Five yards short: In bitter defeat, a winning Georgia effort
The final moments of a fabulous game: Chris Conley catches the ball. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
There are people who say that only championships matter, that finishing second is the same as finishing last. To those people, we say this: Go away now. Go away while we honor — and yes, that’s the proper word — as gallant a runner-up as we’ll ever see. Go away and let us speak of the Georgia Bulldogs.
They’d waited 30 years for a game this big, and they came as close as you could come to winning it without actually winning. Three times they took a lead over the mighty Alabama, and even after what should have been a crushing Tide touchdown with 3:15 remaining, even after what seemed a clinching Bama interception inside the final minute … even then, these Bulldogs found themselves with first-and-goal and time flying.
That they fell five yards short, that a tipped Aaron Murray pass for Malcolm Mitchell was caught by a falling Chris Conley and the final five seconds ticked away, cannot take away from the effort spent and the excellence displayed. The Bulldogs arrived as a underdog, but they carried the fight to the reigning national champion and they left five yards shy of the most thrilling victory — apologies to Lindsay Scott — Georgia football has ever known.
This was easily the best of the 21 SEC Championship Games, and it was one of the finest displays of collegiate football ever witnessed. “Alabama’s a great football team,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said, “and we were pretty good, too.”
Has a losing team ever had more championship-caliber men and moments? From Sanders Commings intercepting an AJ McCarron pass in the end zone to the same Commings catching a pass from tight end Arthur Lynch to convert a galvanizing fake punt; from Cornelius Washington blocking a field goal and Alec Ogletree taking the carom the distance; from the freshman back Todd Gurley pounding the midsection of the nation’s best defense to Murray taking his team downfield in the final minute … has there ever, in the long and distinguished history of Georgia football, been a prouder loss?
Alas, the Bulldogs needed 85 yards, and they could manage only 80. Are five yards sufficient reason to characterize them as losers, to suggest that this four-point loss is living proof that Richt and/or Murray can’t win the Big One? No and no, and if you’re of such a mind didn’t you hear me when I said, “Go away”?
Contrary to popular belief, not every winning effort translates to winning. Alabama was just a bit better (and much stronger up front), but the Bulldogs spurned every opportunity — and there were many — to throw up their collective hands and say, “We’ve given it a go, but this isn’t our day.” And that fighting spirit nearly turned this into the Dogs’ day after all.
“They played well, we played well, the clock ran out,” Richt said. “What are you going to say?”
It was the game for which Georgia had waited since Herschel Walker left Athens in the spring of 1983, the game Richt had waited 12 seasons to coach. It was a game to win one championship and go play for another, and there can be no dishonor in the way the day played out. Quibble with the ending if you will — should Georgia have spiked the ball before Murray’s last throw? Probably not, for Bama was clearly rattled — but you cannot fault the Bulldogs’ skill or heart or pride.
If you claim to be a Georgia fan, you cannot be disappointed with the performance — only the result. How many teams could have stood in against Alabama after the Tide ground out 350 rushing yards? Alabama is the nation’s best program and has the nation’s best coach, and with 10 seconds left there was no assurance that regal Bama would leave the Georgia Dome as the winner.
“I shook every man’s hand,” Richt said, speaking of his crestfallen Bulldogs, “and if someone had his head in his hands I rubbed his head and told him I loved him.”
If you love anything about competitive sports, anything at all, you had to love this game. “That was a great football game by both teams, and they could have won today the same as us,” said Nick Saban, the hard-driving Alabama coach. “It came down to the last play.”
That the final play on this frenzied day was made by Georgia’s opponent in no way diminishes Georgia. If anything, the Bulldogs stand ennobled after falling to Alabama in a way that they hadn’t after any victory of the past half-dozen years. They didn’t win, but they didn’t really lose. “The clock just ran out,” Richt said, and there was no better recap of these stirring events than that.
Alabama played great. Georgia played great. And then the clock ran out.
Further reading: Bama’s backs, Saban’s gaffe and a classic SEC title game.
By Mark Bradley
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1,506 comments Add your comment
Ace
December 2nd, 2012
11:02 am
Sec wants to change the subject
Dumbo
December 2nd, 2012
11:03 am
Fi Slamma Bama…..remember 1973 Sugar Bowl in old Tulane Stadium…I do
armchariqb
December 2nd, 2012
11:03 am
@ Evansdawg – your head is in the sand.
“Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser.” -Vince Lombardi
Fi Slamma Bama
December 2nd, 2012
11:04 am
CMR is scheduling a tour in Tuscaloosa to get some insight on how a real football program is run.
The UGA fans should come over and take a lesson on not whining when you lose.
Fi Slamma Bama
December 2nd, 2012
11:05 am
Dumbo… You picked the right name.
I don’t remember that because I live in the present… As in we own you! How about another blackout?
Roll Tide! SEC CHAMPS!
Dumbo
December 2nd, 2012
11:07 am
Fi Slamma Bama….you are a turd….ND 24 UA 23 and I was there
ShowMeYurTD's
December 2nd, 2012
11:07 am
Bama made mistakes….UGA couldn’t take advantage, and Richt doesn’t take any responsibility, EVER! What a creep
Fi Slamma Bama
December 2nd, 2012
11:08 am
German name guy… That is not very nice at all… We are talking football here… Not people’s health. Typical UGA fan… Nothing else to live for except mediocre football.
Dumbo
December 2nd, 2012
11:08 am
Fi Slamma Bama….you sure you aren’t a Techie faking it again
ShowMeYurTD's
December 2nd, 2012
11:09 am
2-10 vs top 10 opponents since 2008! WTF
want some cheese with those whines Dawg fans
December 2nd, 2012
11:10 am
the only thing classic about the game is the fact that the dawg’s can never win a big game. #3 HAH what a joke -when you schedule in 7-8 sure wins you always think your good until you play a real team with real results at stake, go hide in your doghouses and cry, not to worry the team will let you down once again next year
Fi Slamma Bama
December 2nd, 2012
11:10 am
Dumbo — that’s an elephant’s name. You are pulling for the wrong team!
We have more NCs in the last decade than UGA does in the entire history of its second rate program.
stendek
December 2nd, 2012
11:11 am
Dawgs lose! Tell em you love em, hold their hands, give em a kiss. Let em know failure is acceptable. That is way of Saint Mark Richt. Fine in church but not on harsh SEC battlefields. Tyrant Nick Sabans of world abhor defeat. Soft uncaring crybabies like Saint Mark and most “Just Losing Close Forever Fine” Dawg fake fans embrace failure! Will celebrate when Richt exits Athens for good. More likely than not on a rail!
Fi Slamma Bama
December 2nd, 2012
11:12 am
I am still laughing about that guy who brought up 1973. Talk about being a loser!
Dumbo
December 2nd, 2012
11:14 am
Name is joke on my Fi Beta Capa class ranking in 1981…..for a red neck from Bama…that means I can read, write and count past ten
GT Fan
December 2nd, 2012
11:14 am
Thanks Mr. Bradley, you made me spit a mouthful of coffee all over my laptop!
it was one of the finest displays of collegiate football ever witnessed.
Uh, you forgot to proofread before sending this article to the press! Finest displays of football … I think I hear them laughing even over in China!
ShowMeYurTD's
December 2nd, 2012
11:16 am
Saban mismanaged the clock prior to the half and it was the first thing that came out of his mouth. Richt never takes ownership of poor coaching, NEVER! Man up CMR, man the f up!
Schadenfreude
December 2nd, 2012
11:16 am
Fi Slamma, German name guy? Classic. Shame on me for engaging a troll. Google my name…you’ll see the definition. Fits you like a glove.
mikeb
December 2nd, 2012
11:17 am
No excuse for not spiking the ball at the end. Catching a tipped pass short of the end zone with no time outs is unforgiveable….where’s the situational awareness? Georgia gave a terrific effort but they beat themselves at the end of the game. Sad but true.
armchariqb
December 2nd, 2012
11:17 am
Am I the only Dawg fan who isn’t satisfied with mediocrity?
DawgByte
December 2nd, 2012
11:18 am
Mark Richt and Mike Bobo did a great job of coaching. Very few people thought UGA would keep the game this close.
One day I want a reporter to find out why the heck Grantham decided to start Gilliard at ILB. The guy hadn’t started since the beginning of the season and Shaun Williams called him out as soft and even saw Williams screaming at him during the game. Herrera would have been a much better option at ILB when Bama went exclusively to the run. I don’t understand this coaching decision. Heck, the way Robinson had been playing over the last 3 weeks he should have started the game. We’re going to need serious help at ILB next year. Reuben Foster if you watched that game, commit to the G, because you be a starter on day 1!
Schadenfreude
December 2nd, 2012
11:20 am
UGA! UGA! Proud of my team…heartbroken by the result of the game.
