Mark Richt or Bret Bielema: Who Had the Worst Bowl Game Management?

If you are trying to learn how to be a football coach, do not watch how Wisconsin or Georgia ended their bowl games.

Each team lost a one-possession game that it had an opportunity to tie on the final play. While there are many people to blame, the two head coaches should accept the most criticism.

Wisconsin ended a high-scoring game with terrible clock management. 

Down 45-38 with only 16 seconds left, a comeback was highly unlikely. However, two passes for 62 yards by Russell Wilson brought the Badgers only 25 yards from the end zone.

The problem arose when the second of the two plays finished with a tackle in bounds with two seconds left.

According to NCAA rules, the clock stops for a first down but restarts when the ball is set by the referee.

Instead of calling a play to the end zone with a hope of scoring, coach Bret Bielema called for the Wilson to spike the ball and stop the clock. The ball was not downed in time and the clock ran out before Wisconsin had an opportunity to run a play. 

The only thing more frustrating than losing is not giving yourself a chance to win.

Despite the blunder by Bielema, it might not have been the worst finish to a bowl game by a coach on Jan. 2. That honor could belong to Mark Richt of Georgia.

The Bulldogs blew a 16-0 halftime lead, but that was forgotten when the game reached overtime.

Georgia received a huge advantage when Bacarri Rambo intercepted the third play of overtime, meaning the team would only need a field goal to win.

This caused Richt to become ultra-conservative with his play-calling, selecting a run and a quarterback keeper to leave a 42-yard field goal attempt for the win.

Blair Walsh has had a fine career as a kicker for Georgia, and in this game he became the all-time SEC career scoring leader with 404 points. Unfortunately, this season he has only connected on 61.3 percent of his kicks.

Walsh missed the kick and the game continued.

The amazing thing is that Richt did not seem to learn from his mistake. Walsh tied the game with a 47-yard field goal in the the second overtime, but then had a 47-yard attempt blocked to lose the game.

In three overtimes, the Georgia offense ran eight plays and lost nine yards. A few people will blame the kicker, but the coach is really at fault.

Between the two coaches, Bret Bielema had the worst game management. Mark Richt called a bad game, but his offense could have been more efficient. Bielema cost his team a chance to win the game.

It is really a shame because both the Outback Bowl and Rose Bowl were great games until the end.