history. SAD. Bobo was showing such promise but when faces with an awesome Dline, he dropped the ball and had a terrible plan. Murray always seems to choke in th big games and not getting Murray off to a good start was another blunder. Murray looked scared early. He lacked confidence early. NO POISE. BAD game plan on the offense. The D want too bad like Herbstreit wa saying in the 4th….they were just on the field too long by then thanks to the OFFENSE SUCKING. D wasnt too bad. They got beat twice in the 1st when they were hyped up AND Murray gave them the ball IMMEDIATELY on an INT. That joker was TALL. BAD START. Spurrier classic. Get you behind early and he makes you play his game and UGA was not ready for the crowd and electricity and the adrenalin SC was about to bring. Not close to ready and that is on Bobo. Again.
moo-face
October 7th, 2012
2:07 am
@ Columbus. Good points. All I would say is that heck yea Murray was scared early. The guys in front of him that are supposed to protect him and open holes for his RBs were getting their tails handed to them physically as usual when we play a real team.
moo-face
October 7th, 2012
2:11 am
Time after time after time after time we get our tails kicked on both lines of scrimmage and I am so sick of it. Nobody likes getting beat, but how I get beat matters to me. I would rather see my team get out classed athletically than to consistently see my team get pushed around and handled up front.
BitterDawg
October 7th, 2012
2:13 am
Update!
Georgia Struggles vs Teams Which Finished the Season Ranked:
Since 2008–> 2-15
Last 2 Years–> 0-10
VS SEC since 2008–> 0-10
VS Top 12 since 2008–> 0-10
Now Time for a CHANGE?
DISCUSS…
Reality Sucks
October 7th, 2012
2:27 am
Looking more likely that Richt will not be back in 2013 after the pending Florida loss. Also likely that many of the top freshmen will transfer if he does leave. McGarity has his hands full, but the mint-Julip sipping UGA board members are content with being an SEC second-rate program. That is more than obvious. The ultimate collapse of this program will be next season. It will take five years to rebuild after Richt leaves, and that is dependent on what kind of coach replaces him. Spurrier will beat UGA for several more years while UGA tries to rebuild.
Ouch
October 7th, 2012
2:34 am
Well, dawggies, it coulda been worse……nah, not really. RTR!!
Russell
October 7th, 2012
2:41 am
Yet Tech still has a chance to be a first rate ball club and get to the BCS title game right, Bradley? Jesus, you’re a joke.
Superfan
October 7th, 2012
2:46 am
I hope this embarrassing loss finally shuts up some blowhard obnoxious UGA fans who keep repeating in blog after blog that they are even close to Alabama, Oregon, and others. Not even close.
Teams that would beat UGA by 14 points or more…
Alabama, Oregon,FSU, Clemson, WV, South Carolina, Oregon St, Stanford, USC, if they played on a neutral field.
moo-face
October 7th, 2012
2:52 am
Now I called this game. I called on my FB page that it would be awfully tough to beat Carolina up there at night and if we played half as bad as we did against UT we would get run outta there. But it never occured to me that this coaching staff could lose the game in half a dang quarter
missysrichtnotSMART
October 7th, 2012
2:56 am
tough game. we’ll be ready next Saturday! Sic em
KIRBY
October 7th, 2012
3:03 am
u doggies dont worry…gettin my three R’s from the BEST! I’ll be there next yr! Save some Gaterade, Kathyryn
FleaAllergyDermatitis
October 7th, 2012
3:07 am
@missysrichtnotSMART – we don’t have a game next Saturday (not to say we won’t be ready)
willMissYouCMR
October 7th, 2012
3:08 am
Coach, tired of our mediocrity.
OnceGrunthumBoynowKirby
October 7th, 2012
3:10 am
D is atrocious. Full of NFLers but look like a Donnan group. Implorable.
DVRBoyforNoReason
October 7th, 2012
3:23 am
Have no idea why I want to see this game again!
CShaw
October 7th, 2012
3:25 am
We dont have to be perfect. Just one of Spurriers QB’s.
jessie
October 7th, 2012
3:30 am
ur right C!
Joker
October 7th, 2012
3:35 am
Spot on, Mark! Go Cats!
Unreal
October 7th, 2012
3:47 am
The team itself looked confused, exposed and without a clue. Here is a S. Carolina team that barely best Vanderbilt and they literally put an old fashion whipping on us. How many times can you run the ball to the right and get stopped for no yardage until you figure out it wasn’t working? How many times do you blitz to be left open in the middle? South Carolina isn’t that good, which makes Georgia even worse. LSU and UGA were ranked too high, and that’s just a fact. Horrible loss. Probably the worse in years.
