Bama’s runners, Saban’s gaffe and a classic SEC title game
Georgia's Marshall Morgan's toe meets leather to start the SEC title game. (AJC photo by Ben Gray)
This post is an adjunct to the game column, which can be found here.
1. Alabama shattered the SEC Championship game record for yards rushing. The Tide ran for 350 yards, with two backs — game MVP Eddie Lacy and backup T.J. Yeldon — each going way over 100. (Lacy had 181, Yeldon 153.) And it was, almost inevitably, the fear of the Alabama ground game that spawned the Tide’s winning touchdown. AJ McCarron threw deep to Amari Cooper, who had run past Damain Swann, for the winning touchdown with 3:15 to play. But Alabama couldn’t run out the clock inside the final two minutes, and it nearly cost the Tide the game.
2. Even the best in the business sometimes whiffs. Alabama coach Nick Saban waited until five seconds remained in the first half to use his first timeout. After converting on third-and-2 at the Georgia 39 with 42 seconds left, the Crimson Tide allowed the clock to tick under 30 seconds before snapping the ball again. AJ McCarron’s 22-yard scramble to the Georgia 5 came too late for the Tide to do anything but kick a field goal, which put Bama ahead — but by three points, not seven.
3. This SEC Championship game matchup was one of the best in the event’s 21-year history. The 1994 pairing of No. 6 Florida versus No. 3 Alabama has always been considered a high point by conference insiders, given that it was the first time the game had been staged in the Georgia Dome and the game itself — Florida won 24-23 — was a stone-cold classic. The two No. 1 against No. 2 games between Alabama and Florida — the Gators won in 2008, the Tide in 2009 — are likewise high points, but this game featured No. 2 against No. 3 in a BCS play-in, and it also featured two storied programs that had never collided in such a setting. No wonder tickets were reselling for crazy money. Gary Stokan of the Chick-fil-A Bowl spoke to an Alabama booster club in Atlanta on Thursday and witnessed four tickets for Saturday’s game auctioned for $7,000. (Oh, and the game itself: The best SEC Championship ever.)
By Mark Bradley
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323 comments Add your comment
Dawgs Suck
December 1st, 2012
8:46 pm
@Smitty: There’s no such thing as a moral victory. No BCS for you. No SEC championship. No National Championship. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Congrats! You beat the Gators. Enjoy watching us in the Sugar Bowl! Sucker.
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:46 pm
not,
HA! Truth hurts, eh dog.
G-Dawg
December 1st, 2012
8:47 pm
That was the greatest SECCG of all time. Proud of my dawgs.
dawg
December 1st, 2012
8:47 pm
Hey Steve F*CK YOU. time and place. You are going to sit there and tell me the refs didnt miss those calls? Eat sh*t and go screw your sister some more
GA fan for sure
December 1st, 2012
8:47 pm
Lifetime Tider – You’re right – we’ll never be in the the same class as Bama because you have no class. You escaped by the skin of your teeth tonight and you know it. Yeah – Bama hit UGA in the mouth tonight but you got hit right back. Deal with that…..
DogFaceBlues
December 1st, 2012
8:47 pm
If all you idiots criticizing the game would shut up and appreciate the moment, you might realize it was a great game and both teams should be proud. Lots to build on for Georgia in years to come. .
Ha ha
December 1st, 2012
8:47 pm
Anybody that thinks the Failcants are making the Super Bowl is as crazy as those dawgs fans. You people in Georgia should be use to being brought to the alter, only to be left holding the bouquet.
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:47 pm
not,
Middle Mgt. ?
No
1%
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:48 pm
dogs,
No one remembers the loser.
dawg
December 1st, 2012
8:48 pm
yeah guys we suck, you barely beat us and you needed help to do it. No excuse, your backs gashed us.
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:49 pm
dogs,
No NC game commercials for you.
Dawganator
December 1st, 2012
8:49 pm
The way Turd fans talk, just no class at all..this might be a fan who is under 20…just enjoy there is always time for Bama to fall ,,
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:50 pm
dogs,
Guess it’s back to Schmegman for a loser basketball team.
