Musings from the Comment Section – The 2014 Tech Game

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Note: to accompany Saturday’s WABAC Game Day post, we have a guest contributor – Bud Lite – who was gracious enough to share his thoughts on one of the most miserable games I can recall (or I try to not recall) in recent Bulldog history. Link to the story is here if you want to skip right to it, and I’ve copied Bud Lite’s thoughts from his site and posted lower down in this article.

Many of you picked up real quickly that Saturday’s WABAC post was about this miserable piece of shit of a game…actually, a fairly miserable season, to be honest. It started with a moment that most every commenter here can agree upon, the most questionable play calling in a game to cap a 38-35 loss to Carolina in Columbia:

Instead, Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason was called for intentional grounding on first down to set the Bulldogs back. Gurley managed just three yards on second down and Mason’s pass toward the end zone was tipped at the line by Surratt.

That’s when the usually reliable Marshall Morgan, who had set an SEC record with his 20th straight field goal earlier in the game, missed right from 28 yards away with 4:24 left to end Georgia’s last best chance.

Then we later lost to a lousy Muschamp Florida team that inexplicably ran it down our throats, leaving Missouri to play in the SECCG, and not us. Then there was an even more baffling play call in the last game of the season, which the Nerds fondly call the “Kick and the Pick Game” where we squibbed the kickoff with seconds to go, gave the Nats great field position, and the rest is just lousy history:

But don’t let me tell you how awful it was. Most all of us remember, and this week I’ll let Bud Lite tell you all about it. It’s definitely a more interesting read that re-watching this game. This is The Squib:

On November 29, 2014, my beloved Georgia Bulldogs were playing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in our final home game of the season. The game was far too close, resulting in more consumables being consumed than usual. As we went up 24–21 with eighteen seconds left in overtime, our coach decided to squib kick to the Gnats, resulting in excellent field position for the bugs. The Gnats scored a field goal, tying the game. The game went to overtime, and we lost 30–24 in a game that should not have been close. The shock of the loss was something akin to going through the windshield at seventy miles per hour; the only treatment prescribed was self-induced coma.

Unfortunately, all the coma-inducing medicines had already been consumed, necessitating a trip to the closest purveyor of distilled spirits. As luck would have it, I live in a dry county, surrounded by dry counties. The closest store is over a winding mountain road that is so crooked you think you’re seeing your own taillights ahead of you. My rage and fury guided me safely to the Double Shot Liquor and Gun Store. My time spent in the parking lot self-medicating got me closer to the coma needed to stop the constant replay of my Dawgs’ embarrassment in my head. Unfortunately, listening to the post-game wrap up on my car radio kept ripping the scab off my dulled psyche.

The trip back is forgotten except for suddenly being surrounded by the flashing lights of different-colored police cars, obviously some sort of multi-jurisdictional issue. I sort of remember one officer, who, if he’d been six inches taller, would have been perfectly round, going on and on about a “failure to maintain a lane.” I recollect telling him that whichever lane I was in, was the lane I was maintaining. The last thing I recall was hollering “Hey, that’s mine” as they pushed my head down into the back seat of the patrol car. Officer Round was confiscating my bottle from the front seat. I didn’t want there to be any confusion about ownership.

I awoke in the drunk tank in the Union County jail. I was decked out in a very formfitting, but stylishly tailored, orange jumpsuit. One look around the concrete cell revealed four sets of bunk beds and an open-air toilet. Arraignment was set for 11 a.m., a long time to hold your water. Suffering a shy bladder qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment in my opinion.

At the arraignment, Judge Baldwin Rood(Bald and Rude) read the charges. I was quick to notice that the unique item in this go-round was a charge of property destruction in the amount of $1,500. The goes-without-saying charge of “leaving the scene of an accident” bumped my worst day ever into a new category—felony.

According to eyewitnesses, I left the parking lot of the Double Shot Liquor and Gun Store and drove straight across the highway to the Busy Bee Café. The Busy Bee Café had just that week purchased a large fiberglass bumblebee to act as their logo, kind of like a Shoney’s Big Boy. I am told that the bumblebee was over five and a half feet tall and three feet wide at his waist.

Accounts vary as to how many times I drove back and forth over the bumblebee after knocking him free from his mooring. By all accounts, I didn’t leave until the job was thoroughly done. My work finished, I blasted off into the night, crossing county lines and negotiating treacherous mountain roads until my eventual rendezvous with the local constabulary. I recall none of these actions.

