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
saddleback
January 10th, 2012
6:08 pm
So. Most of the team is coming back with some very good new players. Same thing is happening at Alabama, LSU, Florida, Ark, and SC. Georgia played 4 top ten teams this year and lost to all 4. How does that put Ga in the preseason top ten and just why will they be better than the other teams next year? Are the other teams going to be worse? What a JOKE you guys are……
Rick James
January 10th, 2012
6:54 pm
@GTBob
There you go again! Tech would have given anything to even be in a championship game so why attact Georgia for loosing to LSU? The hightlight of Tech’s season was Denver’s Ba Ba Thomas scoring that long touchdown against the Steelers sunday.
007
January 10th, 2012
7:02 pm
Hey Chip, Georgia didn’t have 3 best offensive linemen, all 5 should be replaced, If they are just going to stand around & watch, then make them buy a ticket to get into the game.
Saban Never Sleeps
January 10th, 2012
7:04 pm
Looks like the Koolaid stand is now open for the uga faithful. Just remember that reality can be harsh.
3-12 Against Ranked Teams
January 10th, 2012
7:25 pm
“Bulldogs watched BCS title game with envious eyes”
……and always will so long as Richt and Bobo are here
3-12 Against Ranked Teams
January 10th, 2012
7:31 pm
Bama has done it twice, so has Florida and LSU…..What do they have that we don’t have?
Wealthy alumni? Nope
State of the art facilities? Nope
Stronger recruiting base? Nope
More money? Nope
More talented players? Nope
Better recruiting classes? Nope
…..Better coaching???……..u-u-u-h-h-h-h (Homer Simpson blinking his eyes with a blank stare)
Ho-Say Quervo
January 10th, 2012
7:34 pm
If UGA played in the game….it would’ve been 100-0! In favor of THE TIDE!!!!! ROLL TIDE!!!!!!! And ya’ll wimped out from playing us again this year!! LOSERS!
Ed
January 10th, 2012
7:38 pm
War Eagle: “Richt is not in the same league with Saban, Miles, Spurrier, Chizik or Paterno.the West will dominate with coaching as East did with Spurrier, Dooley and Fulmer
I think Banker Dawg puy it in the right perspective”
War Eagle, I agree with you except for the reference to Chizik. I don’t think he belongs in the same tier with those other guys, and probably belongs in the next tier with Richt. I get that you have a rooting interest in his success, but you might be reading too much into 2010. Cam Newton would make any coach appear elite. The pros even had a hard time stopping him, in his rookie season.
ARdawg
January 10th, 2012
7:43 pm
1eyedJack
Offense was so gassed in the Outback not from playing but running on and off the field so fast
Pago Pago DAWG
January 10th, 2012
7:56 pm
Big time schools like Michigan/Ohio State/Bama/Lsu play every year to be champions..UGA hopes and prays to try and maybe win the SEC East. Sad
Columbus
January 10th, 2012
8:01 pm
Virtually NO coach wins a National Championship in their first 10 years of being a head coach morons. What 3 in history?! You people bashing Richt for where hs HAS UGA and the SEC championships he HAS led the team to are ignorant OK? Saban did nto win a NC championship in 10 years. it takes MOST GREAT coaches 15 PLUS years! Bear Bryant 15 or 16, Dooley took 18 years! Bowden was how many? Richt has as good of a winning percentage as the best coaches in college football history his first 10 years and better than 90% of them and you gripe and moan and complain and bash one of the greatest coaches in NCA history because he has NOT done what the GREATEST OF ALL TIME DID NOT DO? Do you realize that? What you are actually doing?! Man some of you people and MEDIA are ignorant and not NEARLY as intelligent as a rock! If Richt has not won one in 15 years, then start talking OK? Richt has not coached for 12 years yet and VIRTUALLY NO ONE WINS A NC BEFORE THEN! MORONS! YEAH BANKERDWAG YOU HEAR THAT? CONTRACTOR, YOU READ THAT? REX KRAMER, YOU READ THAT BOZO?
YOU PEOPLE HAVE NO CLUE Years 12-15…..THOSE are the PRIME YEARS OF WINNING THE FIRST NC, NOT BEFORE. GOT IT? I DOUBT IT.
