Richt believes Georgia is poised for a bounce-back season
Georgia coach Mark Richt believes the Dogs can avoid some of the problems that plagued recent teams. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Here’s a sneak peek at a column that will appear in print in this Sunday’s special AJC College Football Section. The 34-page section will preview Georgia State, Georgia Tech and UGA seasons, the SEC and ACC, top games, Heisman candidates and more.
Nine years ago, Mark Richt lost his first SEC game as a head coach (to South Carolina) and started 4-3 in a conference that generally doesn’t allow for long honeymoon periods, at least not outside of Vanderbilt.
It wasn’t the usual backdrop for what would happen in the next four years. Richt went 44-9 overall and 25-7 in the SEC. He won two conference titles at a school that hadn’t won one since 1982. He won a Sugar Bowl.
What has occurred since at Georgia is less a market correction than it is a changing landscape. Think of the SEC as a boulevard of resort hotels. Richt built what seemed like Xanadu in 2002. The problem came when Les Miles, Florida and Alabama built more lavish structures down the street.
LSU, Florida and Alabama didn’t just win SEC championships. They won national championships — the last four, in fact. Over that same period, Richt went 20-12 in the SEC without making it to the conference title game once.
Xanadu began to look like a slightly weathered Marriott.
Which brings us to 2010. Georgia is not crumbling and Richt is not on the firing line. There has, however, been a leveling off in Athens. To deny that would be like a hotel owner ignoring the other properties that are stealing his business.
The Dogs are somewhere back in the vapor trail left by Florida and Alabama. Richt’s not in denial — otherwise he wouldn’t have fired three assistant coaches after going 8-5 (4-4) last season.
The question now: Is this the bounce-back year? Possibly. Richt may never have a better chance to quiet critics.
The potential pitfalls of starting a redshirt freshman quarterback, Aaron Murray, should be minimized by an experienced offensive line and two key weapons for Murray to feed: A.J. Green and Washaun Ealey. The defense should be significantly improved under Todd Grantham (who is switching to a 3-4).
The schedule? Instead of opening against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, as in 2009, the Bulldogs open against Louisiana-Lafayette in Athens. They don’t play Alabama. They don’t play LSU. They do play Florida, but it would be surprising if the Gators didn’t feel the loss of nine starters in the first five rounds of the NFL draft, including: Tim Tebow, Joe Haden, Maurkice Pouncey, Carlos Dunlap and the serial eye-gouger, Brandon Spikes.
There’s also this: Richt just feels better about his team. Granted, all coaches like their team before opening kickoff, but Richt’s confidence is rooted in something legitimate: strength and stability on his offensive line.
“I like our maturity on offense,” he said. “You see it especially up front, even the non-glamour positions if you want to throw in the fullbacks.
“There’s something about when your offensive linemen are your sages, your veterans, your leaders. When they’re running it, things tend to go well. They’re pretty grounded. They’re not glamorous. They’re really the most unselfish guys on the team. ”
Glamour seldom is Georgia’s problem. It seldom gets more glamorous than Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno in the same backfield. But that was in 2008, and a pre-season No. 1 team wound up getting drilled by Alabama and Florida, losing at home to Georgia Tech and settling for the Capital One Bowl.
Georgia’s problems have been in other areas: a lack of discipline, sometimes passion, sometimes just a seeming willingness to punch the opponent in the mouth.
Experience and the arrival of Grantham, who’s far more fiery than Martinez, should help in those areas. But fire starts at the top and Richt needs to light one with his team.
This season could start well — very well. If the Dogs can get past early tests against South Carolina and Arkansas, they could be 8-0 going to Jacksonville. But Richt knows better than to play “the schedule game.”
“I used to do it more than I do now,” he said. “What year was it – Stafford’s freshman year [2006]? I kind of did it that year a little bit. We didn’t have a great season. Everything looked different than it was. So I don’t do that any more.”
The Dogs were coming off Richt’s second SEC title that year but they went 4-4 in the conference in 2006. The landscape changed. Richt, going into his 10th season, realized Georgia required some renovation.
Now we find out what the place looks like.
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283 comments Add your comment
Here's your chance to 'Sack Schultz!' Just pick the winners | Jeff Schultz
August 27th, 2010
8:37 am
[...] Special Sunday section: Richt believes Georgia is poised for a bounce-back season [...]
JB
August 27th, 2010
8:40 am
hotbobby……………….you are on to something. Richt has a new boss, who has spent the last 15-20 years ( hard for me to say, but it’s true) one of the most successful football programs in the country ( and Athletic departments). Mr McGarity has doubled his pay and exposure for HIS career. Do we think he will sit long( next two seasons,yes) and watch our Football team be “average”. The answer is no. Come on Mark, Get these Bulldogs playing great. Mark is set for life financially, would have a 3-4 million dollar buy out and be hires by most ACC school PDQ. But, Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Russ, the Temporary Mascot
August 27th, 2010
8:43 am
Whoa! I may be playing running back. Say it ain’t so Waushan.
