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
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781 comments Add your comment
JOET
December 3rd, 2012
10:44 am
Huh?,
You applauded? We LOST. If you were ok with losing, why the hell did we even go? Thats the difference between us and them. They are NOT ok with losing.
Tn Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
10:44 am
Great game by the Dawgs!!! Just like all others in Dawg Nation, I wish we had won. I also wish there wasn’t so much hate on this Blog but that is the modern fan – what have you done for me lately?
The BOTTOM LINE is we have not played in a National Championship game in 30 years – 30 YEARS!! I greatly appreciate the efforts the players put forth and I feel worst for them than the coaches and nay sayer FANS.
Like many on this Blog that live outside the State of Georgia, I am sure they can attest that Georgia gained a great deal from the lost Saturday night. However, it is still difficult to take consolation from a lost. The focus now needs to shift away from the SEC title game and onto the Capital One Bowl.
Go Dawgs!!
AltamahaDawg
December 3rd, 2012
10:44 am
I saw the replay too, and that was a TD, IMO. The defender was tight but his back was to the ball, and that’s the whole point of the play. He has to turn and react. The WR has the advantage there.
Phil
December 3rd, 2012
10:45 am
Stating facts is not whining. Why can’t people look at the reality? 7 SEC teams have won a NC in the last 12 years. What are they doing that we are not? Until one recognizes the problem, one cannot find a solution.
80sChamp
December 3rd, 2012
10:45 am
Huh – Just dont see where kids today would want to play for MR.
In the past, every kid from Valdosta, Cedartown, Rome and LaGrange was dying to go to UGA. Our team was almost all GA kids.
Now, a lot of the best talent goes and plays elsewhere. I am simply saying that it is frustrating when there is so much promise here, but MR cant deliver. I think that his record against ranked teams, his inability to coach up the team, and gameday decisions are bush league. The good 5stars are not going to come here.
Look at all the Dawgs in the pros! And he cant seem to win like he should. Either time for him to go or we will lose all the telent.
I am not looking at a top-10 team, I see only problems ahead.
CHDawg
December 3rd, 2012
10:45 am
Not only that, Alt, but we scored on that same exact play earlier in the season when we went for two with Marlon Brown and everyone thought it was brilliant. We lined up and fired it over Brown’s back soldier before the D was lined up. If the play fails we get the same two tries. Murray practices this throw a lot. They were executing a well practiced and good plan. After understanding that, fans should realize spiking wasn’t necessarily the best option. Yes, if we knew the play would fail like that, everybody would spike it. But we could go back change any number of plays, but so could Alabama. They could have gone for it on the field goal, you could go on and on…
lord saban
December 3rd, 2012
10:45 am
this is hilarious. All the dawg fans saying we cheated our way to a win. They always got their ready made excuses for the a$$ beating their defense took. And then they say that bama is the sec and ncaas sacred cow. If that utter nonsense were true than the 2nd worst probation handed down at the time in the early 2000s wouldn’t have happened. Its a shame you guys never realize just how inconsistent you are and how stupid it makes you look.
Gene
December 3rd, 2012
10:45 am
I am a UGA grad, and I think that Richt is a decent and sincere person, and over the years, he has been one of the more successful coaches in the country. My problem with him has been his “Bobby Bowden” approach to player management. His players average around 10 arrests and suspensions each season. Had Rambo and company been been present the whole season, it would probably not have taken six or seven games for the defense to play effectively. He has said that he doesn’t care about penalties, which certainly sends the wrong message to his players. Comments by Rambo and others to the media are another counter productive issue as are Richt’s energy vampires and black out gimmicks. Richt is not going anywhere, and he will continue to win nine or ten games with national-championship talent. Richt did not deserve the tacky question from the writer at the press conference.
Ron Burgundy
December 3rd, 2012
10:46 am
Bama was ripe for the picking, just ask Johnny Football. Instead, UGA has almost everything go their way (unsuccessful Bama fake, successful UGA fake, bad clock mgmt at end of half by Bama, blocked FG returned for TD by Bama, banged up and limping Bama NG, INT in endzone by Bama, overturned Bama INT at end of game) and still lost. Sorry, but a L is an L. I don’t think TAMU was thinking about playing these guys tough or that LSU was thinking about playing these guys tough.
bruce mac
December 3rd, 2012
10:47 am
Big Gator, you embarrass yourself with such ignorance. The Gators don’t determine when they play Bama or LSU during the regular season, the folks in Bham do all of that. You played one of the softest schedules in the country when you won those SEC and MN Championships and still never had an undefeated season. Sorry we beat you again but don’t embarass yourself any futher with ignorant comments.
