Georgia, Vanderbilt coaches discuss postgame skirmish
NASHVILLE – Forget Georgia-Florida, Georgia-Auburn or Georgia-Georgia Tech. The new white-hot rivalry for the Bulldogs may be with Vanderbilt.
Players and coaches had to be separated following the Bulldogs’ hard-fought, emotional 33-28 win. The game wasn’t decided until Vanderbilt tight end Branden Barden of Lincolnton, Ga., was corralled at the Georgia 16-yard line as time expired.
Immediately afterward, a skirmish ensued between the teams that appeared to be mostly yelling and gesturing and little actual physical confrontation. Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was a central figure in the fray.
Grantham pretty much refused to comment directly what went on with Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin at the end of the game. All he would say and kept repeating was, “I love our players. I’m going to stick up for my players. Everybody’s competitive.”
Franklin was a little more telling with his comment: “We just had a tough, emotional game and some things were said that I didn’t think were appropriate. I went to find Coach Richt and didn’t find him, so I found one of his assistant coaches and it didn’t go well. We’re not going to sit back and take it from anyone.”
Franklin said he eventually found Richt.
“I explained to him what happened,” Franklin said. “That’s for me and Coach Richt to deal with. Hopefully we’ll learn from that experience. Those things happen.”
Replays after the game show Grantham screaming at Franklin in the middle of the field as the players from both teams stood across opposing lines separated by coaches in the middle.
Grantham was reprimanded by Richt last year when he made the choke sign toward Florida kicker Chaz Henry as he prepared to make a game-tying field goal attempt to send the game into overtime. Henry made the kick and the Gators went on to win.
Georgia was called for three personal foul penalties in Saturday’s game and Richt clearly wasn’t happy with the way his players or his coaches acted at the end of the emotional contest.
“I don’t know exactly what happened. Maybe TV picked it up and we’ll get a better view of what was going on. But we are grown men and we need to act that way. But we’re also competitors and we all have emotions and xometimes when you get a little fired up it’s hard to keep from getting in some kind of jawing contest.
“I’ll say this: There were times when I was ashamed of some of the choice things that came out of my mouth during the game. So I’ve got to be disciplined, too.”
On the fracas between the two teams at the end of the game, Richt said:
“I don’t know for sure what heppened. I’ve heard a couple of different sides of the story. It’s hard to know which one is 100 percent the truth. But the bottom line is when the game is over the game’s over. You shake hands and you be thankful for the victory. Just like at the end of a play. When a play’s over, it’s over. Go to the sideline. We didn’t do a very good job of that at times.
“It was heated. It IS battle. It’s not war with real bullets but it’s a war in a sense and it’s very physical. Tempers do get flared up. I don’t mind our blood getting hot but we have to be able to get excited or maybe even angry but not foul.”
Georgia was penalized 11 times for 89 yards in the game and generally played sloppy and without poise. When the Bulldogs were trying to salt the game away in the fourth quarter, they threw an interception, lost seven yards and had to punt on one possession, and finally had a punt blocked on its last possession.
Georgia senior punter Drew Butler should probably go down as the hero of the game. After the punt was blocked by another Georgia native — wide receiver Udom Umoh of Fort Valley — Butler managed to gather his wits quick enough to haul down Umoh at the 20 after Umoh had scooped up the ball.
After an illegal substitution penalty, the Commodores got off two plays before the game ended. The first was a pass in the end zone that bounced off the hands of receiver Chris Boyd, another Georgia native, from Roswell.
Said Grantham, whose unit gave up 349 yards to Vandy: “The bottom line is we stopped them three times in the fourth quarter when they had a chance to win the game.”
Said Richt: “I think Vanderbilt did a fantastic job. They were inches from winning the ballgame.”
Tailback Isaiah Crowell did not play the entire first quarter. Richt said it was “just a situation where it was a coach’s decision not to play him.”
Crowell. finished with 35 yards on 10 carries. He did not play late in the game because of the wrist injury that has plagued him the last three weeks, according to Richt.