Now, I’m not going to make light of the vehicular homicide of a fiberglass bee. But, truth be told, I am thinking that if I had gotten a jury trial, the University of Georgia faithful would undoubtedly have set me free. According to my attorney, Adam Dimwit, my wife Mulva was not remotely interested in going my bail. Mulva was quoted as having said, “He can rot in jail until he rots in hell.” After forty years, perhaps some of the bloom had gone off the rose.

Needless to say, I think 2014 may have officially been when the bloom went off Richt’s rose for most all of us. Thanks for the contribution, Bud Lite, and let’s hope we don’t have to destroy any property for sad reasons anytime in the foreseeable future!

35 thoughts on “Musings from the Comment Section – The 2014 Tech Game”

  2. While I appreciate all the work that goes into these posts, why are we spending time remembering these shit games that I’ve tried to strike from my memory?

    We have so many glorious memories from the past to relive.

    • I get that, truly! For me, it helps me remember we where we were, and to enjoy the now as it makes it sweeter.

          • Dammit! Okay, it’s like punching yourself in the nuts because it feels good when you stop. LOL

          • I do draw the Iine in a few places. I have never seen a replay of the 2nd and 26 final play; I’ve never seen (listened on the radio) nor do I ever want to see replays of the Power Ranger game and unis vs Boise St; and I thankfully was stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean in WDW for the squib kick Tech game. Never watched a replay of that.

            However, to work up a good lather of hate, I’ll watch the phantom timeout of the ’93 Mud Game with the FTMFs.

    • What a great idea no more dwelling on past misery. This is the golden age of Georgia football let’s enjoy every day.

    • They all can’t be “It’s a Beautiful Morning.” Life is the same. Sometimes you win the natty in a blowout. Sometimes you lose to vandy on homecoming and give up over 40 points. All the seasons and rich pageantry of life have their place and time.
      https://youtu.be/9tPcfJZnXu4?si=LD8YFVabzGwBTpbq

      (btw: find a sadder song. I dare you.)

      For me I’ve always refused to leave or turn off the worst disasters of georgia football because I knew one day winning it all would be that much more sweeter. Early in the 4th quarter in Indy, grave doubts began to once again creep in about that assessment…. 41 years, 8 days, 3 quarters and 5 minutes…..

      It turns out I was right. And the sad ones don’t hurt as bad anymore either. From now until I wriggle off the coil nobody can say anything to me about my hat or my shirt or my team. I have a retort: “win two natties in a row with a walk on qb and on the way to the second one, go undefeated all season and win the national title game by 8 tds. Until then, you can stfu. Or not. Up to you. But trust me, either way, I ain’t impressed.”

      So we can keep on playing them sad songs. They don’t bother me no more.

        • This will probably get a “Sure you did.” and I wouldn’t blame you if it did. But when Derek challenged everyone to find a sadder song I thought, “Seriously? I can think of about four right off the top of my head by James McMurtry that would easily give it a run for its money. Ruby and Carlos, Copper Canteen, Lights of Cheyenne, and Decent Man. That’s without even really trying.

          • RR and I used to swap music. I ran across this one chasing rabbits after Blutarsky posted about Shane McGowans demise and sent it to him We agreed that this is fucking horrible

          • P.S. Copper Canteen is a great song, but it never stuck me as sad. That said, being closer to 60 than 50, a recent empty nester, and would much rather be outdoors than inside come churchtime? Hits right at the base of the cods man…

  3. 2014 didn’t take the bloom off Richt. If he doesn’t squib kick and we win, we likely end up in a New Year’s 6 game.

    The 2014 and 2015 Florida games were the one that made me (as a Richt fan to the end) think … has Jeremy Pruitt ever coached against a running QB (2014) and why is Brian Schottenheimer on the Georgia sideline (2015).

  4. Lol. I thought the game was lost late in the fourth quarter and left early (I know, I know). When I reached Lumpkin and Broad, I heard an enormous roar and knew that it could only be one thing — Georgia had taken the lead. I went in to the Georgia Bar (RIP) just in time to see Harrison Butker’s field goal clear the crossbar by 1/10 of an inch to tie it up, and, of course, we lost in OT. My day only got worse when I sulked off to Seabear and watched Urban Meyer get a huge assist from the refs on a crappy ball placement against Michigan, which ultimately led to an OSU natty. Not a good day, at all.

