Bulldogs watched BCS title game with envious eyes
Yesterday afternoon, about six hours before Alabama and LSU kicked off in the BCS Championship Game, I asked Georgia coach Mark Richt if he thought this time a year from now his 2012 team could be on that stage.
It wasn’t a ludicrous question, considering this year’s team led one of the participants for two quarters of the SEC championship. Nine starters return from the defense that did not allow LSU a first down and only 12 total yards in the first half of that contest.
Richt was, of course, predictably measured in his answer.
Loading ...“As always, we want to compete in such a way and prepare in such a way that we’ve got a chance to win every time we go out there,” Richt said. “The goals aren’t going to change. We want to win the East. If you win the East and you win the SEC, you’ve got a shot at the next one. So, you know, that’s not going to change for us.”
If there was any lesson in last night’s game, won by the Crimson Tide 21-0 in New Orleans, it’s that defense still rules the day in college football. By all indications, Georgia is going to have that covered next season.
Meanwhile, the schedule certainly has broken the Bulldogs’ way. Due to realignment as a result of conference expansion, the SEC dropped Alabama from Georgia’s schedule and replaced it with new member Missouri. Now I don’t know much about the Tigers beyond the fact they lose 12 senior starters before next season. But you have to believe opening the SEC slate in Columbia, Mo., has to be better than playing the defending national champion Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa in October.
But the Bulldogs have several areas of concern to shore up, some of which might not be possible to sew up in a year. Georgia’s three best offensive linemen must be replaced, plus its starting fullback. The running game vanished at the end of the season. Tight end Orson Charles may be in the NFL next fall. Your record-setting punter and kicker are definitely gone. A special teams overhaul is in order besides.
Anybody who thinks Georgia is resting on its laurels of this past season hasn’t been listening to Richt.
“I think we came a long way this year,” he said of the 10-4 season. “I’m proud of the effort; I’m proud of the progress. But we’re still on a journey to do even greater things and that’s going to be the goal.”
Having gone on a 10-game run and having LSU on the ropes for the better part of 30 minutes, then watching their SEC brethren duke it out last night has to provide incentive.
“I would hope the guys would see it that way,” Richt said. “But every year has its new challenges and it’s going to be a new team. I knew that the day we walked out of the stadium after the Outback Bowl, that team right there was gone and they were never going to be together again. It’s going to be a new team next year and a new dynamic and a new leadership and chemistry and unity and all that kind of stuff. It’s going to get built again because everything is brand new. We’re just going to have the thought in mind of trying to get better on a daily basis and getting into position to compete at the highest level.”
The 2012 team had its first meeting as a group Sunday night at 8 p.m. at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. At that time, Richt assigned mentors to the younger players, appointed leaders and, finally, verbalized the goals and expectations for the upcoming season, which for them starts with offseason workouts in three weeks.
“I thought it was received real well,” Richt said. “It got serious at the end when we started talking about our future. I thought everybody responded well.”
South Carolina is, of course, saying the same things as Georgia today. Florida certainly won’t stay down long. Meanwhile, Alabama must replace eight senior starters, LSU nine, and who knows how many underclassmen may make the jump?
Staying on top is tough. The SEC hasn’t had a repeat champion in 14 years. But the league has produced the national champion now six years straight.
Who will it be next year?
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298 comments Add your comment
Bama Mike
January 10th, 2012
11:10 am
The game last night was won right after the November game when a couple of the LSU offensive lineman stated ” I never want to play those guys again.” It is the Saban moxie that he preaches to his players that every play counts regardless of the score. Saban said our strength and conditioning coach is the most important coach on the team. I think Georgia is very close to being a national contender. The have really refocused their in state recruiting. Have a top DC with a great grasp of the 3/4 scheme and have revisited their own conditioning program. Anyone notice Courtney Upshaws and Donta Hightowers arms. They were as big as most folks thighs.
RxDawg
January 10th, 2012
11:10 am
We fix that O-line and running game and we’ll be allllllllllright.
Dreaming in Dawgland!
January 10th, 2012
11:15 am
Or maybe the next.
Dreaming in Dawgland!
January 10th, 2012
11:18 am
2014, the year of the dawg!!
