Was this the best game I watched between the hedges during the Mark Richt era?
Yeah, I think it was. The last four minutes of the game — especially the last defensive stand — was as loud as I’ve ever heard Sanford Stadium get, before, during and after Richt.
The broadcast team, by the way, was excellent, especially on how they called the game winning drive. But what I really loved was Danielson’s, at about the 17:30 mark there, watching Murray and Landry congratulate each other, “how fun is that?” reflection. You could tell for just a minute how much he missed the competition.
Looking back on that 2013 season, for an 8-5 final mark, it’s remarkable how much drama there was, considering the devastating run of injuries that gutted the offense for much of the season. South Carolina, this game, Tennessee, Florida… and, of course, Auburn. Ah, well.
Get The Picture 
One of my all-time favorites. Great tailgating day too. “Hey Mettenberger! Neaux means Neaux!”
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“Hey Mettenberger! Neaux means Neaux!”
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It seems like seasons like that are more and more rare; it’s usually a totally lost season if you don’t win something. Beef up schedules nationwide, and we all get a lot more seasons like our 2013 where even though a team lost a lot of games, there were some big ones worth celebrating and remembering in the W column (rather than just “well we won the ones we should have and lost the ones we should have”). Playing more good competition obviously leads to more competitive games.
Again, nationwide. I get the argument against Georgia scheduling aggressively right now (clear competitive disadvantage), but if it’s a nationwide requirement, the nation will have better football all around. God bless America!
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It was an amazing game. Even watching it on TV you could tell how insane that crowd was. Watching the highlights, you almost wonder how LSU managed to score so many points. I don’t think I had an appreciation at the time for how much NFL talent LSU’s offense had, so that was when I really started to wonder about Grantham’s defense. I also remember missing the first couple of drives as I waited for the TV station to swap over from the end of some meaningless ACC game.
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“meaningless ACC game”? Isn’t that redundant?
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Probably. I actually went and looked at the 2013 college football schedule and I think it was Pitt vs. UVA. I was already pretty sure it was PItt, just couldn’t remember who the other team was. Unfortunately it doesn’t show the time on the schedule, so I’m just a tad short of 100% certain. A clash of titans in which Pitt emerged victorious by a score of 14-3 certainly would’ve warranted not broadcasting the opening of LSU at UGA.
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“Grantham wasn’t nearly aggressive enough with the blitz”
I think I remember he brought the house early in the game on 3rd down, and Jarvis Landry burned us on a slant for a long TD. I may be remembering that wrong. I didn’t go back and watch the highlights.
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LSU converted two third and longs — and I mean long — in the second half because Grantham elected to sit back.
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I know. That 2013 defense was Towel Boy in a nutshell. They could suffocate overwhelmed offenses with talent. When faced with equal or better talent, Grantham rarely gave Bobo any help other than just give us enough time to come back and score.
I believe those two 3rd down conversions were the reason for what we now love to call 3rd & Grantham.
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OMG. That was so painful to watch.
And yes, I think this was the best Mark Richt at Sanford.
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I have to call bullshit. It was the SEC ON CBS. You were watching something else on another channel or are confused about this particular game. No one’s preempting the SEC ON CBS.
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That season had so much promise before the game on the Kneeland cow pasture. Justin Scott-Wesley would probably be in the League right now if not for that game. You can’t teach that kind of speed.
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Let’s not forget that Gurley strained his hamstring on the first series of the game against Clemson and missed a good part of that game. Malcolm Mitchell tore his ACL celebrating with Gurley after that initial touchdown. We still almost came back and won that game. A fumbled snap on a field goal try really hurt us.It’s still Clemson’s only win against us in seven tries since 1990. Had that offense stayed healthy all year, they probably would have set several offensive records that would still be standing.
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No doubt – even with all of that we still scored 35 against Clempson and missed a chip shot field goal. Watching Connor Norman try to cut the angle off Sammy Watkins was like seeing that poor South Carolina safety try to head off Herschel in 1980.
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And earlier that week Paul Oliver passed. What a ride that week must have been for coach
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Just curious on opinions – if Fromm is our QB, do we win that game? I love Fromm, will always love him, but I have yet to understand how he is considered a better NFL prospect than Murray was. Granted, Murray’s play in the NFL, and even the AAF shows his draft position was warranted, but coming out of college, my admittedly untrained eye is unable to pinpoint anything Fromm does better than Murray did. Both were known for their ability to read defenses. Arm strength pretty much equal. From maybe an inch or two taller, but Murray was far more mobile (which became especially important in that game after Gurley went out). If I had to pick one to be my QB in a big game, I have no idea which one I’d pick.
