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
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 1st, 2012
10:18 pm
‘Noles fan here, but what a great game and season from the Dawgs. Love it. Sukks that it had to end like this though… they were so close. Such devastation in the crowd around me. I hope Murray comes back and Grantham can work some magic next winter, give it 1 more shot for Murray. This team is really good.
Go Dawgs!
wreckmaniac
December 1st, 2012
10:19 pm
Dejay: You commented that Phil Fulmers recruiting classes would not have dried up so quickly had he won the SEC champ in 01. Maybe, but that dosen’t apply to UGA. If there is a 11th commandment(and I don’t mean to be crude) its that UGA will FOREVER have gobs of 4 and 5 stars. ITS A LAW.
Charlie Leibrandt
December 1st, 2012
10:19 pm
Mark Richt is my hero.
Boss
December 1st, 2012
10:19 pm
UGA players, your future is not bright. Hope you enjoyed your little ‘game’. Those memories are all you’ll ever have.
Red and Black
December 1st, 2012
10:20 pm
Good Game UGA..Better luck in 2014 bc Aaron Murray is back in 2013 and we play four rank teams. 1 and 11 against rank teams is terrible. Smh.
Mark Wohlers
December 1st, 2012
10:20 pm
Mark Richt is my hero, too.
Cochise Heffelfinger
December 1st, 2012
10:21 pm
Chumps. The Michigan of the south.
Johnny Vaught
December 1st, 2012
10:21 pm
That is perhaps the biggest batch of kook-aid you have ever served up. Last I looked, Alabama ran for 350 yards against a defense that is supposed to have 9 to 11 NFL prospects. You don’t beat anyone in the SEC giving up that many yards on the ground. That was anything other than a gallant performance. Yes, it was a good game, a slugfest, and highly contested. But don’t make it out like David almost slayed Goliath. Bottom line is that Alabama has the better team in terms of coaching and talent. Georgia stayed closed for one reason – Nick made some sideline blunders, costing a TD at the end of the first half, and they had a special teams breakdown.
DDPO
December 1st, 2012
10:21 pm
Winning is what matters….
Bud
December 1st, 2012
10:21 pm
We had 22 players, Bama had 22 players, same field, same ball, and same amount of time, they scored more points than we did.Bama wins and we lost.
Boss
December 1st, 2012
10:21 pm
Like every year, UGA fans get to live vicariously through another SEC team. SEC! SEC!
LMAO!
Thank God for Reggie Ball
December 1st, 2012
10:21 pm
@Boss
I’m sorry I thought this was a FOOTBALL blog, so unless you come here with some arguments that support Georgia tech football is superior to the University Georgia you simply will not win (similar to the Georgia tech football program). Sorry, maybe you and I can meet on an academic blog where perhaps you would have some form of argument to make.
Sometimes your the windshield and sometimes your the BUG, unless your tech then your always the BUG lololololololololol
Eugene Robinson
December 1st, 2012
10:21 pm
After tonights game, maybe now Atlanta will forget about me.
w.GAdawgfan
December 1st, 2012
10:22 pm
To all the so called UGA fans bashing the coach and players that you think cost the game. I bet you have never played a sport in your life. show some class. Be a Dawg fan win or lose or go be a Tech fan
the REAL UGA fans are sick of your mouths NOT the coaches or players. GO DAWGS !!!
32 years and counting.....
December 1st, 2012
10:22 pm
karma is a beyatch. the pass wasn’t tipped when the pass interference got overturned and a tipped ball lost the game
monty
December 1st, 2012
10:22 pm
It was embarrassing seeing thier RB’s take 3 of our guys down the field with them for an extra 5-10 yards. I don’t know who their strength and conditioning coach is(could we hire him away?)our little arm tacklers couldn’t man up. John Jenkins isn’t 1st round draft material to me. Mostly a no-show tonite.
Ga8tr
December 1st, 2012
10:23 pm
What a crock. Gallant runner-up? You people are delusional. So are your sports writers. Geez. Getting chewed up for seven yards a carry? Losing on a stupid clock management situation? Only spectacular, 32-year also-rans would deem loss this “gallant.” Unbelievably stupid column that only a Mindless UGA nation could buy into in. Embarrassing.
PMC
December 1st, 2012
10:23 pm
I’ll say this, Gurley and Marshall are awesome and the QB cupboard isn’t bare.
This is the finest team MR has coached perhaps better than the early 2000’s teams that won the SEC.
Thank God for Reggie Ball
December 1st, 2012
10:23 pm
@w.GAdawgfan
you said everything right except for capitalizing ‘tech’
other than that I feel you completely dude.
