Richt: ‘We spent ourselves in a worthy cause…. You’ve got to kind of get over the heartbreak’
Georgia coach Mark Richt said his program is moving on from the “heartbreak” of Saturday’s SEC Championship game loss and “getting back to work.”
Mark Richt: "It was heartbreaking, no doubt." (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
“You know what? We spent ourselves in a worthy cause,” Richt said Sunday night. “We of course wanted to play for the national championship. We knew we were just a couple of yards away, maybe a couple of seconds away or a tipped ball away or however you want to say it. We were at least in position to win it.
“It was heartbreaking, no doubt. We were all highly, highly hurt by it. … We just came up short. It was one of those games where either team could have won. So you’ve got to kind of get over the heartbreak of that. And I’ve always had the ability to understand what the reality is and move on.
“We’re already out recruiting. We’re getting back to work.”
Despite the dashed dream of playing for the national championship, Richt said he expects his 11-2 team to be enthused about its trip to Orlando for the Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl against Nebraska.
“We’ve got a new goal in sight: We’re excited to try to get 12 wins,” Richt said.
Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity acknowledged that the day after the SEC title game was a difficult one in Bulldog Nation.
“I know we’re all still hurting a little bit right now,” McGarity said. “But the sun came up … and there’s nothing we can do about it but learn from it and move forward.”
How coaches ranked Dogs
After Georgia’s 32-28 loss to Alabama, voters in the USA Today coaches’ poll ranked the Bulldogs everywhere from No. 2 to No. 11.
The highest vote cast for Georgia was by Vanderbilt’s James Franklin, who had the Bulldogs No. 2 (behind Alabama and ahead of Notre Dame).
The lowest votes cast for Georgia were by Baylor’s Art Briles and Washington’s Steve Sarkisian, both of whom had the Bulldogs No. 11.
Richt and Alabama’s Nick Saban voted Georgia No. 3 — ahead of Florida, which both put No. 4.
Coaches’ individual ballots were released for the first time this season, per customary procedure on the final poll before the bowls.
Overall, Georgia was ranked No. 5 in the coaches’ poll. In the other two components of the BCS standings, Georgia was ranked No. 5 by the Harris Poll but an average of No. 11 by the computers. That added up to an overall BCS ranking of No. 7.
Conference limit to be eliminated
The rule that kept Georgia from playing in any of the four BCS bowls (Rose, Sugar, Fiesta and Orange) will be scrapped when college football goes to its new playoff system in the 2014 season.
The current rule is that no more than two teams from a conference can go to BCS games in a given season. Alabama, of course, got one of the SEC’s spots this season with its berth in the national title game. Florida moved up to No. 3 in the final BCS standings, clinching the SEC’s second spot because of a rule that stipulates a team ranked in the top four automatically gets a BCS invitation unless two other teams from its league are ranked higher. Georgia is the highest-ranked team not in a BCS game.
McGarity noted that the SEC has six of the top 10 teams in the BCS standings — but only two of the 10 spots in BCS games.
“It’s obviously being corrected in 2014, so a number of individuals thought that was not a fair way to treat conferences,” McGarity said. “I think the way it’s set in 2014 will reward those conferences that have the ability to place teams in the top 10.”
Under the 2014 model, there is no specific limit on how many teams from a conference can make the four-team playoff and the other top-tier bowls, although various arrangements between leagues and bowls will still be a factor.
ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who sharply criticized the inclusion of Northern Illinois in a BCS game (Orange Bowl), scoffed at the current two-per-league limit. “Who came up with this rule?” he asked on air Sunday night.
Herbstreit added: “To leave teams out like Georgia and … Texas A&M and Oklahoma, all of us want to see those teams in games that matter, and you’re going to give us Northern Illinois.”
‘They call themselves the CornDogs’
Georgia’s bowl opponent, Nebraska, brings back childhood memories for Richt.
“It’s kind of personal for me in that I was born in Omaha and my mom and dad grew up in Nebraska and all my cousins on that side of the family are big Husker fans,” Richt said.
“They like the Dogs, too,” he added. “They call themselves the CornDogs, actually — combination of Cornhuskers and Dogs.”
Richt said his family moved from Nebraska to Colorado when he was 7 or 8 and then to Boca Raton, Fla., when he was about 13. But “I still had Nebraska on my mind, really, up until the time I went to college at Miami.”
— Tim Tucker, AJC
Click here for full story on Georgia’s Capital One Bowl invitation
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
781 comments Add your comment
TDale
December 3rd, 2012
8:35 pm
NCdwg, read up. I agree with you. Dawgs were one play away. You’re mistaking me.
