“Next year is our year”. That is a phrase that has become all too familiar to the Bulldog faithful. A phrase that rings with blind optimism, but carries with it an inherent truth: this year is NOT our year.
Look back to 2010, Mark Richt’s tenth season as head coach, when the Dawgs started the season 1-4 and limped into the offseason after a disheartening 10-6 loss to UCF in the Liberty Bowl. Most fans attributed the bad season to A.J. Green’s four-game suspension, growing pains on defense in Todd Grantham’s first season as defensive coordinator, and quarterback Aaron Murray getting his first action under center as a freshman. There were signs of life late in 2010 that gave Georgia fans some optimism heading into 2011. “Next year is our year”.
2011 arrives, and the Dawgs start the season against a top five team in Boise State for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in the Georgia Dome. The hype was there, and a win would serve as a springboard to the top for a talented Georgia team. The Dawgs lost 35-21 and followed it up with a heartbreaking home loss to defending SEC East champion South Carolina. At 0-2, Mark Richt’s seat was on fire, as fans were calling for an immediate change. But this Georgia team was too good to roll over so early in the season. After ten straight wins, Georgia found itself in the SEC Championship game against top-ranked LSU. With a win, Georgia would have at least been in the conversation for a National Championship appearance. Following a first quarter where Georgia jumped out to a 10-0 lead (which could’ve been higher without some bad drops), the Dawgs held LSU to 12 total yards in the first half. 12. TOTAL. YARDS. Had it not been for Tyrann Mathieu’s punt return touchdown, the Dawgs would’ve lead 10-0 at halftime. It was no contest in the second half, as LSU steamrolled Georgia en route to a 42-10 win. Georgia settled for an Outback Bowl invite and promptly lost to Michigan State in triple overtime after two missed kicks by Blair Walsh to finish the season 10-4. Good season, but “next year is our year”.
In 2012, optimism boiled over for Georgia, who returned a potent offense featuring Aaron Murray and Todd Gurley hellbent on returning to the SEC Championship game. The Dawgs rattled off five straight wins against inferior opponents before facing a stiff test against South Carolina – a matchup of two top ten teams. Georgia got destroyed in Williams-Brice Stadium, losing 35-7 and forcing the Dawgs to hope for South Carolina to lose two games in SEC play. Following the loss, UGA outclassed its opponents the rest of the way, finishing the season 11-1 and thankful for LSU and Florida wins over South Carolina. Georgia returned to the SEC Championship, this time against Alabama, with a National Championship berth on the line. This game will stick with Georgia fans forever. Down by four, with time running out, Georgia needed just eight yards to punch a ticket to Miami. Aaron Murray took the snap with nine seconds left… eight… seven… six… and had the ball tipped as he released it. Chris Conley caught the tipped pass in the field of play, just five yards from the game-winning touchdown and the clock ran out. Game over. Georgia would settle for a spot in the Capital One Bowl, finishing the season with a win over Nebraska and ranked fifth in the country, wondering what could have been. “Next year is our year”.
Georgia started 2013 at that same fifth spot against a dangerous Clemson team, and lost a back-and-forth battle 38-35. Hope was lost, until two huge wins against South Carolina and LSU at home propelled the Dawgs right back into the conversation. Following a near disaster against Tennessee, Georgia lost consecutive games to Missouri and Vanderbilt, effectively ending any hope of a return to the SEC Championship. They finished out the season at 8-5 with a loss at Auburn on the play-that-shall-not-be-named and a loss to Nebraska in the Gator Bowl in Aaron Murray’s farewell season. “Next year is our year”.
Then there is this season. A season for dreamers. A season that brought success in the face of adversity. With Hutson Mason at the helm and Todd Gurley facing a four-game suspension, the team could have easily quit. But instead, it put together one offensive explosion after another – and some great defense behind new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt – that brought a glimmer of hope back to Athens. Save for a royal beatdown at the hands of the Gators, this season has fallen by the wayside by a matter of yards and inches. Look at the loss to South Carolina. Georgia had first and goal from the four-yard line, going in for the winning score. A controversial intentional grounding was called that led to a missed field goal. Then, Georgia got what looked to be a crucial stop on fourth and inches to get the ball back, but South Carolina was given the first down even though there looked like there was some space between the ball and the sticks. Without that loss, Georgia would be SEC Championship bound instead of Missouri, a team it beat 34-0. Then, the two fumbles against Georgia Tech near the goal line, a bad squib kick call, a 53-yard field goal from Butker that just barely cleared the bar, and a pick in overtime gave Georgia Tech its first win in the series since 2008. The “game of inches” moniker was the motto of the Bulldogs season, who again find themselves locked out of a shot at a national title with a very talented team.
So where does Georgia go from here after losing out to Missouri in the weakest SEC East we’ve seen in years? Some say a coaching change at the top is the right move, despite Richt’s 135-48 record at Georgia. Some say to give Richt more time to implement his system, citing the 17 years it took for Vince Dooley to win a championship (or 19 seasons it took Bobby Bowden at FSU). Looking ahead to next year, Georgia will face a ton of uncertainty. They will have to replace a productive quarterback for the second year in a row, Todd Gurley (who will enter the NFL Draft) and some great talent on defense. But UGA’s recruiting class looks better than ever, there are young stars on the team (read: Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Isaiah McKenzie, Lorenzo Carter, etc.) and the SEC East will likely still be weak. There’s a lot of room for hope.
Regardless of what happens this offseason, two things are certain: 1) Georgia should hire a special teams coach already; and 2) That incontrovertible optimism will continue to live on in Athens.
“Next year is our year”.
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