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
PIERCE DAWG
December 3rd, 2012
1:36 pm
COACH RICHT THANKS FOR THE RAZZLE DAZZLE,YOU HAVE TO TAKE CHANCES TO WIN THE BIG ONES. WE HAD THEM REELING ON THEIR TOES. THE FAKE PUNT WAS GREAT!!!!
DarthDawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:36 pm
Bwahaha, Duke is better than most teams on UGA’s schedule. That’s a good one. Duke went 3-5 in the crappy ACC and made its name by not going 0-8. The didn’t accomplish anything.
I’m just glad Matt Barkley will be back to face Tech. Here’s hoping he improves his draft position in one game against Tech while setting a Sun Bowl record passing the ball.
GTBob
December 3rd, 2012
1:37 pm
No Bob, not even close. Tech isn’t as good as most all of the teams UGA played this year
I think Duke is arguably better than Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia Southern, Auburn, Missouri, Buffalo, and Fla Atlantic. That is actually more than half of UGA’s schedule.
Jim
December 3rd, 2012
1:37 pm
Well boys and girls we can’t go back and change the outcome of the game. I just don’t understand why my brother laughed when I told him I could tackle Eddie Lacie better than Shawn Williams. Gregg Blue if your reading this please help my Dawgs.
Sugarhill Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:37 pm
First of all, a “big ups” to my daughter for bring the flu to our homee from North Gwinnett! As I lay sick as a Dawg Saturday, I was unable to generate much of a reaction to the game. My sons, both Auburn men, came up with new and creative cursing to vent their Anti – Bammer spleens after the game. (I’ll tag along with their response.) Falcons kick some Brees butt Thursday, then I sit and watch NGHS get their cans kicked all over the Lovejoy stadium (congrats Wildcats). Surely UGA will save my weekend – not so much. That was, perhaps, the best football game I’ve ever seen. I hope the Notre Damers take a good look at that game film, then call in sick on January 7th. Also, I’d rather go to Orlando than New Orleans any day!
NoDawgInThisFight
December 3rd, 2012
1:38 pm
The Umpire can’t stand whiners. Whiners = losers which is what UGA is right now. Have fun at the Capital None bowl. Let’s hope you don’t have a repeat of the UCF bowl game!!!!
DarthDawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:38 pm
In the minds of Tech fans, every team must deal with reality except for Tech.
Jackie
December 3rd, 2012
1:40 pm
to JOE DAWG— I BET U ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO CLEAN MARK ‘S WINDSHIELD ON HIS TRUCK.
gary
December 3rd, 2012
1:40 pm
Thanks Richt. It was a great game. One the dawgs can be proud of. People will remember this as one of the great games in SEC history. We came out on the wrong side of the score board, but damn those kids played their hearts out. Hope the team is not to dissappointed. That was a hell of an effort.
Jim
December 3rd, 2012
1:40 pm
Oh I forgot add to my post. The only game that could be better played than this would be for Louisville to whip Florida in the Sugar Bowl.
old dog
December 3rd, 2012
1:41 pm
Dawgs left it all on the field…..excellant effort. O-line (hopefully) will improve next year, since they are all back. Receiving core is good, backs are ready. Hopefully the d will plug in; we are losing a couple that are hard (and one that is impossible) to replace. But, all in all, we should be right back in the hunt next year. I hope every SEC team winds their bowl game, and I TRULY hope “Bama blows out Notre Dame and shows the country that the SEC is the dominant conference!
Sean Palmer
December 3rd, 2012
1:41 pm
My bulldogs played the best game I have seen them play in my entire lifetime. I wasn’t able to see Herchel Walker plays as I was still a toddler. But this 2012 team have a lot of fight in it. And for all the fake Georgia fans on here criticising the team and players and Coach Richt, please get a life. Coach Richt had this team ready to play on Saturday. They were energized, the played diciplined other than the penalties, had great emotion, and left it all on the field. It just didn’t happen for us. Congrats to Alabama. And for all you fire Mark Richt fools, How many championships did Georgia win (including SEC championships) AFTER Vince Dooley and BEFORE Mark Richt! Be careful what you wish for cause I bet these are the same people who helped push Vince Dooley into Retirement.
Doosey
December 3rd, 2012
1:43 pm
Well..Alabama is going to lose in a close on to Notre Dame..because..The Nations is tired of The South ruling NCAAF..