War Dang Dawg
January 10th, 2012
11:25 am
Watching that game last night, I kept wondering what Jarret Lee did to get so deep into Les Miles’ doghouse. Because Jordan Jefferson may be the worst elite team quarterback I’ve seen in many years. He was clueless against Georgia, too, but we got overwhelmed by their defense and special teams.
monty
January 10th, 2012
11:27 am
BAma Mike
Yeh I noticed those guns. I also noticed how both Bama’s and LSUs corners played the run. No whiffing at RB’s like certain Dawgs did just good one-on-one tackles on the edges. Our guys are fast and defend the pass well, but they aren’t the most physical bunch against the run. As good as Boykin was, I saw several times where he just put his head down and whiffed on a RB.
7576DAWG
January 10th, 2012
11:28 am
Lobosolo
So you are saying that unless you have played football that a great athlete in another sport can’t make a comment about what is wrong with UGA football. I assumed you were a football player. I was not but I studied the game and I was the Quarterback at 100’s of pick up game’s and for champion inter-mural team but was too short to play major college football. I can tell you I have been hit so hard by big linemen that there is no way that Murray ever took a hit better or hurt more but I knew it was a waste of time for me to sit on some division two bench for 4 year’s never being able to go pro but I was a very good pitcher and shortstop and I had a 5 handicap.
Your statement make’s zero sense. I will put my knowledge of sport’s , including football , even though I was too short to play organized football against your’s and what it take’s to be a winner any day. A winner or one of the best in their sport won’t accept second best and you have to practice an endless amount to make yourself one of the best. If what you are doing isn’t good enough you try something else.
One doesn’t have to be a former player of that sport to have the right to make a comment as to what need’s to change to make Georgia football successful.
RxDawg
January 10th, 2012
11:29 am
” As good as Boykin was, I saw several times where he just put his head down and whiffed on a RB.”
I’ve seen that too monty. That’s one of his major weaknesses and probalby why he won’t be a 1st round pick in the draft.
Tucker Dawg
January 10th, 2012
11:29 am
Anyone thinking our beloved Dawgs will play for the National Title next year is in need of a serious mental tuneup. Elite teams play for BCS National Titles, not UGA.
Mark (another one)
January 10th, 2012
11:31 am
If you listen to Richt about the last season, he was overall happy with the performance of the line. It was the running backs that left us without a running game. That put too much on Murray’s shoulders when playing the last two games. If we can’t balance your running and passing, quality teams will beat us.
If you watched Lacy run last night, he took what the line gave him and added yards after contact. Richardson did the same. I’d love to see the YAC comparisons between them and our backs. Crowell’s ankle sprain is one reason but no one stepped up. Alabama was deep and so was LSU with running backs willing to punish defenders.
Samuel and Malcome seem to get the concept. Punish defenders and you wear them down. But it has to be consistent, day in and day out. Practice counts because how you practice is how you play.
I’m looking forward to next season but this season is just a season to build on. Players need to remember Michigan State, LSU, SC and Boise. Especially the first three, they brought power to both sides of the line, and we need to do the same.
Dreaming in Dawgland!
January 10th, 2012
11:31 am
Absolutely 2015!
Anonymous
January 10th, 2012
11:38 am
What?!!
BCSNCG?
The puppies couldn’t even beat Sparty!
HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!
schmeckdawg
January 10th, 2012
11:38 am
DawginLex
January 10th, 2012
10:42 am
okfornow
“The rest of the SEC East sucks”
South Carolina won 11 games and Spurrier has openly stated he wants to win 12 next year. Florida’s defense returns everyone and if they hire Brent Peace from BSU, their offense will be very good.
Again, another uninformed post by you spewing anti UGA garbage.
At least you are consistent
****************************************************************************************************
I wish we would get rid of Bobo and hire Peace. The guy is super creative and AGGRESSIVE!!!!!!!!!!
Joey
January 10th, 2012
11:39 am
“…I think our team needs a tough test like that to see just how good we think we are.”
****************************************
Contractor, if for once, Richt and the Dogs win every game they should, they will get the chance at a “tough test.”
It’s been Richt’s history to lose to an underdog, causing us to miss a shot at the Big Game. UF in ‘02, UF in ‘05, UT and SC in ‘07.