Lakedawg
January 10th, 2012
8:08 pm
Bama Mike—-Just proves there are some Bama fans with class unlike most of the others. Congrats on last night, this one you guys can claim with no disputing.
For whiners and trolls, yes Dawgs lost to 4 top 10 football teams. I for one did not expect us to be a top 10 team this year, though we were close. And yes we couda/shoulda beat a couple of them and we would have been.
Don’t believe the Dawgs are afraid of playing anyone next few years, and schedule for next year is a lot tougher than what a lot of football knowledge challenged posters are saying.
Missouri will be tough, Carolina, Auburn, Florida all on road not east, but winnable.
Ho-Say Quervo
January 10th, 2012
8:08 pm
Hey DAWG fans, you were grabbing your ankles last year with the signing of Crowell……
Dawg Tired
January 10th, 2012
8:18 pm
Walsh graduating is a plus, not a minus. He should have been benched once it became clear he had become a total head case.
Voyager Dawg
January 10th, 2012
8:28 pm
I think Banker Dawg makes a lot of good points. Murray is a good quarterback, but they should let him move around and run when he needs to. Too short to be a pure pocket passer. I know they worry about injury, but they have what appears to be a great backup in Mason. Spurrier did good things this year with multiple quarterbacks, and LSU did as well. I think you have to dance with who brung ya’. Turn Murray loose next year and let him get a better look at the field and do what comes natural. PLAY TO WIN on offense. If you’re up by 16 going into the half and you’ve got 1:30 on the clock…use it. Score points and drive nails. Grantham and the defense play to win. A defensive player was possibly our best offensive player against Michigan State and our offense is many times our defense’s worst enemy. Grantham is passionate and I don’t care what anyone says, he represents the school well especially on the football field. On the offensive side of the ball we make a lot of mistakes and then blame it on the players. I’ve seen it year-after-year. The players change but the offensive coaches don’t. If the players make mistakes and aren’t focused and it happens year after year with different players, you’ve got to start looking at the coaches on that side of the ball. We’ve got a former receiver coaching running backs and former running back coaching receivers. I will support the Dawgs through thick and thin, but Coach Bobo and his staff really need to step up this year and see if they can’t produce like the defensive staff has over the past two years. Play to win. I saw it in these coaches when they played at Georgia, I know they have it in them. Go Dawgs. Thanks for a great season this past year and here’s to what’s yet to come.
Rural Education
January 10th, 2012
8:28 pm
Final defensive rankings
Bowl Subdivision (FBS) National Team Report
Total Defense
Year: 2011 Thru: 01/10/12 Minimum Pct. of Games Played
Rank Name Games Plays Yds Avg TDs Ydspgm Wins Losses Ties
1 Alabama 13 720 2387 3.32 12 183.62 12 1 0
2 LSU 14 897 3661 4.08 15 261.50 13 1 0
3 South Carolina 13 835 3480 4.17 27 267.69 11 2 0
4 Florida St. 13 859 3575 4.16 25 275.00 9 4 0
5 Georgia 14 870 3881 4.46 37 277.21 10 4 0
Columbus
January 10th, 2012
8:31 pm
NO Pago, winning EVERY game is goal one. Winning the East is UGA’s MINIMUM goal. If you dont win the East you dont have a chance at the SEC title and if you dont have a chance at the SEC title, you almost certainly will not have a chance to win it all. You people are clueless or cant think for yourself.
Read BELOW and let is sink in DEEP if your heads are not too hard. Young and dumb UGA fans please grow up when it comes to a head coach winning his first NC. It just dont hardly EVER happen until years 12-20. EXTREMELY FEW exceptions.
Yes the great Saban ONLY took 10 years AFTER coaching in the NFL as an assistant.
Bear Bryant the greatest ever took 17 years!
Paterno? 17 years and he only won 2 in 46 years!
Bowden? 27 or 28 years to win his first and you people are bashing Richt for what he has done in his first 10? Richts record is in the top all-time for a coaches forst 10 years, blows 90% of them AWAY and the best of the best didnt win a NC either their first 10. Its a RARITY unless a coach has a special special player in less than 12-15 years.