Bill Buckner
December 1st, 2012
10:23 pm
Mine too.
NORRIS CHUCK
December 1st, 2012
10:24 pm
MARK BRADLEY,
YOU CAN WRITE UP ALL THIS GUMMY GOO CRAP ALL YOU WANT. BUT IF IT WERENT FOR A MISSED FIELD GOAL, DUMB PENALTIES AND THAT GUY SWANN WHO CLEARLY GOT ROASTED ON THAT BOMB, THE DOGS WOULD BE PLAYING ND.
BUT FOR SOME REASON, UGA ALONG WITH ALL OTHER SPORTS TEAMS IN THE STATE OF GA FOUND A WAY TO RIP OUR HEARTS OUT AGAIN AND BACK OVER EM A COUPLE OF TIMES LIKE THEY DO EVERY STINKIN YEAR.
NO 44 COST THEM 15 YARDS AND THE PASS INTERFERANCE CALL ON THE DRIVE WHERE ALABAMA SCORED 8 PTS WAS TYPICAL OF GA. AND WITH 8 MINUTES TO GO, BOBO STARTS CALLING THE RUN WHILE BAMA IS WAITING ON IT. ON 3RD AND 1, THEY RUN THE BALL RIGHT UP THE MIDDLE WHILE BAMA HAD 9 GUYS IN THE BOX…HELLO!!!! GURLEY COULD HAVE RAN OUTSIDE AND MAY HAVE BROKEN IT FOR A SCORE, BUT INSTEAD THEY HAVE TO PUNT.
RICHT CALLS TIMEOUT EARLY IN THE 2ND HALF…BUT SABIN DIDNT EVEN HAVE TO CALL A TIMOUT THE WHOLE SECOND HALF. THATS A GOOD COACH RIGHT THERE! IF THEY WOULD HAVE HAD A TIMEOUT, THEY COULD HAVE KICKED A FG!
IM NOT GOING TO FAULT MURRAY FOR THE LAST PASS, CAUSE IT WAS TIPPED, BUT THE PASS BEFORE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN TO THE SIDELINES. HE WAS DOING EXACTLY WHAT BAMA WANTED HIM TO DO, WHICH WAS RUN THE CLOCK OUT! YOU GOTTA THROW TO THE SIDELINES OR THE ENDZONE.
Sess Poole
December 1st, 2012
10:24 pm
No joy in the Athens Cesspool tonight, is there?
5yardsshort
December 1st, 2012
10:24 pm
Coming within 5 yards of beating Alabama in SEC Championship game is alot like kissing your sister,but I guess most UGAG fans are use to that.
Boss
December 1st, 2012
10:24 pm
So much fun! UGA is the dirtiest team in football. They got exactly what they deserved.
monty
December 1st, 2012
10:25 pm
How many rushing yards did BAMA have? Our kids thought they had the best defense. Maybe. BUt one thing for sure was BAMA had the best O-line and tougher RB”S even though Gurley showed out.
Yo Vince
December 1st, 2012
10:26 pm
Dear Santa, Please stop the Falcons from drafting any of the Dwag defenders that allowed a records 350 rushing yards from Bama. It was the worst defense I’ve watched in 50 years of being a football fan. 8 yards a carry, are you freakin kidding me. And Rambo, the Freashman reciever just blew past you again for a huge gain. What a joke… more talented than what? Not Bama
Boss
December 1st, 2012
10:26 pm
Just a great night. GT still has a more recent national championship than the dwags. And more of them too!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Thank God for Reggie Ball
December 1st, 2012
10:27 pm
@Boss
42-10.
I don’t know why I need to say anything else, just a waste of typing on an imbecile
Cj
December 1st, 2012
10:27 pm
Matt Ryan should be sent to Jax. Great game Dawgs. The sec did not want us. Hope the falcons lose.
Boss
December 1st, 2012
10:27 pm
Gt still has the more recent national title! Love it!
GB's Hamburgers
December 1st, 2012
10:28 pm
Most of the time if you give up 350 rushing yards it’s a blow out. For most of the game we knew what was coming but couldn’t stop it. But lesser teams have been running on us all year. We supposed to have the talent … so is it the scheme. Is the 3-4 not the right D for the SEC?
Boss
December 1st, 2012
10:28 pm
And GT has 4 titles to jawjas 1. Awesome!
mjk
December 1st, 2012
10:29 pm
Clock management 101
Spike the ball. Huddle up. Don’t run down the field with your hair on fire and do spmething stupid like catching the ball on the 5 with no timeouts and 5 seconds left.