Grantham can help with that – he pulled Richt’s ass out of the fire several times this season – but Richt’s penchant for sitting on leads will keep us from winning them all, which is the only sure way to get to the BCSCG.
Roundballer
January 10th, 2012
11:40 am
Tough watching that game last night. Especially tough watching a Soph QB play so well against LSU. Made me wonder what kind of year we might have had if Murray had zero turnovers against LSU like McCarron did. Then I realize, Murray pretty much turns the ball over 3 or 4 times in almost every game against top teams (LSU, Mich St, and South Carolina come to mind). Boise the offense scored 1 td. So as long as Murray is QB, UGA won’t be going beating a top 10 ranked team, much less going to a National Championship, that’s for certain.
DawginLex
January 10th, 2012
11:42 am
Reality is that our OL will be very young in 2012 but will have more athleticism and more depth. We might actually be able to run a toss sweep.
QB is my biggest worry. I really like Murray but he has shown that he tightens up in big games. I am hoping that Richt will come up with something of a platoon system that will allow Lemay/Mason to play and also take heat off of Murray 100% of the time until he proves he can handle it. It is a catch-22 though. The only way to prove he can handle it is to win a big game.
The heat will not be off of Richt next year. Opening at Mizzou in their first ever SEC game? That place will be nuts. We gotta go to Columbia too.
Evansdawg
January 10th, 2012
11:45 am
I can say definitively that it won’t be Georgia next year unless a serious overhaul is given to the offensive scheme…if there actually currently is one. CTG has done such a masterful job of recruiting and coaching, I’m wondering if he should be the ‘HC in waiting’ so to speak.
Joey
January 10th, 2012
11:45 am
schmeckdawg, you know when there will be a new OC in Athens?
When Richt retires, hopefully when this new contract runs out in ‘15 or ‘16.
Richt ain’t making that change, and with that new contract, he doesn’t have to.
Dr. Morpheus
January 10th, 2012
11:48 am
If the Dawgs could get to the BCSC game, they would win it… but the hard part is the SEC championship. We have a great shot next year. Go Dawgs!
Abnerish
January 10th, 2012
11:50 am
Three things need to happen in 2012 for the Dawgs to have a chance at a National Championship:
1) They need to win all of their games, including the SEC Championship. Anything less and the media will find a reason to disregard the Dawgs.
2) They need help from other big name schools to not also go undefeated. Again, if we are one of 3 undefeated schools, we cannot expect the media to back us, even if we win the SEC.
3) They need the media (i.e., ESPN) to back their case for a spot in the game.
Roundballer
January 10th, 2012
11:51 am
Great shot with Aaron Murray at QB? I think Murray had 9 turnovers in 3 of our losses, and with his slow decision making, got sacked over 30 times, and fumbled 6 times. Threw 14 interceptions. With a new QB, yes, we should win the SEC, but with Murray, can’t even beat a single top 10 ranked team.
Joey
January 10th, 2012
11:52 am
DawginLex, I think the heat is already off Richt. Richt is gonna get 2 or 3 more years added, to make 4 or 5 total seasons @ $3.5 to $4 million each.
UGA wouldn’t fire him and have to pay those years off and Richt knows it. I think he is here for 4 or 5 more years, regardless of wins and losses. And Grantham will keep the losses to a minimum while he is DC.
Roundballer
January 10th, 2012
11:59 am
Dr Morpheus, I think we saw how the Dawgs did against LSU, 42-10? No, we wouldn’t have won the National Championship, we would have lost by 32. Too many issues on special teams, QB turnovers, running game, red zone defense, etc.
Nom Nom Nom Chucks Taylor, or Norris if he is avaliable
January 10th, 2012
12:01 pm
“If there was any lesson in last night’s game, won by the Crimson Tide 21-0 in New Orleans, it’s that defense still rules the day in college football. By all indications, Georgia is going to have that covered next season.”
Richt learns no lesson from his blowouts….thats why next year is another 10-4, CTG takes a HC position somewhere else, and we get to hold hands with CMR some more. Ya!!
Nom Nom Nom Chucks Taylor, or Norris if he is avaliable
January 10th, 2012
12:02 pm
Richt-bobo hurt the D more this year than all the other team’s offenses combined. Just a fact.