  5. That is freaking hilarious. Like I’ve said, I gave up hope that Rocht was the guy some time during the 2012 SC game. Sounds like ‘14 Tech game was that for a lot of other people.

    • The 2014 tech game, 2012 SC game, the 2007 UT game, the 2010 Liberty Bowl, 2008 Bama. There were a slue of inexplicably shitty games in the Richt era, you expected at least one a season, sadly. Loved the man as a coach/mentor but he never had that killer instinct to motivate that Kirby has. Kirby can make a paraplegic run through a wall.

      • I was making a mental list of them too. That ‘12 SC game I had finally seen enough. It wasnt that we lost. It was that we got totally pantsed by a team that shouldn’t have dominated us like that.

      • “There were a slue of inexplicably shitty games in the Richt era, you expected at least one a season, sadly.”

        Indeed. My wife always used to give me grief because I’d go into every game expecting the worst, no matter who we were playing. She’d call me a pessimist, and I’d tell her I was just being a realist because Georgia had one game every year where we’d play down to our opponent and get upset. It’s been a few years now since I had that feeling. Maybe when we play Bama (yes, even after the Natty) because the Football Gods apparently still smile upon that inbred fanbase and program. But not when we play the Vandys and Missouris and Bizarro Bulldogs of the world.

        • The worst one was a 2007 home loss to a shitty 6-6 South Carolina team. That game probably cost us an appearance in the natty.

      • The 2010 Colorado game is when I thought once and for all that Richt wasn’t getting us over the hump. We had no business losing that game to that opponent, and roster management was becoming a real problem. I wasn’t (and don’t remain) happy to say that but realized then the repeated bed-shitting was a feature, not a bug.

  6. I lost my faith in CMR after the 2009 Arizona State game in Athens. We won the game on a last second field goal by Blair Walsh. CMR talked with Blair before the winning kick and after the game Blair was asked what CMR told him. Blair said that CMR told him that regardless of the kicks outcome he would still love him. That really made me mad. I was expecting CMR to say something along the lines of — Blair you got this. You have trained your whole life for this opportunity. I wouldn’t want anyone else out there to kick this ball. Now go out there and win this MFing game.

    I knew at that point CMR was tired and I was done and ready for a coaching change.

  7. I remember watching that ’14 Tech game on tv. When I saw that squib kick, I stood and yelled “Nooooooooo!” I’m no expert, but I know that if a team needs three points with a few seconds left, you make them start from as far away from the goalpost as possible. I will always love Coach Richt, but he seemed to treat special teams as an afterthought.

  8. Well like most I loved Mark but he was always good for at least one bone headed game or sometimes two a year. He was also capable of some of the greatest games I had the fortune to attend. Beating LSU in Athens and with Saban as coach was one. Beating LSU in Athens in the shoot out was another. Lets just say his teams could break your heart (UF most of the time) or give you the thrill of victory.

  9. Bobo calling a slant near the goal line was stupid in 2014 and in 2023. Same result both times. I really really miss Monken.

  10. Everyone forgets these two very important things that happened in the 1st half. Up 7-0, we fumbled twice inside the Fech 5 yard line.

    2nd & Goal at GT 1(0:41 – 1st) Nick Chubb run for a loss of 1 yard to the GTech 3 Nick Chubb fumbled, forced by Isaiah Johnson, recovered by GTech Tyler Marcordes

    1st & 10 at GT 14(3:04 – 2nd) Sony Michel run for 13 yds Sony Michel fumbled, forced by Quayshawn Nealy, recovered by GTech Isaiah Johnson

    Damn Bobo.

    This game should have never been close.

  11. That’s great story. A good reminder that Hate Week is real and never to be taken lightly.

  12. Thanks JP for the kind words and posting, I was waiting to respond to seek if Derek was going to find some comma splices or split infinitives before commenting. :~) I’m glad the conversation went to Mark Richt/coaching malfeasance, instead of my writing capabilities. I’d be hard pressed to find a better man than CMR, but he certainly had his moments as a coach, the Squib being one of them. During the Richt years we had a horrible habit of playing down to our competition, IMHO, and just completely lost focus at other times. As Russ points out, it is more fun to bask in our glory now, but we must remember that we wandered in the dessert for 41 years. It’s good to be humble and remember our history, else we become Bammers. Thanks all.

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