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
Hey, Rick James
October 7th, 2012
11:47 pm
Tennesee is a good team just like us. Beat NC state, GSU, and Akron, lost to Fla and UGA. Sound familiar?
Rick James
October 7th, 2012
11:49 pm
@Big Wally
@Rick James…………and telling everyone else who disagrees with you to go pull for other teams. Wow, real grown up stuff there.
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Yeah..Just like you calling me dumb for not agreeing with you..Anything else?
Rick James
October 7th, 2012
11:51 pm
@Hey, Rick James
Tennesee is a good team just like us. Beat NC state, GSU, and Akron, lost to Fla and UGA. Sound familiar?
——————————————————————————————————————————
Not really..Enlighten me..
Hey, Rick James
October 7th, 2012
11:51 pm
I am not sure you can compare this year’s Fla team with last year’s team. They seem to be playing much better, beat LSU, while we just lost 35-7 to SC.
Big Wally
October 7th, 2012
11:53 pm
@Rick James, who won between UGA and Colorado last time? Who won between UGA and Central Florida last time?
Hey, Rick James
October 7th, 2012
11:53 pm
OK, pay attention. Beat the also rans, lose to all the good teams. Now are you enlightened?
Rick James
October 7th, 2012
11:55 pm
@Hey, Rick James
I am not sure you can compare this year’s Fla team with last year’s team. They seem to be playing much better, beat LSU, while we just lost 35-7 to SC
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The beat an overated LSU of this year not last year’s team..Who else did they beat of substance?
rlm
October 7th, 2012
11:56 pm
What is Richt saying. We weren’t flat they just physically whipped us? Come on. That is his fault when he doesn’t have his team prepared and is outcoached everytime when UGA plays a winner. If he is such a good man he can stop raking in the bucks for doing nothing and resign.
Rick James
October 7th, 2012
11:57 pm
@Hey, Rick James
OK, pay attention. Beat the also rans, lose to all the good teams. Now are you enlightened?
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No I’m not..Actually you’re starting to sound like Tech fan..
Hey, Rick James
October 7th, 2012
11:59 pm
Well they just did something we are 1-9 at over the last 5 years. Beat a top 10 team, and obviously after what happened Sat night we were vastly overrated.
Rick James
October 7th, 2012
11:59 pm
@Big Wally
@Rick James, who won between UGA and Colorado last time? Who won between UGA and Central Florida last time?
———————————————————————————————————————————–
Who won between Memphis and Southern MIss the last time? Who won between SMU and TCU the last time.We all know the answers.Your point is what?
DyedInTheWool
October 8th, 2012
12:00 am
Oopsy. No national championship for Georgia THIS year.
Rick James
October 8th, 2012
12:01 am
@Hey, Rick James
Well they just did something we are 1-9 at over the last 5 years. Beat a top 10 team, and obviously after what happened Sat night we were vastly overrated
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Have a great next week…
Hey, Rick James
October 8th, 2012
12:02 am
oh, now you have resorted to the Straw man argument. You must be a Tech fan.
Hey, Rick James
October 8th, 2012
12:02 am
bye, bye
Rick James
October 8th, 2012
12:05 am
After defending UGA all night I’m called a Tech fan..Guess that’s all he has.Good night everybody..Inside Georgia Football is coming on channel 2
Struggles continue in marquee games; team whipped but not flat, Richt says – Georgia – Dawg News
October 8th, 2012
12:14 am
[...] the original: Struggles continue in marquee games; team whipped but not flat, Richt says ← Back to Home Tags: carolina, columbia, dropped, focal, game, media, occasion, poll, [...]
Tdawg
October 8th, 2012
12:22 am
Mark Richt said that the dawgs were not going to fall apart. You damn fool, they just did.
drbasic1
October 8th, 2012
12:24 am
let me get this sraight….
Aaron’s house got egged and T/p’d
He learned his dad has cancer this week
I now feel like a total ASS for cutting him down.
I just had a reality check
Sorry Aaron prayers are for you and your family!
Showmeyurtd's
October 8th, 2012
12:33 am
Home of UGA QB Murray, linebacker ‘egged and rolled’
10:50 pm October 7, 2012, by AJC Sports
A house shared by Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray and senior linebacker Christian Robinson was “egged and rolled” Saturday, Robinson said on his Twitter account.
According to an Associated Press story, Robinson believes the vandalism was a result of the Bulldogs’ 35-7 loss to South Carolina Saturday night. “Seems that people turn on you when you’re not perfect,” Robinson said on his Twitter account. “Thought we were in this together.”
Here’s more from the AP story:
Georgia coach Mark Richt said he hadn’t heard of the players’ home being hit with eggs and littered with toilet paper until he was asked about the incident on his weekly teleconference Sunday afternoon.
“Sometimes that comes with the territory,” he said. “You’re a public figure and people get upset about things. It’s sad something like that would happen but it’s not shocking people get criticism or something like that happened to them when they’re in the type position those guys are in, especially the quarterback position.”
