I can sum up the Florida-Georgia game in one sentence:
Georgia dominated the Gators in every facet from start to finish.
But that's not my focus here. Instead, I'm going to write about the most classless act in college football history.
After Georgia scored their first touchdown, the entire Bulldog team stormed the field as if they'd won the SEC Championship.
They danced and taunted the Florida Gators as the scoreboard flashed to 6-0—and penalty flags flew from all corners of the field.
Mark Richt's reaction?
He laughed—and made no move to restrain his players.
The Georgia head coach later admitted that he'd told his team to get flagged for unsportsmanslike conduct after their first touchdown.
Are you serious?
I understand that emotion is what separates college football from the NFL. I understand that Richt wanted his team to play loose and get the crowd involved in the game.
But this was inexcusable.
Imagine what would have happened if one Gator player had lost his composure and pushed a Bulldog dancing in his face. There could have been a full-on brawl, à la last year's fight between Miami and Florida International.
Do you think any high school teams in Georgia are going to storm the field this coming Friday night after a touchdown?
I bet it happens.
Mark Richt outcoached Urban Meyer and got the victory. But Urban Meyer outclassed Mark Richt.
Meyer got his players fired up after the Bulldogs' celebration—off the field. And on the next drive, the Gators scored on a long touchdown pass.
In the end, the early spectacle wasn't the reason the Bulldogs won. It didn't take the Gators out of the game or intimidate them.
On the contrary, the Bulldogs won because Knowshon Moreno played like a senior Heisman candidate, not a freshman.
As it stands, Mark Richt has lost my respect. He ordered his team to mock the opponent. And then he laughed about it.
I don't imagine that Meyer and this young Gators defense will forget about what happened. That said, I trust that next year's game won't see the same kind of behavior from the Gators.
157 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Jared Reback about 1 year ago
I disagree with you Kevin. First off, it is not the most classless act in college football history. You mentioned one far worse, the brawl last year, as well as Woody Hayes punching a Clemson player.
That aside, I have no problem with Richt getting his team together doing this. It was a show of team unity and pride, and they did so knowing the consequences of their actions.
There were times in the 1980 Olympics that the US Men would empty the bench after scoring a goal and celebrating as a team, and were never criticized, nor should they have been.
If Florida felt embarrassed or mocked by that, then they should have answered on the field, which they did and won the game.
I wouldn't mind my team doing such a thing if the coach thought it would help the team win.
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Aubrey Breiner about 1 year ago
Kevin Brown is busch league. GA totally made a statement. The act foreshadowed the next years to come. Marks decision was spectacular and it worked. He got his team excited about playing for him and going out and winning. I think it should be nominated as one of the game changing performances of the year because the penalty sparked the dawgs to victory. If we had not celebrated Ga might not have won the game. I just think you Kevin are jealous that Urban is to much of a puss to make a call like that. This is football not ball room dancing and you just got beat.
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Robert Gonzalez about 1 year ago
This was brilliant coaching strategy to helpe energize their team. This was a predetermined and well thought out move. Calling it classless is ridiculous. Coached instruct their teams to break rules in sports as long as they are willing to pay the consequences. They gave up 22,5 yards on the kickoff, a stiff penalty. It's no different than a baseball manager calling for his pitcher to beam somebody. It's no different than a basketball coach intentionally getting a technical foul to fire his team up. I am an LSU fan, somewhat neutral for this game, but have a deep respect for Richt. He is a brilliant coach and this move separates him from the good to great coaches in the NCAA.
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
You may be right about the Woody Hayes incident but the major problem I have is that the coaches are supposed to the standard for how their players act and this move was premeditated. The brawl last year was the result of stupid young players but the coaches were trying to stop it. Mark Richt planned this and it really could have led to another fight. I really wouldn't care so much if the Georgia coaches were trying to get the players off of the field instead of laughing and condoning their actions. That's not what the game is about.
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Steve Jones about 1 year ago
That wasn't a classless act because they are playing in a neutral stadium.....If they played in the swamp and did it then yes it would have been a disrespectful and classless act but UGA had every right to the field that Florida had....If florida would have wanted to they could have done the same thing after their first touchdown.....I thought it made the game that much better yesterday as well as in the future....it has brought back the fire that was once in this rivalry. You want to talk about classless...how about when a team runs up the score on another team when the game is far over...Why not run out the clock...They can continue to run their offense but just not put it in the endzone..purposely have 4 short runs to turn it over on downs and then get the ball back and drive again...In my eyes it is more classless to run up the score...Also if you notice the last few GA-Fla games even in 04 when GA won they all looked very serious and did not seem to be very loose...This game they were and Fla had no clue what to do when UGA ran out on the field....That is where the game was won for GA. Go DAWGS!!!
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Chris Carr about 1 year ago
I disagree on the "running the score up" comment. I have too many times seen teams sitting on a 3 score lead late in the game stop playing hard and allow the other team to get back in the game or actually in some cases outright win a game they should've lost. I believe a team should never intentionally turn the ball over. They should be trying to score until the point when they can simply run the clock out without having to turn the ball over.
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
If they had every right to the field, there wouldn't have been penalties.
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Jody Alberson about 1 year ago
I look at it as Richt trying to build team unity and get the players to show some emotion. I don't think it was anything disgraceful, but actually found it interesting and entertaining. Props to Richt for letting his team celebrate and show emotion after getting the lead early in the huge rivalry game. In fact, I think college players should be allowed to celebrate after scoring, as long as they don't taunt the other team and don't have a prolonged celebration like the T.O. stunts.
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
Um, they were taunting the other team and the celebration was prolonged.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Excellent article! At least somebody saw what really happened yesterday. It was a ground breaking event alright! Georgia could have won fare and square but with that behavior they showed the whole country that their college athletes will do whatever it takes to win. Even if that cross the line of good conduct in sports. These are young adults who where told to break the rule by the person they look up as their role model! A head coach should teach these young men how to behave morally and conduct themselves the proper way. Unsportsmanlike conduct condoned by the head coach! this victory was tainted by Richt s classless call. Sad...
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James Parker about 1 year ago
Spurrier running the first team in to run a reverse so he could be the only one to score 50 in Athens was classless. Florida fans pissing in cups and throwing it on opposing fans is classless. Booing Kerwin Bell in his senior year because his offensive line graduated the previous year was classless. Wearing polyester orange muscle shirts is classless. Hiring a coach to buy a football team is classless.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
As a neutral position on the subject. Yeah, It was a little ridiculous. But I would not go so far as to say it was "the most classless act in football history". If anything it made the game more interesting and did more for the rivalry (whatever's left of it anyway). I'm sure we have not heard the last of this. If anything it just gave Florida some chalkboard material for next year. Are you sure you're not just sore from the lose? If the circumstances had been reversed I doubt you would of had a problem with it.
As a Carolina fan I HATE Duke!! But I love to hate'em...
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Joshua Robinson about 1 year ago
This is a team that has longed to beat Florida for a few years now. I feel that Mark Richt had every right to do what he did. He gave his boys a chance to show that they were proud and they were ready for a fight. If Florida coundn't handle, they needed to go ahead and quit and drive back to the swamp. Football isnt a sport for wimps and tenderhearts, if the you and the gators can't handle it....then tough.
An old saying comes to mine, "if you can run with the big dawgs, then stay on the porch...er in the swamp."
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William Qualkinbush about 1 year ago
While i may not agree with Georgia's actions, you guys are dead wrong about Mark Richt. I have never liked Georgia but I have a ton of respect for Mark Richt. Georgia was a classless school, in my opinion, well before Richt got there as coach. Coaches will always tell their team to have fun, and that's what the UGA players were trying to do. Plus, was he supposed to stop his team by himself? I mean, all they were doing was celebrating in the end zone. Spurrier showed far less class running up the score constantly while at Florida. But Mark Richt is certainly a class guy--he is a Christian man who gives motivational speeches all across the Southeast. To judge him for this is wrong.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Kevin, you're an idiot. That wasn't classless and Richt didn't do it to show up the Gators. This is the same man two weeks ago who ran to the middle of the field at Vandy to get his players off the field from celebrating. Today on his show he made it clear that this was not to show up the Gators. I assure you, by the way, coaches around Georgia know why Richt really did what he did.
