The prestige of the mighty Southeastern Conference took a hit this weekend when fifth-ranked Georgia – one of its most powerful football programs – fell 38-35 on the road to Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) foe Clemson.
But in addition to the ignominy of defeat – did the integrity of the SEC also take a hit in Georgia’s loss?
Specifically, did University of Georgia players fake injuries in an effort to slow down the Tigers’ up-tempo offense?
Here’s a YouTube clip showing one such questionable “injury …”
Hmmmmm …
First, a lot of players on both sides of the ball were cramping up in the heat and humidity at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night – and Georgia suffered several legitimate injuries to key personnel (most notably Malcolm Mitchell).
But there were also a lot of minor injuries which seemed like deliberate efforts to slow the pace of the game and keep Clemson from establishing its preferred offensive rhythm.
A few days prior to the Clemson-Georgia showdown ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit – who was on hand to call Saturday night’s big game – claimed defensive units were actually practicing fake injuries in an effort to combat up-tempo offenses like the one Chad Morris runs for the Tigers.
“No one is talking about this, but look for more fake injuries by the defense,” Herbstreit said. “I’ve talked to defensive coaches. These guys are actually practicing faking injuries in practice.”
What do you think? Did Georgia defensive players fake injuries against Clemson? Vote in our poll and post your thoughts in our comments section below …
FIRST REACTIONS
@fitsnews LOL @ "SEC integrity"…
— Frank Fleming (@SimplyBananas1) September 1, 2013
@fitsnews SEC: Sudden Exceptional Cramping.
— Mike Jones (@m_w_jones) September 1, 2013
@fitsnews absolutely they did.
— leon stavrinakis (@leonstav) September 1, 2013
30 comments
They learned it from LSU. While it is not technically cheating to flop like that, it has no place in college football.
This ain’t a new thing. 30 years ago I played bantam league football and my coach told me to go in and do it when we ran out of time outs. I pretty much sucked as a defensive back, but I could play like I was hurt with the best of them.
NEWSFLASH… Clemson scored touchdowns in an effort to win the game…DUH.
I saw Clemson players take a “dive” as well. Both sides are guilty.
What players and what proof do you have?
@Aiken Dave – WTF? Why in the hell would they take a “dive”? They are used to up tempo on both sides of the ball. Oh, wait. My bad; you’re from Aiken. Makes sense now.
It is the University of Georgia. Of course they did. What a cesspool.
Doesn’t matter. The better team won!
did the integrity of the SEC also take a hit in Georgia’s loss?
TBG thought that the “integrity of the SEC” had been on the missing list since the Cam Newton bidding war was exposed.
The SEC is pure as the driven snow. And there will never be a pope from Argentina.
Heh!
Pro Tip:
Never eat yellow snow.
Good to know.
so what? with the proliferation of these no-huddle offenses, defenses have to do something to even the playing field. example: USC was penalized for an illegal substitution because they couldn’t substitute quickly enough. i don’t blame a defensive coordinator for doing whatever he has to do within the rules to neutralize the offense. if a team is going to use a gimmick offense, then they shouldn’t complain about tactics to slow it down.
Is it a “gimmick” because your team can’t keep up? It’s a football game, not rocket science. If a team can’t keep up with the other’s offense, don’t they deserve to lose, and shouldn’t they lose with dignity without faking injuries?
well, “my team” has been able to keep up with that offense and hasn’t lost to them in a few years . and you don’t think its a “gimmick” to operate quickly so the defense can’t substitute? isn’t the goal to do whatever you can within the rules to gain an advantage? it that’s the case, then what is the difference?
“and you don’t think its a “gimmick” to operate quickly so the defense can’t substitute?”
Using this logic, it must be a “gimmick” to score more touchdowns in order to win the game, too.
it is a lie. you say you are hurt, when you are not. it breaks the rules. obviously integrity is a word you do not understand. Have you seen teh commercial where the basketball player admits the ball touched him before going out of bounds?… it is aimed at you.
Ummm, maybe get in shape???
Gimmick offense??? It’s called an offense that is better than your defense. If they can’t keep up, they lose. No excuse for faking injuries. What a douche bag comment.
My high school football coach gave great massages to injured players,and I got injured a lot…
was your coach named sandusky?
No.BH coached in,Columbia,and let me use his personal shower.He was very hairy.
Prestige of the SEC? You mean the prestige of the Georgia. College football collectivism is for losers.
Game time temp for USC vs UNC was 94 degrees actual. A no-huddle gimmick by UNC and the heat…our guys showed moxy! And these local Democrat/Clemson retrobates failed to see heat indexes as a factor on both sides of the line at The Brice? No cramping up, no injuries…GA was hurt and it showed on Richt’s face.
Our guys were outstanding and deserved that cooling rain delay….WTG Team. BTW…Tommy Suggs was at it again as radio color commentator…”I was getting worried about our guys.” He is always saying weak minded snarky snippets as if his opinion matters….call the game and cut out the snarks like we have had to endure for years.
I wish we would have played the Coots Thursday. They would have been flopping around the field worse than the LSU players were.
I`m sorry, what`s a retrobate?
Seems like Georgia players were all just on their periods…
Les Miles joked about using this tactic to slow down Auburn’s Newtonless hurry-up offense two years ago, proving he is (1) unhampered by class, and (2) not a complete mongoloid.
SEC’s motto… If you ain’t cheatin’ you ain’t competin’!
Pathetic & typical that Clemson fans feel the need to point out worthless shit like this…it’s an 8sec clip. Doesn’t show a thing. Y’all beat us. Show some class. I’m happy for Clemson. Awesome program with a strong win against another awesome team. Why all the hate? Is it because Clemson has finally started winning games?