Live from the Dome: Favored Bama meets hungry Dogs!
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
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2,729 comments Add your comment
Mark Bradley
December 1st, 2012
9:03 pm
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2012/12/01/five-yards-short-in-bitter-defeat-a-winning-uga-effort/
Here’s the game column, if you’re inclined.
take it from me.
December 1st, 2012
9:04 pm
Did Jarvis Jones play in the game?
Once Recent Reader
December 1st, 2012
9:06 pm
I’m not from Georgia, don’t live there now. Normally on AJC for Falcons Live blogs. I see there are quite a few more Dawg Bloggers than Falcon Bloggers. I also saw a real quick change of comments at the end quickly beginning to bash Richt and the QB. At first look, I though it was a bad decision to not spike it, and then a bad pass not to get it in the end-zone. After a few more reviews, I’m not sure. The result was terrible for Dawg fans. BUT . ….the ball was tipped, I think it was going into the endzone. They actually would have gotten potentially two more very quick plays if it wasn’t tipped and just incomplete. Just tough luck on the tip.
Eddie Lacy 181 yards TJ Yeldon 152 yards
December 1st, 2012
9:09 pm
“Turd and et al, we had a real chance to win despite the refs.”
You talking about those refs that called an incorrect tipped pass call which then resulted in a blocked field goal and a 14 pt swing in one series. Or the refs that missed that block in the back on a punt return or the blatant holding on Georgia when Gurley scored his last td. Those refs? Was it also the refs who are the reason our O-line pounded your defense into submission.
Shack
December 1st, 2012
9:14 pm
Chill out with the vulgar talk b1gger…. U got duped by local media and desperate fans… Georgia played 4 games against teams that have winning records… Squeezed by Florida and vandy….. Run over by sc and bama…. Fact of matter is u shouldn’t get that worked up…. Georgia wasn’t that good…. Now chill big dummy have fun on space mountain
b1gger
December 1st, 2012
9:15 pm
Eddie Lacy 181 yards TJ Yeldon 152 yards , your team just won the SEC championship and you got nothing better to do than talk sh** on this blog, damn what a sad sad loser you are.
Todd Smith
December 1st, 2012
9:15 pm
Well you know…we passed down their throats..yes in the end they had 113 more yrds offense than we did..but it was a good game…stop blaming murray and richt…dang…i swear none of you have EVER played football, because if you had of, you wouldnt be a bunch of whinning crying fair weather fans…only thing i hate is a team that doenst play a championship game goes to the title game and we will be leapfrogged by the gators cuz the AP and BCs will rape uga in the polls as usual….
b1gger
December 1st, 2012
9:16 pm
Shack, you started with the name calling dude, I’m just calling as I see it.
Todd Smith
December 1st, 2012
9:17 pm
we didnt get run over by bama shack…we played toe to toe for 60 minutes and dang near won out…so dont go there…at least we didnt get beat by a team outside of the top ten….
Techster
December 1st, 2012
9:18 pm
Gotta to love this if you’re a Tech or Bama fan. Dog fans blaming their coaches, the quarterback, the refs……… and dogs fans going at each other. It’s almost as much fun as watching them losing again.
b1gger
December 1st, 2012
9:19 pm
I wasn’t duped by anybody, I watched two great teams play and one topped the other which happened not to be mine. I don’t always like the results but I’m not going to get on here and criticize them for playing a good good.
sonofadawg
December 1st, 2012
9:21 pm
@UGA24-7, Richt is 117-39 and NO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS! You can keep that.
Shack
December 1st, 2012
9:23 pm
Didn’t get run over by bama? Mr Todd…. Did u even watch the game? Run over like a steam roller… Run over more so than I’ve seen a team get run over… Open your eyes.
As far as the “at least didn’t lose to team outside of top 10″…. That’s sad…. Take your lumps and b quiet, embarrassing that you’d try to hang your hat on that one
phil
December 1st, 2012
9:23 pm
Pathetic failure yet again.
It is our destiny.
no dawg
December 1st, 2012
9:25 pm
Great game you dawgs should be proud.
phil
December 1st, 2012
9:26 pm
We were steam rolled, todd smith.
What game were you watching?
Sure, we fought em and nearly won it anyway, but when brains were required, naturally we blew it.
Todd Smith
December 1st, 2012
9:32 pm
shaq we passed all over alabama…we put up more yards against them than any team this year..except maybe TT..so go hang yourself on that..
.
