During month without games, Bulldogs try to put SEC title game defeat behind them
By Ryan Black
For the AJC
One month.
By the time Georgia takes the field for the Capital One bowl on Jan. 1, exactly one month will have passed since it lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship. On Friday, the Bulldogs had their last practice in Athens before they head to Orlando to continue their bowl preparations in the Sunshine State. All the while, Christian Robinson knows people are unsure how the Bulldogs will respond to their crushing, 32-28 loss to the Crimson Tide. Doubters’ questions are grounded in Georgia’s bowl results the last two seasons, falling to Central Florida in a humiliating 10-6 loss in the Liberty Bowl in 2010 and a 33-30 triple-overtime defeat to Michigan State in the Outback Bowl last year, a game the Bulldogs led 16-0 at halftime.
Despite that evidence, Robinson assured he and his teammates are motivated to end the season on the right note.
“We all realize we came up a little short and that’s really disappointing,” the senior inside linebacker said of the SEC Championship game loss. “It was kind of sad around here for a little bit, but getting back out there and practicing we realize that we have a lot to show. We can still go down as one of the best teams in Georgia history. Just because you’re not playing for the national championship doesn’t mean you can’t be a special team. We have those types of players here and that type of leadership that hopefully we’ll show up and not give the (bowl) game away like we did last year.”
Robinson acknowledged the gap the Bulldogs have to fill between their last game and the next could derail some teams. However, he was confident the leaders on this year’s edition of the Bulldogs will make sure they give their best effort in Orlando. But if Georgia shows up lethargic and still thinking about its SEC Championship loss, Robinson said it won’t be hard to tell.
Just see how many big plays the Bulldogs give up.
“That’s usually what shows up when you have a long break — hustle plays,” he said. “Plays you normally didn’t have. You might have people loafing a little bit more, but coaches have done a great job conditioning us and honing in on those things more than X’s and O’s, because those are what win (games), especially with the type of talent we have. If we show up and do what we’re supposed to do and play physically, (we’ll) make plays.”
More than any conditioning the game planning or conditioning the month-long gap will allow, the bigger question is whether the time off will help the Bulldogs cope with their loss to the Crimson Tide better than playing the next week might have. Coming up just short against Alabama will always haunt Arthur Lynch. Even so, the junior tight end admitted he’ll have to “get over it sometime.”
All he and the Bulldogs can do now is look forward to playing the Cornhuskers.
“It’s just like anything else,” he said. “If you don’t do as well as you’d like in school, you’ve got to move on and take whatever is given. Right now for us, it’s the Capital One bowl. We’re grateful for the opportunity. Did we reach our goal? No. But are we sitting there dwelling on the fact we didn’t reach our goal? No. We’re going to prep the way we do and we’ll go in there and hopefully execute and come out with a win. That’s all you can ask for. There’s no going back.”
Being an impatient person, though, Lynch would have preferred to have the bowl game played the week after the SEC Championship.
“I don’t like any bye week. I want to get into it and get into the game, because practice can get pretty tedious,” he said. “But bowl practice is a necessity. It’s kind of like spring ball. You get 15 practices, and for the young guys, it helps out a lot. I think that’s a big deal, but I’m ready to play.”
As disheartening as the loss to the Crimson Tide was, senior cornerback Sanders Commings said it was much easier to stomach than the other one the Bulldogs suffered this season, a lopsided 35-7 defeat to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Oct. 6. Georgia’s showing against South Carolina was inexcusable in Commings’ eyes.
“You never want to get blown out by anyone, so I think we’re more proud of the way we played in that Alabama game,” he said. “Even though we lost, we were right there. You never want to get beat the way we did against South Carolina.”
Robinson couldn’t have disagreed more with his fellow senior. Losing by four touchdowns and getting thoroughly beaten was something he could easily expunge from his memory bank, the type of “bad game” nearly every team is bound to have once during the course of a long season.
But having everything in front of them — an SEC title and a chance at the national championship — and not finishing the job was too painful for Robinson to be able to forget.
“Just because, if you take any play back anywhere before getting to that, it could have been positive,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons that no one blamed anybody. It’s not like people were pointing (fingers) and saying, ‘It was this guy,’ because literally we were five yards away. If you take any play that would give you that distance before on offense, defense or special teams, it would have won the game. I just think we ran out of time, and the last play, we just weren’t able to make it. If the defense would have helped out sooner, they would have had more time. It’s no one’s fault.”
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274 comments Add your comment
hit a single
December 26th, 2012
11:18 am
Last years bowl game was very disappointing. I do hope Murray plays better than he did in last year’s bowl game and I feel he will because he has continued to improve. But the bottom line is that Walsh really struggled last year and also in the bowl game. I am glad he got straightened out in the NFL.
