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
RJ
December 3rd, 2012
1:07 pm
JD what have you won during your lifetime, I can promise you that if you were actually a part of the team they would get rid of you and your pathetic attitude. Don’t confuse passion with finger pointing and a lack of understanding the game. These guys gave it all they had and even Saban said it could have easily gone on Georgia’s favor. The fact that Murray who has more class in his little finger than you have in your whole body drove the Dawgs down the field with no time outs speaks volumes to his abilities. Get a life and move on.
JONES
December 3rd, 2012
1:08 pm
JB………Just SHUT UP!!!
Fed-Up
December 3rd, 2012
1:09 pm
Mark Richt has no convictions about anything… He’s always tentative on how he comes across in anything that he says… His motto that he uses from his days @ FSU is ‘Finish The Drill’. Well, by not spiking the ball, and getting a play called that would have had a higher probability of being successful, he finished about 5-yards short of ‘finishing the drill’. That’s on you, Mark. How about earning that $3-mil that you pocket annually.
Anybody recall his first year at the UGA helm when, with time running out on the clock at the goal line against Auburn, that he ran a play up the gut for no gain, only to watch the clock expire and lose. Clock management is not a strength for CMR. He gets brain cramps, when he has to think fast.
“So you’ve got to kind of get over the heartbreak of that. And I’ve always had the ability to understand what the reality is and move on.”
Notice, in just about every quote that he makes, that it’s ‘kinda’-this and kinda’- that’… Either it is, or it isn’t. Grow a @!$# pair, Mark.
Justin
December 3rd, 2012
1:09 pm
What’s in your wallet??
GT Dude
December 3rd, 2012
1:09 pm
Oh and BTW – UGA will get the 12th W against the Huskers
Always remember the Nebraska playe think the rbig red N on their helmets stands for knowledge
rm
December 3rd, 2012
1:10 pm
Gtbob
You are the perfect example of an adult child. I have never seen a more pathetic example of a man, ever. Please people don’t ignore him. I need my comic relief for the day. Classic inferiority complex. How do you not embarrass yourself when you read your own posts… do you really no see it? How okd are you bro? I don’t want to pile on if you are still in highschool
Rainbow Tide Pride
December 3rd, 2012
1:10 pm
we b good at somethin. fotbal is were its at.
FB
December 3rd, 2012
1:12 pm
Earlier post put it best. What coach would EVER come to UGA if we fired a coach that won 11 or 12 games?! Go Dogs.
Carrollton Dawg Fan
December 3rd, 2012
1:12 pm
Is Joe Dawg the user-name for the reporter at 680 The Fan who asked the ridiculous question at thew post game press conference?
DarthDawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:13 pm
Congrats to GTBob for once again spending time on a UGA blog because that’s the closest to winning football he’ll see.
GT Dude
December 3rd, 2012
1:14 pm
@Fed Up Saban did the same thing at the end of the first half, if he had called a TO, Bama would have had time for three plays to end zone, not just kicking a field goal
Just saying it goes both ways
UGA gavie it a great run, just came up short
Dum-Bass
December 3rd, 2012
1:14 pm
Whoopeeeeeee! Can’t hardly wait. Dawgs get a team that just gave up 70 pts. in the Big Ten championship game to the mighty Wisconsin! They also gave up 63 to Ohio State during the year.
Well, at least now I know what time to schedule my nap for that day. The Capital None Bowl should be highly rated-NOT !!!!! Dawgs might actually be better off to hire Derek Dooley after the season is over. He does have half a brain and would have spiked the ball at the end.
GTBob
December 3rd, 2012
1:14 pm
Is Joe Dawg the user-name for the reporter at 680 The Fan who asked the ridiculous question at thew post game press conference?
How was it a ridiculous question? Richt and Murray are known for not winning big games and this game just added to it.
GT Bob's Team 6-7 in the Awful Coast Conf.
December 3rd, 2012
1:14 pm
Good to see Clay Aiken chiming in for his cocks at the top of the page. Loyal South Carolina fan.
WDE
December 3rd, 2012
1:16 pm
Georgia Bama Fan ….NO.