YOU EINSTEINS WOULD HAVE FIRED BEAR BRYANT, BOWDEN, PATERNO, DOOLEY AND 50 OTHERS WITH YOUR THINKING! IT TOOK THEM AT LEAST 17 YEARS TO WIN A NC!
Dawg Tired
January 10th, 2012
8:34 pm
After watching the bowl game, I am not very confident in Murray at QB. OL is a major, major concern. Very weak on short yardage running plays – no pushing of the pile. Crowell has not showed much character, but is talented. Maybe Marshall and Malcome can make us better at RB. We look good at receiver with Mitchell and other young guys. # 15 is worthless, needs to be on the bench. Even with the possibility of Charles bailing out, TE should be ok with Rome. If Charles stays, TE will be a big strength.
Defense looks strong most of the time, but must learn to keep intensity entire game. Often unable to stop opponents late in games. Must improve there. Overall, defense is strongest aspect of the team. Much better coached last 2 years.
Special teams glaring weakness. Must improve significantly there. Definitely need to hire a special teams coach.
CMR must return to bolder offensive game plans. We often dominate early and then get way too conservative. Must be willing to take risks with lead, especially late in games. We can not continue to go into a “shell’ late in games if we are to be a strong team. Coaching philosophy must become bolder.
The talent is there. It must be better utilized. CMR must be willing to sit Murray when he goes into a funk. Otherwise, we will continue to be a very frustrated fan base.
phil
January 10th, 2012
8:39 pm
Fire mark fox!!
Now!
phil
January 10th, 2012
8:42 pm
Why is anyone talking anything about a georgia national championship next year?
Are you kidding me? Not this stupidity again!
There is going to be a backlash like we’ve never seen next yr against the SEC. It will take undefeated and about 50 a game to make it next year.
It won’t be us.
Sun Devil Dave
January 10th, 2012
8:59 pm
Ok, let’s review. UGA backs into the SEC Championship game. UGA holds LSU to 0 pts and a lead in the first half and then proceeds to disintergrate. UGA heads to the Outback where they hold a lead at half time and proceeds to disintergrate. And UGA fans dare to think they could even hold their own in the National Championship? Get real people, you have to beat South Carolina first!!
Dawg Tired
January 10th, 2012
9:13 pm
I must admit that it is just a touch embarrassing when an ASU fan starts bad-mouthing us. I mean it is ASU! We may have hit an all time low. It’s one thing to get bad-mouthed by Bama fans and Florida fans, but an ASU fan? Really? Things must be even worse than I thought. I wonder what ASU fans would give to actually win 10 games in the Pac 10 (there are actually 12 teams in the PAC 10 – but not very many good ones).
BobDawg
January 10th, 2012
9:15 pm
What I like is no-one was pleased with this year. Yeah, we won the East, but expectations changed in the 2nd half of the season… We don’t have the depth to play with the big boys for 4 qtrs. Neither team panicked last night and both were slobber knocking each other with huge hits and flying to the ball all 4 qtrs. We took a nice step in the overall program from last years Dream Team to the Each Chmpship..Small steps but we finish strong with recruiting and go from there with winter workouts…
TampaGator
January 10th, 2012
9:21 pm
NEWS FLASH!!!
Florida has their offensive coodinator……Brent Pease from Boise State. News conference on Wednesday! He did not even follow through on his scheduled interview with Saban for the Bama OC job.
He :Hate Gator
January 10th, 2012
9:32 pm
Third year in a row the BCS Champion resides in Alabama. What’s Richt’s record during all of that?….How many BCS championships has UGA played in?
Columbus
January 10th, 2012
9:34 pm
You people are so blind and should be thankful for the football program at UGA. it is about to explode and you sit here and criticize and speak all this negativity. UGA just went 10-4 after 6-7! The went to the SEC title and won half of it! Making that game was just icing on the cake. Next year is going to be better and the years after spectacular! UGA running game sucked because we had no EXPERIENCE, LEADERSHIP or depth at RB and the best back nursing an ankle injury ALL season. Are you blind to these facts? Heck he played all he could on it and have his all but you people boo him? Are you blind to that too? Sheesh! Cannot you see the what is on the horizon and what a great and over-achieving season UGA had? How old are you morons? Are you just young and ignorant or are you older and dumb? I hope you are young and ignorant because we dont really want dumb fans. Look at all the garbage you spew and its wrong and it hurts the moral and vibe of everybody and everything associated with UGA, “your team”. And you do this but you are wrong in your view due to lack of knowledge and experience or intellect.
