That famous jokester Nick Saban leaves Mark Richt in stitches Friday. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
At the SEC Coaches’ Luncheon at the Hyatt on Friday, emcee Dave Neal asked Nick Saban if it was easier to keep a team motivated as a favorite, or if being an underdog was preferable. Whereupon Mark Richt said, “What does he know about being an underdog?”
Saban’s Crimson Tide is favored today by eight points over Richt’s Bulldogs, but an awful lot of folks — this correspondent included — are picking Georgia. Still, this matchup couldn’t have caught Saban unaware.
“Last summer I was at the lake (Burton, where every big-name college football coach has a summer house) and I was fooling around in the yard, and two guys rode up on JetSkis,” Saban told Richt at the luncheon. “One of them was your quarterback Aaron Murray and the other was your center (David Andrews). And they said, ‘We’ll see you in the SEC championship game.’ ”
And here both teams are, Alabama ranked No. 2 to Georgia’s No. 2, Alabama favored but not nearly a lock, Georgia trying to seize its biggest football moment in three decades. But you knew all that already. So enough of me talking.
I’ll be here until someone is the 2012 SEC champ, and I’d appreciate it if you’d join the fun and frolic. And I thank you, as ever, in advance.
By Mark Bradley
2,729 comments Add your comment
somedawg
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
Good game Alabama.
me
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
Funny, AL cb with 2 hands of jersey on Mitchell on the last play of the game. Too bad for the Dawgs. I go back to the deep out on 1rst down after AL punted.
playmeortrademe
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
FIRE EVERYBODY UGA HAS THE DUMBEST COACHING STAFF IVE EVER SEEN
b1gger
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
Looks like the money Bama spent on paying off the refs was well spent.
phil
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
What a way to lose. Mental mistake.
Typical damn Murray.
IDIOT!!!!!!!!
june dog
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
your right mark should have dropped the ball dumb
Tampa Gator
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
Sam….
that idiot just drove your team almost to a win…..no….you are an idiot.
B'dawg
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
IDIOTS. IM DONE.
dean
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
Well, ND, hold on to your ass. Bad news headed your way.
Dawgify
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
Yeah, but they still have to live in Alabama.
Kirby Smart
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
Luckily for us…Murray was not smart enough to clock the ball. He wasted 6 seconds.
Cedrick
December 1st, 2012
7:56 pm
Good LORD SPIKE THE FREAKING BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I hear one more person tell me about a smart, tall white QB Im gonna choke someone.
Murray has to be the CHOKINGEST QB EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oldfart
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
Murray looked at the bench and asked the question by giving the grounding signal but someone on the bench decided otherwise. Down didn’t matter there only the clock.
aaron ashmore
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
@Dave
How is it fake. They won the game!!!!!
bawbie
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
out coached once again
bigdawg88
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
GREAT GAME! STILL GREAT TO BE A GEORGIA DAWG!! CONGRATS BAMA!
Clock it!!!!!
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
Just plain stupid. 15 seconds for 2 shots. That is coaching.
MTSeats
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
Richt, well done Coach! You earned your $, teaching football.
me
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
Mitchell clearly held on the last play. Just funny.
Coffee Bluff DAWG
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
I am just heart broken. Great win by AL and congratulations on making the plays you had to make.
Will be on your side against ND.
TruDawg
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
All F-ing game Chris Conley does not catch a pass but all of a sudden he catches the last ball!!!!
Superdave08
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
Fire Mark Richt
Jimmy
December 1st, 2012
7:57 pm
We played hard and were competitive.
No shame.
It hurts,
But not like the SC loss.
Good game Bama.
vesaversa
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
This game ended like i though it would on Murray back . If only Ga had a QB with a dam brain.
Stubbed Hub
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
Alabama 42, Notre Dame 17
If the dawg fans act fast, you can get tickets for that game!
I'm 1-10 against ranked opponents...and you think I will beat Bama?
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
now 1-11…congrats phil…
Wow.
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
Bama14 = No class at all!
01HAWK
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
UGA……………………………………….Talk is CHEAP.
Next time you get to a game like this…………………………………..SHUTUP and play the game.
nodefense
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
He had to chances two score. Mark Richt what are you doing.
Tide Rising
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
Holy cow! Lacy rushed for 181 yards and Yeldon 152- 349 rushing yards over all by the Bama roadpaving offensive line. Head to head the absolutely dominated Gurshall
Bama14
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
Dawgs were great today. Helluva way to lose, but no way feels good…
bawbie
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
MARK RICHT WILL NEVER WIN US A CHAMPIONSHIP
Mekim6
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
Mark Richt is the biggest dumbass in the history of Georgia football!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That right there shows why Georgia will never win the big one with him as coach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can’t fix stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sam
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
Cmr is a good coach who will never win a nc. But the Georgia fans worship him so he’ll be around for 20 more years. Good luck at the chick fil a bowl
me
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
Swan talked. Swan was tourched. Rambo talked. Rambo was tourched.
Tampa Gator
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
You people are stupid…..Murray was the ball into the end zone…..and it was tipped. Sorry….but Murray does not block while he is throwing the ball. That was NOT Murray’s fault. Murray almost won the game for you. Seriously.
dean
December 1st, 2012
7:58 pm
phil, we have the Falcon playoffs to look forward to. Gulp.
phil
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
We truly are cursed to never get it done.
I’m sick.
Congrats again, Bama. You damn well better be glad we messed that up.
Stevo
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
#31 killed us all night.
WillGT
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
As a Tech fan, I gotta say you all should have nothing to be ashamed of, that was one hell of a game, probably as close of a game as you could get. CMR will get his national title one day, can’t believe you all wanted to fire this guy a few years back
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
No worries dogs, you’ll be #1 in February.
bawbie
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
GOOD RIDDANCE Aarron Murray
lee
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
Conley has to be the stupidist player in the world
cris conlley
TruDawg
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
I bet you a million dollars the coach has always told Murray to spike the ball. Murray took it upon himself to run a play to fell short!!
GT Man
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
Well Dawg fans…don’t worry we will win this evening and we will be representing the great State of Georgia in Miami.
GT in SC
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
Thank You!!! BAMA
Wow.
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
The Bama trolls on this site aren’t showing much class. You just BARELY won a close game. Give props were they are due.
Jimmy
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
Bama deserved to win.
That said, SEC needs to look at their officiating.
The penalties were lopsided.
Some of them killed drives for UGA.
The bama DB was mauling our receiver on the last play…no flag.
Cedrick
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
You have too throw the ball into the ENDZONE!!! We needed a TD to win the GAME!!!!
This is going to be CMR’s only chance at winning a BCS championship here is GA!!!!!!
SPIKE THE FREAKING BALL!!!!!!!!
SPIKE THE FREAKING BALL!!!!!!!!
SPIKE THE FREAKING BALL!!!!!!!!
SPIKE THE FREAKING BALL!!!!!!!!
FalconFan
December 1st, 2012
7:59 pm
Be proud Bulldawg fans…they played an awesome game today!