Richt spoke with the media today, and as you might expect, the last play of the SECCG was a hot topic. To his credit, it was something he was willing to discuss at length. I think you’ll get the flavor of things from a few tweets.
If that’s the case, then I don’t see what spiking the ball in that situation would have gained the Georgia offense. And before you go with huddle talk about what to do with a ball not in the end zone, keep in mind that the Dawgs weren’t doing much huddling at that point. With the play already called, they would have likely lined up quickly to prevent ‘Bama from doing much substituting.
To summarize,
Richt then cites an offensive guru in support.
Smith, you may recall, is whom Richt went to early in his coaching career to consult with about better clock management. It sounds like the student took the master’s lesson to heart.
Again, my point here isn’t to say that not spiking the ball in that situation was the right call. It is to say that it clearly wasn’t a mistake. Give the coaches credit for being decisive at a key point in the game even if you disagree with the tactic. Anyway you look at it, it’s light years away from the dithering we saw by Richt in the overtime of last year’s Michigan State game.
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UPDATE: By the way, for those of you who point to Mike Bobo’s change of heart in hindsight about what he should have done then, here’s the other side of that coin.
Remember, Murray was the guy signaling for the spike as they hustled up to run the play.
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UPDATE #2: More fleshed out comments here.
Get The Picture 
I’m glad to see and read CMR take the spike/no spike thing head on and explain his reasoning.
In the moment watching the game, I was screaming for a spike. After reading his initial thought process and digesting it (plus discussing it with a friend who is an OC on the FCS level), I became completely comfortable with CMR’s thought process. We had Bama’s D on the ropes; they were clearly gassed. CMB and CMR liked the matchup that Mitchell had for the last play. CJ Mosely just made a hell of a play and we got horrible luck in having the tipped pass fall right into Chris Conley’s hands.
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+1.
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+1. Yep.
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+1, and the fans bitching about not spiking the ball are many of the same ones who lamented UGA’s lack of “killer instinct” in the past.
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The second-guessing of this play is just knee-jerk Richt/Murray bashing. It’s a call that could be successful either way, or fail either way, and Richt had a perfectly good reason for making the decision he did. Ball got tipped by a great player. Conley’s instincts took over and he caught it. Stuff happens.
People acting like it was a Gaffe Of The Ages are grasping at straws.
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CMR can make any excuse he wants too, but spiking the ball is the concesus correct decision, and CMR chose otherwise and he lost!
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Cite this “consensus.”
And know that even if you can, there’s also a consensus about not going for it on 4th and short that’s pretty much wrong, too.
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The “consensus” is nonsense.
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Why is it the correct decision? In other words, what do you achieve by spiking that you don’t get any other way?
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I just consider it to be a risk analysis. Clocking the ball allows you the opportunity to huddle – and if it’s necessary – remind the offense not to catch a ball that’s not in the end zone. To me the benefits of clocking the ball outweigh the advantages of not allowing Bama to sub players. I don’t think it was the wrong call – I do think it wasn’t the best call.
And as far as Homer Smith goes – maybe clocking the ball shows that your plan was to clock the ball. Freaking consultant double speak if you ask me.
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But why would you expect Georgia to huddle in that situation?
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I have never been in a huddle where someone says “oh yeah, incase the ball is tipped by an amazing defensive play and it happens to deflect to you, if you aren’t in the end zone DON’T CATCH IT!!!”
That play had two reads, fade to Mitchell or fade to King on the other side. The ball coming to a receiver short of the goal line would have never been discussed. Arm chair quarterbacking at it’s finest.
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DUH!!! They obviously should have huddled because not huddling didn’t work. See, we fans with our amazing analytical skills have the benefit of knowing whether or not the play worked. Since it didn’t, it was obviously the wrong call. Any idiot can see that.
What Richt and Bobo should have done was to look into their crystal ball to see whether the play worked or not, and since it didn’t work, they should have called a different play. It’s football 101.
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+1 All I didn’t like was the bizarre result. Richt’s explanantion shows they were very much aware of the options and had a plan for success. It didn’t work, we are all sorry for that but a huddle would not have given us time to go over every conceivable possibility. Time to move on.
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I think if you spike immediately with 14 on the game clock, you may get 3 shots at the end zone. MAYBE. once you let 2-3 seconds run off, you lose that possibility.