It’s not good for national ratings for Championship games if SEC teams continue to win…
I don’t think that UGA or Alabama or LSU were going ot win.
Then, Ohio State returns..
CHDawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:43 pm
IMHO, Alabama is the best football team in America right now. I think their whole program got sucked into the thinking that they could beat an NFL team. They have read that all year, and it got into their heads. They thought their only hard game would be LSU and they let down after whipping them in BRLA. Alabama has grown a lot since TA&M. They realized the governor was right. The way to keep any team from having a chance is pound the rock with the AA O line, and pop a deep one every now and then. I think ND is a great program, but I think the National Championship was Saturday night. I don’t think anybody can beat Alabama, unless they get a whole bunch of breaks.
ARdawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:45 pm
“I think Duke is arguably better than Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia Southern, Auburn, Missouri, Buffalo, and Fla Atlantic. That is actually more than half of UGA’s schedule”.
No Bobby, they aren’t. Duke would have been lucky to win even one game with any of those teams. You are delusional and living in fantasy. If Duke had played in any other conference they would have been lucky to win 3 games. Playing in the ACC afforded them 6 wins. Evident by the way GT smacked them around. You know the GT that only won 6 games themselves in the same weak conference. The conference that went 0-4 against the SEC 2 weeks ago
BAD DAWG
December 3rd, 2012
1:46 pm
GTBob we beat the yellow flies eyes out with their high school team and option. We own you and the yellow flies nerd. You need to be taken out behind the wood shed!!! THE SEC, WE ARE SUPERIOR!!! You nerds need to schedule some sec teams. Talking about a beat down,you yellow flies would get some!!!
DarthDawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:47 pm
GT Bob,
Duke would not beat Tennessee or Missouri and I wouldn’t be shocked if Auburn beat them on athletic ability alone. Just because UGA and Bama hurt Auburn’s pride doesn’t mean Duke is better. Kentucky would give Duke a 4 quarter game. What big win did Duke secure this year? I guess they did beat UNC but that’s not saying much this year. Like I said, they are only getting attention because they didn’t go 0-8.
AltamahaDawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:48 pm
“I’m sick of reading Georgia posts, as I scour over pages and pages of Georgia post in a Georgia blog” .
Really?
Opossum
December 3rd, 2012
1:50 pm
Arkansas got screwed on this last year. They were the third team from the SEC.
moonbat betty (dawg for life)
December 3rd, 2012
1:50 pm
Hell of a game. Dawgs can hold their head high.
And congrats to Bama. I was at the game and all the Bama fans I encountered were courteous and everyone had a great time.
On the way out, many of the Bama fans shook our hands and some even said we deserved to win.
All in all, a great game the way football is supposed to played.
Funny how these tech fans get on here and crap on everthing and everybody.
Must be miserable to be a tech fan…
I’m sure tech will destroy SoCal…Huge LOL.
Go Dawgs. Destroy Nebraska!!!
phil
December 3rd, 2012
1:50 pm
Another blog full of morons happy with finishing second….
All pathetic losers.
Joey
December 3rd, 2012
1:51 pm
AD, I agree – I didn’t really mean “once in a lifetime” – rather, it’s not often the BCS says “win this game and you get in the “Big Game.”
Boy, Richt just looked physically wounded (?) in that press conference. Just his good manners probably that kept him from decking that idiot sportswriter.
Not that the question shouldn’t be asked – just not when he and his team were basically mourning, just moments after the game.
Ironically, if the Dawgs had given that effort earlier in the season, no way SC beats us, and we would be in the Sugar, at 12-1.
YeahC'mon
December 3rd, 2012
1:52 pm
Dogs DID NOT leave it all on the field. they got spanked in the 2nd half. They ran out of steam.
Vadawg
December 3rd, 2012
1:53 pm
Huh? it took a member of the defense to wake it up…..that is a coaches responsibility!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GTBob
December 3rd, 2012
1:53 pm
Just because UGA and Bama hurt Auburn’s pride doesn’t mean Duke is better.
Auburns best win this season was an overtime victory over La Monroe. For some reason I don’t think Duke would be very scared of them.
BigDAWG
December 3rd, 2012
1:53 pm
Coach Richt just summed his sorry job of being the head football coach at Georgia. “Get over it, move on,” Its not important to him. He likes being mediocre. It works for him and he has been rewarded immensly for it. Time to get out him out. Let him go Coach high school.