Here’s some video of Coach Franklin’s postgame news conference:
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667 comments Add your comment
Happy Warrior
October 16th, 2011
11:49 am
I only wish CMBobo had that much fire!!!!!!!!!! It was a very sloppy game. No emotion, in the first 3 3/4 quarters. One Uga player reminded me more of a Pro Wrestler or Nick Fairley that I every wanted. And Yes, I was there. I traveled to Nashville, TN to watch that game. The worse part of it was….. Bobo needed to stay in Nashville!! Richt needs to make a change!!!!! Or as much as I don’t want to see it…. He needs to go. You know what folks, I hate to make this point but it’s true….. You would never see this at Alabama or LSU!!!!! Saban would not stand for it!!!
Bill
October 16th, 2011
11:50 am
What a load of horse manure. The SEC should suspend any coach that nearly causes a brawl after a game. This is not the WWF, it is college football.
Shut the program down or suspend the assistant coach.
A coach is to teach sportsmanship, not mindless violence.
Ga proved their classlessness in how they treated Vince Dooley.
They proved it again last evening!
An Independant Observer
October 16th, 2011
11:51 am
How sad that this is what the AJC blogoverse is talking about today. What a sad sorry state of UGA football.
Jeff
October 16th, 2011
11:53 am
Old School Dawg take your gear and go somewhere else. Who cares? You don’t know much about Georgia football as a lot people who are posting here. Erk Russell is a legend because of the attitude shown by Coach Grantham. A lot of the people posting here show their ignorance. As a 45 year fan of Georgia football, I have probably forgotten more about Georgia football than most of the posters on this blog. Get real.
Jeff
October 16th, 2011
11:54 am
Most of the posters on this blog know.
Happy Warrior
October 16th, 2011
11:55 am
Bill
Vandy was involved in this also. Coach Franklin showed his fire. Numerous times he showed his @$$!
Jeff
October 16th, 2011
11:55 am
Indepen dant observer, Who cares what you think?
Old School Dawg
October 16th, 2011
11:58 am
@Jeff
It’s all yours buddy. You represent exactly the sort of low-life trash that I want to disassociate myself from. If I had your standards of acceptable behavior, I’d just become a Miami Hurricane fan.
Old School Dawg
October 16th, 2011
12:05 pm
If we’re going to settle for what Mark Richt has done to the once proud Georgia football program, then we should just go ahead and petition the ACC to accept us into their conference. We’re now a much better cultural fit there than in the SEC. Besides, its easier to win in the ACC.
In Atl
October 16th, 2011
12:05 pm
RE: “UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.”
Since you’ve seen fit to post this so many times, why don’t you explain to everyone what GTU is. I’m not aware of any school around here with that name. I guess it goes to show you’re pretty much clueless.
John UGA 1978
October 16th, 2011
12:06 pm
Jeff, your comparison of Grantham to Erk Russell is sorry. I knew Coach Russell personally and he was a total class act and a very smart man. A complete gentleman. He knew how to fire his players up like no coach in history but he never would have stooped to Grantham type behavior.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
12:06 pm
It’s almost time to BEAT gtu again!!
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
12:10 pm
Actually, my absolute FAVORITE thing about beating gtu year in and year out is that the UGA game is all that they care about… they LIVE for that annual a$$ whooping. BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA
It just KILLS them!!! BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
Paddy
October 16th, 2011
12:12 pm
Rogie……finally someone understands the difference between the legal cut block and the illegal chop block. Many, many college football teams teach the cut block. The defense hates it for a couple reason; it hurts only the ego’s of the defensive player. Defensive players hate to be on the ground and chasing the play from behind. It is hard to stop the run game if you are trying to tackle running backs from the grass and dirt! Chop blocks are most always a mistake by the 2nd and/or 3rd offensive player involved “with an engaged defensive player”. Erk Russell taught the cut block. And no good Dawg would ever say anything negative about this beloved coach!
Jeff
October 16th, 2011
12:14 pm
You are going to Maimi fan and you call me low life trash?
pfffft
October 16th, 2011
12:14 pm
1-13, that’s the record of your opponents during a 5 game win streak. how can you talk good about the defense? again you had to score over 30 points to win, and that was to a cellar dweller. undisciplined from the coaches on down. if you happen to beat Florida will you brag about beating a 4-4 team who hasn’t challenged anyone with a winning record? your not back quite yet fellas.