Walker
December 3rd, 2012
10:47 am
Proud of the Dawgs. By not spiking the Ball it would have saved 3 or 4 seconds and possibly could have run 3 plays instead of two. Georgia’s plan was right and we got unlucky when the ball was tipped. You people talking about clock management are absolutely wrong. I played quaterback and I always thought it was stupid to spike the ball if you have the right people on the field. Why not keep the momenum and run a play like we tried? If the guy doesn’t tip the ball we might have a TD or a least one or 2 more plays. So all you idiots talking about poor coaching and clock management are either a bunch of whiners or have no idea what you are talking about. That was great coaching and a good plan that turned out to be unlucky. End of story.
Keeping it REAL
December 3rd, 2012
10:47 am
JOE DAWG OR JOE DIRT
What time do you have to be in at burger king?
Hurry you don’t want to be late for work…..WINNER!
bill arp
December 3rd, 2012
10:48 am
Heckuva college football game.
People whose lives revolve around 18-21 year olds(that they’ve never met) so that they can go around pounding their chest at work are just plain scary. And obviously haven’t ever won a championship at anything other than their video games at home, or they would understand the effort that was put in by the coaches and players.
As for the game itself, who’s to say if we spike the ball that we don’t run the exact same play that was called(the back shoulder throw which has worked so many times for us) and the same thing happens? We had ‘em reeling, I like going down there and not giving the other team time to re-group and make personnel changes. The guy made a good play on tipping the ball(did you see how high he got).
The fact that they ran for over 350 yds against us was the difference. We scored 28 points against a team that was giving up 10/game on the year. If I would have told you we were going to score 28 before the game, we’d probably all be thrilled with that.
Oh, and one last thing, the missed FG in the first half came back to haunt us(after the Murray sack-which really didn’t need to happen). Sure would’ve been nice to be playing for a FG there at the end….
#3 in BCS
December 3rd, 2012
10:48 am
Well said….BIG GATOR
Ga. had their chance and blew it
Great game but the better team won….or should we say, better coaches
dawgfacedboy
December 3rd, 2012
10:49 am
MOst heartbreaking loss I”ve ever been apart of. To go up 11 late in the 3rd, to block a FG to score a TD, to have our TE complete a pass on a fake punt, to have 250 plus yards from Murray, a 120 yd rusher, 2 turnovers by the D, and then to lose on a tipped completed pass on the 5 yard line. No other word; Heartbreaking.
lord saban
December 3rd, 2012
10:50 am
Will someone please tell Eddie lacy and tj yeldon they can stop running now.
Huh?
December 3rd, 2012
10:50 am
JOET-
I wasn’t happy that UGA lost, but I applauded the effort and the game. Bama won, can’t go home and cry about it. I think most people AT THE GAME applauded what they saw. I said after the game and will continue to believe that the DAWGS got better this year and will continue to improve. I didn’t applaud the loss, just the game and effort by both teams.
80s Champ-
There are 30 guys signing up to join the DAWG NATION right now. If I can get one more, will you leave?
John Galt, MBA, CPA
December 3rd, 2012
10:52 am
You critics calling for the “spike” are hilarious, and ignorant. Murray was throwing a fade to Mitchell, who was open. If the ball is not tipped he catches the ball and we win; at worst it is incomplete and we have another play, THE SAME RESULT AS SPIKING THE BALL!!
I have criticized CMR and Murray myself, but they did NOT screw up the last 10 seconds, and you cannot intelligently make that point!! There is no one in the country that we could get next year who is better, so tell me who or STHU.
lord saban
December 3rd, 2012
10:52 am
I’ll bet Jarvis Jones and the whole dawg defense are on bed rest recovering from that Beatdown.