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If you “spike immediately with 14 on the game clock” you’re going to be down to 12 at best for the next play–or your 2-3 seconds, basically. How long do you think it takes to line up, snap the ball, and spike it? It isn’t instantaneous.
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There were 15 seconds on the clock. UGA would have had 13 seconds left with a two second runoff. Time for three plays. Most non-UGA folks think it was a mistake, as do I. And after watching the play several times, it sure didn’t look like a td was happening, tip or not. Bet no one in the pros, where most games are won or lost in two minute drills, agrees with Homer Smith.
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They didn’t even snap the ball until it was at 12. It took three seconds just to line, spike or no.
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Dude, just stop.
You are clueless…
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Hey, you no-spike guys are the ones who keep bringing this up. Most “experts” (and I do not acknowledge that those sports talking heads are really experts–they just play one on TV) have gone the pro-spike way on this. JRW7 isn’t clueless because he disagrees with you. He just disagrees with you–and so do an awful lot of other people, too. Why don’t we all give it a rest on this issue–eh?
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It’s the biggest play of the season, perhaps of Richt’s head coaching career. Why isn’t it worth chewing over? The media and Richt himself seem to think it is.
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You left out “biggest play for UGA in 32 years” and as I said the other day “biggest screw-up in the history of Georgia football” at least to those who think that CMR/Bobo should have called for Murray to spike it. That’s why we should stop talking about it–it’s polarizing.
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Most every no spike person I’ve talked to or read agrees you could go either way there. The vehement second guessing seems to come from the spike crowd, including experts like Mel Kiper who think Murray’s draft stock should decline because of the play.
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^This.
As I said in my first post, I’m fine with either decision.
It seems as if the pro-spike contingent refuses to see the merits of the other side’s position.
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“Biggest screw-up in the history of Georgia football” is the problem. THAT’S why this is polarizing. Because you and those like you act like it’s a no-brainer to spike the ball, and it simply isn’t.
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Exactly. There are two schools of thought and Richt detailed enough of the thinking to make his case. This was not a mistake, it was a calculated option based on factors the coaches were in a better position to know than the many critics who are simply shooting from the hip. I was impressed with level of detail they provided and agree it seemed the right thing to do.
A large number of UGA fans have modified their position on the issue after hearing the rationale, they may still wish he had spiked because the hurry up didn’t produce the desired result, but only a handful are completely closed to throwing the TD pass immediately. One in particular painted himself into a corner immediately after the game and is having trouble saving face.
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I don’t think it’s his opinion that’s grating, so much as how he couches it.
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If we score the same talking heads talk about how great is was that UGA took advantage of a reeling Bama defense.
Its what the worldwide leader does.
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Which “experts” can you cite as pro-spike?
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Well, since you asked…on the Nick Sban show filmed in the Georgia Dome immediately after the game, Saban was extremely complimentary of the Dawgs. He also made the statement, with an absolute straight face and without even a hint of snarkiness intending it to be complimentary: “If Georgia had spiked the ball and gotten more time they might very well have won the game instead of us.” And don’t play dumb Hackerdog. You heard the same sportscasters that I heard after the game and what they all were saying. It wasn’t ’til the next day (after some memo apparently went out from higher up) that they all stopped bashing the Dawgs coaching staff about not spiking the ball.
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So, Saban said that a spike might have worked. I wouldn’t exactly count that as condemnation of not spiking it. Hell, running Gurley up the middle might have worked.
And yes, I heard sportscasters saying that Murray should have spiked it. But I don’t count them as experts. Most sportscasters simply look at what worked and call it genius and look at what didn’t work and call it stupid. That level of analysis isn’t what I consider the hallmark of an expert. Even you said that you don’t consider them to be experts.
So, again, I agree with you that the play didn’t work. I just disagree with you that, since the play didn’t work, it was a stupid call. That’s a shallow and empty analysis of a complex game.
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Oh, please.
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“Georgia played very well against Alabama, who is a great team, and came up five yards short in a game that could’ve gone either way.”
Would it kill the media haters to just leave the 2012 SECCG at that?
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Amen. Or perhaps someone just needs to keep listing BS pass interference call, stubborn refusal to call anyone holding Jarvis Jones, BS no-call on Murray getting leveled… if they’re going to keep being rotten media haters, I’m going to stoop to almost their level and keep complaining about the referees.
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I’ve already let it go and that horse is dead. I am focused now on how well we recruit and how quickly we can get our depth up to competitive levels.
Oh, and let’s get the new guys on board and kick Nebraska’s a$$ along the way.