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gus gazda about 1 year ago
Richt gets various humanitarian awards for all of the orphans that he adopts, and everyone who watched the Georgia-Vandy game saw Mark Richt shoving his players off of the Vanderbilt logo during their celebration after the game-clinching field goal... followed by a sincere apology to vanderbilt and the fans during the post-game interview. To call Georgia's celebration Saturday "the most classless act in college football history" is a naive statement, and tells me that you, Kevin Brown, have led a sheltered life. A touchdown celebration hardly warrants such a harsh accusation. Does that celebration show less class than Ohio State and USC's boosters buying houses and cars for their players? Or clemson and carolina's on field brawl? I think your definition of class needs to be re-examined.
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Matt Smith about 1 year ago
If this act was classless then Urban Meyer trying to get his team to dance on the play afterwards was just as classless if not stupid. It made the game fun to watch, I have never laughed so hard at a celebration. It was a fun and exciting game to watch.
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
Maybe my "most classless act of all-time" was a bit over the top but you guys are missing the point. Richt instructed his players to break the rules. Fights happen but not because the coaches tell them too. Running up the score happens usually with back-ups and I don't think the opposing coach would want the other team to quit trying. Mark Richt should be setting an example to his players and his example is it's okay to taunt the other team. That is disrespectful and classless. Good for him two weeks ago, shame on him this week.
I was upset with Richt's decision when the gators were up 17-14 so I think I would still find it embarrassing for Georgia had Florida won.
What would have happened if a fight broke out? Would you guys still think it's cute and adorable? Probably not. The funny thing is that by Georgia doing that stunt, it actually fired up the Gators more.
I really hope this kind of celebration doesn't become the trend in college football because it will lead to a fight and someone may get hurt. W
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J Smith about 1 year ago
Kevin,
Are you worried about a fight breaking out or is your pride hurt because your Gators just got whipped by the Bulldogs? ... This "rule" is stupid anyway. It has nothing to do with the game itself. A classless gesture of a coaching instructing another player to break the rules would be when a coach told an offensive lineman to illegally chop block a player with an ailing knee. Or Temple's Cheney inserting a "hit man" into a basketball game.
And if this actually fired up the Gators more, what happened? That wasn't the case.
Your assertions aren't shared by many for a reason--they're wrong and ridiculous. This might be the "most idiotic opinion of a blogger of all-time."
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Aubrey Breiner about 1 year ago
Yes i agree with Gus. If i can pick a few programs in the SEC with a great amount of class it would have to be Auburn and Georgia. Tommy Tuberville is a class act. After losing such atrocious games at the beginning of the year Tommy has bounced his team back to beat the defending national Champs. And lets not forget Tommy's composure when USC and Oklahoma got the Title bid when Auburn went undefeated. I can honestly say that neither of those teams could have beaten Auburn that year. Mark Richt is the definition of class. He holds his team together well. Ga has a small amount of off the field problems and Richt always has something to say always in a positive way. He will never talk bad about the opponent. It all comes down to Mark Richt being a great Christian. That is the ultimate move of class
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Tyler Perryman about 1 year ago
i also remeber back when the game was played in athens that "the ole ball coach" let his gators loose in the closing minutes just so he could be the first to put up 50 as an opponent at sanford stadium and you call what mark richt did classless?
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
Yes.
One is against the rules. The other isn't. One is based on skill level of players. One is based on mocking the opponent.
Can you comprehend the differences?
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Jared Reback about 1 year ago
Okay, it is against the rules, and they were punished for breaking the rule.
Sometimes a player commits a pass interference penalty on purpose, that doesn't make it classless.
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
Seriously, Jared? Really? I am going to take that last comment as a joke for your sake.
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Jared Reback about 1 year ago
Sometimes a team commits a penalty intentionally in an effort to improve their teams chance of winning the game. That's all this was.
Get over it.
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/sportscolumns/entries/2007/10/27/dogs_could_have.html
Enjoy this article guys.
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Jared Reback about 1 year ago
Great, so another person happens to agree with you, must mean you are right...
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wayne chastain about 1 year ago
Once again, when one person's team loses, that person cries, whines, gripes, and bitches about it. It doesn't matter what you or anyone else thinks. Mark Richt did what he did to give his team a boost. It obviously worked. They out-played and out-coached Florida the whole game. If you don't like it, do something about it. This happens all the time. It's usually at the end of the game when one team takes the lead with a few seconds left on the clock. Nobody cries like a little girl then. Losing hurts. Especially to a rival. Suck it up, get better, and grow up. Make no excuses, and show some class. In the end, everyone will see who the better team is, and for that matter, the better school.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
First of all, James' post was spot-on. Especially the part about the orange muscle-shirts.
But seriously, this isn't Tonya Harding. Mark Richt didn't put Nyquil in their Gatorade or throw rocks in their window. It's Mark Richt's team and he needs to do whatever it takes internally to get them fired up.
Good one, Kevin.
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Jennifer Graham about 1 year ago
Did you watch the game, if so it must not have been the same one I saw, infact Georgia recieved two penilities for their touchdown celebration (30 yards total on the kick off). Only one of those was for a particular player (#77) taunting Fl. and Mark Richt did not look happy about the second pennility. Now as for his Class, if you can remember a few weeks ago Ga players celebrated on the Vandy mid-field; Richt wqas immediately out there and "crawling out" his players for their show of disrespect. Infact as previously mentioned he privately and publicly apoligized for the conduct of his players to the Vandy coaches, team and fans. A CLASSLESS MAN would have not cared.
Futhermore what about the verbal language of Urban to Moore on the sidelines after Moore's fumble, the tv station had to cut away for his language (What the FU>>), I have never see Richt use that kind of language on national tv.
~Jennifer~
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
I am learning a lot about the class of Bulldogs. This is enjoyable to read.
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Jared Reback about 1 year ago
I, for one, am not a Bulldogs fan. Really I could care less about either one of these teams.
And what does it say about the class of a Gator fan to complain so incessantly about something so insignificant.
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Leon Wynn about 1 year ago
"Great, so another person happens to agree with you, must mean you are right..."
Without a doubt, that is the best "comeback" I have ever seen posted on BleacherReport. Thanks for the laugh Jared.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
From someone from the North watching the game and having no interest in either team, it was fun to watch. Seemed to help the Georgia players early. Florida fans should get over it.
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
The celebration was not why Georgia won. It actually helped Florida out more. Georgia won because they played a lot better than the Gators. I'm not complaining or whining, just pointing out my opinion.
Thanks for reading.
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Brandon Smith about 1 year ago
Come on Kevin...
"The celebration was not why Georgia won. It actually helped Florida out more."
How could you possibly know/think this?
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
What happened on the next drive? Oh yeah, Florida scored. It's not like their celebration took Florida out of the game, it actually got the Florida players who were demoralized fired up.
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Todd Lee about 1 year ago
Just so you know Kevin, you're opinion don't mean s**t to any UGA fans, UGA players, or Coach Richt. So just stop crying because Florida lost, go put on your finest pair of jean shorts, and watch Florida lose to South Carolina in a few weeks. I'll send you a postcard from the SEC Championship Game. GO DAWGS!!!
Btw, Gator fans wearing jean shorts is the definiton of a classless act.
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Jim Votino about 1 year ago
Todd, I agree. I am a diehard Bulldawg fan that was forced to re-locate from Atlanta to Orlando due to business. I have gone to many GA/FL games and can honestly say, without any reservation, that the only thing "classless" are Florida Gator fans. They stroll through our tailgating sections with bikini tops, cut off shorts, crooked ass Gator hats and flip flops. All the while they are running their holes about how they are gonna kick our asses and how they have dominated our rivelry for the past 20 years. All I know is our fans, our team and our coaching staff (especially coach Richts) are one of the classiest collegiant organizations in the country, and I am proud to bleed RED and BLACK. GO DAWGGGGGS!!!!! STOMP those LIZARDS!!!!!!!! Jim V. (Sanford, FL)
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Jared Reback about 1 year ago
Now that I think about Kevin, you are missing the more classless act by Georgia. When they scored their 2nd TD to go up 14-7, the WR Massoquoi (guessing on the spelling) did the chomp to the Gators fans. That was more taunting and uncalled for than the celebration after the first TD.