Wise Old Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
10:52 am
Mark Richt outcoached Nick Saban, but Little Nicky was rescued by a massive OL and a beast running back. Aaron Murray played superbly, taking the team 80 yards in a little over a minute with no timeouts in a pressure cooker situation. In my opinion, that was one of the greatest drives in UGA history. Unfortunately, it came up short but that doesn’t take away from what this team did. Truly outstanding!!!
Tired of cheating
December 3rd, 2012
10:53 am
Lord saban, you dont really belive bama wasnt holding on that td pass do you? Or on those 3rd qutr drives. Tape doesnt lie cheater! Enjoy yoururchased victory!
Big Gator
December 3rd, 2012
10:54 am
Hey Dogs continue to praise Mark R. on being a nice guy while other schools continue to win championships, this guy would have been fired 5 years ago anywhere in the state of Fla, he has to stay at UGA because the low standards the school has set for him.
This guy has to be the only coach to get a bonus for wining the east, no other school would be that stupid.
cruel game
December 3rd, 2012
10:54 am
Every CPA, hair stylist, plumber, IT management person, Burger King counter worker, and kid living in his mom’s basement knows in that situation – SPIKE THE BALL. The fact that Richt didn’t do it was a bad decision. The fact that he doesn’t OWN UP to making a horrible decision and costing his team the game, the SEC championship, and a spot in the National Championship is exactly why Georgia will never get there under him. And it was more like 8-10 seconds wasted in the time to get the signal from the sideline, line-up, call the audible at the line, snap the ball. Great guy, great recruiter, absolutely HORRIBLE in-game coach. P.S. – Penalties also matter to every other coach, at every level, except this guy. Ridiculous.
keniboy
December 3rd, 2012
10:55 am
agree with joe dawg going away, also agree with the dawgs need to learn to tackle. bumping chests will not bring down a good runner.
AltamahaDawg
December 3rd, 2012
10:55 am
bill, that’s a great question. Which is why I don’t understand the continuing controversy. we WOULD have called the same play. It’s not even about catching Bama reeling, it’s: why throw an intentionaly incompleted pass into the dirt, to set up a play, when you can just run the play in the same amount of time?
I would be glad to have somebody explain to me the need to “spike” the ball in that situation.
NoMoreRawDeal
December 3rd, 2012
10:55 am
Another ranked team, another loss. Can’t say I’m surprised. I still think Richt needs to go. And I hope Murray moves on as well. Mike Bobo still deserves to be beaten to death with his own shoes.
Huh?
December 3rd, 2012
10:56 am
Lord Saban- Beatdown? Aren’t those games usually over by half? Have some class.
lord saban
December 3rd, 2012
10:56 am
Seems our O line taught the Dawgs a lesson about old man smash mouth football.
80sChamp
December 3rd, 2012
10:56 am
Pre season top ten
Post season has been
Go Dawgs!
December 3rd, 2012
10:57 am
Joe Dawg – Please pick another team to cheer for. Dawg nation doesn’t need you.
Bigg Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
10:58 am
That was the Coaches fault they should have clock the ball with 9 seconds left to set up the right play and you would had at least two cracks at the enzone!
dawgfan
December 3rd, 2012
10:58 am
Richt is right. Time to move on. I was as crushed as anyone considering how close we were to victory, but upon further reflection I truly feel Bama was the better team and deserved the win. Bottom line: You can’t give up 350 yards rushing and expect to win games like this. National champions also don’t blow 11 point leads. This is just reality people. I can handle losing to a better team and that is exactly what happened.
I am not dispariging the effort of our team though. The offense had a great game plan and I’m officially off the Bobo bashing bandwagon. He really impressed me Saturday night. Murray was excellent. Our defense just has some holes in the running game that have really been there all year if you’ve been paying close attention. I think my grandmother could have run through some of those holes Bama’s O-line was opening up. I would be shocked if you don’t see more of the same against an overrated Notre Dame.
That said, we are a legit top 5 team and there is no reason in the world we can’t be right back in the mix of things within the next few years, especially with the playoff coming up. Losses like this happen if you’re shooting for the stars. That’s why coward programs like Georgia Tech want no part of it. You can’t be afraid of failure.
The future is bright for Georgia football.