Todd Smith
December 1st, 2012
9:36 pm
and for you people wanting murray gone..you better hope he comes back next year…you dont want a qb in there that NEVER played a game in the sec…when your defense will in rebuild mode
Shack
December 1st, 2012
9:41 pm
There it is Todd smith…. Just pulled the “wait til next year”… Hahaha u just don’t get it
30 YEARS OF FAILURE! THATS UGA FOOTBALL !
December 1st, 2012
9:42 pm
MUTTS ALL TALK! CAN NOT BACK UP ONE WORD LOSERS!
aaron ashmore
December 1st, 2012
9:50 pm
UGA, at least you will get your annual top 10 ranking again next year…..
Shack
December 1st, 2012
9:55 pm
Loads of talent…. Cupcake schedule… Pollsters on board, it was all there right in front of u. The only problem is richt is a CHOKER… Spike the ball dummy. Big game, big moment, and u laid an egg…. Why Uga fans continue to apologize for u, I’ll never understand
bamabud
December 1st, 2012
10:09 pm
I love it when Saban turns and blames all his coaches on the sidelines. I really dislike Saban. I doubt anything is ever his fault. Boooooohooooooo Saban. You are going to lose to Georgia……boooooohooooo.. You are going to lose to a Eastern Division team…..booooohoooo…..FYI…..Florida would kick your arse as well….and probably SC. Ball game….Tide fans. TAMPA GATOR– lol-easy to run your mouth when u know nothing about Bama football.
ThugU
December 1st, 2012
10:18 pm
What goes around comes around. Love it. Have a good time getting over this trailer trash!!!!
aaron ashmore
December 1st, 2012
10:19 pm
What a let down UGA. UGA will always be UGA
Todd Smith
December 1st, 2012
10:20 pm
shaq are you illiterate? i said we better hope murray comes back because mason has NEVER played in an SEC game and our d will be rebuilding…how do your correlate that statement with “wait till next year? He will be the only thing saving us from losing damn near every game next year with losing our whole defense basically… I get it believe me I get it..but i refuse to trash talk my team or the other teams..I know we had a shot this year..and we blew it..but im not gonna die over it or waste too much time thinking about it….
Todd Smith
December 1st, 2012
10:21 pm
and just one thing about all the people from bama..and yes i will be pulling for bama come NC game time..but you better remember this little tidbit before you count your chickens:
The 1973 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, coached by Bear Bryant, completed the regular season 11–0, winning the Southeastern Conference championship. Alabama was then invited to play Notre Dame in the December 31, 1973 Sugar Bowl. Coach Bryant’s team lost to the Fighting Irish 24–23 to finish the season 11–1. The 1973 Alabama football team was selected national champions in the final regular season Coaches’ Poll, which was finalized prior to the post-season bowl games. The Coaches’ Poll began selecting their champion after the bowl games starting in 1974. The post-bowl game AP poll ranked Alabama 4th, and selected Notre Dame as its national champion
Yellow Fuzz
December 2nd, 2012
7:14 am
To the entire dog nation (AH’s too):
The fact is you controlled your own destiny. If you won last night, you play for the BCS Championship Game against Notre Dame and have a chance to win your first National Championship in 32 years. If you lost, you knew that you would fall behind Florida in the BCS rankings and not be eligible for a BCS bowl (no conference gets to send more than two teams). You knew this for over a week.
Everyone in college football knows that the BCS system is a crap shoot and that’s why it is being shelved in 2 more years. It sucks now, but it is what it is-an “everybody wins a trophy” type of system. While wanna bees like Louisville etc., get rewarded for underachievement, georgia needs to go to the Cotton Bowl, beat Texas by 30 and finish up a legitimate top 5 team! Think of where you came from just a few short years ago!
I could not be more proud of your players and coaches. They are top notch, though I think Grantham should have made adjustments and lined up Jarvis Jones in the middle instead of outside in the 2nd half. Same run defense, just more inside stunts and different looks for Alabama’s massive offensive line to contend with.
Nevertheless, Grantham is a great coach and georgia prepared for and played a tremendous game in the national spotlight. They won the hearts of many outside of the dog Nation (use Google and see for yourself). Coach Richt, Bobo, Grantham and company have brought you all the way back to national prominence. You can now compete NATIONALLY on the field and in the living room of the best recruits in America!
However, though I have gained a lot of respect for the Georgia program, I would not hesitate rolling one of you if you bark in my face in public.
ONE BIG DUMP
December 2nd, 2012
1:39 pm
great year to be a Dooley..son fired at UT (why he was hired in first place is beyond me) and dumbasses lose in SEC championship game because in 189 total coaching years, no one bothered to instruct the kids to SPIKE IT..DooDoo Ley whewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww