Struggles continue in marquee games; team whipped but not flat, Richt says
COLUMBIA, S.C. – A dismal loss to South Carolina extended and exacerbated the Georgia football team’s multi-year trend of struggling — a lot — against top opponents.
Saturday night’s 35-7 loss — Georgia’s first game of the season against a ranked opponent and its first defeat of the season — dropped the Bulldogs’ record against Top 25 teams to 2-8 since the start of the 2010 season, including 0-4 against Top 10 teams.
And going back a bit further, the loss dropped the Bulldogs to 6-14 against Top 25 teams since the start of the 2008 season, including 1-9 against Top 10 opponents.
The impact of the loss on Georgia’s national reputation was quickly registered. Ranked No. 5 before the game, the Bulldogs tumbled Sunday to No. 14 in the Associated Press media poll and No. 12 in the USA Today coaches’ poll. South Carolina rose from No. 6 to No. 3 in both.
Asked late Saturday night how he responds to the perception that Georgia doesn’t rise to the occasion in high-profile games, UGA offensive lineman Chris Burnette said: “I can’t really dispute it because we haven’t.”
The Bulldogs’ only wins over ranked opponents in the past 2 1/2 seasons came last season against Auburn and Georgia Tech, Nos. 24 and 25, respectively, in the AP poll at the time of those games.
You have to go back to a 2009 victory over Tech, No. 7 at the time, to find Georgia’s most recent victory against a Top 10 opponent. Aside from that, the Bulldogs have lost to every such team they’ve faced in the past 4 ½ seasons: Alabama and Florida in 2008; Oklahoma State, LSU and Florida in 2009; Auburn in 2010; Boise State and LSU (SEC title game) in 2011; and South Carolina in 2012.
“We definitely want to make sure that in the future we can rise up to that occasion,” Burnette said. “We know what we’re capable of, but we’ve just got to go back and look at film and figure out what happened, what we did wrong.”
Saturday’s loss left Georgia (5-1, 3-1 SEC) a game behind South Carolina (6-0, 4-0) and Florida (5-0, 4-0) in the SEC East. Georgia doesn’t play this week, while South Carolina is at LSU and Florida at Vanderbilt.
Georgia won the East last season despite losing to South Carolina. To repeat that feat, the Bulldogs likely would need to win out — including Oct. 27 vs. Florida, currently No. 4 in the AP poll — and would need South Carolina to lose twice (say, at LSU and at Florida).
“I’m definitely not losing confidence in this team at all or in our coaching staff or anything like that,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said Sunday. “That’s the worst thing you can do. Teams panic and they tend to fall apart. But Georgia is not going to fall apart.
“A year ago, we’re 0-2 and everybody wants to decide the sky has fallen and it’s over for Georgia. But what did we do? We stayed firm; we believed in each other; we kept banging away; we started to win; and before you know it, we won the Eastern Division. … It’s unfortunate [Saturday’s game] came out the way it did with so much at stake, but there’s still a lot at stake. The sun did come up, and we’re going to get back to work.”
Richt rejected the suggestion the Bulldogs were flat against the Gamecocks.
“I wouldn’t say it was a flat performance,” he said. “I would just say that South Carolina physically whipped us.”
He continued: “If we’d had more success early in the ballgame, it wouldn’t have seemed like a flat performance. Even the initial drive, if [Bacarri] Rambo hangs on to the pick and we turned it into points, all of a sudden things look a little bit different. So there’s a lot of things that could have happened along the way if we could have [pass-]protected better or run- blocked better and been more accurate or tackled better — all of those things. I’m still going to say South Carolina did a heck of a job, and we didn’t get it done.”
Georgia averaged 48.2 points in winning its first five games, but the Gamecocks jumped to a 21-0 lead in the first 10 minutes and held the Dogs scoreless until the final two minutes.
As South Carolina built the early lead, Georgia had breakdowns on offense (a tipped interception), defense (a missed interception, open receivers) and special teams (a 70-yard punt return for a Carolina touchdown). So it went, the Gamecocks’ domination starting on the line of scrimmage and permeating all phases of the game.
“It’s definitely humbling,” Bulldogs linebacker Jarvis Jones said.
“They were shell-shocked,” South Carolina tailback Marcus Lattimore told reporters. “We hit them in the mouth, and they weren’t ready for it.”
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF GEORGIA-SOUTH CAROLINA GAME
- Game story: South Carolina 35, Georgia 7
- Bradley: A sobering night for overwhelmed Bulldogs
- Spurrier: ‘They can’t say they own us anymore’
- Georgia’s defense no match for South Carolina’s offense
- Notebook: Gamecocks’ Shaw shows off against state school
- Photo gallery from No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 6 South Carolina
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654 comments Add your comment
HoneyBadger Has the Munchies
October 8th, 2012
10:18 am
Exit Boobo….hire a Special Teams coach so that they are “Special” as the name implies. Go back to offensive play calling CMR. Oh yeah…how about a strength and conditoning coach that makes sure the team doesn’t always look gassed by halftime….especially defense. Thank you
Cobb Dawg
October 8th, 2012
10:20 am
Let’s be real here, USCe shut us out. That late TD was against their scrubs. UGA did not show up Saturday night. And don’t blame Murray, Gurley or Marshall for all of it. Murray’s passes had to be hurried all night. Gurley and Marshall had no holes to hit. We got whipped in the trenches, where most games are won or lost. We got whipped against UT as well in the trenches. And UF will destroy us there also.
Stiffneck
October 8th, 2012
10:22 am
You know, if his team lost, Bear Bryant would blame himself. Richt doesn’t seem to have that type of accountability. Maybe he should.
G
October 8th, 2012
10:22 am
It’s not hard to believe why Dr. Adams renewed Richt’s contract. His (Adams) view of a successful program is 8-10 a year and a bowl game. Adams could care less about a national championship. So glad he’s moving on, and I hope the next UGA president will place more priority on the value of our football program.
SP
October 8th, 2012
10:25 am
Coach Richt, did you feel this game was “Our team, our time, no regrets”?
Well, no, the players didn’t lead well, didn’t have a sense of urgncy, and didn’t play hard. We’ll all regret this game for the rest of our lives. I didn’t really like that mottom anyways, 6 words is too long. GATA is easier.
Coach, do you feel you spend too little time in preparation, since Lattimore said your team wasn’t prepared for this game?
No. We have to spend time with our families, on the golf course, and at church. We we’re ready for everything they showed us. We just didn’t execute.
You didn’t seem ready for the punt returner, or Shaw’s running, or the deep throws, or their size and speed on defensive line, the way they jammed your receivers at the line, and your gameplan didn’t work in any phase of the game, how can you say you were ready?
Well, no one studies film more than Murray.
strom
October 8th, 2012
10:26 am
maybe he is praying the wrong prayer?
Roadrunner
October 8th, 2012
10:27 am
It was obvious to this old former offensive lineman that our O-Line got its butt kicked all night long. Our running backs had no running lanes, our QB had time to throw the ball on only a handful of plays and was hit on almost every play. Our defensive line put ZERO pressure on SC’s QB, but did decent against the run. You win or lose first on the line and we got handled on both sides of the ball. End of story.
Joey
October 8th, 2012
10:28 am
All of these suggestions . . . .
Richt ain’t gonna change a damn thing. Remember this: “I know what the hell I’m doing.”
His players didn’t execute Saturday.
His “system” is fine.
Paul May
October 8th, 2012
10:28 am
Quite simply college football is a business. UGA however does not subscribe to this. Revenue keeps pouring in. Only when the revenue stream dries up will they take a good hard look at the management issues. In most businesses, management has a responsibility to maximize talent for maximum results. UGA again doesn’t subscribe to this basic business principle. UGA is satisfied with winning 9-10 games per season and going to a mediocre bowl game. I’m not questioning coach Richt as a quality human being. Big time college football requires a “killer” attitude. Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Will Muschamp to name a few understand that playing for more than an SEC championship determines coaching legacies. What Coach Spurrier has achieved at USC is remarkable. Urban Meyer is his first season has an undefeated Ohio State team and he isn’t even bowl eligible. Muschamp has redone the Florida Gators in two years and is undefeated. Teams ultimately reflect the attitude and mind sets of their coaches. Greg McGarity has to make a decision on what direction he wants this program to go. He surely cannot be thrilled right now.
Baker
October 8th, 2012
10:29 am
Whenever Georgia is having a big important game, the players are never prepared or motivated. I like coach, but we will never win big because we need a football coach who will get the most out of his players. We have all of this talent, yet we don’t get the results.
Devil's Advocate
October 8th, 2012
10:42 am
UGA Head Coach Wish List:
1. Kirby Smart (need a Saban disciple to regain control of the program and provide real discipline).
2. Derrick Dooley (Digging UT out of their hole and knows Athens. Should be able to better manage the kids).
3. Charles Strong (Spurrier’s influence with the defensive passion that game UGA fits at both Florida and South Carolina. His Louisville teams have had some good wins since he got there and this year they are off to a 5-0 start in Year 3 showing that some roots are taking hold.)
G
October 8th, 2012
10:44 am
It’s sad the players think that all they have to do is look at the SC game film, make a few play adjustments, and have enough to beat Florida then finish out the season strong. smdh
I don’t know about the rest of Bulldog Nation, but I need our team to be contenders, not pretenders, for a national championship bid. In todays game, if you’re good enough to win the SEC, then you’re good enough to WIN a championship. I don’t care about appearing in bowl games. The bottom line is 8-10 is not good enough for our program to contend, and I’m sick of it.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 8th, 2012
10:48 am
Coach Richt said ““whether you lose by 28 or lose in overtime, it counts as one loss.”
Coach Richt…. How about for once taking blame instead of players being the blame or like you did here brushing it off as its not that bad so what if we lost by 28
ville dog
October 8th, 2012
10:52 am
No, they won’t fall apart. They will probably come back and win against Ken., ole Miss.,Aub., Ga. S, and Ga. T. Giving them a 10 and 2 record, saving CMR’s job. That is not good for the bulldog fans when we are consistently losing to ranked teams. Regardless of the reason CMR is responsible.
BalkansDawg
October 8th, 2012
10:53 am
Have to disagree slightly about Dooley, Devil’s Advocate. Sure, he walked into a Charlie Foxtrot when Kiffin jumped ship, but I’d like to see him do a little more before bringing him back to Athens. Not sure we could get Smart (he’s a virtual demigod in T-Town); plus, taking a coordinator for a first-time coach always seems really risky to me. But I could Charlie Strong seems like the best overall option to me — proven in the SEC as a DC and proven as a head-coach (albeit, in a far inferior conference). I’d add Chris Petersen to the list — though I don’t know if he’d ever leave Boise. He’s seems like a great coach and would be able to do big things with our talent, I believe.
JB
October 8th, 2012
10:55 am
Who thinks a loss to Florida, a 10-2 record, and we just keep humming along with Richt? McGarity will tell us, ” you want me to fire a coach that ’s gone 20-4 regular season the last two years” ? That’s where we are. Unless Mark Resigns, That the reality of UGA football.
BalkansDawg
October 8th, 2012
10:55 am
*But I could see Smart being successful quick; he’s a great coach and stellar defensive mind.
mike addington
October 8th, 2012
10:58 am
Clean house NOW so new coach can recruit to his style. Enough is Too much. The difference between Richt’s early years when we could count on at least playing well enough to have a chance of winning and usually winning and the years since 2005 are like night and day. I have no explanation for what has happened but we were fooled by the 10-game winning streak last year and now we’ve wasted another year. McGarity, do your job.
Good man Avg. Coach
October 8th, 2012
10:58 am
If Saban or Spurrier coached this team since 2000 would we be in this sinking boat. We will never win a NC with this staff. Wish i was wrong.
Frustrated Ben
October 8th, 2012
10:58 am
Here’s a clue about the UGA vs SC programs. If you ask a fan, “What do you think of Spurrier?”, the answer is typically “a great coach”. If you ask a fan “What do you think of Richt”, the answer is typically “a very good man”. Get the drift?
JB
October 8th, 2012
10:59 am
It won’t really come home to roost for Richt and his bosses until he lumps losses to LSU and Bama on top of Carolina and Florida ALL in the SAME season. And I have no reason to doubt that would happen.
mike addington
October 8th, 2012
11:02 am
Devil’s Adv, I like C Strong. In all his years at FL I never heard anything out of him. I think he’s a class guy who knows how to coach
JB
October 8th, 2012
11:03 am
20-4 last year and this year will be the problem. The libs from coast to coast would holler that Georgia fired their coach today for winning 80% of his games. But we want to play with Bama’s and Fla and LSU’s ( we being fans), but we don’t have an Administration with the same goals. Lip service yes, reality, no.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 8th, 2012
11:08 am
Glad to know we have KY, GSU, GT and MISS still on our schedule
Man I dont know what I would do if we didnt have another 10 win season beating no one again.
Just ordered another 10 win season National Championship T-shirt for this year
the RAP
October 8th, 2012
11:11 am
Why is everyone so upset. South Carolina was supposed to win the game and they did.
78Dawg
October 8th, 2012
11:12 am
CMR..the decision on the future might not be yours to decide…
JaxDawg
October 8th, 2012
11:14 am
Hey guys I know we lost and yes it hurt, however the season is not over. In 2007 we lost 2 games. The last game we lost that year was to Tennessee 35-14. After that lost the DAWGS did not lose a game and should have played for the BCS title but the powers to be jumped LSU ahead because they won the conference title. Remember we were sitting at number 3 in polls and the team ahead of loss their conference title game LSU was at number 4. If the DAWGS win out (and I believe they will) we can still control our own destiny somewhat. Yes South Carolina will have to lose to LSU, UF, or Tenn., however that’s not impossible. LSU’s offense looks very bad, but does anybody really think that they’re going to lie down against South Carolina. We could all be smiling after next Saturday. So my fellow DAWG brethren keep hope alive. We all know that the DAWGS are not as bad as they looked against South Carolina. We have a good team. Every once in a while a good team has a bad game. Let’s hope we’ve got our bad game out of the way. GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!
JaxDawg
October 8th, 2012
11:14 am
Hey guys I know we lost and yes it hurt, however the season is not over. In 2007 we lost 2 games. The last game we lost that year was to Tennessee 35-14. After that lost the DAWGS did not lose a game and should have played for the BCS title but the powers to be jumped LSU ahead because they won the conference title. Remember we were sitting at number 3 in polls and the team ahead of loss their conference title game LSU was at number 4. If the DAWGS win out (and I believe they will) we can still control our own destiny somewhat. Yes South Carolina will have to lose to LSU, UF, or Tenn., however that’s not impossible. LSU’s offense looks very bad, but does anybody really think that they’re going to lie down against South Carolina. We could all be smiling after next Saturday. So my fellow DAWG brethren keep hope alive. We all know that the DAWGS are not as bad as they looked against South Carolina. We have a good team. Every once in a while a good team has a bad game. Let’s hope we’ve got our bad game out of the way. GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!
G
October 8th, 2012
11:15 am
As long as UGA fans continue to support 8-10 seasons, by showing up at meaningless bowl games, Richt will always be good enough for the program. Ease off on a couple of big game tickets, watch the game at home, and let’s see how loud the voices are heard.
MadDog
October 8th, 2012
11:21 am
Check Rivals for 2012 & 2013 recruiting classes. In-state recruiting for 4 & 5 star players was poor in 2012 & could be even worse in 2013. CMR is starting to lose recruiting battles for top players in state of Ga. Think coaching is bad now…loss of 9 starters on defense for next year plus tougher future schedules. Everyone better start e-mailing McGarity & not this blog…we need a coaching change now.
Mash
October 8th, 2012
11:21 am
Actually, South Carolina does not need to lose twice as is being reported by many sources. All they have to do is lose to Florida. When UGA beats Florida – and they will – we’ll have the old 3-way tie.
G
October 8th, 2012
11:25 am
@JaxDawg. Bless your heart. Yes, anything is still possible. If Florida beats SC, and UGA beats Florida, that would make things interesting. But as we all know, UGA has placed itself once again in a season of “IF-THEN”. Bama and SC are doing a better job of controlling their own destiny.
UGA has a good team, with great talent, producing mediocre results.
dawgfan
October 8th, 2012
11:26 am
Wow!! We lose one game and everyone is wanting the coaches head.. Now if we win the rest and go on to win the SEC everyone will be back on board. Support your team win or lose!!
Devil's Advocate
October 8th, 2012
11:29 am
I think Smart would leave Bama for a head coaching job at a school like UGA. He just wasn’t going to leave for another DC gig.
As for Strong, I like him the more I think about it because he’d make sure the defense is performing while hiring a legit OC to run the offense. UGA has proven for many years now that talent will score points on offense without great play calling so image what it would do with a strong offensive mind running the show.
FWIW, I would love it if Richt retained a strong influence over calls during the game like Spurrier. You see Richt only yelling at players when there’s a substitution or communication problem but Spurrier always appears to be active in each offensive series. Unfortunately for Richt, he’s allowed Bobo to be his offensive anchor on this sinking ship.
JaxDawg
October 8th, 2012
11:29 am
@dawgfan. I with you on that. Good post.
Ed
October 8th, 2012
11:35 am
Richt is a joke. Georgia under him folds like a wet blanket every time a good team comes out strong. West Va. in ‘06 Sugar Bowl (first half at least), Alabama and Florida in ‘08, Florida again in ‘09, Tennessee in ‘07 and ‘09, LSU in the second half of the ‘11 SECCG.
They just collapse. A decent 1-AA team would put up better competition than a rattled and scared Georgia team.
Of course, give us a less talented opponent like Buffalo, or Vandy, or Kentucky, and we turn into schoolyard bullies. We’re ferocious when the opposition can’t really fight back. Tennessee showed last week what happens when someone can, and does – we panic, at least on defense.
Check the definition of insanity. Enough is enough.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
October 8th, 2012
11:36 am
How many more chances does this coaching staff get at $5 million a year
0-10 vs the top 10 since 2008
2-14 vs ranked teams since 2008
500 avg vs the top 25
300 avg vs the top 10
Last big time win 2005
Can someone point me to a job that I can consistently not do anything; get paid very well and not have to worry about getting fired
All while making your customers pay outrageous donations to get season tickets for a joke product
My resume is ready just let me know where I send it too
Sick and Tired
October 8th, 2012
11:37 am
“Support your team win or lose!!” You Richt/Bobo supporters are ridiculous! “It’s just one loss!” No, it’s the pathetic record of 2-14 against ranked teams. I can accept loosing when the team shows up and just gets beaten by a better team. But consistently getting blown out and embarrassed every year on a national scale is not acceptable any longer. Did you not hear the guys on ESPN talk about our coaching staff? Even they were saying how embarrassed they would be if they were a UGA fan. Bobo is absolutely clueless what to do when his game plan falls apart. He instantly falls back to his conservative, vanilla plays that everyone can see a mile away. Even my wife who knows nothing about football asked “why does he keep running the ball up the middle? It hasn’t worked one time the entire game. Why is the quarterback holding the ball so long?” Where was the screen pass? Where were the slants? Absolutely clueless. We will never win big games with these coaches. You people seem to be ok beating cupcake teams and being embarrassed year after year. I’ve been a supporting the Dawgs for 40 years and I have never been embarrassed like I was Saturday night. Seeing that stupid grin on Spurrier’s face was bad enough but then to see Richt smiling and acting like the loss was not big deal was nauseating! “Golly gee, we just got whipped.” WHAT A JOKE!! It’s not just one game people…
SteveDawgFan
October 8th, 2012
11:38 am
It is obvious from Richts comments that he does not think his job is to WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS! Maybe AD needs to remind him of that. Not having a plan for Clowney is unexcusable. It is not like he just started his first game. Watching the visor ranting and raving over an off sides call when up 28 zip, made me wish he was our coach. There is being poised and then there is dead. Young men need someone to fire them up. Sad we missed this awesome opportunity. SoCar is number 3, that was our spot for the taking. But maybe next year right guys? BTW you watch The cocks are our new gators.
FlatasHe!!