Fi Slamma Bama
December 2nd, 2012
11:20 am
I love it… Some loser from UGA is claiming some sort of academic superiority because he can’t win in football. I would let you have that if it were remotely true. You guys once had a class called The Fundamentals of Basketball. You’re school is consistently ranked below Alabama but you seem to think its the Harvard of the South. Typical UGA fan – delusional.
stendek
December 2nd, 2012
11:20 am
I remember 1980! Will forget 2012. Unless it becomes my own personal Macho Grande of Airplane fame. Rue day Saint Mark Richt came to Athens! Will celebrate day he leaves. Hopefully that will be sooner than later. So tired of excuses. Always a play away or some other lame excuse. Hope UGA QB leaves after this season. Stats be damned Give me a QB who has horrible statistics but guts out victories in big games. Never letting teammates or fans down. Doing what has to be done when it has to be done. That is what sports is all about! That is what defines great ones from also rans like UGA QB is.
Fladawg
December 2nd, 2012
11:20 am
It absolutely makes me sick that so many of our fans are so happy that we competed and almost won and it just brings tears to my eyes to hear that Richt patted them on the head.
Bradley, “they didn’t win but they really didn’t lose”, you gotta be kidding. We absolutely lost. Moral victories are for teams that don’t claim to recruit “dream teams”.
Mark Richt continues to be able to get the least out of the most. The only thing keeping Richt from being the worst college coach in the state is Paul Johnson.
If I want a Sunday School class taught then Mark Richt is my man. If I want to win a football championship Mark Richt is definitely NOT my man.
Schadenfreude
December 2nd, 2012
11:20 am
UGA! UGA! Proud of my team…heartbroken by the result of the game. a
Schadenfreude
December 2nd, 2012
11:21 am
UGA! UGA! Proud of my team…heartbroken by the result of the game. c
Dumbo
December 2nd, 2012
11:21 am
Fi Slamma Bama…what aisle row and seat number number, bet you don’t know cause you weren’t anywhere the Dome…..I was on Aisle 244 rown 2 seat 9
College FB realist
December 2nd, 2012
11:22 am
Get real UGA fans, and SEC homers…
UGA played only 3 teams worth a darn this season, SC, UF, and Bama. Even with a defense, per Gary Danielson, that has 11 future NFL’ers, the dawgs LOST 67% of those games. SC & Bama steamrolled this D, and 6 TOs did-in the Gators.
How blind are you folks??
STUDENT ATHLETE
December 2nd, 2012
11:23 am
TUCKER AND ALUM AND THE REST OF YOU CRITICS: How dare you cowards who hide behind an anonymous blog criticize teenage kids playing their hearts out who are on a stage and an arena you will never comprehend much less ever be on. You are classic LOSERS.
Fi Slamma Bama
December 2nd, 2012
11:24 am
Dumbo… Why did you change the subject on academics? Facts are tough things to refute.
abominable snowman dawg
December 2nd, 2012
11:24 am
anyone remember what CMR’s record was against Saban before last night?? See how little that matters this morning…Dawg fan tears taste like victory to me!
Dumbo
December 2nd, 2012
11:25 am
Fi Slamma Bama….what is the problem…can’t find the ticket stub….you are a fraud from GT….could you be GTBob or one othe other trolls
ShowMeYurTD's
December 2nd, 2012
11:25 am
We’re be lucky to get the cotton bowl. I think N ILL will be chosen to play Texas. They have a fantastic QB and Coach, and deserve it. UGA players getting ready for the draft and big bucks will not play with heart; CMR will be distracted with recruiting great players that he is not capable of coaching….SOS….same ol same ol
Beast from the East
December 2nd, 2012
11:25 am
Mark,
While UGA has nothing to be ashamed of, this article is ridiculous. There are no moral victories for elite teams. You trying to lump UGA in with Vandy and Kentucky?
Fi Slamma Bama
December 2nd, 2012
11:25 am
There is no shortcut to the top of Mt. Everest.
Roll Tide!
abominable snowman dawg
December 2nd, 2012
11:26 am
Bulldog fans’ tears taste like victory!
armchairqb
December 2nd, 2012
11:26 am
@DawgByte – your head is in the sand.
abominable snowman dawg
December 2nd, 2012
11:27 am
Anyone remember what CMR’s record vs. Saban was before last evenings game? Doesn’t seem to matter this morning does it…
College FB realist
December 2nd, 2012
11:28 am
How many times did Bama hand momentum to UGA?