WDE
December 3rd, 2012
1:16 pm
crimson1 what year did you flunk out of Tech?
GTBob
December 3rd, 2012
1:16 pm
Congrats to GTBob for once again spending time on a UGA blog because that’s the closest to winning football he’ll see.
Did you guys win something important recently that I missed? You ended up as the 4th best team in the SEC and are going to a worse bowl game than Louisville and Northern Illinois. Congratulations.
Tech Still Sux
December 3rd, 2012
1:17 pm
@ Dum-Bass
Yes, you are. Your name says it all..
Dum-Bass
December 3rd, 2012
1:17 pm
*****Justin****** If you ask Mark Richt that question “what’s in your wallet?” he would without hesitation say, ” I have you know I carry my ID10T card on me at all times!”
A Riddle
December 3rd, 2012
1:17 pm
Q: What is the difference between Georgia’s Defense and Sand Castles?
A: They both crumble and fall when the Tide Rolls In!!!!!
Roll Tide Baby – Game should not have been close – UGA got lucky by:
1.) Blocking Field goal for a TD (10 Point Swing)
2.) Intercepting Bama in the End Zone (3 Point to 7 Point Swing)
3.) Fake Punt (I thought Jarvis Jones didn’t like Trickery… Let to 7 points and would have been 3).
This makes 16 to 24 points the Dawgs got as gifts…. Bama only got a 3 pt gift off the Murray interception.
If Bama plays UGA 10 times…. Bama wins 9.
Dawgs played the best they could and got the most critical turnovers.
ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDD for all the whining about “UGA would have won if it weren’t for bad clock management”……..
UGA would not have even had a shot if it weren’t for BAD Clock management by SABAN at the end of the 1st half.
BAMA was 1st and goal INSIDE the 5 and had to settle for a field goal because SABAN sat on his timeouts.
Had SABAN not done this, UGA would have been down 8 even with all the GIFTS…..
Get over yourself UGA and the “Moral Victories”….. you are not in the same league as BAMA.
The ONLY REASON you were there instead of the GAYTORS is because the GAYTORS had 6 turnovers….. heck VANDY could have beat FL if they knew they would get 6 turnovers…
Just face it, you have to have the game given to you in order to beat a quality team. BAMA almost gave it to you, but in the end you were just too dumb to take it.
Roll Tide….. take the fight out of the Irish…..
DarthDawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:18 pm
Also, congrats to GT for shutting out FSU in the 2nd half. Amazing comeback that fell just short with an 8 play, 22 yard drive resulting in a late INT by FSU!
I’d also like to congratulate Tech on successfully filing paperwork for a waiver to be allowed to play in a bowl after posting a losing record. That proves that Tech can draft documentation better than UGA!
Georgia Tech has the best academics in the world and belongs in the Big Ten. The ACC does not deserve such a fine school. Press conference at 4 PM to announce that Tech will join after the current members of the Big Ten pay Tech’s ACC exit fee.
Dum-Bass
December 3rd, 2012
1:19 pm
***TSS**** Please don’t disparage my God-given family name of Bass. My parents would be hurt.
jim
December 3rd, 2012
1:19 pm
The real question is why did our OC call a play in which neither receiver was in the endzone when we have no time outs?
GTBob's psychiatrist
December 3rd, 2012
1:19 pm
Bob, do it for your mom and dad and Pepper Rogers…just check into the program. The Georgia fans will probably take up a collection if the insurance won’t pay for the full OCD therapy…just please
Onegood1
December 3rd, 2012
1:20 pm
How about that incredible cheap shopt that the AL lineman did on QB A Murray (helmet to the haed then pancaked) about 5 seconds after the play was over. How is that not considered a criminal act?
danny
December 3rd, 2012
1:21 pm
GTBob, how would you know about outscoring opponents unless its Dook or div 2 schools?
It is what it is
December 3rd, 2012
1:22 pm
The computers got it right … UGA #11.
Here’s the problem with humans “voting/opinions” :
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).
Franklin’s a fool.
Computers can’t be biased unless a human programs it to be.
FACT:
All 10 teams ranked ahead of UGA (by computer ranking) have a better SOS than UGA.
