Georgia’s problem is direction, and that falls on Richt
Here's a common sight: A Tennessee receiver (Gerald Jones) making a catch in front of a Georgia defender (Bryan Evans) Saturday. (AP photo)
KNOXVILLE — The problems just became big picture.
This isn’t just about the quarterback looking overmatched or the coordinators looking lost. It’s not about the schedule or the injuries or maybe some conspiracy theories about SEC referees having an agenda because the team got too excited with an end-zone celebration in Jacksonville two years ago.
Plug in, folks. Georgia just lost to Tennessee like no team should lose to Tennessee (45-19). The offense didn’t score a touchdown. The defense just made Jonathan Crompton look like Jonathan Unitas. Lane Kiffin just schooled Mark Richt.
Six games and they’re going backward. Six games and they’re 3-3, their worst start in 13 years. And you begin to realize: If not for those late wins over South Carolina and Arizona State and surviving mayhem against Arkansas, we could be talking scorched earth at midseason.
This is when you wonder about direction. The same coach who two years ago we were toasting for finishing the season with a No. 2 ranking is now walking off the field and into news conferences looking like toast.
On Saturday, Richt was asked a question one never could have imagined two Januarys ago: “Are you worried about the state of the program?”
His answer: “We didn’t play very good today. We haven’t had a game this season where we played a really solid football game. So I’m concerned about that.”
Is it just me, or did he not completely shoot down the premise of the question?
Let’s make this clear. This is not a “Fire Mark Richt” column. His body of work speaks for itself. But Florida and LSU and Alabama have boat-raced Georgia in the SEC, and of maybe even greater concern is the lack of separation between the Bulldogs and everybody else.
This isn’t a former No. 2-ranked team that has maintained its level of excellence. It’s a program that has regressed. Significantly. Whatever Richt was doing before is not working now. Either the wrong players are being recruited, or the right players are being coached the wrong way.
Blame Mike Bobo for the offense. Blame Willie Martinez for the defense. Blame Stacy Searels, the vaunted offensive line coach, who, by the way, hasn’t done bupkis. Blame anybody you want.
But it starts with Richt. It’s his program. He sets the tone and establishes direction. He is the one coaching at a school that hadn’t started a season so poorly since Jim Donnan’s first year in 1996 (3-5 on the way to 5-6). Richt is the one whose team committed three more turnovers against Tennessee and ranks as the worst in the conference and among the dregs nationally with 16 giveaways and a minus-11 turnover ratio.
Volunteers quarterback Jonathan Crompton threw touchdown passes on three consecutive possessions in the second quarter and finished with four. He had been largely lampooned in Knoxville and had never thrown more than two in his career. Well, with one exception. He threw five against Western Kentucky.
So that’s where Georgia’s defense belongs: in the Sun Belt.
Asked what he would think if he was a Georgia fan watching this game on television, Martinez said: “Well, I am a Georgia fan. I’m not happy. We just got whipped.”
Things are no better on offense. The Bulldogs have failed to score an offensive touchdown in 10 of the past 11 quarters. Against Tennessee, the offense (field goal) was outscored by special teams (nine points, off a kickoff return and a blocked punt for a safety) and the defense (interception return).
Didn’t Richt make his bones in offense at Florida State?
He somewhat came to Bobo’s defense: “I like his play calling.”
When asked if he felt quarterback Joe Cox was regressing, he said: “I’ve got to look at the film before I start making comments like that.”
Just as well. This isn’t the time to be throwing anybody else under the bus.
“We’ve got a long way to go before we become a good football team,” Richt said.
And he should know. He’s the one driving the bus.
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1,679 comments Add your comment
Get Real
October 11th, 2009
12:24 pm
How many persona can the pencil-necked GT geeks take on during one article session? Let’s see – they’ve been phony Vol fans, phony FL fans, phony GA fans, well…..just phony. This is understandable since they’ve had it up the Gazingus from the Dawgs for most of recorded history. I don’t disagree with Schultz’s comments because there are some corrections that need to be made, however; taunt all you want Techies for as bad as the Dawgs have played this year, they’re going to beat you at home this November.
GT rules
October 11th, 2009
12:24 pm
5-1 is no “gimmick” dawg fans.
Taylor
October 11th, 2009
12:25 pm
After watching the Dawgs defense under CWM, I have not a clue what he is trying to accomplish on defense. I have never seen a defense allow so many wide open receivers. It is almost like CWM teaches the defense to stay away from the receivers. If you watch Alabama’s defense, ever single pass is contested. We have not had a defensive back break up a pass since CWM took over the defense.