Spike 80DF
January 10th, 2012
12:06 pm
We’ll have a BCS caliber defense and a high school caliber offense with a nice guy head coach. Not the formula for success….
Saban
January 10th, 2012
12:08 pm
You ladies really do not want to go to the next level. All that awaits you are beatdowns and new daddies. Enjoy your trips to Shreveport and being a part of the SEC minor league.
Oh well a new trophy. You folks just eat krispy kreme`s and pay Richt for nothing.
duluthdawg
January 10th, 2012
12:08 pm
i have a simple question really, when was the last time we had a victory over a ranked (end of season ranking) opponent? It wasn’t this past season. Richt claims that we made a lot of progress, but we didn’t play well for 4 quarters against ranked teams. Until we do that I wouldn’t necessarily predict winning the SEC East. Does anyone think that Floriduh will stay down long? And the Evil Genius is assembling talent at USC after having a decent year last season. I don’t expect much from the cupcakes (Vandy & UK) but even they can show up for games and beat us if we get too confident. The Vols? I don’t expect that ship to turn around next year but they won’t stay down for a lot of years. Let’s try not to get too unrealistic, but its hard not to like some of the progress made in 2011, particularly on the defense. Go Dawgs!
roughrider
January 10th, 2012
12:26 pm
We won’t be able to run the ball until we get a good offensive line.Until we can run the ball we will be a second tier tem.
MountainDawg
January 10th, 2012
12:31 pm
The game is won & lost in the trenches. The OL needs to be greatly improved…and that will open up the running & passing game. As for next season, it’s too early to really say. This team has the (raw) talent to win the SEC, but will execution and coaching fall in line? We’ll see.
MountainDawg
January 10th, 2012
12:31 pm
The game is won & lost in the trenches. The OL needs to be greatly improved…and that will open up the running & passing game. As for next season, it’s too early to really say. This team has the (raw) talent to win the SEC, but will execution and coaching fall in line? We’ll see.
DawginLex
January 10th, 2012
12:34 pm
saban=TECH TROLL
go back to your blow up doll date
A person SMART enough to know......
January 10th, 2012
1:00 pm
Bobo spent last night helping the kids with homework and changing diapers. Bobo didn’t learn anything from watching the BCS MNC game because he had more Important Things to do that to work on improving Dwag football.
A person SMART enough to know......
January 10th, 2012
1:05 pm
Dr. Morpheus has been in the Medicine Cabinet again mixing any pills he can find.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
January 10th, 2012
1:07 pm
Alabama did for 60 minutes what UGA did for 30 minutes. That is the sign of great coaching along with superb depth and discipline.
One positive yesterday was in getting Jenkins. Hopefully this can snowball into Young and some other Pigs on the Line. This is where Bama won a NT.
I think at some point I am competely frustrated with the coaching staff that I dont even know what I want. Do I want them to stay? Go? Do we wanna setting ALL-Time Passing records at UGA and win 10 games or do we recruit a QB that manages the game and rely on a running game and a strong D? The bigger problem is sometimes it doesnt look like Bobo AND Richt cannot even answer what our identity is.
FireBoboNow
January 10th, 2012
1:07 pm
The only way UGA can make a run at the 2013 MNC is if G-Mac steps up and FIRES BOBO NOW!
1eyedJack
January 10th, 2012
1:09 pm
“It’s going to be a new team next year and a new dynamic and a new leadership and chemistry and unity and all that kind of stuff. It’s going to get built again because everything is brand new.”
This is the greatest thing about college football.
OldFan
January 10th, 2012
1:17 pm
Seems as though we ought to whip at least a couple ranked teams before we start the NC talk. Then again, that’s never stopped us before. So just fix that O-line, running game, special team play, QB worries, and coaching philiosophy, and we’re good to go.
ugadawg1980
January 10th, 2012
1:23 pm
FireBoboNow..
That won’t happen! He won’t even put the band back where it should be!!
One more thing..it would be nice to have CMR to show some fire, or just get fired! Tired of his lame interviews, and comments..