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Erick Blasco about 1 year ago
I'm a huge Gators fan and I took no offense to the celebration. Look at it this way: For basically two decades now, the Gators have physically and emotionally dominated Georgia so thoroughly that it had must have gotten into their heads.
By going down the field and scoring the way they did (all power runs), and then having the whole team jump out and celebrate, Georgia set the tone that Saturday afternoon was going to be different. These Bulldogs weren't going to be a footnote in another Gator stomping. The tone was set, and the Bulldogs really dominated Florida's defense in every conceivable way.
Sometimes, things have to be done to create emotions. Richt set a tone and it clearly payed off. Trust me, anybody who's followed Richt a little bit, and the examples he's led by knows that Richt isn't a "classless" man at all. After he saw his players jumping on Vandy's logo at midfield, he quickly stopped it and then punished the players in practice. His joy when he won the game, the hugs he gave his players, the kiss he gave his wife at the end... Richt is one of the few coaches in college football that I'd emulate.
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Jared Reback about 1 year ago
Ah, the voice of reason. Thank you Erick.
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Joshua Robinson about 1 year ago
I am sure if it was the Gators that had been beat by the dawgs for so many years, they would have been out there doing the exact same thing. Mark Richt is not classless. He actully happens to be the most respectable coach in the SEC. He does not cuss at his players (coughurbanmeyercough), he biulds up his boys, and he ALWAYS gives glory to God. He is a man who is not afriad to stand up for what he believes in. He is a great American and Georgian.
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Jennifer Graham about 1 year ago
glad I could help to inform you.
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Wade Peery about 1 year ago
This wasn't a classless act. I completely disagree with you. I like the call by Richt to get his players fired up and to play loose in the game. It showed a willingness to let it all hang out in a game that the Dawgs desperately needed to in order to win. Great move by Coach Richt. He's one of the best coaches in college football and a move like that shows the boldness and audacity that your players will feed off of.
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
First off, if you really think Richt doesn't cuss, you live in a dream world.
Telling his players to commit an unsportsmanlike penalty and taunt the opposing team is, well, unsportsmanlike. I'm sorry, but it is. The fact that he was against it two weeks ago just makes him a hypocrite.
Richt was lucky the Gators did not retaliate. That could have very easily turned into a fight. Like I said, if the players were to run out on the field without the coaches approval, then I would have no problem with Richt. The fact that he told his players to do it is what bothers me. If this happened in an Iowa State vs Purdue game, I would feel the same way.
Like Urban said after the game, "don't forget, don't ever forget." I can't wait for next year.
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Joshua Robinson about 1 year ago
I think you are just a sore looser, and I would like to say, you dont know what YOU are talking about. I know Mark Richt personally. He does not believe in tearing down his players like most college coaches do. He never cusses on the field. So before you write, you should try somthing new...think.
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Jennifer Graham about 1 year ago
First off I didn't say the man does not cuss, I personally would not know that. But What I do know is that when I watch a georgia game the network showing it doesn't have to cut away for use of foul language, unlike the had to do with Urban on Saturday.
Although the site of saturday's game was neutral GEORGIA was written on the endzones. The georgia players were celebration in their endzone.
SO HOW CAN YOU CALL HIM A HYPOCRITE
Like I asked earlier Did you watch the same game I did, because apparently you missed a lot, or are you maying a comment on something you just saw highlights on?
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Steve Jones about 1 year ago
Real quick Kev a classless man....for instance Coach richt will say....would not have taken his family on a mission trip to Honduras with as much as he has to lose in his life...Millions of dollars, Great Family, The best team in the country with the best players and then come back a week later and say that he can't wait to go back and spread the word of Jesus again next year and that he wished he could take some of his players to experience a truely life changing event. Surely if this was meant to be a disrespectful act they would have done much better and just wooped all the FLA players butts....I mean that would be pretty classless but very much fun to watch matthew Stafford body slam Tebow....lol I would also have enjoyed seeing Coach richt violently spread the word of Jesus to Urban meyer..lol
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Erik Broxtin about 1 year ago
Impressive.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
The guys gets his ass beat by this team every year since the day he started coaching at georgia... let him have his fun for once. So now he is what 1 - 25 against florida? i also think it was the first time they have ever been winning against florida i was surprised they weren't burning couches or something in that hell hole called athens
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
You praise one Christian and bash another? Tebow has been on many-a-missionaries himself. Yet when he fake dialed a phone-call to the LSU crowd (simulating them calling him with hate mail all week), he was bashed for being classless. Come on, people. Maybe Richt isn't a classless man in all aspects of life, but his decision to tell his players to get a flag was a classless decision.
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Joshua Robinson about 1 year ago
"Richt was lucky the Gators did not retaliate."
Like the team looked worried about it.
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Jared Reback about 1 year ago
Yeah Richt was lucky the Gators didn't want to start an 11 on 40 fight.
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Leon Wynn about 1 year ago
I do not recall anyone "bashing" Tebow for his mock phone call. I also don't recall any negative words against Wes Byrum for Gator-chomping at the Florida crowd after kicking the winning field goal-twice.
I would say that the hateful phone calls Tebow received from LSU fans were classless.
What else is classless? Urban Meyer's timeouts during the Auburn game-Yes, it is perfectly legal, but it is classless.
Kevin, you need to realize that the decisions that don't garner penalties are not necessarily classy and that all penalties DO NOT fall into the category of "classless."
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Jared Reback about 1 year ago
No one based Tebow, they based Meyer.
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Steve Jones about 1 year ago
To all Florida fans just so you know in the last 4 years we have split the wins...Remeber in 2004 we won 31 to 24 and then yall beat us two years in a row and then this year...I aint no Mathmaticians or nothin, I mean I am just a georgian so we aint all that smart and all ya know but I think that means that the last 4 meetins we have won tow of 'em that meanin that the we have won half of the games the last 4 years with the record being 2-2 since 2004......Hmmm Thats funny cause that is obviousy something else we can count without messing up...did you guys not mess up the 2000 election and then this game in the last 4 years....Yall really are morons.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Coach Richt used that momnet to loosen up his players. As we all can see, it worked. As far as being classless...I don't see that. It could have sparked a huge fight, true. So could any other celebration, late hit, personal foul, etc. That's why it's called a rivalry game! No one said a word when Florida hung 59 points on Tennessee. I would much rather see celebrations to that extent, than see a team run up the score just because they can. I think it absolutely hilarious that a Florida fan is trying to condemn some body else for a "classless" act. It wasn't classless when they had Spurrier making all his comments about FSU and the shoe scandal, or spelling Citrus without UT. Give me a break. Bottom line....Gators:30 Bulldogs:42. Let's let the score speak for itself, and stop complaining just because the "precious" Gators lost!
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Steve Jones about 1 year ago
Hey kevin Tebow hasn't been on missions he has lived the life of a missionary Kid in case you didn't know that what he and his family were for a while.....and you call yourself a fan....Apparently you have no clue of the life style of a missionary kid...They don't just wake up and go on missions they are always on missions and are always moving.
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
Everyone, this was fun. I have enjoyed reading your opinions about the game and myself. I have made my points and I still believe what I wrote. Have a wonderful Sunday night and thanks again for reading and taking the time to comment.
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Jared Reback about 1 year ago
Good night sweetheart.
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Kevin Brown about 1 year ago
Goodnight.
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Joshua Robinson about 1 year ago
Tucking gator tail and run...lol
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Erik Broxtin about 1 year ago
My favorite argument by Dawg fans so far is the "Mark Richt is a classy guy because he stopped his players from stomping on the Vandy logo." Hilarious. Mr. Class himself deems it unsportsmanlike one week, and then orchestrates it the next. So against Vandy, a team he doesn't have trouble beating, he feels ashamed of his players for their behavior and offers Vanderbilt an apology. Then against Florida, a team he has a great deal of trouble beating, he threatens his own players if they fail to violate the rules and carry out the same unsportsmanlike act that was condemned two weeks earlier. If you can't see a problem with that then I guess there's not much of a point in continuing to argue.