Boris
December 3rd, 2012
10:59 am
Not much CMR cud do to defend against an OL that was capable of steamrolling UGa DL. And it did.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
December 3rd, 2012
10:59 am
****DON’T FEED THE TROLLS!****
Dawg4Life
December 3rd, 2012
10:59 am
If I was Richt, I would snuff the BCS by not going to the Capital One Bowl, just don’t show up to play at all!!!
Tired of cheating
December 3rd, 2012
10:59 am
Your o line held and held and held little saban. Watch the tape and shutup
champdawgs
December 3rd, 2012
10:59 am
Joe Dawg is probably fat,sissy and blew a horn in high school, never been laid, and lives with his mommy. Real football fans know what it takes to play on the level of the SEC and what an awesome job that Coach does. I am DAMN proud that CMR is the Dawgs coach am we will be very honored if he is for many years to come. We may not have the glass ball at the end of this year but the team is the National Champs in my heart.
80sChamp
December 3rd, 2012
10:59 am
We are no Bama. We got out coached, out classed, and out muscled. We did not have the ability to stop their run.
We just hope to be Bama on day when we grow up.
One championship in 30 years will not do. Not when we are ranked in top ten every year.
How long can this last? Isnt any one else fed up?
Be HAPPY
December 3rd, 2012
10:59 am
We beat TWO Teams with winning records this season. CELEBRATE! Yaaaayyy
Elliot Garcia
December 3rd, 2012
11:00 am
Georgia gave up 350 yards rushing….Sorry, but that is not championship football….
GTBob
December 3rd, 2012
11:00 am
A valiant effort UGA fans, but like always Murray and Richt fell short. As good as you think this season was you ended up the 4th best team in the SEC playing in the Capital One bowl against a team who just got blown out in their conference championship. Its the same story, just a different year. The bad news is that you are pretty much stuck with Richt now because he made it close for once.
Big Gator
December 3rd, 2012
11:00 am
bruce mac
3 titles in 10 years, 7 SEC championships, and by the way before you won the last two against us, you forgot about the 18 out of 21 but whipping, Spurrier, Meyers, Sabon own Mark Richt.
How many years for Georgia? 32, sugar bowl with a second year coach, pretty good.
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
December 3rd, 2012
11:01 am
@ Joe Dawg:
Just STFU dumba$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CHDawg
December 3rd, 2012
11:01 am
Pity the haters friends. Sick people, indeed.
lord saban
December 3rd, 2012
11:02 am
huh?
350 yds rushing? You guys got pounded. The game should never have been close. You guys had a whole series of breaks as one poster above noted and ya still got beat. A blocked kick return for a td?? Puhleeze! That, poor clock management at the end of the half, an int into the end zone, a negated successful fake punt while yours worked. You got all those breaks and still lost.
cruel game
December 3rd, 2012
11:03 am
…and for those saying the point can’t be intelligently made – you’re wrong. If you spike the ball, and the same thing happens (tipped pass caught in bounds), you have an extra 8-10 seconds to line up again and spike it again to stop the clock and take one more shot at it. Football 101.
Grunt_at_the_Point
December 3rd, 2012
11:03 am
ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who sharply criticized the inclusion of Northern Illinois in a BCS game (Orange Bowl), scoffed at the rule limiting conferences to two invitations.
“Who came up with this rule?” he asked on air Sunday night.”
Herbstreit should know better – its the rule. Everyone plays by the same rules. If he weren’t grandstanding he would understand the rational for the rule.
80sChamp
December 3rd, 2012
11:04 am
I think the question to MR at PC was legitimate.
Have the stones to answer the question. Put on your big boy underwear and answer the question coach!
So why cant you beat teams with winning records?? Why DO you always seem to lose the big ones?
SteelerFan
December 3rd, 2012
11:05 am
John Galt has a few titles, how about a-hole! The Dawgs played a great game, but the lack of a SPIKE, UGA’s new name and don’t forget it cost them the game. That pass had no velocity on it to make it to the endzone without being tipped. Richt is a wonderful guy but his team lacks discipline, it ended up costing them a big game. Learn from it and move on.
Brainiac (CMR/UGA Fan For Life)
December 3rd, 2012
11:05 am
@ Joe Dawg:
Just STFU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!