Richt is a fine coach. You morons just have no proper perspective. UGA is getting better recruits the last 2 years, a new coach on defense, 18 returning starters, great running backs coming in, returning QB who was just a sophomore last year, great QB coming in next year with another #1 RB, plus a 5 star OL this year and you have a great head coach is JUST now getting into his prime and he WILL play for the NC in the next 5 years. Maybe 2 of them. maybe 3 of them. And you sit here today and offer ZERO support and NOTHING positive? What do you have to offer your school besides criticism and negativity? What? What? They are on the right track, Richt is coming into his prime, the team is set for the next 5 years almost. SPECIAL type players are coming to UGA more than ever over the last 12 months. Wow.
phil
January 10th, 2012
9:35 pm
Congrats…you can have him.
We have Bobo….lol
phil
January 10th, 2012
9:37 pm
Columbus – what are you drinking?
AthensDawg
January 10th, 2012
9:41 pm
Can we start a rumor that other big schools are looking for a new offensive coordinator, and they think that Bobo the MAN? (Or is that just plain mean and unethical?) Maybe he’ll get it in his head that he is really great and then will go shopping around and leave… oh, to dream in Athens!
Top Dawg
January 10th, 2012
9:42 pm
This program will not be in the BCS Championship game any time soon. Except for CTG, there is no room for optimism.
Richt, not Tebow, is Jesus
January 10th, 2012
9:42 pm
Faith In Richt is all that matters….
MaconDawg
January 10th, 2012
9:43 pm
Columbus, you’re on crack co-bo-bo…
JB
January 10th, 2012
9:45 pm
Reasons Dawgs ( my Dawgs) won’t get there.
1. Mark Richt
2. Bobo
3. Worst OL at a SEC football school
4. horrible special teams
5. A QB who shines on junior day and folds on senior day
6. A RB coach who is clueless
7. running game gone ( see #1,2,3,&6
8. plays not to lose
9. poor player, recruiting evaluations
10. Allows too many best of best blus chippers to leave state
Bama T
January 10th, 2012
9:49 pm
Bama wins the title again in 2012—that bama team next season will be better than this group. Saban’s D—best in america! Tide rules!!!
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 10th, 2012
9:50 pm
Columbus
You really should stop sippen on that moonshine kool-aid you are hooked on
SavannahDawg
January 10th, 2012
9:50 pm
Do people (fans) in the Dawg-Nation actually think UGA has a chance to go to the BCS Championship game next year, or the year after? With our coaching staff? Our coaching staff would never get accused of being called a brilliant coaching staff… If you think we’re going to a BCS Championship game anytime soon, then I’m not sure which sports team or sports-channel you’re watching. I want to drink your kool-aide! Unless, of course, somebody went to the same Coastal Carolina game I went to and saw the huge blowout! Or, maybe even they saw the same New Mexico State game I saw… Wow, what victories over a couple of power-house teams; I mean, I think Crowell might even have run the ball 5 or 6 times (well, not in the New Mexico State game because he was being disciplined for be Highsaih Crowell that game….)
cedrick
January 10th, 2012
9:55 pm
Dawgs will never win a BCS championship if BOBO stays the OC!!!!
MiddleGADawg
January 10th, 2012
9:58 pm
I wish I were a Tide-fan right now; it must be nice to see real football being played week-in and week- out. Oh well, I guess there’s all those 50 year old films of Herschel Walker running around, and Buck “Blue” slinging the ball against UF, and the hobbed-nailed boots comment against UT. Memories iz alwz weez got now boyz… Richt, sir, I hopez youz gotz some good planz for next yearz championshipz team; weez knockin…I can hear it baby..weez knockin on greatness!
Give me a freakin’ break.
JB
January 10th, 2012
10:02 pm
Athletes won us 10 games………………coaching lost us 4.