If you're still with me, let's think back to the last time this happened in college football. It was - wait. Wow. I guess it's never happened before. I wonder why? Was Georgia the first team in history who needed to win a big game? No. Were they the first team who wanted to set an aggressive tone early in a ballgame? No. But they were the first team to collectively run out onto the field, stomping up and down and acting like complete morons when the score was 6 - 0. You would think more coaches in the past would have thought of this sooner. If it was such a classy, courageous move that led to certain victory, how have we been playing football for over a century without seeing anything like it? I'll let the brain trust in Athens come up with a good answer for that one.
Look, real Gator fans (sorry, Erick - we don't put an 's' on the end of the word in that context, it kind of gives you away) with any intelligence are not using this play as some kind of excuse for losing. The Bulldogs had better stuff on Saturday. They were amped up, rested, and totally focused. The Gators were not, which just shows you how badly this rivalry needed a shot in the arm. A Gator win has become such a foregone conclusion in Gainesville that it took the ridiculous antics of the Bulldogs in the endzone to wake the team up. Kevin was right - if your guys had just left the field and celebrated on your sideline, you probably would have beaten us worse. We were totally flat when your dance contest broke out, and responded with a TD four plays later.
In the end, you won the game and should be proud. You also gave Urban one hell of a motivational tool for the next few years, and the Gator Nation thanks you for that. Now if one of you could provide one last ever-so-clever jean shorts joke and a hateful rant about Spurrier, I'd say all of our work here would be done.
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Erick Blasco about 1 year ago
Why is it classless though? It was done at the begining of the game to set a tone. Richt wanted to inspire raw emotion from his team, and a sense of shock from his opponents. If it was done after Georgia scored a touchdown to give them a 35 point lead with 2 minutes left...then yes its classless.
Did his team do it repeatedly? Did they insult the reputation of Florida? No. And if they did, they used it in a way, early on, that set the tone for them and allowed them to play with unmatched emotion and passion.
It's easy to taunt when you're ahead and things are comfortable...but to do something after the first possession of the game...Florida had every opportunity to react, gather their own emotion, and channel it for a whooping. But they really couldn't because the Georgia roster was so vitalized.
Nothing done by the Georgia bench made me feel mortified as a Florida fan, nor would it have made me embarassed if I was a Georgia fan. And it wasn't a Miami Hurricanes thing where the entire game featured actions from the Bulldogs team meant to repeatedly wound the psyche of an opponent.
It was a tact Richt employed that worked perfectly. There are far man yother things in the world of sports that should leave one much more outraged than Georgia's celebration.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Yeah, Tuberville was the epitome of class when he bailed like a coward and ran from Ole Miss to Auburn. The reason he's called the Riverboat Gambler may be a result of his risky play calling, but as often as not, he's held a 2-7 against pocket rockets. Frankly, as an Alabama fan, the only SEC coach I feel has earned even less respect than old Tubby is the devil, Philip Fulmer himself.
I agree, however, that calling this display by Georgia "classless" completely misses the point. It fired up the team, it fired up the crowd, and it added fuel to a dying rivalry. Go to Tuscaloosa when they host Auburn or Tennessee. See how fiery the atmosphere is. People here in Alabama are completely insane when it comes to our football teams and their biggest rivalries. Anything that rejuvenates the genuine heat between two schools is okay in my book. That's why I prefer college over the pro game, because I LIKE this type of thing.
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Erick Blasco about 1 year ago
Oh wow...I've been called out as a fraud Gator fan because of a hasty decision to add an "s" at the end of the word. I guess I should go put on some feathers and start doing the Tomahawk Chop. Maybe plant a spear at midfield too. What a dumbass comment Erik.
Anyway, yeah Florida has owned the Gator-Bulldog rivalry over the last two decades. That's why Georgia needed to do something to get them to play inspired...not just well, but inspired. The fact that the celebration was premeditated led to an inspired first drive. Then, after the celebration, Georgia played loose and without that cloud hanging around them where losing felt like a foregone conclusion.
It didn't lead to foregone victory---the players still needed to execute---but it did set a tone.
And no it wouldn't work in every situation. It wouldn't work if a team with a decided psychological advantage pulled the same trick because it would have channelled the opponent's focus and concentration. Also, make no mistake about it, the celebration will affect the Gators over the next few years because the play will be engrained in their minds. It will be a rallying point during the practices and weeks before next year's Cocktail Party.
And playing flat has never been a problem for Florida all season. The Gators have generally started sluggish in the first quarter in every game this season. Maybe Florida was pumped up too, but the Bulldogs were more fired up than Florida was, and stayed fired up until the end of the game.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
I'm an Alabama fan, and as a result, I hate Tennessee football with a passion I have for little else. As for the 59-20 annihilation of Tennessee, well, that was the brightest spot of this season until Alabama laid a 41-17 ass-kicking on them. As for Spurrier, I know someone from his hometown, and apparently, he was an asshole way back in the day, and they all hate him.
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Smith J. Howard about 1 year ago
Richt: not classless. He does things to motivate his teams - and that makes him a good coach (ie - the annual swimming pool/diving board thing).
The celebration act: maybe classless. But he realized that his team would get 15+ yards in penalties. He took that risk. I'm okay with that.
Now, having said that, I believe the SEC should publicly fine UGA or Richt. Not because it was that bad of a celebration or because it was that horrible of an act - but because if everyother team decides to pull this off, they too will now know that there will be a fine. It's cool to see this type of enthusiasm once, because it was new. But if we start seeing this every weekend - with the ensuing kickoff taking place from the 8 - it will eventually turn into a joke. Just my thoughts.
-R.
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Erik Broxtin about 1 year ago
Where it goes from here is all on Richt, good or bad.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
haha yea and the person who agrees is terrance moore of all people, possibly the worst sports writer in the country who himself hates georgia. nice work kevin. douchebags like you and terrance are why i changed from being a journalism major cuz i want to have some self respect
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Kevin...You throw out a bunch of what ifs. None of the UGA players got into the faces of any UF players. There were a few Gator chomps, but it was mostly guys slapping the pads and helmets of their offense. How can you talk about Myer and class. If you were at the game you would have seem Myer get his guys fired up ON the field before the kickoff and he was more than 20 yards on the field more than 8 times during the game. This is the same guy that talks about doing the right thing, then starts Marcus Thomas for the LSU game last year in the middle of his 2nd pot suspension. This is the guys who bitchs about not getting a chance to play in the NC game last year, starts to lobby for a playoff, then at the SEC meetings this year he changes his mind. How convenient. This will probably never happen again, well maybe FSU or The U, so get over it. I guess you didnt have a problem with Timmy staying on the field until after the extra point team was set and ready to kick. He and Myer showed their ass' throughout the game yesterday. Quit chompin the fans at all of your away games and you will quit having team mock you when you lose.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Spurrier running up the score at UGA because no one had scored 50 or more on UGA in Athens.
Meyer saying "F*ck" to his RB Moore as in "What the f*ck are you doing?" after fumbling the snap. That's not classless? But telling your team to hop up and down on the field after scoring on a team that has beaten you 15 out of the last 17. That's classless?
The most classless thing in football is a fight not a celebration. If the celebration turned into a fight than it could be considered to be the most classess thing. But it didn't so it isn't so get over it
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
If you want to talk about classless acts, can we please talk about the cheap shot (understatement for dead-ball unabated blow to the head of an unprotected quarterback) Stafford took when he dropped to his knee to catch the Gator defense offside?
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John Baxter about 1 year ago
I agree it was a classless act, but here's what needs to be looked at. Everyone can agree that the past few Georgia games, everyone (critics and fans alike) have stated that Georgia didn't show up to play until the second half, usually because they were losing. This is a problem, if you go into the locker room losing, it makes it just that much harder to win. it's a madden-ism, but it sufficiently makes my point. Richt, to counter-act this habit, told his team a week before this game that if they did NOT get an excessive celebration penalty on the first touchdown, he would run them until they all puked. So, it was two-fold bid. The team went ballistic on the first touchdown, amping the whole team up minutes into the game, instead of the momentum coming at the start of the second half. The other side of this is the implied threat. The team celebrated by order, not to deliberately disrespect the Florida Gators, Urban Meyer, or Jacksonville Fla.
Now, I can certainly understand how that could be taken as disrespect, and I don't hold anything against you for thinking so, but if you look at both sides of the coin, the cogent argument makes a certain amount of sense.
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Jennifer Graham about 1 year ago
but that's the trouble, some people don't use any sense.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
yea know ga can quit cryin huh
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
But you do, Jennifer? You're seeing both sides and using sense at all times? Just checking.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
yea look where he went to school...wake forest...wow alot of room to talk.
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John Baxter about 1 year ago
I guess to re-clarify what I said, I suppose the best way of saying what I meant was the celebration was designed to drive momentum, with no ambition of disrespect or abuse to the Florida.
It's not the best sportsmanship ever exhibited, but what team hasn't had disciplinary issues in their program?
And can anyone think of a better way of getting an entire team pulsing with adrenaline?
I do apologize to Gator fans that take offense to this, it truly was not meant to offend, but to inspire.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Umm last time I checked Wake Forest was a better school than any one school in the SEC (not named Vanderbilt). What the fuck are you talking about?
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Jared Reback about 1 year ago
Apparently the lack of football tradition at Wake Forest makes any alumni of the school incapable of arguing college football with anybody.
On the other hand, we usually know where England is.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
kevin,
too bad your opinion doesn't matter... and everyone in athens (ga) thinks you are a girly man
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Derek about 1 year ago
Kevin,
I usually do not post comments as I enjoy reading them. However, when I got to the post where you mentioned Richt and cussing, and had to say something. Although I am still on the fence about the actions on Saturday, the class of this man should not come into question. I have been around the practice field at UGA enough with no reporters to honestly say the he does not use bad language. As for the assistants, that may be another story:) Even if he was wrong to do what he did Saturday, this one action should not define what is one of most classy coaches in all of division one. I do agree that this actually fired up the Gators as well, but with the injuries to FL, I do not think it would have made a difference either way. Tebow is a stud, and we caught Florida at the right time. Our AD finally realized that an off week before this game might do some good..........
GO DAWGS!!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
You are agreeing with Terence X. Nice job!
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Sam Jativa about 1 year ago
Kevin, I can see where you are coming from in your article. It's not really whether it helped Georgia win the game or anything else, for that matter. It was all about the principle of the matter and I totally see what you mean. But as a UCF Knight, I must say that I commend Richt on what he did. Personally, I'm constantly being put down by all of these Gators and they've always shoved it in my face that I attend UCF and they are superior to everyone in football and whatnot. I've even seen some Florida fans compare the Gators to teams like USC. Please... USC has how many national titles, like eleven? Florida only has two, with its most recent being last year. Heck, even schools like Florida State and Miami have had better histories than Florida. Yes, I know UCF has not achieved much, but our program is only 28 years old. By the time Florida's program was that old, teams like Harvard, Princeton, and Yale were winning national titles. Many of us (those who attend UCF, USF, FSU, UM, and any other Florida schools) have to put up with how enlarged the ego of the Florida mindset has become. I, for one, am glad that Georgia's coach had the guts to do what he did. The way I see it, he was sending out a messge to Florida stating that they are not as great as they, themselves, think they are and that they are, in fact, stoppable. This is just my opinion, however.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
I think what Georgia did was f*****g awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Congrats to them and their amazing coach.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Kevin,
As an objective bystander, I'd say you're way off base here. Telling your team to celebrate is not mocking an opponent. Gutsy call. Could have backfired. From a leadership standpoint, it was absolutely BRILLIANT. And if you think it's effect was negated by the ensuing Gator TD, you're being shortsighted and miss the point. The point was to get his team to play loose, have fun, and understand they could overcome anything thrown at them (including a penalty for celebration).
By the way, your ad hominem comments to other posters reflect your bias and weaken the credibility of your argument.
Penn State Paul
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Florida coaches ordered their team to take a delay of game penalty before punting in the first half. A deliberate breaking of the rules. No different than a penalty for excessive celebration, in my opinion.
Penn State Paul
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Doug Gillett about 1 year ago
"Imagine what would have happened if one Gator player had lost his composure and pushed a Bulldog dancing in his face."
That sounds like that one Gator's problem, not Mark Richt's.
"Do you think any high school teams in Georgia are going to storm the field this coming Friday night after a touchdown?"
Dunno, but if they do, again, that's that high-school team's problem, not Mark Richt's.
"As it stands, Mark Richt has lost my respect. He ordered his team to mock the opponent. And then he laughed about it."
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you still have the highest level of respect for Steve Spurrier, who called Ray Goff "Ray Goof" and ran up 52 points at Sanford Stadium just to be the first person to do so.
Kevin, please. However "classless" Richt's calculated and very shrewd move was, throwing a self-righteous hissy fit over it only makes you sound like a wuss.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
You guys are great. The writers of these articles are told to be controversial and try to generate a lot of hits and comments. The more you pile on the guy the better he looks in the eyes of the people at Bleacher Report.
These comments have turned into nothing more than an "I hate the Gators" rally.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
If Tebow has so much class then why does he not shake hands after a loss. He did not shake an Auburn players hand, he did not shake an LSU players hand, and he did not shake a hand of a Georgia player.
Instead, he hightailed it to the locker room to put on his Clark Kent suit and shed some alligator tears for the beat writers.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Kevin get a life!!! You big babies can't handle it when the tables are turned. Being a loyal Georgia fan watching them get beat year after year, with most battle being played in their minds, Georgia just outwitted the Mighty Gators, as former Spurrier would say. Well guess what, you call it classless if you want, but with your comment your starting to sound like a Tennessee fan, a BIG WINER...just accept the fact that the Gators got their butts kicked and move on....How sweet it was....Go YOU HAIRY DAWGSSSSSSS
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Michael Kingsley about 1 year ago
First off there is no reason that College Football should be tied down. I have witnessed over the years the Refs slowly take the fun out of college football for flagging some of the dumbest shit ever for celebration. That is why i watch college football and am not a fan of pro football. There is a certain pride to college football players and fans that doesnt exist in pro. I believe that this pride can be shown (especially against rivals), in anyway that the players and coaches deem neccasary at the time. If you want to watch classless watch a replay after the play where the florida player fumbled the snap and watch (on national television) Urban Myer say to one of his star players "what the FUCK were you doing?" If anybody in this situation is in the wrong it is the florida gators and the coach that couldnt keep his sorry ass off the field all game. Also, i want to bring up the case on the phantom illegal procedure call in the third qaurter. where in the hell was that and why was it thrown soooo late and by the wrong official on the call. sounds to me like a little behind the scene action. Answer that question for me big shot. Another thing is all you gator fans do after loosing is bitch and moan. If Tim Tebow was so classy like you florida fans claim why would he not shake the hands of any of the players that defeated him. i was at the game and i saw the glorified "good guy" walk right by players without any acnoledgement. The dawgs finally played with emotion for the first time i have seen and i loved it and it made for some very entertaining football. Let the boys play and have fun and stop over analyzing everything and bitching when you lose.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
As a UGA fan, I don't the events after the first touchdown were classless.
I do think they were pathetic and I am embarrassed by it. It would have been more appropriate if UK had done it last week against the Gators since they had lost to them 20 straight times. You won't see Alabama do anything like that if they break through against Auburn next month after four straight losses.
I am as happy as anyone that they won, but come on, act you have been there before. (We have by the way.) With this kind of crap from CMR, I am positive that this is an anomaly and the Gators will have things back to normal next year. Yawn.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
The coach should be suspended for, at least 2 games and UGA should be fined $1 million dollars, the proceeds going to poor, inner city and rural libraries.......As a high school teacher and coach, as well as a now former UGA football fan, that display was beneath contempt.......Did the coach think he was going to intimidate his SEC competition?......They're all big, strong and fast.......The worst part is that I have students who think what UGA did was "cool".......The only way to combat this message from the UGA coach is to suspend him, fine his institution and have him make a very public apology......a disgrace and no amount of spin can turn it into acceptable.