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This thing got way too much play. It can be rationally argued that spiking the ball would have been the right call. It can also be rationally argued that Bama was on their heels and this was the right call.
What got me was the hysteria that this was some sort of no-brainer and it was the worst clock management in history. It didn’t hurt him as much because his team won, but Nick Saban’s first half clock management was light years worse than Richt’s end of the game time management…not even close. Had Georgia scored there at the end, Saban should have been scorched for his horrific coaching at the end of the half that would have then cost Bama the game.
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Coach Bob Knight was know for not calling time out in late game situations. He was of the belief that his team was mentally prepared to handle a last second, end of game shot due to the pressure he put on them during practices leading up to the season/game. It is possible that Richt and co were of the same mindset. They knew Murray and receivers could handle the late game situation.
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That and they had the defense on their heels with the personnel on the field which we wanted.
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Funny how the people that usually complain about Bobo being too conservative/predictable (which is nonsense) are also the ones I hear complaining about this unexpected, super aggressive non-spike play call. There’s always going to be baboons, just ignore them. They seem to want to have it both ways.
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I keep waking up to , “I”ve Got You Babe”.
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Ned Ryerson?
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Phil? Phil Conners?
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Bing!
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Amiright or amiright? Or amiright??
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He’s a DGD and by no means at total fault. But, if we want to REALLY disect the final play we have to mention Gurley. Not blocking at the line and letting Mosely to close to the point of release caused that tip. Mosely was unimpeded.
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It wouldn’t have hurt to have a QB a few inches taller. Maybe this is why so many NFL scouts consider Murray a late 2nd round pick?? Not bashing Murray because he played his tail off but it is what it is…..
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If you look at the film Mosely was already airborne before the line, Gurley would have had to step up 2-3 yards to block him. It was a one step drop and throw the fade. No way he physically could have made it up to cut him.
Murray’s height has nothing to do with that play, the trajectory of the throw is what it is, if he threw it high enough to get over Mosely’s head it would have been in the first row of seats.
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Negative. LOS was the 8. Mosely wasn’t airborne til he hit the 11 1/2 or 12. Not saying Gurley wasn’t doing what he was told but if he makes 3 steps and puts a lick in Mosely’s hands dot go up…
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You know what rocks about that? You think TG is going to shrug his shoulders and “oh well” it? Or do you think he’s going to replay it in his head all off season while he’s making himself better than he already is?
Yeah, me too. And it’s awesome.
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Maybe he, too, was gassed.
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It’s the power of media. Danielsen plants the idea, repeats it during a replay, and *poof* – he’s created the frame for remembering/discussing the play forever. It’s the “didn’t spike” play. Had he focused instead on Mosley tipping the ball, it would have been “the tip play.”
I can’t stand Danlelsen. I listen to Internet radio and watch the TV with the sound muted. The lag’s hardly noticeable. If anything, I get a split second crowd reaction over the radio that focuses my attention on a big play in process.
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I haven’t weighed in on the spike/no spike argument, and there’s no point in it now.
But I think Murray (and lots of others) are wrong saying that’s a TD if Bama doesn’t tip the ball. I noticed during the play that number 28 was hanging all over Mitchell in the endzone. Replays bear that out. When the ball was tipped, MM turned back toward the pylon, but he never had a cushion on that play.
Maybe if the ball was spiked, a little more time would allow for a better route, but we’ll never know.
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Pass Interference at least, the DB had his head turned away from the QB and did not know the ball was in the air. The tip made PI a mute point, but Milliner would have had to turn his head, find the ball, and swat it to avoid a PI call in that situation if not tipped. He’s a potential first rounder, so he can make that play – but that’s not saying he would have.
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Face guarding is allowed in college football. It’s not pass interference.
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Grabbing the jersey and moving the receiver’s body sure as heck is.
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Doubt we can honestly believe that Alabama has a call that critical to its “Game of the Century” date go against it. Just sayin’. Not that I am cynical on this game. 🙂
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You might have run into a “let’s change the rules for the last seconds of the game by not enforcing the rules” call, but football seems much less susceptible to that than basketball.
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Murray was making the back shoulder pass. MM wasn’t going to beat the guy deep in the corner. He was going to use the advantage of knowing the ball was coming to the back shoulder of the DB to make a play on the ball when the DB can’t see when the ball is coming.
