4th Quarter Wins nothing new for Dawgs

ATHENS – Nine times in the Mark Richt era Georgia has stormed back to win a football game in the fourth quarter. The most recent being last Saturday’s 14-13 win over Colorado.

But Richt said this week that Saturday’s win felt more like a game in which the Bulldogs came up short in their comeback – the 2004 Tennessee game.

“It was one of those kinds of days,” Richt said. “There were a couple of times where they could not have had a better call against us. We couldn’t get enough going to get everyone to relax.”

The Bulldogs were heavily favored over the Volunteers that day, but costly penalties and missed opportunities killed Georgia’s chances early in the game. David Greene’s pass attempt to Leonard Pope never met its mark as #3-ranked Dawgs failed in their frantic comeback attempt, losing 19-14.

“It felt like the Tennessee game that we didn’t come back to win,” said Richt. But this time the Bulldogs made the comeback work. This time the quarterback and tight end connected on the game winner.

“It felt good for me,” said Milner after the game.

Joe Cox, who went into the game as Georgia’s back-up quarterback, finished the day with two touchdowns and 195 yards passing.

“If we can’t score two times we don’t deserve to wear Gs on the side of our helmets,” Cox said.

All three of Georgia’s previous fourth quarter wins at home have come against unranked foes. But the Bulldogs have comeback on four ranked foes on the road since 2001.

“Our work ethic makes a difference,” Richt said. “Our number one motto is: finish the drill. Even if things are tough you can’t give up. I think we talk a lot about it. Adversity is going to strike and when it does you had better have a plan.”

This time the plan was no different – Georgia finished the drill and left the field as victors.

Georgia’s comeback or 4th quarter wins in the Mark Richt Era:

Year	Opponent	Start of 3rd	Final
2001	@ #6 Tennessee	17-17	26-24
2001	vs. Kentucky	29-29	43-29
2002	vs. Clemson	28-21	31-28
2002	@ #22 Alabama	25-24	27-25
2002	@ #24 Auburn	21-17	24-21
2003	vs. UAB	13-13	16-13
2004	@ South Carolina	16-0	20-16
2005	@ #20 Georgia Tech	7-7	14-7
2006	vs. Colorado	13-0	14-0