Neutral
December 3rd, 2012
8:37 pm
Hey guys let’s fire CMR and hire Kirby Smart……..oooooops, his defense gave up almost 1500 yards to UGa, LSU and Tsxas A&M. Oh yes, and they couldn’t stop UGa when they had to…..UGa stopped themselves. See you morons, not even King Kirby is perfect so why in the Hell do you think he walks on water? CMR is a great coach and a great man to boot. GO DAWGS!!!
TDale
December 3rd, 2012
8:41 pm
nevermind, I understand. I posted my post in response to:
“Charleston Jacket
December 3rd, 2012
8:21 pm
Hard fought game-glad you lost – I really did not want to root for. Notre Dame
Roll Tide, Go Huskers
THWG”
Wasn’t to you.
Mobile Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
8:44 pm
NCDawg, you need to quit trying to preach logic to people who don’t understand it. First, 99% of the negative comments are coming from instigators. They could care less about the Dawgs, just want to stick the knife in while you’re tender.
Only negative thing I have to say was the talking by Rambo before the game. It definitely came back to haunt him in particular. I have little respect for people that talk, even if they can back it up.
Neutral
December 3rd, 2012
8:45 pm
Charleston Jacket………Go USC, FSU, and Middle Tennessee!!!! Gonna love to see that 6-8 season you moron!!!!
Return to Glory
December 3rd, 2012
8:51 pm
Joe Not a Dawg, shut up moron, you probaly never even played whiffle ball. If you want to question the coaches and even players after a loss like the S. C. game fine it was a bad effort. But the SEC championship game was two well coached, prepared teams slugging it out until the clock read 0:00 we could have won but Bama did if we play like that in every big game we will win 70 % or more of the time..GO DAWGS and go home dumb arse fans who have no clue.
Moist Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
9:04 pm
Return to glory, I almost got sick when I read your comment. You guys do more harm to UGA than florida because you accept losing as long as you “try your best”. Why do we have so many touchy feely, “everyone gets a prize for trying” fans these days.
The enemy within
moonbat betty (dawg for life)
December 3rd, 2012
9:15 pm
Hey Moisty!
When are you going to get rid of your Wing-T offense?
Scott Calvin
December 3rd, 2012
9:17 pm
Thank you to Mark Richt, Mike Bobo & Todd Grantham.
You guys are such studs! You beat Buffalo and feel all good about yourself.
Thanks for blowing our chance at a NC this year.
Thanks again!
Scott Calvin
December 3rd, 2012
9:23 pm
Saban, Muschamp & Miles are WINNERS.
Richt, Bobo……..NOT
ga gator
December 3rd, 2012
9:26 pm
Some final comments about the game that I watched with my UGA wife.
1. A great, great college football game.
2. Both teams played almost flawless.
3. Bama has a TRUE heart of a Champion.
4. Bama has an awesome OL.
5. Murray does not know the word quit.
6. Murray is MUCH tougher than he looks.
7. People need to quit complaining about Richt and Bobo.
8. With a year of weight training Gurley is going to be a beast.
9. Bama’s depth and Saban going AND making a 2 point conversion helped win the game.
10. An unlucky tipped ball that was UNLUCKILY caught cost UGA the game, not officiating, not bad clock management, not cheap shots; just 1 unlucky play that you have to give credit to the Bama LB that tipped it. Now let’s have EVERY SEC TEAM win their BOWL GAME!!!
Scott Calvin
December 3rd, 2012
9:28 pm
All you Mark Richt lovers……….enjoy the crapitol one toilet bowl at 1 pm on NYD.
Saban will be on the national stage once again.
Scott Calvin
December 3rd, 2012
9:30 pm
Ga gator,
Did y’all do it after the game?
ga gator
December 3rd, 2012
9:32 pm
You are an A S S H O L E Scott Calvin.
SEC Headlines 12/3/2012 – South Carolina – Gamecock News
December 3rd, 2012
9:38 pm
[...] Only two teams per conference in BCS bowls. Kirk Herbstreit: “Who came up with this rule?” (BCS cap on conferences will come off when college football goes to the playoff system following [...]
Moist Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
9:42 pm
Ga gator, only your wife cares that you dreamed about Nick Saban all night. Go to a Florida or sec blog if you want to cuddle with a bunch of jerks rooting for teams we directly compete with.
Betty (Hanoi Jane), stop dissing me. If it wasn’t for fans like me holding the team to a higher standard, every year would be a 6-5 Tech year for UGA.
ga gator
December 3rd, 2012
9:45 pm
Moist Dawg only you would get your nickname thinking about your Mother/Sister.