I am affraid to say it Dawg fans but I am affraid we are in for a long down turn with out football program. We will be bringing up the bottom of the SEC with Vandy and Mississippi State. If it we did not have AJ Green, Rennie Curran and Drew Butler we would be 0-6 right now.
I have never in my life seen a UGA football team look so unprepared as the Dawgs did yesterday. It is really painful and embarassing to watch.
Dale Morphy
October 11th, 2009
12:25 pm
All the above being said, Richt didn’t just forget how to run a program in one season. Perhaps the game has passed him by a bit philosophically, and perhaps they aren’t getting the best out of their talent. However, I’m putting in my vote for Richt righting this sinking ship and making wholesale changes after this season. Just…close you eyes for the rest of this season, it is really gonna hurt.
5-1 .......... IS REAL
October 11th, 2009
12:25 pm
go TECH!
USuck
October 11th, 2009
12:28 pm
What is up with all the schadenfreude on this blog?
You guys are freaking losers.
JB
October 11th, 2009
12:29 pm
Hey folks,
Die harder here and it pains me to see us lose like we did against Tenn yesterday. The pass defense was truly piss poor, as it was last year too. The offense was timid. Running game non existent. Truth is that Richt acts like an absentee coach who trusts his coordinators to do the right thing. Whatever success we have had lately is due to supreme talent and individual performances, definitely not coaching. We have not had a great team season since 2005 and if we didn’t win the NC last year, we will never win it. Not with this coaching staff. Can you imagine what Saban, Meyer or Spurrier could have accomplished with last year’s roster? Fire Bobo, fire Martinez. Where’s your balls, Richt?
Georgia Tech is Back, ..UGA is in Ray Goff reverse
October 11th, 2009
12:30 pm
Get Real, …………..Paul Johnson is the best coach in the state.
DaveDawg
October 11th, 2009
12:30 pm
Show some fire, Mark! For crying out loud, at least act like you care. No wonder your players are unmotivated and undisciplined.
Redo man
October 11th, 2009
12:31 pm
All these “Richt, Willie, and Evans haters” are the same folks who were on here posting about what a great coach and man Richt is two months ago and how the Dawgs were going to clobber everyone and win the NC this year. And also saying what a bunch of bandwagoners Gator fans are. Who are the bandwagoners now? Most Georgia fans have lost any credibility with these posts.
Get Real
October 11th, 2009
12:31 pm
Get Real:
Get Real.
Jeb
October 11th, 2009
12:32 pm
I hope we do get to play at the Blue Field this year. At least we will be close to a coach who can get the maximum out of his coaches and players. His name is Chris Peterson.
Junior College Record: 199-61-9 (.757)
University Record: 345-143-2 (.704)
WAC Record: 61-4 (.938)
Division I FBS Bowl Record: 5-4 (.555)
BCS Record: 1-0 (1.000)
I think Urban came from out West. Maybe big money would bring Chris down South.
Just a thought.
UGA is in Ray Goff reverse
October 11th, 2009
12:32 pm
Shambles, pure shambles!
Get Real
October 11th, 2009
12:33 pm
Vince Dooley was a great coach, but gimme a break. He coached during a time when the “forward pass” was considered radical football. Formations, techniques, and ideas have changed over the years and Dooley’s brand of football would probably produce no better results than we have on this day. As a side note, Mark Richt has won more games than Dooley after the same number of games coached.
Ole Navy Fan
October 11th, 2009
12:33 pm
UGA – GT games should become interesting. CPJ owned our big rival (Army) for the six years he coached for us and he pretty much smacked Air Force annually as well. He likes to win those games – UGA better learn to play with some discipline on defense. All the raw speed and strength in the world is wasted when you tackle the guy without the ball.
Tony Siciliano
October 11th, 2009
12:33 pm
I have not always agreed with you in the past, but your last few articles on UGA have been on the money. Some times, the truth hurts.
DaveDawg
October 11th, 2009
12:34 pm
2010 may be the year that we finally get rid of both of the overly mellow, overly loyal morons that have been holding us back: Bobby Cox and Mark Richt
Angry dawg
October 11th, 2009
12:34 pm
Mad dawg was right. You have to be smoking something to not think that the Bammers are back to an elite level and we are back to average. They are on their way to a 2nd consecutive undefeated regular season while we just got the hell beat out of us by a joke of a UT offense with a joke of a qb. And we are now 3-3 and are lucky we’re not 2-4, 1-5, or even 0-6. All 3 games that we won we could just as easily have lost.