Mickey
December 1st, 2012
8:50 pm
Great effort by the Dawgs, but the loss likely puts them in the meaningless Capital One Bowl. Big opportunity missed. CMR and the currently players will regret this for life.
Once again Aaron Murray can’t come through in a big game – he has the opportunity. Let’s hope he decides to enter the next NFL Draft.
Dawgs Suck
December 1st, 2012
8:50 pm
RICHT – COACHING FAIL! (again) SPIKE THE DAMN BALL!!!
Buckeye - Not
December 1st, 2012
8:50 pm
You are an Idiot and I am off to enjoy the fruits of the labor of all of your types I employ……have fun knuclehead sparring with people who already know they won in life against the likes of you. How ’bout a nice double wide for you on Lake Erie….its not that cold and the dining is excellent.
You are a maroon!!!!
Tired of the same Dog
December 1st, 2012
8:50 pm
The people who say that they should not have spiked it, know absolutely nothing. That situation speaks volumes to CMR’s coaching prowess. You know who spikes the ball after a 1st down inside the 10 with no timeouts left and :13 left? AJ McCarron and Nick Saban do.
Quit making excuses for CMR. The problem is that excuses and lack of discipline have become the life of the Dog nation. I love the Dogs. Hell, I am a former Dog, but am sick of watching this undisciplined, unprepared BS. Mediocrity is hard to shake
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:50 pm
dogs,
When’s g day?
MTSeats
December 1st, 2012
8:50 pm
UGA hasn’t done anything since ‘80. Keep buying seats, Richt needs $.
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:51 pm
not
HA!
G-Dawg
December 1st, 2012
8:51 pm
ENOUGH WITH THE “SHOULD HAVE SPIKED IT” TALK!!!!!!!! If it doesn’t it tipped, we just might win the game, and nobody cares about spiking it. If Conley doesn’t slip, he might get out of bounds and stop the clock. Don’t blame the whole game on one coaching call.
Eastpoint
December 1st, 2012
8:51 pm
Dawgs to the chicken bowl…always next year!
Sergeant Joe Friday, UGA '81
December 1st, 2012
8:51 pm
Go change your huggies Rambo…and all you other trash talking thugs. UGA = Penal Colony.
Tim
December 1st, 2012
8:51 pm
3rd week in a row UGA gave up over 300 yards of rushing.
dawg
December 1st, 2012
8:51 pm
Hey Steve, go to Midtown and go find your boyfriend for the evening b*tch
menlobrave
December 1st, 2012
8:51 pm
Buckeye, if you’re 1%, I’m Warren Buffett. Go back to that pathetic state where the team is on probation (I did read that somewhere, right?). The Buckeyes are playing in which bowl? And are you a Browns or Bengals fan? How’s that working out. Oh, and thank you for the increased tax dollars you’ll be contributing next year.
Strat Cat Dawg
December 1st, 2012
8:51 pm
Anyone who isn’t proud of the Dawgs, players and coaches and needs to whine and blame someone is exposing your true colors- and they’re not red and black. It’s still great to be a Georgia Bulldog.
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:51 pm
dogs,
lady softball?
Old Dog Class of 80
December 1st, 2012
8:52 pm
It was a great game. Even though the ending wasn’t what we wanted, the Dawgs played real good football. That is all I ask.
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:52 pm
dogs,
Outside the Top 5.
FL jumps ( or humps)
HA!
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:53 pm
dogs,
How’s traffic on 316?
Son of Sammy Davis Jr, Jr
December 1st, 2012
8:53 pm
Don’t panic Georgia fan, Georgia football like the south and the Republican party will rise again.
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:54 pm
menlo,
EFT card on the way? Again?
Does you girl need some free…..,
nevermind
Coach Mark Richt
December 1st, 2012
8:54 pm
You fans are so ungrateful. I work my @ss off making Ford truck commercials, laying in the tannng bed, and blow drying my hair, and all you all do is b!tch about my coaching.
mgdawg
December 1st, 2012
8:54 pm
Don’t forget the refs. Murray gets a cheap shot to the head as he is jogging off the field and there is not penalty, bama’s qb gets hit in the head a second after he releases the ball 15 yards. This is with a ref walking right behind murray.
