First, here's Coach Richt voicing his displeasure after Tree was flagged for roughing the passer. I slowed it down and replayed it and it is clear he says, "That's bullcrap!"
It was 3rd and 6 and McCarron had thrown it high and through the endzone. They would've been forced to kick a field goal, but now had first and goal. Two plays later Tree stones Lacy at the one and Ramik Wilson forced a fumble. That made it third and goal again, this time from the five after McCarron recovered the fumble. The next play Commings jumped a hitch route and it was Saban's turn to say "That's bullcrap."
The call on Tree was probably the right one. It was close and I would've probably thrown the flag too. Unless of course Tree had changed his name to Quinton Dial. Regardless, I thought it was funny to see Richt say "bullcrap" in slow-mo and then get vindicated by Tree's goal line tackle and Commings' pick.
Okay, now it's time to get serious. This graphic popped up towards the end of the third quarter as Bama was beginning to exert their will on the ground.
In a word, ouch. More on this later, but we had an excellent defensive gameplan to start. We were soft and tired as the game wore on however.
Lastly, many asked why I was subjecting myself (and my followers) to this nightmare. I think Chi-Town Dawg put it best in his comment yesterday:
I still have mixed emotions about that game. It was the most amazing and emotionally exhausting UGA game I've ever seen. I was absolutely drained after the game and was sitting in the lower level at the 15 yard line, so it ended right in front of me. I was upset after the loss, but at the same time felt at peace because the team and coaches played their hearts out and left everything they had on the field. Unlike some past losses to USCjr or UF, I wasn't pissed because they gave it their all and as CMR said we just ran out if time. It was a game for the ages and it was a shame that either team had to lose. you could tell both teams realized they were playing for the MNC that night. Having said all of this, it won't make watching the game any easier!
Yes, exactly how I feel. How many games can you remember where you were genuinely pissed after a loss? Colorado was the penultimate for me. No, make that Columbia last season. Whatever. The point is, this game will always be a thorn in our side. It will haunt us forever. But it was a pleasure to watch this team play again. It was a point of pride to see the Georgia Bulldogs play a game against the best team/program in the country, put them on their heels time and time again, even after getting punched in the mouth. We never gave up. And our players left it all on the field. Right where their coaches had asked them to.
We're all different and we all deal with pain in different ways. But this was good for me. Sure, my heart broke all over again on that last play. How could it not? But win or lose it is always a pleasure to see your team play with that much skill, determination, preparation and heart.
Plus, at the end, after Coach Saban gave us his sincere compliment, and Richt explained how proud he was of his team, I got to press "Erase".
And move on. Go Dawgs!