We have not had a single dominant performance all year long. Think about that. We have demonstrably superior talent to ASU, ARK, and S Carolina. Its not just that we have 3 losses that upsets me. Its the fact that in the 3 games we did win we barely eked out wins in all 3 of those games. We could just as easily have lost all of them.
And while we can complain about bad calls in the LSU game the fact of the matter is that LSU statistically dominated us. Same with Ok. State. We can blame the refs but statistically they dominated us and deserved to win. A couple of ref calls don’t add up to 14 pts.
People better start thinking not just about the losses and especially the humiliation of what happened yesterday. We better think about the fact that we are struggling mightily against everyone.
Just think. Where in the hell would we be without AJ Green. Scary thought but who can argue that we wouldn’t be 0-6 without this one great player? Who can argue that? I shudder to think about what would have happened if we didn’t have him for the 3 games that we did barely win cause he was the only thing that saved our arses in all 3 of our wins. Scary to admit that without this one great player in all 3 of those games we would easily be 0-6. And that my friends really says all you need to know. That this is a bad team and that things are going downhill in a hurry.
Not Disappointed
October 11th, 2009
12:35 pm
Afternoon all. Tech fan here.
It’s true UGA and Tech needs a defensive coordinator. I do believe CMR will get the dawgs back on Track this year. I haven’t give up on the dawgs, but willie martinez is worse than david wommack. Oy!
Have a good week all. Dawgs and Jackets.
Ramblin Wreck Out!
Jeb
October 11th, 2009
12:37 pm
Or maybe we could pick up Boise’s O coordinator.
Bryan Harsin
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
At least he keeps folks guessing unlike Vanilla O.
Excessive Celebration
October 11th, 2009
12:38 pm
Get Real-
No phony persona here. We lost by 26 to a much less talented team.
We were outcoached from top to bottom
The program is in trouble unless changes are made.
Recruiting guru
October 11th, 2009
12:42 pm
Angry dawg,
You gotta point. As far as talent goes the 3 teams we beat and 2 of the teams that beat us in Ok state and UT simply don’t have the talent level that we have. Looking at the recruiting rankings over the last 4-5 years nobody we’ve played is anywhere near us as far as talent level goes with the sole exception of LSU. We have vastly superior athletes to 5 of the 6 teams we’ve played yet are 3-3 with all 3 of the wins by narrow margins. Common sense tells you that something is very, very wrong with the coaching going on in Athens and it all starts with the head man Richt.
Excessive Celebration
October 11th, 2009
12:43 pm
dawg on it-
You’re making us look bad. You sound like a dumba** redneck.
JimBo Donnan
October 11th, 2009
12:44 pm
Is BoBo the “Coach in Waiting” …like JimBo and MusChamp ? What a goofy idea.
DawgTicketHolder
October 11th, 2009
12:44 pm
Bottom line UGA is one of the top three monied programs in the nation, Season ticket holders have to pay a large extortion fee before they are able to buy tickets. This is not true at FSU, or GT where they advertise their season tickets. UGA deserves better for the money spent on their program. Any coach would love to have his hands on the types of money UGA has to offer. MR needs to produce period. He needs to coach! UGA has former SEC Refs at their scrimages and practises, I ‘m sure they tell MR and his asst coaches what mistakes are yet MR ignores them saying he doesn’t want to damper the players fire. Well other coaches in college football coach their players not to make penalties and their players still have their fire. We are at the bottom of college football in penalties and have been for the past couple of years. It is not our players fault that they are making poor tackles and only bumping, they are doing as they are coached. Joe Cox is not all that bad, he is doing as he has been coached for the past four years. It comes back to coaching and this is not a charity league MR makes big $$$ and needs to produce or leave. Gp Dawgs.
ron
October 11th, 2009
12:44 pm
it’s long overdue that richt be called out for the teams performance or lack of performance.it’s a known fact that this was to be a rebuilding year on offense with the loss of moreno and stafford,however it’s difficult to rebuild with a fifth year senior.no criticism to joe cox who has played beyond my expectations but you will be in the same mode next season with a first year or freshman starter at qb which will be another rebuilding year.this season it was thought that the defense would be our strength but it’s been more of a nightmare.for years we’ve needed a defensive coordinator with knowledge of x’s and o’s.richt’s stubborness to address this issue is what keeps the dawgs as also rans and players opt to go to schools with stronger defensives schemes.
Great Clips
October 11th, 2009
12:45 pm
Joe Cox needs a haircut.