Spokesman for the SEC East
December 3rd, 2012
9:48 pm
Moist Dawg how does it feel getting close for the 1st time in 32 years of sniffing the big Who Ha?
Scott Calvin
December 3rd, 2012
9:51 pm
We will lose recruits to A&M, Bama, SC and Florida.
Scott Calvin
December 3rd, 2012
9:54 pm
Jarvis is gone……………….gonna get paid boy-weeeeeeeeee!
Moist Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
10:01 pm
Ga gator, I’ll ignore your childish personal attacks.
Spokesman, I was elated and enraged and then disgusted. Just like 1980, except different order. To get that close just makes me want it more. I will NOT root for some other hick team from our conference like a loser, and I will not say “great game” either. If it was a great game I would be buying tickets to Miami right now.
Scott Calvin
December 3rd, 2012
10:08 pm
Ga gator……………
SLAM!
Charles S
December 3rd, 2012
10:41 pm
25 years of this s h!t is enough for me! I’ve given my money, my Sat afternoon’s, and I’m done with it. Every d@mn yr with uga it’s wait till next yr, if we only had more time, we will do better, it was close. Man it just never ends so I’m going to end it myself. Some nice 35 yrd line seats (4) will be there next year. Going to take a few trips across this great country with the wife. Good luck dawgs!
moonbat betty (dawg for life)
December 3rd, 2012
11:07 pm
geez, Moisty.
Have a drink and smoke on me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hEYwk0bypY
GATA
TopDawg
December 3rd, 2012
11:24 pm
A very good season and effort Saturday, but CHAMPIONSHIP teams do not blow an eleven point lead late in the third by letting the opposition run through them for two touchdowns, only waiting until the last drive to stiffen. CHAMPIONSHIP teams do not mismanage the clock like we did at the end or make the bonehead play that Conley did. We got beat by a great team, but Alabama is far from invincible (and they will lose to ND). Bottom line, we should have won and beat ourselves.
Bill
December 3rd, 2012
11:26 pm
Best thing about college football is watching Georgia lose.
Tide/Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
11:58 pm
All of you Ga. fans and outsiders that blog criticizing the Dawgs, Coach Richt, and Murray would be known as backshooters or bushwhackers if this was the old West. Too bad! They played a great game.
Moist Dawg
December 4th, 2012
1:36 am
Tide/Dawg, you would be called a nazi sympathizer if this was 1942.
Whiznot
December 4th, 2012
1:40 am
Murray and Richt’s legacy was in Richt’s grasp and he fumbled the ball. Legions are disgusted!
Snoop
December 4th, 2012
2:14 am
The coaching lost the game with Alabama. Richt is getting 3 million plus per year for time management.
There are 50ways to leave your lover, and at least as many for Richt to lose it (again).
Eric C.
December 4th, 2012
2:15 am
Truth Kills, the truth is they came within one play of playing for it all.
lifelongUGAfan
December 4th, 2012
2:18 am
Now I have let the game emotions calm down, I have my true feelings to share. 1-Great game by both teams. Best SEC championship game ever played. Alabama will continue the SEC’s national championship reign. 2-Maybe the underclassmen will return to try to win the title next season. 3-Hope all SEC teams win their bowls to show the country where real football is played. 4-My only complaint will always be: Why did UGA hurry up the last play with no time outs and a first down and run the biggest play in 30 years? This IS NOT hindsight as I said as it was happening, “What are they doing? Spike the ball!” I really believe that a called play would have given the team a better chance of winning.
PLEASE underclassmen return!
Eric C.
December 4th, 2012
2:19 am
I’m very proud of the Dawgs…thanks for a great season!!!
Snoop
December 4th, 2012
2:19 am
Snoop Dawg’s had it. No more money to UGA and no more games for me. UGA is a perennial loser because of the defective culture in Athens.
Eric C.
December 4th, 2012
2:19 am
ga gator at 9:26, great summary!
Eric C.
December 4th, 2012
2:25 am
lifelongUGAfan, I’m torn on that call…you can definitely have the advantage over the defense when they do not get a chance to regroup and make substitutions. It was like a boxer going for the knockout…you don’t want to let up at all.
Unfortunately, a tipped ball ruined the chance. The biggest advantage with spiking is that they might have gotten in three plays…but no guarantee with that. It makes me sick that we couldn’t see at least one pass into the endzone. The back shoulder pass has worked magic before and maybe it would have again without the tip.
Facts are Facts
December 4th, 2012
3:17 am
Let’s Make a List of D1 Colleges and Universities in the south east that have won a National Championship in football in the last 30 years.