He Hate Gator
December 3rd, 2012
1:53 pm
Wow, Jim Rome all over Richt today for “another losing” effort, another lost opportunity, another non-BCS Championship game, poor clock management and poorly handled press conference.
crimson 1
December 3rd, 2012
1:54 pm
The difference between ALA and Georgia is that Coach Richt would have been gone if he couldn’t bring a title back home. We don’t have time for wait till next year. Second place might as well be last place. Get smart and hire a guy who can get you there. Better yet, keep Coach Richt. Moral wins are the norm for Georgia.
phil
December 3rd, 2012
1:55 pm
Yes. Out of steam since the entire D line is fat and out of shape, of course. We were also terribly outcoached on D.
Then the alltime bonehead move of not clocking the ball at the end there. Pathetic mental error.
Travis McGee
December 3rd, 2012
1:56 pm
The Dawgs are deserving of kudos for their play against The Tide. But, the reality of the situation is they just have a very difficult time winning against ranked teams. And, that should be at the forefront of their minds going forward.
It may be a question The Coach doesn’t want to deal with, BUT WHY CAN”T HE WIN THE FREAKIN’ BIG GAMES!
UGA91
December 3rd, 2012
1:56 pm
@Joey…I think it was a valid question. when are you supposed ask? That’s what a post game presser is for. Don’t blame Chuck Oliver because CMR has thin skin. The real reason CMR blew his cool is because he knows it was his (and his staff) fault but he doesn’t have the ball$ to admit it.
phil
December 3rd, 2012
1:56 pm
jim rome is correct….
phil
December 3rd, 2012
1:58 pm
and hats off to UGA91 too…..amen.
DarthDawg
December 3rd, 2012
2:01 pm
GTBob,
Duke lost by 36 at home to Clemson with a shot at the ACC Championship Game still on the line.
Auburn lost to Clemson by 7 in a neutral site game.
A win is a win and a loss is a loss but only looking at wins and losses does not tell the whole story. Stop giving Duke credit for something they haven’t accomplished. Duke is still a crap team in a crap conference. Just because the found 3 wins in a bad division including a 3 point upset over their rival doesn’t make them what Vandy has become in recent seasons.
Auburn went 0-8 against the SEC. That has nothing to do with their potential performance against the ACC as they almost took down your 2nd best team.
wrestler
December 3rd, 2012
2:03 pm
Wow, you folks are crazy. Richt is a great coach. If you people at Georgia don’t want him, I could name 100 schools that would.
The Gator
December 3rd, 2012
2:03 pm
Dawg fans, perhaps now that the shoe is on the other foot, you can be a little more objective about how lucky you were to get out of Jacksonville with a win. That game could have gone either way, too.
Georgia’s offense did a great job last night, but I can’t think of any team that has ever won a game when giving up over 300 yards rushing. The game stayed close because of the fake punt pass completion and blocked field goal: Credit to the coaching staff that so many of you like to malign: Richt and company out-coached and out-witted Saban and Smart several times. Also, I’ve seen lots of long runs by Gurley this season, but never as much power running as last night.
All in all, it was a great game.
yesthatismydog
December 3rd, 2012
2:03 pm
we will have to get over this and move on, cause if it sticks in our head and we are still thinking about it next year, well that team is Gainesville is going to take the bcs championship. I know this was going to our year but the players and fans will have to get over it. next year we kick the damn door down & those punks in Fl come 1st.
Bama
December 3rd, 2012
2:05 pm
Mal Moore wanted to ask Greg McGarity if he received that check yet paying part of Mark Richt’s salary to keep him on as UGA’s head coach. Just give the answer to one of those recruits that Georgia sends over. Thanks.
Joey
December 3rd, 2012
2:05 pm
So UGA91, if the ball hadn’t been tipped, and Malcome Mitchell had caught it for a TD and time ran out, Richt and Staff would then be recognized as “CAN win the BIG GAME?”
Wow! One tipped ball makes such a difference in perceptions . . .
WDE
December 3rd, 2012
2:07 pm
YeahC’mon and when the Tide needed one more first down to ice the game the UGA D stuffed them, doesn’t that mean they were out of gas…you moron..
phil
December 3rd, 2012
2:07 pm
wrestler
December 3rd, 2012
2:03 pm
Wow, you folks are crazy. Richt is a great coach. If you people at Georgia don’t want him, I could name 100 schools that would.