Richt said every quarterback he has coached since he was an assistant coach at Florida State has had to have unlisted telephone numbers “because you know there’s going to be somebody to call and say something foolish after the emotion of a game. Unfortunately, it’s part of it.”
Six hours after tweeting about the ugly scene at his home, Robinson followed with another post that seemed to follow Richt’s advice.
“Still get to be a hero this morning to little kids at Athens Church,” Robinson tweeted. “There are more important things in life than wins and losses.”Enter your comments here
Showmeyurtd's
October 8th, 2012
12:35 am
Why waste good food and ars wipe? Wrong house anyway…..
Don
October 8th, 2012
12:43 am
Shame on you CMR – you are not taking any responsibility for the loss by saying the “Team” was physically whipped and no blame on the coaches having a Flat/unprepared team. We do have eyes and we do have some sense. Obviously you think everyone is stupid. You have NOT recruited Lineman for sometime now and it has come back yet again to BITE HARD!!! Football games are always won or lost at the line of scrimmage. A total failure of coaching and recruting last year.
Gamecockmiek
October 8th, 2012
12:44 am
At Me too. Typical uneducated Georgia fan who never matriculated at UGA. Instead of saying the best team won, all he can do is point to how many loses the Gamecocks will have. Guess what? None of the loses will be at the hands of UGA. Get over it. LOSER.
flo-ri-duh
October 8th, 2012
12:49 am
Spurrier still sux.
short memories
October 8th, 2012
12:55 am
I am glad I went to a wedding and didn’t watch this painful groundhog day. I was already tired of the if’s and excuses. The rest of you keep watching and drinking the kool-aid. Do like me and take the sure bet when richt is playing against anybody ranked.
flo-ri-duh
October 8th, 2012
12:56 am
No excuse for so called fans to turn on the UGA players. I still support the players. Sometimes you do your best and things don’t work out. Most of you never played a down of football in your life. UGA is still ranked #13 and can have a very good year.
flo-ri-duh
October 8th, 2012
12:59 am
Shortie we don’t need your rainy day support. There are still thousands of loyal Dawgs of which you are not one.
short memories
October 8th, 2012
1:00 am
If Richt was a good christian he would quit stealing on that money for not doing his job. He is totally lost and has been for years.
short memories
October 8th, 2012
1:02 am
Drinking the kool-aid is why duh is in your name
deano
October 8th, 2012
1:30 am
I am a Tech fan but I was hoping that the Bulldogs would win. Do not be concern because the dogs will win the rest of there games and go to the SEC Champ. Game.
captguitarman
October 8th, 2012
1:32 am
How many of your players would have preferred to crawl through fire on their hands and knees on broken glass than to have to face you in the locker room at half time? . . . . . . . . . Correct. Not one of them. They knew you would come out in their defenset today. Your are not their pal. You are not their friend, their father figure, or their priest, pastor or spiritual advisor. Those are admirable aspirations and vocations, no question about it. But you didn’t pick those. You chose to be a head coach in the SEC . . . their coach. Nuff said.
chuck
October 8th, 2012
1:33 am
Bobo is one of the least talented OC in the history of the SEC. If CMR doesn’t fire him during this off week or at the end of the season then CMR needs to be fired at the end of the season. Does Bobo even look at the film of the upcoming teams? Even my wife knows we should have had an extra TE or a BIG RB like Samuel, Malcome or Hall helping on blocking Clowney. We made the same mistake in last year’s Bowl Game so this is a pattern of ineptitude. Bobo obviously doesn’t learn from his mistakes so fire him and find someone that studies the upcoming teams and plans accordingly.
Dawg Serving Overseas
October 8th, 2012
1:35 am
Just looking through all the posts here…. all the folks that are bashing CMR and the staff after this loss and saying ‘I’m not watching anymore games’ or ‘I won’t be buying tickets’, etc – please do all the fans a favor and follow through with what you say! Fans are supposed to suck it up regardless of good, bad or in between. Whether you like the coach or staff right now – GET OVER IT! What would you have the AD do – fire the staff in the middle of the season and start over right now? Shut up. So we lost a game – again – big deal. Monday is here and the sun still rises. Time to get back to work. Look on the bright side – at least we can have a chance in a couple weeks to go to Jacksonville and spoil the Gators dreams of being relevant again. The End.
Why oh WHy
October 8th, 2012
2:24 am
Look at the film and see what happened? You don’t have to look at the film to see what happened. Same thing happen in 2008 and we didn’t fix it then, We got punched in the mouth and we rolled over with our tail between our legs….Thats what happened! Dang shame, i thought we had turned the corner…..Beating sorry Ga Tech is not worth getting smashed every year during big games!
Watch the film,
Not so fast.
October 8th, 2012
2:31 am
Dawg Serving Overseas,
I’m overseas too. you don’t get beat like that after getting the same beat down in 2008 and not know something isn’t wrong. something is very wrong. Sc will run the table and maybe win the NC, we got passed, i didn’t want to believe it either but whats really going on. We never start the year with our entire team, NEVER, and it cost us!
I’m done drinking that kool aid. big let down!