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Again, the time machine’s on the blink, so we can’t *prove* anything, but that is also the prevailing opinion around our water cooler: on replay that play looks less likely to be a TD if not tipped than many are making it out to be. But an incomplete is OK too — we’d have another play.
I continue to take exception to the folks who argue you can’t coach against instinct, i.e. Conley’s instincts made him catch the ball. Most of the time running out of bounds isn’t a big deal, but players are coached to stay in bounds and keep the clock running when appropriate at the end of games. Somebody, somewhere along the way in practice should have been repping situations just like that one where it’s crucial that you not catch the ball.
That being said, I would be interested to see if anyone could find tape of where a player made the conscious decision to drop a ball because it was the best strategery.
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It is possible to practice many scenarios. But not all of them. And most of the time, it is to the offense’s benefit to have a receiver catch a pass on the 3 yard line with a good chance to score if he keeps his feet.
As for deliberately not catching a ball, the only examples I can think of are defensive backs on fourth down who will bat a ball away instead of going for the interception on a long pass. And even then, many defenders will intercept anyway.
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Rolled my eyes at that twitter coverage – or, more accurately, that the bowl prep presser was all about the SECCG.
BEAT NEBRASKA.
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I may be in the minority but I believe that Richt made the right call by not spiking the ball, even if it didn’t turn out well. The Bama defense was on its heels and you can take advantage of them not having goal line personnel, you’re getting the same # of plays off if you know what you want to run, and lastly a spike is not a timeout, you’re not going to talk through everything (i.e. “don’t catch it if you’re not in the end zone”) just because you spiked the ball.
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Absurd, bordering on incompetent.
You know who had no problem with UGA not spiking the ball? Saban and Smart. If Bama was off-balance then they would have used a timeout.
Spiking doesn’t ensure that Mosely doesn’t tip the pass, but it does allow for resetting the focus and a collective breath.
This dwarfs Edward’s drop as far as “oops” moments go.
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They drove down the field. Why would they need their focus reset?
BTW, it’s not like Saban’s clock management in that game was beyond reproach, so I’m not sure your proof is all it’s cracked up to be there.
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The rest of the team seemed like they expected the spike, and were milling around. That’s why it takes us a few extra seconds before snapping it, doing so around 9 seconds instead of 13 or 14.
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What does “resetting the focus and a collective breath” even mean? Did the play not work because we weren’t focused, or because we were out of breath? No…it didn’t work because A) their guy made a play; and B) the ridiculously bad luck of a tipped ball floating into the hands of a receiver, rather than harmlessly to the turf.
Spiking the ball when you already know what the play call is going to be and you are lined up by the time the ball is set gains nothing.
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“but it does allow for resetting the focus and a collective breath.”
Georgia’s off-kilter focus had somehow gotten it moving the ball down the field in a flash on one of the best defenses in college football.
Seriously. “Incompetent”? Is the guy from Smart Football also incompetent?
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When a coach who is known for not winning the big game loses the big game people are going to latch onto something. I personally don’t think the spike mattered. Games aren’t won and lost in the final seconds. They’re won and lost throughout the game. If Georgia manages to even get a single first down in one of the four possessions the offense took the ball with a lead, the end of the game is likely irrelevant. If Bama doesn’t waste the entire first quarter (and most of the first half) trying to achieve balance on offense. the end of the game is likely irrelevant. There are a lot of ifs and buts in that game. Focusing on such a minor one doesn’t make much sense to me.
Bama gave Georgia the gift of a terrible first half game plan. Georgia’s offense never put the game away so Bama despite their faults kept right up with Georgia. Despite all of this, Georgia still had a shot at the end. The end result? Coach Richt catches more crap for not winning the big game. I hate it for him, but there’s a two step process to take care of that:
1. Get back to the big game.
2. Win the damn thing.
I think he an do it but it’ll probably take a while. I just hope our newfound stature as a team that’s only one or two plays away from a national title game is enough to attract recruits wanting to make the difference on those one or two plays.
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…apparently no longer the “big game.”
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If you could only have one of the two, would you rather play in the national title game or have a guaranteed win against Florida?
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We had both.
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This season, without the one, there isn’t the other opportunity.
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After almost two weeks of thinking it over, I can’t say that spiking the ball would have been any better of a result in the end. I like to think that whether the ball was clocked or not is irrelevant to the ball being tipped. What is relevant is that the ball was caught. Since the ball was caught spiking it wouldn’t have affected the time left on the clock anymore that not spiking it would have. There just wasn’t enough time on the clock for either situation once the ball was caught out of the endzone.