Throughout the game UGA wr’s were getting hit before the ball got to them and no pass interference penalties. King actually caught one where he got hit hard before he caught it. UGA’s swann, I think it is swann, gets called for pass interference but it is not by the ref right beside him, it is the one across the field.
Finally, want to know one of the reasons bama ran so good? It’s easy to run when your line is holding. You’re supposed to keep your hands inside, not bear hugging the defensive players.
7 flags vs 2
Abe the Fan
December 1st, 2012
8:55 pm
bottom line is you spike it and run too plays. bobo will catch heat for this because he should have been conservative but instead outsmarted himself by trying to catch alabama off guard. where was he offensive coordinator before? richt had to sign off on it but it was bobo’s call.
Satilla Dawg
December 1st, 2012
8:55 pm
Them refs robbed the dawgs. It was wrong to have imbiased Talladega officiating crew cover such an important football game. Hey…call the cops! The natiional championship was stoled from us. A rematch should be held. Best two of three advances to face them cathlics.
LifetimeTider
December 1st, 2012
8:55 pm
Dawg, you appear to be as ignorant as a loser Georgia fan comes. You’ve never won anything, you never will, your team is percieved by everyone as losers, and it is abundantly apparent that you are a loser, too. I hope your trailer doesn’t blow off it’s moorings tonight, and just remember this, loser, we are Alabama, and you, and those pathetic “Dawgs”, ain’t. Enjoy your misery, you deserve it.
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:56 pm
Have you guys seen my Kirk Herbstreit poster? He signed it for me. He said “here you go little guy. Enjoy”.
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:56 pm
dogs,
Peace out.
Be back in the AM
Rooting Tech ( HA!) on to victory.
Mobile Dawg
December 1st, 2012
8:56 pm
No need to spike the ball, Dawgs knew what they wanted to do, Bama made the play, tipped the ball. Maybe the receiver should have had the instincts to bat the ball down, doesn’t matter. The game was lost by our inability to stop the Bama running game. They have a great Oline. Dawgs represented themselves well.
Can’t believe all the respect shown to the Dawgs by trolls from all over showing their jealousy of our success.
Well played game Bama and fans, try and be classy, with the exception of the cheap shot on Murray by #90.
derby
December 1st, 2012
8:56 pm
UGA played a very good game – good enough to win. But they are not one of the best teams in the country – not with that awful schedule.
Until tonight they played two meaningful games — in one they were murdered, and in the other the opponent decided to turn it over 6 times. And now they are 1-3 in ‘big’ games this year. Yes, they have talent, but very much overrated compared to other teams this season.
Pal Joey
December 1st, 2012
8:56 pm
Good game. Both teams acquitted themselves well. Either would have represented the SEC well against Notre Dame. Anyone who starts the “fire Richt” nonsense should have his head examined. His team simply met up with another team that was every bit as good as the DAWGS. You can always find something you disagree with in a game, but I am satisfied that each team belonged in this game. The BCS game between the Irish and Tide should be a classic. Bring it home to the SEC, Alabama!!
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:57 pm
8:56
It never takes long.
Buckeye
December 1st, 2012
8:57 pm
Going to snootle with my friend and look at my Kirk Herbstreit poster.
ShowMeYurTD's
December 1st, 2012
8:57 pm
Can we get a field goal kicker? How ’bout a kicker period? We couldn’t even kick it in the end zone on kick off….Geez
idaho Bulldog
December 1st, 2012
8:57 pm
Hey buckeye you’ve been eating cupcakes for years now Indiana Illinois Iowa Minnesota Iowa State and that doesn’t reflect your non coference western Mich Ohio Oh I forgot Purdue…. need I say more
Satilla Dawg
December 1st, 2012
8:57 pm
Stray Cat Dawg can kiss my butt!!
Georgia # 1 Gamecock
December 1st, 2012
8:58 pm
The Tide is Rolling and Nothing can stop it
December 1st, 2012
8:29 pm
This blogger is a goof! Your football team maybe good but your academics are comical, that why you get so many ranked recruits! ANYBODY can get into Alabama. My twelve year old applied as a joke and received an acceptance letter!
Larry Munson
December 1st, 2012
8:58 pm
We just got hit in the mouth with a hobnail boot…. woof woof… lol