BCS has UGA #7. LSU, A&M, SC, OU, all with better SOS than UGA, and none with more losses than UGA.
BCS is 2/3rds human polls. Humans tend to be biased.
Dum-Bass
December 3rd, 2012
1:23 pm
***jim**** my sentiments last night exactly. I made that comment several times. His excuses he is giving are nothing more than “cop outs”. He can say anything he wants to now, and continue to revel in his “mediocrity” because he gets paid the same no matter what. Bet MR didn’t lose a bit of sleep over that loss.
DarthDawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:23 pm
Yes GT Bob, we won 11 football games. You guys did bounce back and beat Duke though.
tcatl
December 3rd, 2012
1:24 pm
I have never heard so many people whine so much! Mark and the rest of the Dawgs mad a split decision and it didn’t work out (Yes I am mad), but let’s not beat-up our team lets Rise Them Up!!
It is what it is
December 3rd, 2012
1:25 pm
A Riddle … I’ve been trying to tell your story to the idiot Dawg fans for 2 days. They have a weird way seeing things “they way they want to see them”.
Billy Mumphries
December 3rd, 2012
1:26 pm
“Murray shoulda woulda coulda spiked the ball instinctively…..”
Yeah, that situation was prototype for a very quick spike. Regroup, set the next couple plays and agree in the huddle that you don’t catch it if you know 100% that you’re going over the line. Murray needed to be secure enough to get the guys down there fast and do it. The coaches needed to just admit that in hindsight the team should have had that scenario and action plan already agreed upon.
As for as Oliver’s comment at the press conference….no surprise. Both he and his nitwit and immature partner, Turnoff, will milk it all week on the show [this was the intent all along] and, somehow, they will find enough yahoos in the market to tune in and actually listen to the worst show in the history of sports talk.
The Umpire
December 3rd, 2012
1:27 pm
Onegood1, they investigate those hits carefully. Because this one was on Georgia’s QB and the key player on their team it could be more in-depth and take longer I suspect. I’m sure the coaching staff wouldn’t not have ordered that, but they will likely look into it, and once that is ruled out, pronounce the sentence on Dial. That is my guess. Unfortunate all around.
GTBob
December 3rd, 2012
1:27 pm
Yes GT Bob, we won 11 football games. You guys did bounce back and beat Duke though.
Duke is better than most of the teams UGA played this season.
NoDawgInThisFight
December 3rd, 2012
1:27 pm
God I’m so tired of reading all the UGA bulldog posts whining. You lost the biggest game of your season….AGAIN! Stop with the “we almost won” that means you lost. Your coaching staff blew it for you. Murray should have done what he wanted to do and Conley shouldn’t have caught that ball. BTW, 350 yds. rushing against….Holy Cow. Now all you bulldoggers still in school get back to studyiing for finals.
claytondawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:28 pm
@drsoul…thanks for a very classy comment above. Yeah, Bama won; they even deserve to win because the scoreboard had Bama with more points than the ‘Dogs. Am I disappointed? Damned right. Should I jump off a cliff (like the US economy may)? Hell no. A true “fan” is someone who wants his team to win; he does not NEED his team to win. Football is part of life, but not life itself. So, JoeDawg and others. GET OVER IT. It’s time for our ‘Dogs to get ready for Nebraska. If some of you don’t remember: Nebraska beat us pretty badly 45-6 way back in the 1969 Sun Bowl. I think it’s time for a little payback!!!
Bigdawgfan#1
December 3rd, 2012
1:30 pm
WOW…someone up there is full of hot air, too many sausages during the game? Saurkraut kicking your butt? There is no way to blame this on Murray or Richt…let’s get that out of the way now. I saw more fire in both of them for this game than ever before, and I like it. I am one of the Coach’s biggest critics and after the butt kicking from SC was ready to can him. I see the problem in coaching but it is Bobo and Grantham….someone please tell Grantham they are not throwing the ball….they are going to run it, almost every down. I still do not think he knows and still we drop out into cover 2 with no run blitz. I am almost certain that Jones can run blitz too. This was an amazing game and it was a disappointment but few teams get 12 wins and I am proud to be a Bulldog, now go kick some Husker butt.