Now Richt/Bobo covered themselves by saying that they already knew what play there were going to use and clocking the ball wouldn’t have changed that. If that is true (and we have no reason to doubt it as THEY said it) then not clocking the ball is the right play in my mind. We had the play going to the most talented playmaker on our O and were trying to catch them off guard. Bama just had one of their most talented playmakers on D at the right place at the right time and distrupted the pass.
I like the strategy. While it sucks to lose, we were a breath away from playing for it all and that is more than I have ever seen UGA do in my lifetime. I’m hoping this is just the beginnings of better things to come…
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See, you’re missing the bigger picture. See, if Murray had clocked the ball, Saban would have taken his starters out of the game and replaced them with the cheerleaders. And cheerleaders can’t jump as high as Mosley can, so the ball would never have been tipped.
It’s basic strategy that I can’t believe Richt missed.
P.S. Fire Bobo!
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Obviously none of these panty-waist “reporters” had the guts to say what Kordell Stewart said about this play: that Murry should’ve spiked the ball regardless of what the coaches called (cuz that’s what leaders do) and that Georgia DEFINITELY should not have thrown a sideline out to Conley.
This and other EPIC analysis can be found on 92.9 The Game!
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“Following Boller’s reactivation on November 9, 2005, the Ravens cut Stewart instead of keeping him as a third-string player, activating running back Musa Smith instead.”
Heh.
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Kordell Stewart? Seriously, Kordell Stewart? Why not ask John Brantley?
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+1
The mind reels.
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Be honest now…..when we completed the 2 passes right before that play, who amongst you was yelling, Damnit, we should have spiked the ball.
Same situation.
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I’m not sure I understand the import of your question tbia. Before the last play of the game EVERYBODY I know that I have talked to about this was screaming “SPIKE THE BALL!” That in and of itself doesn’t mean that spiking it would be right or wrong, though.
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Fair enough….but those same people were probably screaming spike the ball right after the catch by King….and NOT spiking it worked out with a nice gain by Lynch.
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Point taken.
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Right call. Right set / formation. CMR does not have to explain anything about it to me.
If there was an issue with that play, why would they not find issues with the other plays coming down the field…all 80 of those 85 yards. That was as good of play calling and execution as you could find. That ball ends up in Mitchell’s hands…Slive would have spiked his next drink.
But what do you expect from some of these guy and gal writers. Hell, they could not unzip their fly or drop their panies to take a whizz in 45 seconds. But I bet they spiked the lid on the toilet bowl if the light went out.
Move on. It’s in the books. But it sure damn fun watching that drive!!!
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no, it’s not fun watching that drive! it’s gut-wrenching!
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Senator, Mark Richt has lost control of knowing what the Hell he’s doing!
I blame Bobo!
Dose Mark Richt knows what the Hell he’s doing become ’13’s Meme?
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In all honesty, on the last play I thought “Damn! Not spiking the ball’s gonna work”! it took me a second to figure out why the ball didn’t go to Mitchell in a one-on-one throw then I realised it was tipped. I credit Mosley for killin’ us as much as “Spikegate.” I give the kid from Bama props
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i thought the ball should have been spiked both after king’s catch and before the last play. the “they had bama on their heels” thing is over-rated. as someone said before, bama had timeouts. if bama felt they were on their heels they would have stopped the clock themselves. i say you go with conventional wisdom and spike after both catches and trust your guys to make plays with out the benefit of having bama “on their heels”. i’m of the belief that time is the most important thing to consider in those situations. if richt felt the same and spiked the ball in both spots, we save about 7 seconds and maybe have enough time to get back up and spike after the last play.
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What coach on earth would call timeout with the clock running at 15 seconds left and the other team with no timeouts?
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One who is uncomfortable with the personnel he has on the field?
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vinny76-Why call a time out if you think the other team is going to spike the ball?
Good for Coach; make your decision and stick to it. I was screaming spike the ball, spike the ball at the time, but looking back on it, it was a great and gutsy play. It just didn’t work.
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mike- you don’t care what the other team might do if you have a TO and need to regroup in that situation. why would they wait on us to spike it if they felt disorganized? doesn’t make sense.
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Murray states:
“Asked what would have happened had Mosley not tipped the pass on final play, “It’s a touchdown,” Murray says..”