MBS59er
October 11th, 2009
12:47 pm
Richt runs the UGA program similar to the way that Bowden runs the FSU program. He is not a micromanager. Richt’s greatness comes from bringing stability and leadership. He allows his coordinators the freedom to succeed or fail, just like God gives us that same freedom. Van Gorder was a success. Martinez is a failure. Richt used this year to give Martinez one last chance. However, I believe that Martinez is gone after this year. As for Bobo, I don’t see Richt going back to the play-calling duties any time soon, and he is certainly not going to risk trying to implement a new strategy on the fly without the athletes recruited for that strategy. I believe that Bobo is a good coordinator, he just does not have the great running back that Georgia is used to having.
Obama for Heisman
October 11th, 2009
12:48 pm
The Dawg Nation needs to get familiar with the “lower your standards, lower your pants” way of life.
Naked Dawg / hold the mustard
October 11th, 2009
12:50 pm
Mark Richt has become complacent, give him some new “gimmick” offense to try.
dawg on it
October 11th, 2009
12:51 pm
Excessive
Calling other fans out for spending so much time dissing us makes me a red neck?
Go figure!
Because you might be a little slow let me break it down for you. I was pointing out the fact that they wouldn’t spend so much time talking about us if they weren’t jealous. How much time do you spend reading articles about tech? UF? or UT?
How many times have you written comments on them (Now if you don’t have a life and you do that all day then sorry about insulting you to.)
GO DAWGS!
Tenn 45-19
October 11th, 2009
12:52 pm
UGA already lowered its standards by admitting Buck Belue to its program. What a redneck.
joe b
October 11th, 2009
12:52 pm
Richt is so good he has seriously made people forget what it’s like to lose. Hopefully this buttwhippin will galvanize the spirits on this team to play with a little emotion. thats the problem, really… lack of enthusiasm. that and BoBo. mix it up!. make your opponents study a little more tape please. i think the first drive of the season at ok state was his best play calling.
Get Real
October 11th, 2009
12:53 pm
You gotta love the prevailing GT (not all of them) mentality. How many UGA fans go on the GT blogs and comments sections to razz GT after a loss – VERY FEW. Why? Mainly because we just don’t really care. On the other hand, GT (most) fans get a kick out of harrassing the Dawgs after a loss (quite a few as evidenced here). Seems that what’s bad for UGA is good for GT, yes? Techies, learn to revel in your own victories. Learn to be confident in your program and current direction. As bad as the Dawgs have played this year, the train hasn’t derailed and the wheels haven’t come off. Now, go study for that calculus test where you’re going to be happy to make a 45.
Bowden Beatdown
October 11th, 2009
12:53 pm
NESBITT for HEISMAN !
champdawg
October 11th, 2009
12:53 pm
Perfect example of the noodle arm Cox has is the pass he couldn’t even throw out of bounds. TRY SOMEONE ELSE NOW…….
fumbling FULMER
October 11th, 2009
12:55 pm
The wheels came off the DawgNation this week, hire a fat man and relax.
dawg on it
October 11th, 2009
12:55 pm
@ GET REAL
My point Exactly.
We just don’t care enough about them to bother.
It never even crosses my mind to read an article about them.
HairyDawg
October 11th, 2009
12:56 pm
GA Magic – “Ga’s problem is they don’t have all these real physical studs that Dooley used to recruit back in the 1970s and 1980s, guys like Meat Cleaver Weaver, Thurston and Woerner. GA needs to find a way to get these types of players back in the program, by relaxing the academic standards. That developmental studies program worked great and they should bring it back, and get more players in the program who can help beat florida and bama. Until then, Ga will keep losing to these mediocre teams. Damon Evans better start doing something, or he can hit the road too.”
DAM* RIGHTS!!!!
If the schools aint goneing to support football then Adams and Evans can say bye. Just look at FSU. Once they start punishing good players, they cant recruits talents and dont wins anymore. We got to get back to winning and Adams has been preventing us from getting players like Alabama. If Evans want make Adams put in courses and use Hargraves then then Evans is the problem to. You cant recruits SEC class talent while punishing and making school take players time and work. They needs to spend there time practices, getting ready for the NFL, and having fun. Thats the way to recruit talented players at UGA. Richt is a good coach and knows this from FSU. We just need to get Adams to back off and lets us wins again.