Quote of the week
I didn’t even watch the whole game, What was wrong with them to let south Carolina beat them like that? (My 64 year old mother, life long dawg fan!)
Yeah, something is really wrong, we got whipped but we were not flat, What? 21-0 1st quarter, flat, flat out disrespected and out coached!
LOL
October 8th, 2012
2:31 am
Here’s the problem, get off your a$$es and practice instead of looking at film all the damn time.
Red & Black 4 life
October 8th, 2012
2:42 am
We launch over teams off to greatness.
2008 black out against Alabama. we were higher ranked they came in and beat us down and have been to the top of the sec since.
2012 SC beat down, we were ranked higher came in and got smashed and now they are the top of the sec east…..
our team, our time, Bull sh@t
Same thing over and over again! Players suspended over hyped and then a major beat down.
We have the talent, we just need the coaches!
I think a loss to Tech this year could be possible! I’ll take it if we get a new staff who will get our boys in line and in gear!
Johnny Knoxville
October 8th, 2012
2:55 am
Home of UGA QB Murray, linebacker ‘egged and rolled’
The people have spoken!
KeepDreaming
October 8th, 2012
3:28 am
“They We’re Shell Shocked” “They weren’t ready for us”
Are you kidding me? THIS SCREAMS POOR COACHING!!!!
Fourth
October 8th, 2012
3:46 am
Next year after Tennessee recovers, Dawgs will be Fourth in the East behind FL, SC, and TN. Then two years later when Misspuri wakes up, Dawgs will be Fifth.
Tc
October 8th, 2012
3:49 am
Part of the reason that Murray’s home was egged is because CMR blames his players and does not take any responsibility for the team not being prepared. I would say that uga is never prepared that is why we play down to the competition when we play weak teams. To some of you CMR supporters. Please tell me why you think it is ok for CMR to constantly blame everything on his players?
Tc
October 8th, 2012
3:52 am
If CMR took responsibility for not having the team ready to play as well as a poor game plan by the coaches fans would probably not egged the house
really??
October 8th, 2012
4:15 am
ranked number 12th and 14th uh? you’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve been a fan for over 45 years and I saw nothing against South Carolina (or any other ranked opponent) that would merit even giving this team a top 25 consideration. All the talk this year has been about Georgia’s “favorable” schedule and even with that this team still finds a way to go out and get humiliated on national tv. I have never been so ashamed to be a Georgia fan as I was after that pathetic performance against South Carolina. To see these teams show up totally unprepared for “big games” over the years is undeniable and facts and records speak for themselves against ranked teams. Unfortunately, there is much more to come because we all know that this ENTIRE coaching staff (again record) is not capable of taking this program to a consistant SEC Championship level much less a National one.and for whatever reason the University is content to put up with it…..
Bobo
October 8th, 2012
5:13 am
Dawg fans – I say this to you as a Yellow Jacket fan – fire Richt now. Giving up 20+ to Buffalo, Missouri, and Fl Atlantic should have been a sign that your defense sucks. Losing to all your ranked opponents every year should be a sign you are not in the big leagues. Richt recruits a great team but can’t coach it. At any rate he’s not on the level of Saban, Spurrier, etc… The Dawgs pummel Tech, but so does Middle Tennessee State. This story repeats itself every year. But here come the faithful, saying not to give up, the season ain’t over, we can still win the division. But you won’t beat Bama.
AtlG8tr
October 8th, 2012
5:22 am
Whipped Puppies: It’s your lot in life to stand by and watch passively as four other SEC programs bring in new head coaches and win NCs SINCE Mark Richt was hired.
ville dog
October 8th, 2012
5:30 am
It’s time for coach CMR and his staff to find another house. I don’t care if they are 10 and 2 or 9 and 3 its time for him to go. Second in recruiting over the last 10 years and cannot win games against top teams. Something is not being done right and CMR is responsible.
Like Hamburgers do you
October 8th, 2012
5:40 am
We were flat and was whipped wonder where richt was watchin….wait till Gators beat them in Jacksonville again…are Texas A&M oh wait we beat them i forgot…Richt would really be Divin in Pools if playin alabama this year we would lose big Saban would run score up too…kinda wish steve spurrier did same ….Make Richt mad oh wait he would just say we over played…..went from 5th to 14 in Polls… knew would.Murray look like did vs LSU whipped like cream….this from the same clown who said we goin 12-0 too…and No he is no longer Heisman trophy runnin with his lousy game!….we beat Kentucky some how…they no par with south carolina with a 49-20 score after off week next weekend comin…we could score more but richt scared he be hit by lighting so he chicken out!
Ga.has good athletes but not a team.
October 8th, 2012
5:57 am
Enter your comments below.
Just Saying
October 8th, 2012
5:58 am
Yes the first 10 minutes of “flukie” football put us in a deep hole that was impossible to crawl out of. I’m not giving up on this team nor should FSU and LSU who lost to lesser opponents.
Joe Bob Wengie
October 8th, 2012
6:02 am
Georgia Stinks!
They won’t score 7 against UF