Disagree. The intended UGA receiver was well covered. And it did not even seem as if he was running a route for a fade, which is the supposed pass play. He was facing Murray when the ball was tipped, not running away to get a ball thrown over his shoulder.
That is not to say a perfect pass would not have scored. But the pass was not perfect, else it would not have been tipped. And that is not even to say had the ball fell incomplete, UGA would not have had a chance to score on the next (and final) play. There might have been a TD on a later play.
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If you are so certain spiking was the correct call, go visit CMR sometime this summer during one of his alumni/fan tour events around the state and walk right up to him and tell him what you think and why. Throw in blaming Murray, Gurley and Conley too, just for kicks.
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nah, i won’t blame the kids. they are just that- kids. richt, on the other hand is paid lots of money to win football games. i’m not sure what questioning him at an event would accomplish, though.
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So just admit your beef comes down to not winning the big game. The second guessing of the spike is just a hindsight projection of your frustration with losing.
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No doubt that has a something to do with it. Haha!
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I don’t have a problem with not spiking it. I buy the strategy of keeping them on their heels, preventing substitution, and not allowing Saban to regroup and reconfigure. I do have a problem with Conley’s route, though. No receiver should have been anywhere but in the endzone. And Richt’s claim about “spiking it when you don’t have a plan” reminds me of a play in the Kentucky game where there was a lengthy delay for a measurement, followed by us spiking the ball. There were only two possible outcomes of the measurement. We had plenty of time to devise a plan for either one. Anybody remember that play?
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Richt spent 10 minutes in the post game press conference explaining why Connely ran where he did. It’s part of the play and designed to distract Mitchell’s man, especially if they are in Zone.
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I remember the play precisely and explained it to the guy in front of me. We did not have them on their heels I that moment because of the measurement, so running a quick play accomplished nothing strategically. The measurement was short, which meant the clock would start once the chains were set back. If we try to run a quick play there, we are at the mercy of the match-up of our play versus their defensive call. However, spiking the ball allowed Murray the full 40 seconds to dissect the D and do the whole fake snap thing and call an audible.
Bama had only 3 D linemen in. The one thing we couldn’t afford was a sack. Spiking probably allows them to bring in a 4th linemen. As it were, we had 6 guys blocking 3. We are thinking that if murray has enough time that he’ll find someone open. Saban said after the game that the prevent D is what almost got them beat. We had them in a prevent in the worst scenario.
Now, if you argue that saban could have called a T.O. to regroup, he just couldn’t do that strategically. The clock was his best friend there. You help the offense more than yourself with a timeout. At the end of the half, his clock management wasn’t that bad. I was cat and mouse. He thought he was going to kick a 45 yard FG to end the half and didn’t want to leave Murray any time. He ended up kicking a 25 yd FG, but them’s the breaks.
Believe it or not, these coaches actually think about this stuff. And the talking heads generally don’t know much about in-game strategy.
Spiking in Lex was the right call and got us a FG that ended up being big in the final score. Saban’s 1st half management was the right call (because have you seen Murray at the end of a half with 1 minute on the clock?) and it got him a FG that made all the difference, but the calculated risk almost cost him a championship. The no-spike was the right call because it gave us the best shot to score a td on that play and get 3 plays off in case we didn’t.
That’s the way the cookie crumbles.
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The decision may have been the result of going through a thought process but it was NOT a thought process. How this mangling of the language has crept into sports I don’t know. Maybe it’s controlled destiny?
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My issue wasn’t so much the decision to run a play versus spiking it as a matter of principle, but there were two factors at play — (1) We were running a new player — King — onto the field; and (2) the majority of the offensive players appeared caught off guard by the fact that we were not spiking it. The end result of that is that the ball wasn’t snapped until 9 seconds were left on the clock, which is way too much time to allow to run off. Had the pass been incomplete, the time that ran off could have been the difference between getting 2 plays off and getting 3 plays off.
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Agreed. Bama wasn’t on their heels. Tavarras King made his gutsy catch and was injured and helped off the field on the play before Lynch’s reception took us down to the 12 yard line. Bama had plenty of time to collect themselves at that point. Also, it took us 3-4 extra seconds to line up on the final play instead of spiking it. Conley was moving around trying to figure what the play call was. We were moving around trying to get set up and Bama’s defense was lined up and ready to go. Also, Mitchell didn’t even run his route into the end zone. He cut it off at the 1 and had a guy all over him. Even with the pass to his back shoulder, it definitely wasn’t a touchdown as Murray said. They were on the 12, not the 2 yard line and the quick out to the back shoulder probably wasn’t the proper call there anyways. You definitely spike it in that situation and then have 15 seconds to take 3-4 shots into the endzone.