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I hear you on all of this. Makes me wonder what Fromm could have been like with a legitimate, for-real QB coach in Athens.
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I’d go with Fromm…he actually won a Championship…and was a coaching blunder away from another….
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How much of that was Fromm and how much was having a competent defense? I do wish we’d have been able to see what Murray could have done with a defense that could get the other team off the field.
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I would have loved to have seen that offense of 2012 and 2013 (prior to Kneeland) combined with the defense we have now. Didn’t Kirby say something to the effect of “we were glad when anyone other than Todd Gurley touched the ball in the SECCG” last week when he was asked about Gurley’s return to Georgia?
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Murray could put a game on his shoulders and did pretty regularly. Fromm was rarely asked to do that. Murray slung it all over the place. Fromm, again, was rarely asked to do that but also took a little better care of the ball. But Fromm had a defense, and Murray rarely did.
Both came a whisker from a national title (please nobody pretend there was any chance we lose to Notre Dame).
It’s complicated by bad OC and bad receiver play in 2019. Feels like from was kind of robbed of a true big season as “the guy”.
I’d take Murray. Would love to see him play a season with a Smart defense. I’d also love to see Fromm play for a more aggressive OC.
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But…
Both were amazing talents and leaders who led Georgia through some very good times. Neither was the reason we didn’t win a national title. Both had a lot of big wins. Both beat Florida three times, which is plenty, all by itself, to be a legend in my book.
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With Bobo as OC, hell yes. Just watching this game and seeing how many WRs were schemed open, yes. That set of WRs were no better then we have this year. But reading the defense is one thing, you have to have the plays that get guys open for when you read the D right.
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I remember that season as the year that sentiment around the program changed. At least at our tailgate. People went from really enjoying the wins to always being pissed about the losses.
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Very fair comment. Team decimated by injuries after 2 straight slugfests comes out slow against Mizzou, gets jobbed the next week in Nashville by the refs, and then played their hearts out to come back against Auburn, only for the flukiest of flukes to cost us the game (and then got it inside Auburn’s 20 with a shot to win it at the end)…. **It happens…
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This was easily the most entertaining season ever… You also forgot Tech, where we got down big, they thought they finally had us, and we came back and ripped it away from them in double OT (at HMRF of course) – still haven’t lost there in this third millennium, A.D.!
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Gurley was a complete beast in overtime.
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’13 was certainly the best of times and worst of times. ’04 LSU was a big win too.
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I really enjoyed watching this over coffee this morning. The crowd that day was incredible. And even though I was in favor of moving CMR out, you have to love him and his postgame comments. DGD
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Senator – thank you for bringing back good memories this morning. It’s nice to think about football for awhile.
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For lack of any place else to post:
Well, I updated my alumni info, had a postcard with a number to call, so they quit bothering my mom, and then subsequently her me ( Every time my mom got a card from the University you would think it was the IRA or something, my Mom is sweet and still thinks people that mail care, I’d always would be like throw it away, I was active, moving, just separated, moving etc.)
Just a scam. Sure they updated contact info for the alumni roster (and willing to put it all out publicly, phone included! Job/profession included) but then they tried to sell me a package, for two easy installments of $169, that was like a hat and a sweat shirt and a book. Sell is not right, She outright asked where I want my package sent to. Didn’t even ask if I was intrested, and then they asked for donations.
McG got nothing on that. At least this young lady was reasonable and nice, if I recall my last experience from like a decade ago or so they were Dang near harassing when I didnt like giving phone numbers
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I had the same experience with my Alma Mater (not UGA). After my brother squealed on me and provided my phone number, they tracked me down. Instead of updating my information I requested that I be removed from their database. So no more calls or cards begging for money. They were always more interested in money than they were the student.
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Yeah, I get those emails and letters all the time. (Like, for years.) The latest one said they wanted to make sure they had all my information. I told them don’t worry, they’ve had no problem contacting me for the past 20 years. But if they didn’t leave me alone, I’d change all my information to a fake address.
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Aaron Murray was a steely eyed missile man in this game.
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When they played he hype video Awaken the Nation before the game began and the road roared I knew it was going to be a special game. I lost my voice that game but it was worth it.
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Crowd not road.
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This game and the blackout game. Q
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Love the comment from Mark Richt, “No one does it better than Georgia!”
DGD!!!
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Great to hear Verne. For us, it’s still Masters week. Golf Channel is playing CBS’ final round coverage for the 2013, 2004, and 2019 tournaments this weekend. Got food and drinks ready to go.
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