***************
Of course we want him, but that doesn’t mean we have to like a boneheaded move like not clocking the ball at the end of the game. It was as stupid a move as you ever see. He needs to admit it and THEN move on. Perhaps then we all could.
Fire someone though!!!
moonbat betty (dawg for life)
December 3rd, 2012
2:07 pm
Fact is Alabama was the better team.
I have never been as disappointed as I was walking out of the Dome, but it is what it is.
Quit making excuses and whining.
It wasn’t the coaches fault.
It was Alabama’s fault.
Moist Dawg
December 3rd, 2012
2:08 pm
You losers saying “good game Georgia” make me sick. As long as we have players and fans that find “trying our best” acceptable we will continue being no better at the end of the year than Ole Miss. Hell, Tennessee even has a bcs championship. I am sickened by you loser fans that root for the conference. That’s what losers do. I refuse to root for some hick school in our conference who’s going to a championship or another bowl. They, and you loser UGA fans that hold us back can all go to HE%#!
Gator - You genius!
December 3rd, 2012
2:12 pm
“but I can’t think of any team that has ever won a game when giving up over 300 yards rushing.”
Really Lizard! Ga. Tech averaged 300+ yds a game and lost 7 of them this year. Great point!
UGA91
December 3rd, 2012
2:12 pm
@Joey I don’t live off of “ifs” and shoulda’s or coulda’s. But since you (and others) keep bringing up….IF the ball wasn’t tipped, IF Conley didn’t catch the ball, IF CMR and Bobo called for a spike (as it appears Murray wanted to do), IF CMR understood the concept of clock mgmt. and IF we won then all we could really say is we won THE big one that counted at the time. One time doesn’t erase multiple seasons of history. I hate bama but one could also say we kinda got lucky a bit. I just hope the Irish, who have been VERY lucky this year, can pull out a whipping on the elephants.
AltamahaDawg
December 3rd, 2012
2:14 pm
Joey, I think we are not on the same page. I was just saying, I don”t think we had a “once in a lifetime type defence” to replace. We had a pretty good one, but it might not be as difficult to replace as it seems now.
I wasn’t refering to any BCS, opportunities.
Just Saying....
December 3rd, 2012
2:14 pm
“Huh? it took a member of the defense to wake it up…..that is a coaches responsibility!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I have been thinking this very same thing. It is really sad that it took one of his own players to wake up the “soft defense”.
CMR may be a decent coach, but what does that matter if he is year after year not bringing home the big wins? He gets amazing recruits and has a winning season, but that’s about as far as he goes. I mean really… Matt Stafford, Knowshown Moreno, Muhamed Massaquoi and no championship??
He shows very little interest in anything besides being a good “Christian”, and the messages that he sends to his players are a joke. His team is one of the more penalized teams in CFB..his response? No biggie. His players continually have off the field issues. Does he show any interest? Nope. It would be one thing if CMR had a championship or two under his belt or if it was just the start of an improving UGA team, but year after year it is the same story different players.
moonbat betty (dawg for life)
December 3rd, 2012
2:14 pm
I was pissed at first about not clocking the ball before the final play.
Fact is even if they clocked it first, Murray could have gotten sacked, it could have been intercepted, he could have threw a tipped pass and another receiver caught it in bounds, etc. etc. etc.
Clocking it would have made NO difference (unless you can see into the future)
Keeping it REAL
December 3rd, 2012
2:14 pm
GTBOB
Your problem is you have probably been blindsided cheaply all your life.
Rick James
December 3rd, 2012
2:16 pm
@GTBob
11-2 and playing in the Capital One Bowl.
Is that what you were hoping for as a UGA fan? With a loaded team and the easiest schedule in SEC history you couldn’t make a BCS bowl.
——————————————————————————————————————————-
Once again you copy and respond to only part of my comment.I’m sure you didnt have a valid resopnse to the comparison..Your obssesion with UGA is still quite amazing..Here’s the entire comment..Seek therapy
11-2 and playing in the Capital One Bowl.6-7 begged the NCAA for a waiver to play in Sun Bowl.Failure?! Your hatred for Georgia again blurs your common sense and objectivity and is only exceeded by the hatred you have for yourself.Seek therapy..