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Also, the game wasn’t lost on that play. We had a 20-10 lead in the 3rd quarter and couldn’t stop Bama’s run game. If our run defense can step up and make some stops we win the game. Their incredible offensive line and tough as nails RB’s won that game for Bama.
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You do understand that if you aren’t lined up when you spike the ball, that’s illegal procedure, right? Making matters worse, do it at that point and you’re subjected to the 10-second runoff rule.
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Lining up for a spike would have taken less time than what happened in those wasted 4 seconds before we finally snapped the ball, No?
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No. Lining up is lining up.
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I disagree. Watch the replay. Lining up for a spike is just a quick line up. Conley spent an extra few seconds going over to Murray to get the play call and then going back to line up. It is a different type of lining up.
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David- you are correct, sir!
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What stick out to me:
Remember, Murray was the guy signaling for the spike as they hustled up to run the play
I understand the logic but if you’re going to go quick strike as Bobo planned, why is the QB looking to clock the ball and wasting 3 seconds looking for the call? This to me gets back to coaching and the procedure penalties called on UGA. UGA does not execute at the highest level like Bama. Further, Bama’s defense was set and ready to play by the time the call was in, as the result of the play indicates. The program is so close in so many ways but is still behind.
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OMG!
The only reason we were in the game at the end was because of Bama’s poor execution and poor coaching. Do you really think we were the better team that night?
We easily intercepted a ball in the endzone, blocked a field goal for a touch down, drove the ball the length of the field in less than a minute- throwing it to the middle of the field with no timeouts.
And you are going to tell me that Bama out executed/coached us?
By all rights we should have lost the game by 16+ points. We were in it at the end because Bama stepped on their dicks over and over again.
Go Dawgs!
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Bama’s poor coaching LOL
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Saban’s time management at the end of the first half was horrible. Some of the worst in a big game I’ve ever seen. Had Richt done it, we’d still be talking about it next season.
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The 3rd down on the 2nd to last possesion going for 30+ when you only need 18?
How many penalties did Bama have? How many did we have for false starts/offsides? How many 15 yard unsportsman/unnecessary roughness for each side? Bama had better prep before the game.
The area where UGA won was the players stepping up and playing with heart. The kids wanted it.
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Bama lost to aTm on an offsides on the defense on a fuggin PUNT return. Stuff happens.
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You can also count me among those who are dubious of the claim that Murray had Mitchell for a TD. Didn’t seem that way at all to me. We tried to throw a ball up to Mitchell in the end zone earlier in the game and Milliner had clearly won that battle. In fact, I was a little surprised that the throw didn’t go to King, who was also one on one and had a much larger area to work with.
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So it was Bobo.
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That’s horseshit, bullshit, cowshit, chickenshit and Dawgshit. I’m so disgusted and really have no faith that Mark Richt will lead this team to a National Championship EVER. Y’all can drink all the damn Richt-Bobo coolaid u want cause all your doing is getting drunk on losing big games. I’m sick off it and I will not donate anymore money. Yes I feel better. Thank you!
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Well, brother, you’re gonna miss out on a fun few years with #3 and #4 running around sec stadiums.
You’re right, we should get rid of the guys that are breaking every offensive record we have in the golden age of sec defenses and keep winning this pesky sec titles.
We’ve played for the title 5 times in 12 years, dude. Must’ve won a couple of big games along the way to get there.
Richt has this program as high as it’s ever been and headed to greater heights. What coach, exactly, would you think could win us those big games you speak of? Saban and Meyer are great, but richt will have his day with them.
Get on the bus or get off and quit whining. If you dot understand what we’ve got going on in Athens right now then you don’t watch or undsrstand enough college football.
Sorry, senator. He got me in a mood.
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Mahlzan, Jones, Bielema, Stoops? Which one over Richt? Seriously.
There have been 6 coaches in college football, IMO, since we got Richt, that have done a better job. Saban, Meyer, Miles, Brown and Carroll.
Any others won the big game? So who you gonna get if we run Richt off? Tubberville?
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^ This. CMR has not gotten the MNC like these other guys, so he must be a loser. Fact is, he’s had to beat his head against 3 of them, Brown rode VY and a lot of luck just like the Barners with Scam, and Carroll is hardly a fine example of “doing it right”.