Vandyfan12
October 16th, 2011
12:14 pm
Wow…I told the UGA homers a few days ago that this game would be close in the 4th qtr with possibly a late mistake or play deciding the game. Vandy did not play well for portions of the game but managed to almost pull out the upset. I thought that the Vandy coach showed the kind of emotion that I want from a coach trying to turn his program around. If Vandy picks up that fumble and runs it in late iin the 4th qtr, then UGA is down 1 with 20 seconds left. Then you UGA / Vandy haters would all be on suicide watch today. Go Dores !
athdog
October 16th, 2011
12:17 pm
Dear rational,…I imagine if Chizik had pointed his finger at one of the Florida players and started yelling at him, as Franklin did to Shawn Williams, Muschamp would’ve gone after Chizik. Chizik didn’t do that, so your point is, well, pointless.
Another question, with the game on the line and needing a first down to drain the clock, and Crowell on the bench, why let Samuel try to get outside, and not once but several times? At 240 pounds, he’s more effective up the middle, as the third and long play proved. He picked up five yards. Had that play been tried on first and second, maybe we get the first down and the blocked punt never happens. I sometime think Bobo outthinks himself. Eventually, you’d think he’d learn this and stop doing it. I just think he’s not very……aware of things sometimes. Why else would Carlton Thomas be called on to run between the tackles so often? He’s 175 pounds! Why else would our tight ends not have 10-15 balls thrown their way every game? They are both going to play in the NFL! Get them the ball!!! Why else would John Jenkins, given jersey #6 so he could be a short yardage back, not be given the chance to get short yardage, or at least why not let our 275 pound fullback not carry the ball on short yardage plays?!!! No creativity, no imagination and too many field goals because of it…..or attempted field goals, given Walsh’s inaccuracy. Where is Bogatay? That’s another story.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
12:17 pm
Nice moral victory vandy. BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
impartial
October 16th, 2011
12:21 pm
If Vandy’s No.60 had ended Geathers football career with that cheap shot after the play(taking Geathers’ knees out with his helmet) then we’d all be talking about how dirty Vandy was and we would understand CTG’s anger. Fortunately Geathers was okay, unfortunately Geathers punched him, and even more unfortunate, some people now think CTG is a lunatic.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
12:22 pm
When Virginia DESTROYED gtu yesterday I laughed and laughed… thanks gtu for helping to make my weekend a great one!!!
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
1969 Graduate
October 16th, 2011
12:28 pm
What is gtu?
In Atl
October 16th, 2011
12:30 pm
1969 Graduate, I seriously think that poster is in middle school and has access to his family’s computer.
Saban
October 16th, 2011
12:34 pm
What can you say about a program whose players and coaches get into heated exchanges with Vandy of all people? Is this the same Vandy team that we just shut out 34-0 that UGA barely hung on to beat? Just Todd Grantham displaying yet more classless behavior. Georgia is supposed to be in the drivers seat in a really watered down east, especially now that Lattimore is hurt. I really hope so and I’ll be pulling for the dawgs the rest of the year? Why? So that we can get them in the seccg and teach them a lesson about manners and sportsmanship when we pound mercilessly into submission. And every dawg fan on here knows we would whup that a$$. We aint Vandy. Beyotches!
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
12:35 pm
After we STOMP gtu again this year, maybe they will give up football forever. Oh wait, if they do then we won’t have at least one easy win each year… LMAO
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
Scorekeeper
October 16th, 2011
12:36 pm
GT- one close loss.
UGA- 2 losses including one buttwhupping on national tv.
Paddy
October 16th, 2011
12:39 pm
1969 Graduate…….I think gtu is Granville State Univ? Or Garden State Univ? Or Gennesaw State Univ, right here in Atl?
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
12:39 pm
Best day of the year, when UGA gives gtu their annual beat-down and HUMILIATION.
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
wildbill
October 16th, 2011
12:40 pm
Lots of crazy stuff at the game. Lots of confusion about what to do and when to do it. Was it lack of preparation or just the status quo of a team that lacks competent coaching. Any way I look at it as a lot of sloppy play. Yes, Vandy threw a lot of cheap shots and we got the retaliation penalties. So, lets bust them in the mouth first and quit that childish whining and get it on! CMR better get his coaches and players on the same page or we will see more of this crap as the season winds up like a visit to the trash dump.
Paper Bags for Sale
October 16th, 2011
12:41 pm
If you’re stuck with tickets to the big game in Jax, then place your order while supplies last.