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Fred Minarchy about 1 year ago
Perhaps you should have said "as a high school teacher and coach, as well as a now-former HUMAN BEING". I can't believe a brain-dead troglodyte such as yourself is entrusted with the education of this nation's children. Then again, perhaps you're senile like one teacher I had 17 years ago who fell asleep in class and sent her middle-school students to the principal's office for unknown reasons. The only way to combat your message is, perhaps, for you to listen to some classical music and upgrade your IQ, and then, THEN, maybe you'll realize that this is a GAME, and people are supposed to have FUN. Alleged teacher, please, grab your nearest kindergarten vocabulary book and look up those two words. My guess is that you've always been about as much of a Georgia Bulldogs' fan as I am, and my first two words weren't "Mama" and "Dada"; they were ROLL TIDE! Fine UGA $1 million and suspend Coach Richt, just because the Dawgs got on the field and hurt your wittle sensibilities? Cry me a f***ing river, you f***ing idiot. If anyone owes anybody an apology, it's you for wasting our f***ing time.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
As someone who worked with the Georgia's Sports Communications office for three years, I can tell you that a world where Richt doesn't cuss his players it is not a "dream world," its this world. He dropped the "A" word at half time (against Marshall i think) a few years ago and the players sat in stunned silence. One of the players said to me afterward: "dang, coach was pissed."
And coach Richt didnt tell the team to get just any ole' unsportsman like conduct penalty, he told them to get an excessive celebration penalty which harmed no one except Georgia. He also didnt expect that the whole team would run on the field, he expected the 11 on the field to celebrate. The fact that the WHOLE team ran on to the field seems to me to prove that his ploy worked - he wanted to generate some emotion and to get the team on the same page. He was laughing because he didnt realize that the players would take it so far and show so much unity in their reaction. It was harmless, none of the georgia players made any contact with a florida player.
Georgia was hurting for some sort of identity and they found it in Jacksonville, thanks in large part to Richt's decision to let the players get more emotionally involved in the game. He loosened the reins and it payed off.
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James Johnson about 1 year ago
You guys are missing the point entirely. This wasn't about Florida AT ALL. This was about a Georgia team that has played lifeless, unemotional football all year. If you had seen this team at Tennessee, you would understand what I'm talking about. Mark Richt had to do something out of the ordinary to inspire this team. The fact that you think this has anything to do with the Gators is silly. Richt was desperate to find something to get his team going. This is a disciplined team that has at times shown NO HEART. It's fair to question his tactics. But it's not fair to question his motives. Georgia needed a spark BAD.
As to whether Georgia would have won the game without it, I personally doubt it. We were steamrolled at Tennessee for one reason - lack of emotion.
And for any Gator to call Georgia classless given the history in this series - from flea flickers with a forty point lead to personal fouls galore - well I better stop writing.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
You have obviously never been to athens...wall to wall beautiful women and more bars than you can count.
Oh, and no one stays in Athens the week of Georgia-Florida, so the Classic City was safe and sound. If there was "going to be some property destroyed," after a Georgia win, it would be at St. Simons or Jekyll Island.
Richt is 2-5 and has not lost by more than a touchdown since his first season (24-10 Florida win).
Richt is 2-2 in the last four years.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Question: Has Richt ever corrected a player or players on his team for celebrating excessively after a touchdown by teaching him/them that it is disrespectful and/or classless? Very likely yes he has. Is Richt's message: Only break the rules when I tell you to? Further... is his message I can only fire you up by pulling a stunt that breaks the rule that I have told you/taught you not to break.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Apparently the rest of the coaching community didnt think it was too classless because the Dogs moved up nine spots in the coaches poll.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Um for most of you posting here...consider the source that wrote this article. A little biased towards Florida maybe?
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Yeah, that's a good indicator. You can't be serious.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
If you are checking the ajc.com blogs, maybe you should take note of how those sports writers handle responses to their blogs. Check the mirror Kevin, you have shown very little class in most of your responses. If you want to claim to write "articles" as your profile says, then try having a little journalistic integrity and don't be so biased. When it's your team involved, you need to check yourself and make sure to be even handed.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
it would be classless to rank Georgia based on anything besides their strong effort while the clock was running. They earned it. They played well and beat a good (though injured) team.
The celebration did nothing but make them look like a team who felt they needed something other than the normal motivation to beat a team that has beaten you consistently for almost two decades. Isn't that enough to build on? Why was it necessary, to pull a "motivational stunt" with all the history to draw upon. It reflected a very insecure team. Insecure coaches, insecure players if they needed the stunt to motivate themselves.
Without the stunt... Georgia outplays Florida, right. They did it. They were capable of it. They should have known it. they didn't believe in themselves. the coach didn't believe in his players... he had to trick them into playing hard?
With the stunt... Georgia outplays Florida, not because their coach directed them to break the rules as a way to motivate, but because they were tired of losing to Florida. The fact that they pulled the "motivational stunt" reflected that they may not have believed that they could do it.
The stunt did not set the tone. Florida's fumble on a the first drive followed by Georgia's easy romp to the end zone all on the ground. The first two series set the tone: FL would have trouble on offense and Georgia and Moreno would run through the FL defense. The "stunt" just clouds Georgia's success.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
As a Georgia fan I would like to believe that they won because they outplayed Florida. The score... the stats... proves that this is true. Georgia beat Florida. While doing this, they acted badly at one moment (or an extended moment). Teams, players act badly all the time. This is sports! Let's admit it when it happens, but don't give it more due than it deserves. It had no bearing on Georgia's victory. They were motivated to beat Florida anyway, right?
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
It's simple: Richt pulled a trick out of the "John McEnroe bag of motivational tricks you do to get fired up when you can't find it or doubt it within yourself."
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Richt had every right to take his team to task for the mid-field stomp at Vandy. But he also had every right to encourage the first touchdown celebration. Myers doesn't seem to have a problem. His players and fans do because, well, they got beat.
That said, what beat Florida was good football. Sure, much of the game is psychological, every coach and player will tell you that. But GA was the best team on the field Saturday.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
I bet Richt has gained the admiration of John McEnroe! Mac probably no longer thinks of Richt as a goody-goody doing what is right and honorable and winning that way rather than doing what it takes to win, even if it means ruffling some feathers and encouraging players to act in an unsportsmanlike way. Headline: Richt Gains Respect of the Dishonorable!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
I am humored that people will actually try and defend the actions that took place. Erk Russell would have been disgusted by this classless act (for those who may not remember Erk was the defensive coordinator at Georgia 1964-1981 who later established the Georgia Southern program that eventually won 3 National Titles under his direction and who many say was the real reason Dooley had the success he did over those many years). Coach Russell knew how to motivate properly and within the rules. If he didn't have your attention or you were not motivated he would simply butt heads with you to garner either or both. The best part is he would allow you to wear your helmet in the process while he was without one.
I am afraid of what I have seen in the past few weeks between the stomping on the Vandy logo and the head coach urging his players to invoke an unsportsman like penalty that this program may be headed to many more similiar type incidents in the future. However, considering Coach Richt's mentors in the game that should come as no surprise as the Canes and the Noles have a rich tradition of such behavior! I will be happy to take losses knowing my team conducts themselves properly than have a program that is an embarressment in the way that it behaves. The short lived moment of motivation gained by Richt will not be worth the long term damage that it has done to what was a fine program that won with class!
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Erik Broxtin about 1 year ago
Then its settled. Premeditated unsportsmanlike conduct, organized by a head coach, is officially a classy move.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Some of the Georgia fans where I work are calling it brilliant!
Well said, "I am humored..."
Richt said he wanted his players to "leave their hearts on the field." What ever happen to leaving the field with honor win or lose?
And how can a GA player/coach/team ever need extra motivation for a FL v. GA game! Especially after being on the losing end so much!
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William Qualkinbush about 1 year ago
No one is saying that the move Richt made is classy; we think the guy is a class act and we don't think what he did was classless. Like i said 100 posts ago, I hate Georgia but I like Richt as a man. What he did was not necessarily classy but that doesn't mean it's automatically inappropriate. Even if you think the celebration was classless, look at the man's life. Unless you are so biased that you can't see that Mark Richt is a fine man with a strong character, it is pretty dang obvious.
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Bryan McConnahea about 1 year ago
This is the way I see it.. If Georgia loses, the fingers are flying, BUT since they won -- it's brilliant. Everyone is going to have a different reaction to such a risky move. I didn't have a problem with the celebration, but more with the way they celebrated: taunting, etc..
Either way, the most classless act ever? No. Uncalled for? Yes. Did it work for its' purpose? Yes.