1. Successful fake punt nullified by a questionable delay of game penalty.
2. UGA successful fake punt that, a few plays later, resulted in a UGA TD.
3. Int in endzone for a UGA touchback.
4. Poor clock management at the end of 1st half resulting in a Bama FG, and NO attempt at endzone.
5. Blown call by replay officials on the tipped pass nullifying a Bama 1st down.
6. B/c of replay officials blown call, UGA blocks ensuing FG, and returns for TD.
A team, purportedly as a good as UGA, is not supposed to lose when given so many opps to win.
Flat Tire On Hwy 441 in Athens
December 2nd, 2012
11:28 am
People need to stop blamming Murray
Go back and watch the game
Murray knew what to do because he was motioning to the sidelines to spike the ball
But guess what our overpaid; big game winning coaching staff told him to do…………………
Dumbo
December 2nd, 2012
11:29 am
Fi Slamma Bama…..you said you were on the 30yd line….what aisle, what row and seat(s)….you’ve had enough time to even look up the seating chart online….you are FRAUD and a LIAR
Fi Slamma Bama
December 2nd, 2012
11:30 am
Dumbo is about to cry!
I bleed crimson… Have since I was 3 years old. Live in Atlanta now and just laugh at how delusional Dawg fans are. Your team has not been relevant in 30 years, yet your whole fan base acts like you are something special. You saw special last night… It was wearing white with crimson trim!
Roll Tide!
stendek
December 2nd, 2012
11:31 am
Wonder how Dawg fans will feel when Vandy or Mississippi State win SEC titles as those programs continue to improve? Dawgs on way down. Just do not know how far down that descent will carry them! Know for sure no double digit wins in 2013. Glad Saint Mark Richt paid millions of bucks per season to fail! Maybe he will drive into sunset in one of those trucks he promotes endlessly on television. When it comes to sharp con artist snake oil salesmen who promise much but deliver little this loser is one of best. Book that!
Elementary My Dear Watson
December 2nd, 2012
11:32 am
Did not we see this coming? We gave up 44 points to Tennessee, We escaped Kentucky. SC cleaned our clocks. Yes, had a nice little roll there at the end. Beating UF in an absolute error filled game. Then closing out the season with little sisters of the poor. Then the man-up game at the end of the season for all the marbles. Games are won, and will always be one, in the trenches. BTW, Murray, please when throwing the ball, make sure you throw over the defensive players hands…….especailly when yoi know right then you only have a couple of more plays till time expires.
ARdawg
December 2nd, 2012
11:32 am
Nice column Bradley!
Someone was going to lose this game. As it happens that someone was Georgia on that night. No shame in that game. The Bulldogs laid it all out on the field. They came to win and they played to win. If you are a bulldog fan and don’t appreciate the effort the players and the coaches put in that game please, stop being a fan.
Bama was a better team in that game. My hat is off to Bama Nation now, go beat ND and make all of us proud.
I’ve no doubt the two best teams in the country were playing in the SEC championship. Georgia was not the best team on that night.
On the last play for all you nimrods who have likely never played the game. Yes a clocked ball might have given us 2 more plays. It might have given us only one more play. Not clocking the ball also sans the tipped pass would’ve caught Bama defenders out of position and a likely TD. One can second guess that choice until the cows come home. Neither could have been successful or both could have.
Tough loss Dawgs but I for one couldn’t be any more proud of your perfomance even if you had won.
It’s still GREAT to be a GEORGIA BULLDOG!!
SentientDawg
December 2nd, 2012
11:32 am
Nice article Mark. It’s still a bitter pill to swallow. We couldn’t stop the run, and that hurt us badly. Officiating wasn’t even — eg., the cheap shot on Murray after the pass incompletion, and no flag even though the referee was, apparently, looking right at it. We also committed too many legitimate penalties. Murray, Gurley, the other skill-players, and our O-line played well enough to win (sorry, Murray-bashers, despite the one pick, and the tipped ball at the end, he played well enough to win). We just couldn’t stop their run — it’s that simple.
College FB realist
December 2nd, 2012
11:32 am
Rankings & “human voters” continue to deny College FB fans their true champs.
The SEC title game should’ve been A&M vs. UF!
stendek
December 2nd, 2012
11:33 am
Meant ad nauseum (sp?) instead of endlessly…STENDEK
Fi Slamma Bama
December 2nd, 2012
11:33 am
Yeh Alabama. Crimson Tide.
Every man about you’s gonna hit their stride!