Thank God for Reggie Ball
December 1st, 2012
10:30 pm
It’s got to suck to be a tech fan, living through Alabama. Not having a decent football team to cheer for and all that. You know I felt that once. ONCE, in the last 12 years. And even that year we beat tech lol
stendek
December 1st, 2012
10:30 pm
Dawg QB is a joke. A bad one at that! Oh for a decent QB at UGA. Wait. Considering head coach and offensive coordinator. Why bother? Cycle definitely on downward spiral again. Fewer cupcakes in 2013. No return to SEC title game. Retreat back to no consequence zone. What these heartless curs deserve!
monty
December 1st, 2012
10:31 pm
BOss did you see the hit your guy put on our QB right in front of the referee? Nuff of that squat. BAMA had the referess in their pocket all game . I hope CMR ask the League to take a look at it. On that last drive Ga had, Mitchell is blasted before the ball is even a yard away and of course the refs missed it. Or did they? Refs afraid to call fouls on BAMA,
UgaDawg96
December 1st, 2012
10:32 pm
Really? Really? “Mediocre” Mark reminds me of John Cooper. A good coach that couldn’t take it to the next level.
bubba4dawgs
December 1st, 2012
10:32 pm
I’m so proud of the DAWGS!!!! They played their best! Sure, there were mistakes but on both teams. I believe the last few seconds could have been managed differently…..especially the very last play. Bama was playing tight at the goal line but I believe Murray should have thrown the ball to the tight end over the goal line. Shots into the end zone should have been taken sooner. So close, yet so far!!
The DAWGS “D” just couldn’t handle Yeldon, meaning their “O” line simply beat our “D” line! This I believe was the big difference in the game. Swan getting beat deep and Murray’s interception didn’t help matters either. Regardless of all that, I’m proud of the DAWGS and hope they have another chance next year! Bama will be back for sure and will be an even better team then than now.
Any comments on Murray getting hit late with no call from a referee standing right by the play? It was a head knocking hit that should have knocked Murray out.
Simple arithmetic that even a dumb dawg can understand
December 1st, 2012
10:32 pm
32 + 1 = 33
In other words, WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!!!
5yardsshort
December 1st, 2012
10:32 pm
Wamart just marked all their UGA crap 75% off,now you don’t have to wait till next year!!!!
monty
December 1st, 2012
10:33 pm
“We supposed to have the talent … so is it the scheme. Is the 3-4 not the right D for the SEC”
I guess our nose guards arent big enough.
Toll Ride
December 1st, 2012
10:34 pm
Always a bridesmaid but never a bride.
UgaDawg96
December 1st, 2012
10:35 pm
Even Gene Shiznit got a National Title.
Thank God for Reggie Ball
December 1st, 2012
10:35 pm
@Boss
Funny because if we used the same criteria as the bugs used we could claim up to 5.
Speaking of doing things the right way…
C. Brooks
December 1st, 2012
10:36 pm
What a well written article about an instant classic. But call it what you want, Georgia lost. The Dawgs fought hard and it really was a great effort, but you lost. There’s only one winner. The clock ran out and that’s correct. There’s 60 minutes in the game. The clock always run out.
That won’t change the fact that Georgia lost. If Bama lost we would be heartbroken, but we would just say, we lost that great game, not that the clock ran out.
What a well written article about the Loser.
Roll Tide.
keith
December 1st, 2012
10:36 pm
Aaron Murray is a SCRUB. If he could have managed the clock better, earlier on, the defense would not have been so tired!!! I am sick and tired of these myopic moronic monkeys comparing this guy to Drew Brees. He could not hold Brees’ jock strap, OK. Aaron Murray lost this game for UGA. and i hope he moves forward, PERIOD!!!
Sun Devil Dave
December 1st, 2012
10:37 pm
Arizona State Fan salutes the Georgia Bulldogs!
mjk
December 1st, 2012
10:37 pm
The worst part is that either the Satans or f-ing ND is going to win the national championship.
UgaDawg96
December 1st, 2012
10:37 pm
Nice Guys finish last in the SEC. Run it like a pro team or take them to church. That is the difference.
GB's Hamburgers
December 1st, 2012
10:39 pm
What has happened to the Georgia pitch-out? All I saw was runs up the middle. The pitch-out gets a talented runner out on the edge to shake and bake. It use to be a Georgia staple. Herschel ran it a million times. With about 6 minutes left. It was 3rd and 2. We ran straight ahead against 9 in the box. Our third run in a row. A pitch-out would have been the perfect answer. We had to punt. They took the ball and scored the winning touchdown.