I think Florida fans should be more concerned with it's loss, than this minuscule act AND quit trying to make this into more than it was. Great win for Georgia.
ps - not a georgia fan.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Mark Richt outcoached Urban Meyer and got the victory. But Urban Meyer outclassed Mark Richt.
Because when I think of Urban Meyer I think of class ... and a coach who whines his way into the BCS title game, encourages his players to taunt other players (as Reggie Nelson did to Mohammed Massoquoi last year in the UGA-UF game) and throws temper tantrums on the sidelines when one play for his team doesn't go his way.
Yep. You stay classy Urban Meyer.
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Fred Minarchy about 1 year ago
One thing I think we can all agree on, though, is that whether it's Mark Richt or Urban "Four Letter" Meyer, at least they're not Steve Spurrier or Philip "The SEC named a rule after me because of my dishonor" Fulmer.
ROLL TIDE!
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Frank Garner about 1 year ago
Actually-- as some have commented on here already. Coach Richt didn't order the team to rush the field -- just to get a celebration penalty. Being kids the team took him at his word. As far as I'm concerned everybody we play can rush the field every time they get a touchdown if it means they have to kick off from the eight.
Classless? Classless is running up the score like Florida did against Tennessee. Florida fans would be cussing Meyer if Tebow had gotten hurt with the game won. Or how about that bush league timeout right at the kick against Auburn. Can't wait to see that one bite someone by giving them a second shot at a missed filed goal.
Wah. Wah. Wah.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
While I didnt like UGA rushing the field, no one seems to have seen that the ref. appeared to take revenge with some one sided calls or no calls. At least once I saw a chomp at the GA bence and team that got the boos from the Ga fans but seemed to be missed by the refs. The facemask penalty clearly should have gone both ways, the phantom call 20 yards and how many seconds down field. Looked like Coach of Fla was in the ear of that ref on that side calling the game. Both sides should show class and let the refs call the game and control it.
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Beach GaBulldog about 1 year ago
I enjoyed the hell out of the celebration, and think it was one of the greatest calls in Georgia Bulldog history. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. I THINK IT WAS VERY CLASSY! The Gaylosers have no reason to say a damn thing. THEY ARE THE MOST CLASSLESS SCHOOL in the nation!
I don't care if the team, fans, etc. are mad about it. GOOD! LOOK GATORS, JUST FACE THE FACT THAT YOU LOST! Grow up! Meyer should just keep his mouth shut. His school is known for running up the score on teams late in the 4th quarter. Spurrier and Meyer are LOSERS! I have all the respect in the world for Mark Richt. Anybody who thinks bad of him for what he did needs to GET OVER IT! FINALLY, TO YOU KEVIN, AND ALL GATOR PLAYERS, COACHES, FANS, ALUMNI, etc. GO F*** YOURSELVES, then GO FUCK YOUR MOTHER, FATHER, SISTERS, BROTHERS, RELATIVES, YOUR ANIMALS, AND EACH OTHER....THEN, DROP DEAD!
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Erik Broxtin about 1 year ago
Proving once more that Georgia Bulldog fans wrote the book on class. Well played, Neal.
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C Lott about 1 year ago
I think what people need to realize that the End Zone Celebration was about Georgia! IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH FLORIDA! Anyone that has ever coached or played sports competively should understand the point Coach Richt was trying to make to HIS PLAYERS. I view it as a baseball coach getting tossed from a game on a questionable call. Sometimes they need to do what it takes to inspire their team. Take it for what it was worth and meant to be, stop over analyzing and having such a tight *ss. Anyone who follows sports knows what kind of Coach Mark Richt is first class.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Evening up the "recent history" at two games apiece.....42-30
Celebrating our first touchdown.......30 yards
The befuddled look on Urban's face....Priceless!
DAWGBONE
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
So wait, Richt is classless because he was supposed to set an example for his players. Yet Urban Meyer is classy as he shamelessly lobbied for his NC bid and consistently lets players who have been arrested for everything from burglary to cocaine possession play the following week? I don't care if the charges were eventually dropped, Richt has a history of immediately suspending players who get in trouble with the law. I'm sure if they'd been playing ULM or something Urban would have too, but with LSU on the slate put that kid in the game. That's what I call doing whatever it takes to win. By comparison storming the field is just a joke.
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Adam about 1 year ago
Wow, I know I'm late to this party, but I thought I'd join in. I'm not even sure what "publication" I just read, but they have a real gem in Kevin Brown. I'm sure he went on a column-long diatribe against Alabama a couple years ago for the stadium's loud (and glorious) chant of Rammer Jammer. "Hey Gators, WE JUST BEAT THE HELL OUTTA YOU!" Did it hurt the Gators' feelings? Yes. Is it classless? No. It's part of sports. Tim Tebow acting like he was dialing a phone after a score is just as much taunting as what Richt ordered his players to do. I can't be sure, but I'm willing to bet the farm more than one Gator has mocked the Tomahawk Chop.
Brown says, "yeah but this is classless because he purposefully broke the rules." Kevin, did your two-time defending national champion coach Billy Donovan ever tell a player to foul an opponent at the end of the game? I think a foul is against the rules. Donovan ordered his player to do it. What a classless son-of-a-bitch.
Kevin, I'm sorry that your team lost. Really, I am. Welcome back to a world where the Gators aren't, as Lee Corso said, "the best team in the country." If you really were just trying to stir the pot and generate blog hits then congratulations. You pulled off the "I'm an absolute idiot and I know all kinds of people will respond to this" angle very well. If you were being serious this whole time, I'm sorry that this loss upset you so much. Mark Richt...classless. The same guy who sends his son, a Division-1 prospect, to an Athens-area Christian school with a horrible football program. The same guy who goes on mission trips to Honduras every summer.
Let me just say, that celebration in the endzone was absolutely brilliant. Urban Legend refrained from doing the same not because he is oozing with class, but because Richt thought of it first. Go Dawgs. 1 of 1 and counting.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
A little info that everyone on Atlanta knows. NO ONE reads or listens to Terrance Moore with the AJC.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
hey kevin have you heard of JUST SHUT UP ? get over it sore loser. the gaytors got their asses
beat. take it stop making excuses. all i hear from you is what if what if..yeah what if it turned into
a fight..but guess what it did not turn into a fight..and coach richt told the players . he did not mean all of the players just the players on the field..and uga is 47 37 2 vs fla get real 1-25 ? lol just because fla became a team in the 90's there was football before that..and fla sucked mark richt is 2-5 with uga vs fla..but he owned them with fsu. classless act ? he sent bama's player prothro a signed football from his
team when he broke his leg. and along with tons of other things he does.
http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/pdf/Richtletter.pdf
class GO DAWGS!!!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
How come Tebow does not shake hands with the opposing team after a loss? Why does Superman cry alligator tears after a loss? What the hell does Batman fighting Superman with light sabers have to do with Jesus? Why would Superman need a light saber?
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
I'm guessing Richt didn't pray and ask Jesus whether or not he should instruct his players to do this.
It was totally classless...even the Miami teams from the late 80s 7 early 90s would agree.
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Smith J. Howard about 1 year ago
Seems as if there is some hostility over something that happened this weekend between a Dawg and Gator? What happened to make everyone so upset? Whatever it is, I wanna know who won the fight between a gator and dog...?
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
You act as if they cheated or something. Georgia won and that seems to be something that Florida fans just cant handle. As usual Florida was overrated going into the game. Face facts, Florida isnt as good as they or their fans think they are. Its not as if Florida plays all of their games fairly either. I seem to remember a little last second time out in the game with Auburn. How fair was that? They lost anyway. Dont judge Georgia based on your angst with Flordia. Place it where it belongs. FLorida fell apart on the field and I think it nice to see them get what has for so long been coming to them. Keep your eyes peeled for UGA in the future. We are just getting started. LIFE LONG GA FAN
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Timmy H. about 1 year ago
As a Gator fan all I need to say about this whole thing is that I CAN'T WAIT for next year! I'm glad that Richt did this because now Georgia became a heated rivalry again. That game was becoming boring every year, another win you could write in at the beginning of the season. I hope next year that we run up the score on them, and I bet we will. TEBOW 4 HEISMAN!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
As usual Florida was over rated going into the game? Coming from a Georgia fan? Ha Ha!