Shall we?
Facts are Facts
December 4th, 2012
3:23 am
Let’s start with then SEC Big Boys:
Alabama
LSU
Florida
all multiple times
Add in SEC
Auburn
Tennessee
Then there’s
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Clemson
Miami
And just for fun
Georgia Southern
Appalcian State
both multiple times.
Now let’s make a list of who hasn’t
We’ll there’s
UAB
Troy
Ole Miss
Miss State
Furman
UCF
FIU
S Fla
And you guessed it…
UGA
Just For Fun
December 4th, 2012
3:43 am
Let’s prioritize the following items in the household budget:
- New Tires for the truck
- UGA football apparel
- Siding for the house (or modular home)
- Dental Hygene
- Filling the flask for UGA Gameday
Who wants to go first on this one?
GT, We got academics and foreign students, what do you have?
December 4th, 2012
3:57 am
A second place SEC team, a hangover and syphilis from the party, and a lifelong career at the chuck-e-cheese as a pizza heater upper. Sure is good to be a bulldawg woof woof.
Just For Fun
December 4th, 2012
4:06 am
Perhaps we should add…
“Hangover meds on Sunday, after UGA game”
to list of items to prioritize?
I’m pretty sure it trumps “New tires for the truck”
The King Here - Chuck Oliver
December 4th, 2012
4:54 am
Coach,
I’ve heard Mark Bradley and Jeff Schultz haven’t been all that happy with your performance lately (wink).
It’s just what I’ve heard… I hear it every day.
Any comment?
LBS
December 4th, 2012
5:35 am
Joe Dawg and those who post hater comments like his should be put on talking probation and not be allowed to call themselves DAWG fans.
Hugh
December 4th, 2012
5:56 am
Like most of you the pain I feel is acute. In hindsight I’ve been unfair to the Dawgs, who fought valiantly. Let me apologize for being an idiot. I have reconciled the the tipped ball and Conley’s catch. Just bad luck. Richt says UGA has studied and practiced the situation we saw during the last 16 seconds, and he feels like spiking the ball was not the thing to do (takes too much time). I wonder, however, if Richt’s planning for this situation included 5 or 6 seconds calling signals. That was the longest 5-6 seconds in Georgia history. If Richt is convinced we did the right thing, please explain standing over the ball so damn long.
Tomás Broun
December 4th, 2012
7:08 am
When you see words like “moral victory” and “pride” over and over to describe the UGA fans’ feelings about the outcome of the game, it’s a clear sign than they’ve accepted mediocrity and irrelevance.
So, let’s get the Kool-Aid flowing again and start rebuilding the annual myth that CMR will win championships in Athens!
MoDog
December 4th, 2012
8:27 am
Next year, Ga will win the east again easily and this time, upset Alabama! Georgia’s Oline and running game will dominate the league next year—Dogs will win the sEC—-book it!
MaconDawg
December 4th, 2012
8:32 am
Alabama got all the breaks in the game–Ga got hosed by the bama loving refs all night. Without all those bad calls and bad breaks, GA wins that game by 10. Mark this down–Ga blows out Nebraska, and next year, will be in the BCS title game. Alabama’s going down big next season!
gator15
December 4th, 2012
8:44 am
@modog 8:27am. Next year, Ga will win the east again easily
You want get 6 turnovers in 2013!
KD
December 4th, 2012
8:45 am
Good Job Bulldogs! I had you penned to lose 3 games this year, but it looks as if it’s only going to be two. If you play as well as you did on Saturday against Nebraska, you should get close to triple digits in scoring.
BAMAGIRL12
December 4th, 2012
9:06 am
This Bamagirl takes her hat off during a standing O for the DAWGS, They played with Heart, Dignity and Class to show why the SEC is the BEST conference in the NCAA. Yes, I agree that, at the least, Clinton Dial shoud be making every effort to aplolgize to murray for the helmet to helmet, not for the block though. The block was legal. As soon Murrays pass was intercepted, he was no longer a QB, but a defender. His trot TOWARD the AL player with the ball made him(Murray) fair game. I really dont think Dial was intentionally trying to hurt Murray(bc if he was, Saban would bench him) no more than the GA player was trying to level AJ. Adreneline was running high on both sides of the field Saturday in what was an emotionally charged dual of the BEST in the SEC. GA mismanaged the timeclock at the end of the second half… BAMA mismanaged in the final minute of the first half. We just happen to come out with the win. GURLEY should be named SEC player of the year. and the DAWG nation has NOTHING to hang their heads about! Good Luck in Orlando. And we will take care of Miami on the 7th! RTR