The Umpire
December 3rd, 2012
1:30 pm
NO Dog, if you are sick of reading responses on a Georgia fan blog, then just go somewhere else.
PIERCE DAWG
December 3rd, 2012
1:30 pm
Thanks for a great seasons players,coaches and all involved. You went down fighting and it could have gone either way. Saban mentioned they were lucky to survive the battle. The future looks bright!!!! GO DAWGS!!! WE HAD THE BETTER TEAM,JUST RAN OUT OF TIME!!!!
Half Century Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:30 pm
Georgia Bama Fan
December 3rd, 2012
1:07 pm
Question for Georgia fans…….If you had to make a decision today and only get one shot, would you fire Richt and hire Kirby Smart? You only get this one chance.
HEII no!!!!
AltamahaDawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:30 pm
Next year in interesting Joey. Obviously LSU is more difficult that Ole’Miss, but I am not sure that it translate to anything more than that, more difficult. I think we can stack up to Clemson. We’ll see. Florida game is the Florida game. SC at home. Who know what Tn and Au are going to do.
Offense line did far better than most thought, all coming back. Murray is back. Oh yea, we got Gurshall. Teams will hve to score 45 to beat us I think. Kicking game is solid.
Now the defense. We lose some “stars”. I’m just not sure what the overall falloff will be. Well, let me rephrase…….I don;t know if this was a one in a lifetime defense we had now, so it’s not clear to me , that no new players can ever match up. We do lose some experience obviously. And some outstanding individual plays, but I think we have the players on the whole to be okay. AND we do have some rising stars. Again, all we need to do on defense is keep thier score under 30 or so.
crimson 1
December 3rd, 2012
1:30 pm
Hey if you want to use my name, go ahead. I can see from Texas that Georgia is a team with a inferiority complex. The Long Horn nation was hoping they could get Georgia in the Cotton bowl. That says alot about your program. Too much rah rah and not enough focus. Looks good to beat a SEC top tier team, if you are one.
ARdawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:31 pm
GTBob
‘Duke is better than most of the teams UGA played this season.’
No Bob, not even close. Tech isn’t as good as most all of the teams UGA played this year
bamaguy
December 3rd, 2012
1:31 pm
With the salaries the coaches make, I would think “moving on” from the heartbreak would be easier for them than for the players, students, alumni and fans. 3 mil a year can give you a lot of comfort.
Joey
December 3rd, 2012
1:32 pm
Georgia Bama Fan, I’d absolutely like Kirby Smart as UGA coach, but I also do not want Mark Richt ever fired.
He has earned the right to leave on his own time table.
Just my opinion.
Proud to be a Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:32 pm
Coach Richt and all the players,thank you well done.
Chris
December 3rd, 2012
1:33 pm
Dawg Fans and Naysayers,
I am a fourth generation UGA Grad and I have NEVER been prouder of our team and the effort they put forth on Saturday Night. Mistakes will always be made in games( The kids are 18 to 23 years old), look forward to the Bowl Game, look forward to the debate of who is best in the Division and Confrence, and look forward to the careers of our current and future players as the develop into outstanding citizens and a part of UGA lore…..Yes it is a difficult loss, I am still hurting and thinking “what If….”, It has been a great year, be proud of being a Bulldog. I sure am! Go Dawgs!
PIERCE DAWG
December 3rd, 2012
1:33 pm
THANKS FOR PLAYING WITH A HEART. YOU ARE BACKED BY BULLDOG NATION. WE ARE PROUD OF OUR 2012 DOGS!!!!!
Tech Still Sux
December 3rd, 2012
1:33 pm
@ Dum -Bass
Don’t like it?? Dont support the team.. Stay home… BTW, Nobody gives 2 shits about your parents.
ole dawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:35 pm
@ Fed Up… you are a shame to mankind and I am betting that CMR kicks your sorry A** every time. You are worthless!!!
I am extremely proud of the effort that I saw Saturday. Players and coaches…. Proud of you!
Now… let’s keep working and getting better. Hit the trail recruiting and get in the weight room.
GO DAWGS!!!