Dawg'88
October 11th, 2009
12:56 pm
To Mark and Jeff Shultz (biased Yech homers who like to slam UGA):
Shouldn’t there be great concern over the defense’s inept performance so far this season? The only reason that wins have come is a result of tons of offensive points that overcome the terrible defensive performance…over and over again. Look at this way…If you take the one good performance vs UNC (only 7 points allowed) the other opponents are averaging over 30 points a game. This is not championship caliber defense. No one showed tenacity last night except the offense. If we were discussing UGA, we would be talking about the need to fire the defensive coordinator for UGA’s inept D. Why is it that Tech’s defensive coordinator gets a pass. Call for his head as well….the difference…Tech is winning despite their D. But didn’t UGA win 10 games last year despite its D and yet everyone was all over the D coordinator and said UGA was weak. Double standards always intrigue me. UGA is held to a higher standard? If Tech is to take over as the top rising power, should fans expect more from their D as well. Tech doesn’t beat UGA last year without the O dominating because the D was awful. I know the answer…its all relative. Average to poor defensive play is ok at one place but not another. Telling really about the program that accepts ineptitude in any part of the program. Some call PJ a genius….well be a genius and get the D to play better or go out and fire the D coordinator as UGA has been called to do. Otherwise, genius? a rising power? a championship team? No way!
get GEORGIA TECH REAL
October 11th, 2009
12:57 pm
5-1 record, ranked, good coach, promising future, go JACKETS!
Carl Spackler
October 11th, 2009
12:57 pm
What is with Joe Cox and his lack of hair…
Confused Dawg
October 11th, 2009
12:58 pm
Damon Evans needs to hire back Vince Dooley as a consultant to get this team back on track. Richt’s in over his head and needs some help from a real coach, Vince Dooley! Just pay him a million and get him on staff now!
JB
October 11th, 2009
12:58 pm
Please fire Bob before we start Aaron Murray! Let’s not throw it away like we did with Stafford!
get GEORGIA TECH REAL
October 11th, 2009
12:59 pm
Tech will sting the dawgs all over again.
chazzo
October 11th, 2009
12:59 pm
It aint Joe Cox’s fault. He made one bad decision. Considering that there was a wall of orange in his face every play, he did what he could… not stellar but okay. Nobody, including Cox, thinks he is stellar. He is just the best chance to win. That being said, UGA aint winning the east. Maybe you put together a different team. Bench all the upperclassmen that are not producing, and go with the young guys (particularly the D backfield). Or maybe you play other upper classmen. Maybe it is time to see Justin Fields in the backfield. Is he still around. Employee a true 2 QB system. You have Vandy (who at this rate may beat UGA anyway) and an off week to put it in place.
Let’s face it, coaching changes mid-season are a bad idea. Even if the administration stepped in with booster money and cleaned house, who would you get mid-season and do you really trust this administration to make those decisions? The question is, would you keep building on what’s there (which is already a lot of youngins), or do you just scrap it and make it a true rebuilding year?
Bottom line, Richt and Co. put all their eggs in the Stafford/Moreno basket. They put together a number one team, and all their guys got hurt. Now everybody’s gone, and it is rebuilding time. Somehow, despite knowing this and reading the dismal predictions for the season, the bulldog faithful convinced themselves that the dawgs would go undefeated and contend.
Dooley had back to back 5-5 seasons. Look at the record. When I was there, 7-4 was par for Dooley. There are a couple of players that need to ride the pine. Maybe a couple of coaches need to be moved around or moved on after the season. I was sorely disappointed yesterday. They weren’t prepared, and I think that means that coaches were not earning their salaries. That being said, I trust Mark Richt to find the answers. If he doesn’t… well, that remains to be seen.
In all fairness, UT played above their heads. It came together for them. Apparently, Kiffin got rid of the chafe when he kicked the loud mouth off the team. It came together for them, and they were out to get it done after losing to Auburn. It was a bad week to play them. Yes, the uga coaches should have known that.
Something has to happen with that O line and with the D backfield. I would generally like to see more hustle. Run to the huddle. Sprint to the line. Snap it and go. Dispense with the plays that unfold like a novel. UGA is small and fast, and they are inexperienced in a lot of spots. Keep it simple, and keep the opposing D on their heels. Shoot, try going no huddle. Why not?
dawg on it
October 11th, 2009
1:00 pm
@ Hairy Dawg
WTF. That is BS.
It’s not the players. They are out of place and missing tackles, that’s coaching and scheming.
Barbara Dooley
October 11th, 2009
1:00 pm
Let’s consult Ray Goff and let Vince tend the garden.
Barbara Dooley for Congress
October 11th, 2009
1:01 pm
No Dawg left behind.
Topp Dogg
October 11th, 2009
1:01 pm
Our offense sucks,defense is horrible special teams are highschool at best and yet tickets are unavailablewith donations a alltime high.Dawg fans know what needs to be done, now do it.