WDE
December 26th, 2012
11:20 am
Last I looked Murray was the starting QB for the SEC East champs two years in a row…anyone thinking that we would have had a better record this year with Mason as QB is a moron of the first water..DonDog I’m looking at you…
Ted Striker
December 26th, 2012
11:20 am
Christian Robinson is a DGD.
Neutral
December 26th, 2012
11:20 am
@Dondog
Bet you wish Murray would leave so your guys will have a chance next season!!! Also, Murray’s ranking was on average better than his last 2 opponents QBs. NOTE: HIs rankings were all against the best 3 defenses in the nation over the last 2 years!!,
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:21 am
neutral,
I’m a (albeit unwelcome) regular reader on this blog. I must not pay attention to your musings.
ugab
December 26th, 2012
11:22 am
I just hope the football team will be ready to beat Nebraska. The SEC championship is over!!! Alabama won!!! Our defense could not stop Alabama’s running game. Every fan knew that Gratham’s defense had problems with good running teams. Every fan knew that Alabama has the best OL in the nation. Saban is the coach to beat. He plays basic power, fundamental football.
CMR needs a bowl win. I don’t see why the players got to play around in practices. I don’t understand why players got to leave early for Christmas break. Every minute of every practice counts. Ga will show up fat and out of shape. Nebraska knows CMR lets the players get to much time off. I’m not wasting my money. I’ll watch the game on TV. CMR has not got the players ready for this coming up game.
ARdawg
December 26th, 2012
11:22 am
Neutral
Nobody could blemish a record like the cheating tattoo thugs at THE ohio state university. They finally had a 12-0 season in the Big 10, 9, 11 something or other and still 0-10 against the SEC
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:23 am
Robinson says it all about the dogs when he says they can go down as a best ever. Two loss (and likely three losses) team are amounts your best ever.
Lose to USC
Lose to Bama
Sounds like best ever to me too.
ARdawg
December 26th, 2012
11:24 am
ugab
I don’t believe anyone will beat a good Saban team when he has a month to game plan. Nobody
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:24 am
ardog,
Repeat after me:
Anus
Anus
Anus
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:26 am
Urban Meyer is by the pool thinking of Timmy and how he can be in the headlines again!
DonDog
December 26th, 2012
11:26 am
Murray’s career at UGA in snapshot vs team that finished top 25:
2010
SC- Loss
Ark- Loss
MSt- Loss
Aub-Loss
UCF-Loss
2011
BSt Loss
SC Loss
LSU Loss
MSt Loss
2012
SC Loss
UF Win
ALA Loss
ARdawg
December 26th, 2012
11:27 am
Buckeye,
GREAT! You learned a new word! We’re very proud of you. You should try to learn a few others. Afterall, it ain’t like you have a bowl game to go to, is it?
Neutral
December 26th, 2012
11:29 am
Dondog = loser = techie
Neutral
December 26th, 2012
11:33 am
Buckeye @ 11:21
You are “unwelcome” because you are so damn obnoxious and clueless!!!!
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:33 am
ardog,
I like “ain’t”. Colloquial yet not street slang. Reminds me of, hmmm, Arkansas.
I’ll work on it.
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:33 am
neutral,
Who me?
DonDog
December 26th, 2012
11:35 am
UGA SEC Passer rankings vv ranked teams in 2012:
11th in pass offense
14th in accuracy
14th in yards
14th in passer rating
Out of 14 SEC teams.
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:35 am
ardog,
Urban taught me these words:
TIME OUT!
TIME OUT!
TIME OUT!
ugab
December 26th, 2012
11:36 am
I’m hoping Murray stays.
Neutral
December 26th, 2012
11:37 am
@Dondog
Don’t forget that Peyton Manning also had a problem winning the “big games” in the SEC.
P.S. you use a lot of statistics, but remember one important point…..”statistics are for losers”!!!!!
Neutral
December 26th, 2012
11:38 am
I agree ugab
Erin "spike the ball" Murray
December 26th, 2012
11:39 am
Is Alabama still running the ball on that powerful Jarvis Jones led defense?
Lacy/Yeldon are getting tired!
32 years…..
DonDog
December 26th, 2012
11:39 am
Murray’s national rankings vs. ranked teams:
63rd in passing yards
91st in accuracy
98th in passer rating
Murray is pretty much the WORST QB in the NATION vs. ranked teams.
Dawg Logic 101
December 26th, 2012
11:40 am
Wait ’til next year!
errrrrrrrrrrrr… maybe not.
ARdawg
December 26th, 2012
11:40 am
Buckeye
Can we say “cheater, cheater not going to a bowl game?” I knew you could.