BuckheadDawg
January 10th, 2012
10:03 pm
Did Columbus really say, and I quote, “…Richt is coming into his prime…??!!”
HA! That was funny! Keeping it coming Columbus Dawg! I need more good laughs between now and next year to keep me going…
By and by...
January 10th, 2012
10:04 pm
A few comments:
1. Four different SEC teams have won the last six BCS championships.
2. UGA was not one of those teams.
3. During that period, UGA did not win the SEC championship.
4. Red panties.
In other words, UGA has sunk into total irrelevancy both regionally and nationally.
Mark Richt is not remotely good enough to win the BCS championship, and all the Kool-Aid and all the Dream Teams are not going to change that fact. So why is UGA paying a third-rate coach millions of dollars a year?
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 10th, 2012
10:05 pm
SavannahDawg
Columbus is selling his famous moonshine kool-aid for half price now
since many people have come to reality now after the Michigan St debacle o’l Columbus is having a hard time selling that stuff
Be careful though; if he convinces you to take a taste of it you might end up believing UGA will win a National Championship next year and you will end up buying a coulple gallons
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 10th, 2012
10:07 pm
JB
Thats one of the smartest comments Ive read this year
DawgDawg
January 10th, 2012
10:09 pm
Columbus, just to answer your question, “Do I want to keep being negative…?” Yes, I would like to continue the negativity…I bet on, and hoped for, Richt and Bobo, but they stole my positive-optimism. However, I am absolutely, positively optimistic that we’ll beat Florida-Atlanta next year! (Anyone, can we please get Bama back on the schedule next year.) Just to step on the same field with such a quality coached team…wow. That would get me optimistic again even if they broke us all in two…I could at least respect the UGA schedule and team again.
Chip Towers
January 10th, 2012
10:12 pm
Snoop Dawg: Yes I do.
SavannahDawg
January 10th, 2012
10:22 pm
JB — You’re too smart and intelligent for us kool-aide drinkers; please move over and let me dream of a National Championship team in the Richt era. Maybe if CMR would start doing the “Tebow” each time we scored a TD, that might intimidate the opponents.. Saban is shaking… I mean, I saw us score a bunch of those TDs in the Kentucky, or no, not that game, …it was the …um…NMState game…
I’m with DawgDawg — I want to play Bama, LSU, Arkansas, FL, SC, Oregon, etc. every frick-onion week. No down games! Step up Dawgs. Man-up! Finish the Drill! (Don’t you just love all the Dawg slogans that don’t mean anything?) Oh, well, if only the AD and CMR could and would really read our comments and take them to heart, but that would move us out of the 2nd tier system, and we might actually have to play some real teams, and go back to being 6-6,..or 4-8. LSU started with Oregon…that’s impressive to not start out so weak… Well, as long as the $$$ is rolling in on game-day, nothing will change…maybe I’m becoming a hippie and will protest with Occupy Athens/Dawgs next fall.
Rick James
January 10th, 2012
10:24 pm
@ARdawg
That’s true and is the case with a lot of Tech fans who spend more time watching watching and bad mouthing Georgia than they do their own ramblin wreck of a football program.
Occupy UGA 2012
January 10th, 2012
10:31 pm
We will not take any kool-aid drinkers to our protests
Mobile Dawg
January 10th, 2012
10:31 pm
I’ve been waiting for Richt to make offensive adjustments for the last four years. I knew first play from scrimage against Boise it wasn’t going to happen. What makes any of you think he will change now. No MNC with Richt at the helm, but no major NCAA violations either.
bubba4dawgs
January 10th, 2012
10:32 pm
There sure is a lot to do in readiness for the 2012 season. On paper and given the soft schedule, it looks good but starting with the quarterback position, we certainly shouldn’t leave it as a “given”. Murray hasn’t decided which color jersey to throw to nor to get rid of the ball when he’s about to have to eat it. It must like the taste of leather. Why not give Christian Lemay or Hutson Mason (if he’s still here) a chance. Hopefully, Spring Training will open a lot of doors and fine tune the DAWGS for an even better season. We sure can use an OC!! What we have definitely won’t take us to the BCS National Championship game nor even the SEC East!