Snoop Dawg
January 10th, 2012
1:29 pm
Chip, that really is a ludicrous question. Do you think that Richt and Bobo are in the same league as the coaching staffs at LSU and Alabama? Or just about any other SEC program for that matter? Well, the answer is no.
A good metric for this is the SEC championship game. The Dawgs shut out LSU just like Alabama did last night. The difference was, at halftime the Alabama staff did some clever analysis and adjustments while Richt and Bobo led a round of Dungeons and Dragons or perhaps conducted a religious fellowship. LSU also did its best to make halftime adjustments in both cases. You know what happened to the Dawgs in Atlanta. LSU cleaned their clocks in the second half after making adjustments. Alabama’s staff made the superior adjustments last night. Anyway you split it, Richt and company are not in the same league as either of these programs.
Georgia’s got top notch talent, and if developed and coached properly should be able to compete for national titles every year. The missing link in the equation, however, is the incompetent coaching.
So it is tryly ludicrous to even consider that UGA will ever be able to play at the level that we saw last night as long as we have Richt, Bobo, and some of the others running the comedy that has become UGA football. Grantham stands alone as the only national-class coaching talent in Athens.
Really sad that in spite of this that Adams and McCavity are falling over themselves to extend da Preacha Man’s contract which will create a prohibitively expensive buyout next year or year after when he returns to his laissez faire is everywhere MO once the heat is removed from his derriere.
The UGA fan base deserves the quality of team and coaching staff that they demand. To date, that is mediocrity at best…
A person SMART enough to know......
January 10th, 2012
1:34 pm
SNOOP DWGA finally figured it out. We have been telling you that far a long time that UGa will not make it with this staff.
Snoop Dawg
January 10th, 2012
1:42 pm
Alabama has signed about half of Georgia’s top ten recruits for 2012…
…and the beat goes on…
Not a single HS all-star in the Army UA game from Georgia have commited to Richt da Preacha Man… He’d rather get his talent from what’s left over in Florida.
Corey Smith
January 10th, 2012
1:43 pm
I heard the Dawgs might take it all the way. NEXT YEAR…
It’s always NEXT YEAR with Richt and UGA these days…
EDawg
January 10th, 2012
2:09 pm
Braaaaahaaaaahaaaahaaaaaa
DawginLex
January 10th, 2012
2:09 pm
You really think coaching adjustments lost the SECCG in the 2nd half?
How about better players and more of them for LSU.
Depth on the OL and depth on the DL along with just better players on their OL.
Plus our QB fumbling after having 2 TD passes dropped in the 1st half.
Learn the game before commenting.
Better players, i.e. talent = WINNING
DawginLex
January 10th, 2012
2:11 pm
It is wait til next year for LSU and everyone else except Alabama
Will
January 10th, 2012
2:12 pm
Where is that idiot “evil empire?”
Dawg Roll in 2012
January 10th, 2012
2:13 pm
Alabama’s losing a bunch of talent on O and D—the Dawgs will be loaded—look for UGA to win the SEC east with ease and upset alabama in the SEC title game!!! This dawg team will be on fire!!!
GTBob polishes my shoes at the airport
January 10th, 2012
2:14 pm
GTBob,
Were you parents making too much noise and woke you again?
Its ok to go back to sleep now. They found SPOK, really!
Win. P.
January 10th, 2012
2:27 pm
Bama will unlikely admit it, but UGA showed them how to beat LSU. First half,(UGA vs LSU) lots of dos… the second half all don’ts. Keep LSU bottled up with poor starting position and great defensive play. Deep kick offs/punting with good coverage,with a couple of very painful exceptions. You could not beat LSU with a running game, you must be able to pass (short passes on the flanks with moving pockets). UGA didn’t have the running backs or OL. Al did but were unable to beat LSU with good running backs and good OL play during regular season. Had to pass and a pocket passer would not work against LSU. Two things hurt UGA in the 1st half against LSU. UGA receivers failed to make receptions and kicks to “Honey Badger”. 20-20 hindsight but you should not kick/punt to “HB” unless he has casts on both legs. Bama learned the down side of that from the UGA/LSU game. With UGA’s special teams problems, why UGA choose to kick to him is a mystery. Walsh was a big disappointment most of the season and he let UGA down when big games were on the line. Al knew the value of field goals from their 1st LSU game.