If disaster struck, I’d take Les ( and miss Richt). I really don’t think he would take our program any further though.
(….and way, wayyyyy down deep…in a place I never want to go….I might…just might….ughhhhh….wish we had Saban. There. I said it. Time to shower.)
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But Richt has to go. He is killing us slowly. Cant you see this. I mean he is only the first coach in the BCS era to reach a point of mediocrity and then make the changes to get back into the elite teams (10+ win seasons). (If you consider 10 wins mediocre, then that is what success will do to you.)
End of the day the people bitching will find something to bitch about. Today it is the no-spike, tomorrow it will be something else, then something else. You cannot please them. You cannot reason with them. All you can do is enjoy one of the best 12 year periods in the HISTORY of the f***in program.
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1) We line up with 15 sec left, take maybe 2 sec to get set + 1-2 more sec to snap/spike. 11-12 sec left. Each play is worth 4-5 seconds. So we get 3 plays against their D who had 30 extra seconds to catch their breath/substitute in players they want for goal line stand.
2) We line up run a play. It takes 4 seconds to get the ball snapped. Pass gets deflected (assuming it does not get caught). We have 5-6 seconds left. It takes 4-5 seconds to run a play. GASP, we could have run 3 plays still, def. 2.
Seriously, all you second guessers can get over yourselves. They have reason and rationale for not spiking. Yea, I would be bitching if Richt did not have some sort of rational thought about it and it seemed like they were just in awe to be in the situation.
Also, since when the hell do any of you give a crap about what ESPN thinks? Last time I checked pretty much everyone here thinks they are a bunch of biased A-holes with agendas.
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I have been one of the more vocal pro-spikers on this blog. I have now had a chance to think about this and in light of the thoughtful and reasoned comments made by some of my colleagues posting on this blog I have changed my mind. While I still think it would have been preferable to spike the ball when the Dawgs got to the 7 yard line with 15 seconds left on the clock, I now realize that the decision to run a play in that situation rather than spike it was a tactical decision made by the coaches with some very good points in favor of the choice they made. Bama was reeling. The Dawgs had moved all the way down the field in only a little over a minute without having to spike the ball. Bama loves to substitute packages in situations just like this and spiking would allow Bama to do that and also to get organized on defense. The tip was a great play by a Bama linebacker and 90% of the time would have fluttered harmlessly to the ground and the Dawgs still would have been able to run another play, possibly two, if the ball had not been caught by a Georgia player in the field of play. That’s not his fault either as he just reacted and did what he had been taught to do–catch a ball thrown in his direction. Every game has a winner and a loser. Our team gave a great effort but, sadly, lost this one. Hopefully we’ll get another chance soon and the next time things will go our way. Go Dawgs!
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Yeah, me, I’m still upset that Swann allowed that long pass TD, that’s the real problem. No, wait a minute, it’s our D just falling apart against their run game. No, no, that’s not it, either–if only Marshall Morgan hadn’t missed that kick early in the game, then we’d only have had to kick a field goal there at the end.
In an alternate universe where Georgia won the game, Alabama fans are saying: “If only we hadn’t let that freshman running back of theirs push half our D into the end zone.” “If only we hadn’t been so unprepared for that fake punt.” “If only we’d been able to get the passing game going.”
Florida fans still can’t believe that Jordan Reed allowed Jarvis Jones to knock a football out of his hand before scoring the 9 points that would have won the Cocktail Bowl. Or that their secondary couldn’t simply tackle Malcolm Mitchell. Or that their team was so poorly prepared that they turned the ball over 6 times. If not for those inexplicable breakdowns, they’d be playing for the national title!
Dammit, why can’t these guys just do everything right all the time, like I do?
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The biggest play of the game, in my mind, was Alabama’s 3rd and 5 right before the TD pass to Cooper. Shawn Williams met Yeldon at the line and just got dragged for the first down.
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Its not about the spike:
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2012/12/14/fifteen-fateful-seconds-the-bulldogs-look-back-in-anguish/#comment-618248
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I know this thread is long dead, but after watching a replay of the end of the New Mexico Bowl I had to post something…EVERYONE should go watch the last minute of the New Mexico Bowl.
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You’re right. If we had been playing Nevada, we might have won.
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LOL
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I finally looked up Homer Smith’s coaching record and have no idea why Richt is taking clock management advice from him.
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