You know you can’t sell those tickets for face value now, and you don’t really want anyone to recognize you wearing your (th)UGA gear in the stands.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
12:44 pm
Speaking of a visit to the trash dump, we visit gtu on November 26th to BEAT them once again… BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
Anoutsidejacket
October 16th, 2011
12:47 pm
For a team that won I have never heard so much whining. You dawg fans whine when you loose and whine when you win. Face it you almost lost to Vandy. We of course lost to UVA but you don’t hear a bunch of whining. You guys sound like my 6 year old.
SEC Fan
October 16th, 2011
12:48 pm
Thank God we have Texas A&M. Now if we just move Auburn to the East and move Georgia to the ACC, we won’t have to worry about that whole “scheduling 13 teams” deal.
I love it when a plan comes together!
gcap
October 16th, 2011
12:49 pm
Page after page of comments trying to justify a win. Pitiful that our fans have become so defensive. I remember the times when we beat the daylights out of 85 percent of our opponents, shook their hands, and patted them on the back. Nowadays, we play like and act like ex-cons who don’t understand the game and make excuses for sub-standard performance. Ok, Mark, are you a tough minded coach? Or a prison guard? Someone better step forward and lead.
Doc Dawg
October 16th, 2011
12:51 pm
Richt has utterly lost control. What’s he going to do, give everybody another stern lecture? We need to get somebody in here with some fire in the belly, that won’t accept what has been passing for Georgia football around here. I am totally embarrassed.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
12:51 pm
I’m really looking forward to our annual beat-down of gtu this year. It will be fun putting the gtu fans in their place again.
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
Dawg Tired
October 16th, 2011
12:53 pm
Obviously one’s view of the flair up at the end is tainted by one’s biases. However, I can say that Geathers has never done anything like that before. It is clear that he was the victim of a cheap shot from behind by the Vandy player. Whether the cheap shot was intentional or not is known only to the player who delivered it. Nonetheless, it was a cheap shot and it was not the first one delivered during the game. Geathers’ reaction is unacceptable but understandable.
As to the charge of “cut-blocking’” anyone watching the game saw it going on all night. However, it is not necessarily illegal. Tech teaches cut-blocking as do all option teams. Vandy, while not being an option team, also apparently teaches that technique as well. While it does expose defensive players, especially defensive linemen, to an increased chance of being injured. it is generally legal. I suspect Grantham didn’t like the idea of a non-option team cut-blocking. It is a matter that needs to be looked at by those that make the rules.
Dawg Tired
October 16th, 2011
12:58 pm
@anoutsidejacket – Commenting on an article about the UGA-Vandy game when you are a GT fan is, in effect, whining. Go comment on your team’s situation. It seems like you have enough to worry about without telling UGA fans how to conduct themselves.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
October 16th, 2011
1:01 pm
Todd needs to control his anger. It’s ok to get upset but do that on the sideline and never take it to this level. All the teams are tired, beatup, and struggling to maintain their focus at this point. The well coached and discipline teams will move forward while the others fallback. Who are those teams that advance?
Dawg Tired
October 16th, 2011
1:01 pm
@Vandyfan12 – You guys have certainly improved tremendously. IF you continue to improve, you should be able to actually win on your home field against better teams when those better teams don’t play up to par.
JaxDawg
October 16th, 2011
1:11 pm
how about Vandy! feisty Vandy. well the game should have never been that close. we settled for too many FGs. we didn’t run the ball. we didn’t do any screens when we suppose to do that against a blitzing team. at the end Rambo should have taken the ball to the house instead of taking a knee.
One more thing why our special teams are mostly walk ons?
Vandy coach is a dick? you don’t need to discuss players behavior right after the game with Grantham! anyway you played Georgia tough but I promise you it wont be that close next time.
dtc
October 16th, 2011
1:13 pm
Hey “Are you guys stupid?” You did not see the Vandy player hit the GA players helmet to helmet that happened before this. He literally bounced off if the GA player, the GA player then pushed him backwards. That was when #36 came up and threw a punch at the Vandy player, and then the ref threw the flag. Get hour story straight and complete.