October 8th, 2012
11:38 am
@Everyone– Uga was flat and got thier butts kicked!! We as Georgia fans have a right to be upset at the performance Sat. night. Yeah, we can beat the bottom feeders in our league but it clear that our coaching staff continues to get out coached in big games and as good as A. Murray is he never seems to show up at the right time… I hate to say it but I believe that CMR will never get us to where we want to be and that is a spot in the National Title game….
FlatasHe!!
October 8th, 2012
11:43 am
Where was all of our first round draft picks on D??? Where have they been all year??? If they are that good it should not be that hard to stop a one dementional offense…
FlatasHe!!
October 8th, 2012
11:46 am
SC secondary has been torched this year… The simple fact is SC came to play and we did not… OK, I’m done!!!
embaressed
October 8th, 2012
11:46 am
the game is won and lost in the trenches, what we need is an NFL caliber O-line/D-line coach. Maybe then we wont get whipped around like high school back-ups.
suwanee dawg
October 8th, 2012
11:52 am
We need more than a new line coach. We need to focus on line recruiting. We continue to get the five start athelete who does us no good on his back. Until we are 2-3 deep with real studs on the OL – forgot about it. Remember Boise last year – they physically whipped us.
Pompano Ann
October 8th, 2012
11:57 am
I blogged a year ago when we lost to S Carolina with some questions and will repeat these questions;
knowing we’re in a tough league (SEC); why has it been 30 years or more since we’ve had a national championship and other teams around us are winning? Why do all our good players leave their Jr. year? Love the Dawgs and hoping we can win all the games here on out; hoping someday we can get the right formula!
Alpharetta Dave
October 8th, 2012
11:58 am
A couple of observations:
First off, love him or hate him, give him his due. Steve Spurrier is one of the greatest SEC coaches ever.
Next, I just question Georgia’s physical strength, year after year. South Carolina and every major program that we face usually just flat out manhandles us and whips our butts on offense and defense..
Rick in Warner Robins
October 8th, 2012
11:59 am
Yep, they were whupped alright…they were playing as best they could. They will be whupped quite a few more times before the season is over because. You all got excited because they beat nothing more than middle school teams, but now the stark reality is facing you…they can’t compete with a quality Division I team. Wait until they play Florida…lol…it will be brutal.
DawgByte
October 8th, 2012
11:59 am
Should anyone really be surprised?
We knew going into the season that the OL was a weak link. That concern has proven to be accurate, but it does beg the question on why Mark Beard was not moved into the LT position and Lynch moved to the side of Clowney to impede his rush. In both of those circumstances it comes down to coaches recognizing mismatches and making the appropriate adjustments. That did not happen on Saturday.
Defensively we are completely out of sync. Cornelius Washington should be benched. Now that Ogletree is back Herrera; our leading tackler, is learning a new position and not adjusting well. Rambo is up to his usual boneheaded mistakes and loafs. Get him out and put Mitchell back in. Start Conley in Mitchell’s place or Justin Scott Wesley.
How many more Special Team mistakes are we going to have to make before Richt realizes that there’s a reason other teams hire a full-time coach for this area of the game?
The sky is NOT falling, but Aaron “Big Game” Murray is going to have to show a set of stones and stop pushing the panic button when we play someone tougher than St. Mary High School.
Devil's Advocate
October 8th, 2012
12:02 pm
It’s not just one game. I’ve been the guy defending Richt since he arrived and thought he put the program back on track last season. I thought they were taking off to the next level this season. I even felt UGA had a 50/50 chance of losing to SC in another close game.
This isn’t about losing just one game, this is about being embarrassed in yet another game! I don’t even think this is about X’s and O’s, it’s deeper and comes down to football character. UGA played soft and scared. They were unprepared and didn’t have any fight.
Look at the Braves Friday night. They lost because of throwing errors, otherwise they were at least playing hard. I would have been less upset if UGA had lost like they did to SC in 2011 because even that team was trying hard and just made dumb mistakes. This 2012 team didn’t appear to get off the bus.
atlvol55
October 8th, 2012
12:03 pm
I hope the blog on here at Derrick Dooley being on the short list for UGA’s head coach was written tongue in check.
If not, please take Dooley…We would absolutely LOVE to send him on his way