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Fred Minarchy about 1 year ago
Okay, you don't want to hear that Flori-DUH was overrated going into the game from a Dawgs fan? How about from someone from elsewhere in the SEC? This TIDE fan, a fan of a team who actually has a shot at making it to the SEC Championship game which is more than can be said of Flori-DUH, thinks the UF Hatchlings were overrated. As for class, yeah, I pointed and laughed when I saw your complete pwning of the Vols, but excessive celebration, classless? What about Urban Legend cursing out his player on the sideline on national television? I guess for Hatchling fans, having fun on the field is classless, while cursing out one of your own players is classy. I'm confused.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Kevin-
You are arguing class with georgia fans who refer to the Gators as gaytors......it might be time to give it up.
Just remember why the score gets run up next year, uga.
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Fred Minarchy about 1 year ago
I'm sure the Dawgs fans will remember why the score gets run up next year... with the Hatchlings on the wrong end of it again.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Kevin,
I have just found this gem of an article. It seem that you are bit upset at the action of the Georgia Football team after scoring on the first drive. I wonder if you were as upset with the fact that your head coach and his coaching staff spends as much time on the field as they do in the white box they are suppose to stay. I guess this is not something done on purpose but by accident because I am sure that the Florida coaches would not knowing break the rules. I know they did get a side line warning but there does seem to be a complete lack of respect for the rules on an ongoing basis with your coaching staff.
Additionally, I do believe that the 2005 Gators, I think that is the right year, took great pleasure in stomping on the LSU logo after their victory. Please explain how that was a class act.
You might be upset with the loss but it appears that you have allowed you emotions to get in the way of your judgment.
Not that fact will every get in your way of dealing with this, but Coach Richt did not tell all his players to run onto the field. He told them that he was going to be disappointed with them if they did not get the penalty. Now maybe that is semantics, but as close as the SEC calls the celebration penalty, remember Vanderbilt I think last year, it would not have taken that much to get the call anyway.
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Ben Bussard about 1 year ago
it wouldve been interesting for a losing team to stomp on an opposing team's logo...UF won in 06 but not 05...and the 06 win was at home.
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alyssa camper about 1 year ago
What UGA did was classless. Many teams have done classless things also, but that is not the discussion here. Why is it when people know that something is wrong they sling mud at the one who was wronged to justify the other's conduct? Has UF done classless things in the past? Probably, most teams have, but that doesn't make any other team's wrong conduct right. UGA's conduct is defenseless. Just because something bad makes it interesting to watch doesn't mean it is good. People are mesmerized by car accidents that they pass by on the road, but that doesn't make them a good thing. I think what they did was demoralizing and I would be embarrassed if my team did the same thing. The NCAA has constructed the rules of the game to make it as fair, enjoyable, and sportsmanlike as possible. People who break the rules to further their own interests do it at the expense of everyone else in college football. It opens the door as a tactic, instead of something that should not be done because it could start a brawl or just because it is crappy to do to the other team. In this instance, it is a good thing that one of the teams kept their dignity. For purposes of this argument, I don't care what UF has done in the past, I am just glad that in that game they were classy in response the UGA's ridiculous behavior because it could have been a terrible outcome for both schools and the NCAA in general. The fact that people think their tactic may have worked for them is even more alarming because the other team may not react like UF did in this game the next time a coach decides that winning at any cost is more important than the how their team plays the game. In college football the coach is also having an impact on how those young men live their lives. What a terrible lesson to teach his team and everyone else.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
What UGA did was classless. Many teams have done classless things also, but that is not the discussion here. Why is it when people know that something is wrong they sling mud at the one who was wronged to justify the other's conduct? Has UF done classless things in the past? Probably, most teams have, but that doesn't make any other team's wrong conduct right. UGA's conduct is defenseless. Just because something bad makes it interesting to watch doesn't mean it is good. People are mesmerized by car accidents that they pass by on the road, but that doesn't make them a good thing. I think what they did was demoralizing and I would be embarrassed if my team did the same thing. The NCAA has constructed the rules of the game to make it as fair, enjoyable, and sportsmanlike as possible. People who break the rules to further their own interests do it at the expense of everyone else in college football. It opens the door as a tactic, instead of something that should not be done because it could start a brawl or just because it is crappy to do to the other team. In this instance, it is a good thing that one of the teams kept their dignity. For purposes of this argument, I don't care what UF has done in the past, I am just glad that in that game they were classy in response the UGA's ridiculous behavior because it could have been a terrible outcome for both schools and the NCAA in general. The fact that people think their tactic may have worked for them is even more alarming because the other team may not react like UF did in this game the next time a coach decides that winning at any cost is more important than the how their team plays the game. In college football the coach is also having an impact on how those young men live their lives. What a terrible lesson to teach his team and everyone else.
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alyssa camper about 1 year ago
sorry, first time commenter. Didn't mean to post it twice.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
How come Tebow refuses to shake hands with the opposing team after a loss? I thought the Gators had class, but I guess they do not.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
What is this crap about Tebow not shaking hands? Who keeps bringing this up? Does he walk up to players, extend his hand, and then quickly pull it back and run it through his hair?
Nice post, Alyssa.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Tebow has walked off the field after every loss without as much saying anything to the opposing players from Auburn, LSU, Georgia. He is more than happy to do it after victory, but when UF has lost he has hightailed it to the locker room usually in tears.
Will he congratulate the Commodores after the loss to Vandy?
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
If you say so it must be true.
But it was probably behavior that was directed by his head coach during their last bye week as a way to anger the opponent. Urban is a genius. No one saw that coming.
Please send me a link on where to buy my own Tebow-tracking mechanism which keeps track of his movements immediately following games. If I cross a few wires, it might just keep tabs on him at all times. Then I can find out where he lives and go get an autograph for my little brother.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Tebow not shaking hands is poor sportsmanship and shows a lack of class on his part. After all isn't that what the UF populace has been fighting so hard about?
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Marc Greene about 1 year ago
As a Georgia fan, the only thing about the celebration I disagreed with was the one player, #77, who received a separate penalty for dancing. I would rather had my Dawgs, after the Moreno TD, move quickly away from the Florida players into the corner of the end zone circling up and facing inward, raising their helmets to the sky and chanting UGA, UGA, UGA, UGA ... which, I think, would have caused the Bulldog Nation in the stadium to join them ... no Georgia should have even looked at the helpless and hopeless Florida players .. their focus should have been on the sky with their helmets held high.
Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
DAWGS .................. sic 'em !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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rick butler about 1 year ago
Well, everybody has an opinion, here's mine. College coaches are "Role" models, whether they want to acknowledge being such or not. Rules are made to be broken. etc. etc. etc.
Bottom line. The NCAA has preached against taunting, showing up the opponent, and celebrating to the point of brining undue attention to oneself, or one's school. I ask you. Didn't Mark Richt and the Georgia Football players just break the intent of the NCAA's request for all college student-athletes in all sports?
Since the Miami players dressed in fatigues for the Fiesta Bowl against Penn State, the NCAA has asked, requested, levied sanctions, levied fines, levied penalties, endlessly, to reign in behavior such as what Mark Richt orchestrated, and Georgia players carried out.
If the Pope murdered someone, would we excuse him because of all the good he had done in his life? Mark Richt and Georgia have done great things. But Saturday's performance was not one of them.
To risk inciting a brawl, then laughing when the plan was being excuted, then later, when brought to face with his actions, Richt swearing there was an over-reaction to his instructions, that he is/was innocent. I don't think so.
But my most frustration is with the NCAA. Biggest hypocrites ever to breath.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
enjoy your one time victory, dogs.
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Marc Greene about 1 year ago
Guys, what I meant to say in my earlier note above is that, as a Georgia fan, I was not happy about by our offensive lineman, #77, dancing and taunting on the field after the Moreno TD. So, in hindsight, this was not a smart move and I think Mark Richt now realizes this and has said it would never happen again. I was trying to point that it would have been much better looking and received if the Bulldogs had made a big huddle in the "corner" of the end zone and celebrated as a team ... we would have still been penalized but it would have been a true team celebration without taunting the Florida team. I have great respect for Florida but I'm glad to see my Bulldogs win one against them with hopefully more to come!
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