Venerate or Denigrate? My Thoughts on Grantham | | apaja.tk
October 16th, 2011
1:17 pm
[...] in the game, the second guy is the one that always gets caught. His condescending statements about the situation merely show that: “We just had a tough, emotional game and some things were [...]
cdog
October 16th, 2011
1:18 pm
i liked a method dan pitts, former head coach of mary person high school used to use thats not used in plenty of places.he always anticipated how high emotions ran after the games.he would let the coaches meet after the games and shake hands but he would let his players sprint to the locker room to avoid any confrontations.one difference here though, his method would not work because these coaches on both teams are not disciplined.when the game is over just shake hands and go home. you can’t and won’t bring the game back, so why act stupid and get yourself in trouble plus set bad examples for young people?
HDawg
October 16th, 2011
1:36 pm
Hey” Are you guys stupid? “Obviously you are an idiot. Watched in slow mo and clearly that douche Franklin points at #36 for UGA and shouts something at him, Grantham hears and sees him very clearly. Franklin should have had his A%$ kicked. I love the way our coach defended his player who was clearly being verbally abused by that carpet bagger from Vandy. What a big baby and sore loser. I love that they came so close but no cigar ion typical Vandy fashion. BTW Special Teams coach needs to be replaced!!!
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 16th, 2011
1:39 pm
LOL LOL LOL
Boy we sure looked good again for our 5th straight victory. Lets recap
Couldnt Score a TD in the 2nd half against a terrible Ole Miss and Miss ST team
Scored only one TD in 1 quarter against a sorry Tenn team and had to hold on all day for victory
And then barely won against the SEC BEST FOOTBALL PROGRAM ever in Vanderbilt
Lets see; when we beat a SORRY FL team in two weeks that has a new coach
I just cant wait to hear from the kool-aid stands at how this program is turning around
A win is a win right
LOL what a joke
LSU/Alabama winner
October 16th, 2011
1:40 pm
We can’t wait to face UGA in Atlanta. We are gonna b!tch slap Grantham and the rest of the classless Dawgs back to Athens.
Dirty Dawg
October 16th, 2011
1:40 pm
Hey Doc Dawg, heal thyself…and while you’re at it, STFU…
Suppose the events that resulted in the ‘dust-up’ at the end of last night’s game, will be vetted and dealt with…and suppose that the Richt/Bobo haters will have something more to criticize them about, regardless of how it is, finally ‘resolved’. The thing that I believe we witnessed in that game is Vandy was committed to ‘baiting’ Georgia with mouthin’-off and cheap shots in the belief that we would react as we did and it cost us…almost all of it. There’s a line – and not a particularly fine one – between standing up for yourself and your players and over-reacting in the wrong way at the wrong time. If the Vandy coach was jawin’ at one of Grantham’s guys then he, Grantham, had every right to challenge him…just not the way he did it. The guy loses his cool when he should ‘manage’ the situation rather than making it worse. I mean all you’ve got to do is recall last year’s UF game with the ’slash’ sign to the Florida kicker…and don’t try to tell us that Erk would have done the same thing, even if you have ‘forgotten’ it…to appreciate that he needs to ‘maintain’ himself.
We came close to blowin’ it last night…just as SC almost ‘blew’ it in Starkville…and Tech did ‘blow’ it in Virginia…these games happen, but to ‘go off’ on Mark Richt and Bobo (in case you didn’t realize it, Vandy’s got a pretty good defense) for a game we won, in a place where we’ve had trouble – at night in Nashville – before, sucks, big time.
And while I’m at it, the Vandy coach had better check what he calls ‘coaching, and playing and recruiting, with class’ cause the jury’s still out on ‘em.
UGA OWNS gtu
October 16th, 2011
1:43 pm
You know, the only downside to going to gtu’s “campus” to THUMP them is all of the homeless people and bums. That whole place is a nasty dump.
UGA OWNS gtu
Always have, always will.
DP
October 16th, 2011
1:43 pm
“Dear rational,…I imagine if Chizik had pointed his finger at one of the Florida players and started yelling at him, as Franklin did to Shawn Williams, Muschamp would’ve gone after Chizik.”
athdog, I suspect Muschamp would have gone after a player of his who was taunting the other team before the opposing coach had to. A Georgia fan who said he was at the game posted earlier that Shawn Williams was standing near the Vandy sideline late in the game taunting them. Maybe that has something to do with why Franklin was yelling at Williams. I presume that’s what Franklin was talking about after the game when he said Vandy would not take take crap off of anybody.