Unreal
October 7th, 2012
3:55 am
Oh and maybe they should look at their defense prior to Rambo and the suspension group came back. Also, I hear Murray, Murray, Murray and I ask, “what’s the big deal with Murray?” He can’t win a big game and hasn’t in 3 years. While Mason is trying to sit out a year so he can at least play a year at QB for UGA, maybe Murray should sit and Mason should play now. Sick! Put the players back in on defense and let the Rambo’s of the world go back to doing what they were doing to get suspended in the first place.
UGA-K
October 7th, 2012
3:57 am
Hate to say this but Murray just isn’t that good. And Bobo…he was a little boy with a playcard and headset sitting quietly at the adult table.
John
October 7th, 2012
4:07 am
How bout them puppies? LOL
Stinger 2
October 7th, 2012
4:13 am
Hard for a GT fan to understand why UGA fans get so upset and lose their cool because of the the loss of one game. GT has lost four games but the sun will come up in the east this a:m. UGA fans need to get a another life to go with football.
Stinger 2
October 7th, 2012
4:19 am
GT has lost four games (two tough ones on OT) yet the sun still rises every a:m in the east. UGA fans should get another life to go along with football and stop whining about one loss. Suck it up and move on guys.
ProDawg
October 7th, 2012
4:23 am
The Dawgs are the Dallas Cowboys of college football. Fancy facilities, proud fans. Unfortunately they are wandering around in the desert, with teams that can’t earn the storied logo on their helmets.
A155MM
October 7th, 2012
4:24 am
Georgia was not prepared by their coaches for anything like what SC did to them. Given this fact; CMR should get back to his humanitarian activities; and let Georgia bring in real coaches who have kept up with the game; and who are actually focused on winning as an objective; not as an after thought.
lizard
October 7th, 2012
4:37 am
It always comes into play—-Richt is not Spurrier and he is not Saban—he is an offensive c from the acc——why in the hell Georgia chose someone from the ACC is really what people should be asking———its not Richts fault—-its just what he knows—and he does not understand power football. He never will—–UGA fans have kept hoping he would change into Spurrier or Saban or Miles but——————————–it is not going to happen———face it folks—–Georgia is never going to be like the team Hershel played on——-its over. The fact that SC has a Georgia quarterback that can run and Georgia has a guy from Fla that does little is all the proof you need as well. if UGA was so great why are losing people like shaw to other states?? Coaching.
Douglas
October 7th, 2012
4:45 am
It is time for Richt and his entire staff to go. We will lose 1 more game this year to Florida because Richt cannot beat a team unless it is weak. We will NEVER win the SEC east let alone a SEC championship as long as Richt is the HC. All this talent…wasted…wasted. I feel bad for our players…don’t blame some of them…they are only as good as they are coached.
Stinger 2
October 7th, 2012
4:53 am
UGA fans go ballistic and get uptight and out of sorts after one loss. GT has four losses.
So what is the big deal UGA fans. Suck it up, move on and get another life besides football.
docta
October 7th, 2012
5:02 am
well—Richt is from the ACC. Wonder how many UGA fans have wondered if the guy would ever learn or care about learning power football. Its not his fault. Its who he is—-if you want a power football coach you look for someone like Lombardi—not an offensive C from the ACC—-that is crux of UGAs problems. Spurrier knows the drill. Saban has down too. Georgia gets down to the one yard line and has 2 plays to go one yard—what do they do? they throw the ball——-twice. Good God man—what kind people are these coaches at UGA?—One yard ?? UGA will never be anymore than what they are now with Richt===SC gets a quarterback from Georgia that can run and we get some guy from Tampa, Fla who cannot run————folks its right in front of you——-why go to UGA when you can go to a school with a great coach.====there it is—-
ta da
October 7th, 2012
5:09 am
Connor Shaw for Heisman…….aron murray for dog catcher……..lol
BigGator
October 7th, 2012
5:21 am
Too Bad Bull Puppies. UF is going to chomp on you. That is, what is left of your carcass after you got “Cocked” tonight.
Bow wow, really scary.
docta
October 7th, 2012
5:22 am
yall know what uga is going to do with one yard to score right?===and 2 downs to do it? Pass!!!!!!!!!!———-morons folks—Richt is from the ACC—he will NEVER commit to power football—-well he really does not understand it so—in any case—the fact that Spurrier has a Georgia quarterback that is way better that Murray tells you what the deal is—–UGA is a second rate program and always will be until they get rid of Richt and McGarity and all of those phoney Florida people who act like they are all from Georgia—–for monies sake———never mind—-Roll Tide!!(my back up team)
Lonnie
October 7th, 2012
5:34 am
I am embarrassed!!!! I love Coach Richt but tonight was embarrassing!!!! Let’s regroup this week and win out!!!!!