Be sure and give Urban our best as he attempts to take SEC football to the shoe. He’ll need it. Maybe you guys could hook up and watch some games together. It’s not like he’s going to any bowl games either
ugab
December 26th, 2012
11:41 am
So,it was Murray fault that Alabama rushed for over 300 yrds? Murray made a few mistakes against a Saban Defense. Every Qb will make mistakes against a Saban D. Defense could not stop Alabama.
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:41 am
dondog,
Based on your stats it follows that Murray will be the typical Murray in a big game Murray Murray – or – as dogs call him “The Bad” Murray.
Moist Dawg
December 26th, 2012
11:42 am
You buckeye fans are nothing more than a bunch of Michigan rejects. Everyone in America knows it. At least I can respect Michigan as they have a winning record against the SEC. Remind me of the osu’s record?
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:43 am
ardog,
Not going to a bowl is not headline news. Try again.
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:44 am
ardog,
Is going to the Liberty and losing to Conf USA better than no bowl at all?
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:44 am
moist
Every dog has their day,
DonDog
December 26th, 2012
11:44 am
Ranked SEC teams vs. Bama in 2012:
LSU 69% accurate, 1 td, 0 int’s
T A/M 77% accurate, 2 td’s, 0 int’s
UGA 54% accurate, 1 td, 1 int
Jborodawg
December 26th, 2012
11:46 am
@The Bear and Tide Roll…et al
Two, maybe three, people have posted about and blamed officiating in the SECCG, yet you say stuff like, “…Why don’t you UGA fans mention …. All you UGA folks….”
I think most Dawgs fans know that giving up way too many rushing yards is probably the main reason we lost. Most of us know we just plain ol’ got beat. Most of us know that shoulda, woulda, coulda is a fruitless exercise.
Sure, IF we had spiked the ball we MIGHT have won. Who knows? Heck, what if Conley had caught it and took it in?
One or two (the ignorant DonDog) continue to bad-mouth Murray, even tho he was a big part of why we were in the game the whole time in the first place. Maybe more blame should go toward CTG than Murray for letting Bama run roughshod over us. Like Robinson said, there’s plenty o’ blame to go around. Anyway, to characterize all of Dawg Nation over comments by two, or three, or four, or five people is putting you at the same level of ignorance and inaneness.
Robinson has been a well-spoken representative this year. And, based his comments and those of Lynch, and Commings I think the Bulldogs have their minds right. Sounds like they’ll be ready to play.
@ugab and neutral … if you think the team is fat, out of shape, not ready…then why even watch it TV? ‘Course we all know there’s no way you’d actually buy tickets to the game.
Goooooo Dawgs! GATA against the cornhuskers!
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:48 am
I miss the Richard Simmons show
DonDog
December 26th, 2012
11:49 am
UGA said all the right things before the 2010 & 2011 Bowls, then Murray went 0-2 in the 2 Bowls.
MY Dawg
December 26th, 2012
11:49 am
Alabama Jack
I have to admit that was funny!
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:50 am
moist,
The icon gave you away
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:50 am
Our new unis for next season will be bright orange jumpsuits
DonDog
December 26th, 2012
11:52 am
Murray had 3 turnovers in each Bowl game.
No other player was more resonsible for each Bowl game loss.
Maurice Clarett
December 26th, 2012
11:52 am
“I made more money in college than in the UFL.”
ugab
December 26th, 2012
11:55 am
H. Mason has not proved anything to anybody. If he was better than Murray he would be starting. Mason does not have any big game experience. We needed a few stops on Defense to beat Alabama. Someone had to lose. It was Uga. Time to take it out on Nebraska.
Butteye
December 26th, 2012
11:55 am
My favorite Saturday Night moment was when John Belushi wore his Woody Hayes outfit and punched Jane Curtain for beating him at checkers. Woody Hayes=still the worst loser in college football. Has Ohio State ever beat a team from the south? Oh yeah, Arkansas. Oh wait it was taken away for the Terrell Prior scandal. Losers!
Joe
December 26th, 2012
11:55 am
Maybe I missed it but what call by the officials determined the outcome of this game? There was an overturned interception that would have ended the game, there was a no call on a poke in the eyes and a no call on block of a QB acting as a defender on an interception. Otherwise the number and type of penalties called were right at the average for both teams.
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:56 am
Why are we such a corrupt program?
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:57 am
Are we still on probation?
DonDog
December 26th, 2012
11:57 am
1-11 record vs teams that finish top 25, 98th ranked vs ranked teams passer A Murray hasn’t proven nothing to nobody.
Why Richt continues to start A Murray in big games is a mystery.
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:58 am
I’m going to have you all arrested for cyber bulling as soon as I go make another Bloody.
Buckeye
December 26th, 2012
11:59 am
F all you impostors
ARdawg
December 26th, 2012
12:02 pm
Buckeye
Well I dunno. Is going to a bowl game and losing to an SEC team as bad as not going to a bowl game? At least UCF has accomplished something THE osu hasn’t