Russ, the Temporary Mascot
August 27th, 2010
8:45 am
This one will be hard to paint over. Quick, give me some Raybans to hide behind. What was he thinking? Bulldogs should not drive.
LMAO @ UGA
August 27th, 2010
8:45 am
Richt expects “bounce-back” season…….hard to do when all your players are in jail.Washaun Ealey in ‘da slammer……..ohhhhhh this is so much fun. Enjoy rednecks!
Red Panties
August 27th, 2010
8:56 am
Here we go again, what in the h3ll is he doing out at 4am? Richt, the disciplinarian.
It will be a long year if Richt doesn’t demand some discipline
Breaking NewsUGA star running back Washaun Ealey arrested .UGA sports blog Washaun Ealey arrested
8:30 am August 27, 2010, by Tim Tucker
University of Georgia tailback Washaun Ealey was arrested early today on misdemeanor charges of driving with a suspended license and hit-and-run of a parked vehicle, according to Clarke County Jail records and UGA Police.
Ealey, 21, was booked into the jail at 5:22 a.m. and remains there in lieu of $3,000 bond.
Caleb King
August 27th, 2010
9:03 am
Red Panties
August 27th, 2010
9:12 am
A 21 year old true sophomore—how did they get this dunce in school.
dawgs01
August 27th, 2010
9:16 am
If he would have just stayed at the scene it would not be a big deal people get in wrecks everyday. No alcohol was involved it happened at 5:30 in the morning he was probably going to lift. Now it looks bad bc he left the scene like a dumba66
hotbobby
August 27th, 2010
9:17 am
Same old SH!T, different year. Does anyone preach responsibility at this school? Mark Richt is a joke! This season is going to be a three peat.
Red Panties
August 27th, 2010
9:17 am
I wish we had this guy back—-he’s going to haunt us for years
Former #UGA QB Zach Mettenberger: 11 of 18, 119 yards with TD and INT in Butler CC debut. http://bit.ly/9ruqEY Video: http://bit.ly/b4JJuN
08-26-2010
A 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zach Mettenberger to receiver Marcus Kennard proved to be the difference as No. 6 Butler defeated No. 4 Navarro College (Texas) in the Kickoff Classic at Cessna Stadium.
The Grizzlies’ defense held following a turnover deep in their own territory and then intercepted two Navarro passes in the fourth quarter to seal the victory in front of 6,458 fans.
Red Panties
August 27th, 2010
9:19 am
what’s with “waiting moderation”??????????????????????
Red Panties
August 27th, 2010
9:25 am
Here’s the latest:
Georgia running back Washuan Ealey, the Bulldogs’ leading rusher last season, is in the Clarke County Jail this morning after being arrested by university police on misdemeanor charges of hit and run of a parked vehicle and driving on a suspended license.
Ealey was driving a gold Chevrolet Impala that hit a parked truck in the East Deck at 3:19 a.m. today, university police chief Jimmy Williamson told the Athens Banner-Herald.
Parking service employees saw the incident and stopped Ealey and asked him to wait for police, but Ealey said he couldn’t and left the scene, Williamson said.
“Our officers arrived on the scene ran the car and it came back to an individual not the individual that was arrested,” Williamson said. “We went to the room of that individual and he told us he had not been driving a car, that his roommate had been driving the car and he gave us the name of Washaun Ealey.”
Police talked to Ealey, who told them details about the accident. It was then determined he was driving on a suspended license.
Williamson said a police incident report won’t be ready today and he did not identify the owner of the car Ealey was driving. The truck was unoccupied and the damage is believed be to minor, according to Williamson.
Ealey was booked into the Clarke County Jail at 5:22 a.m., according to the Clarke County Sheriff’s website and had not posted $3,000 in bonds as of 9:03 a.m.
The arrest of Ealey bring the number of Georgia players arrested this year to EIGHT- all since March.
Another running back Dontavius Jackson, decided to transfer after he was suspended six games following his July 10 arrest on six misdemeanors, including driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident and underage possession of alcohol.
Tavarres King , a returning starter at receiver, is suspended for the Sept. 4 opener against Louisiana-Lafayette after being charged with underage possession of alcohol in that same incident.
Quarterback Zach Mettenberger, outside linebacker Montez Robinson and punter Trent Dittmer were dismissed from the team after their arrests.
Jeff Schultz
August 27th, 2010
9:27 am
The good news: No alcohol was involved.
The bad news: Unbelievable stupidity was.
Jeff Schultz
August 27th, 2010
9:28 am
Red Panties — Any time you have links in there, it has to be approved because editors don’t know where link is going, if you know what I mean.
Red Panties
August 27th, 2010
9:30 am
Ok Jeff, I get it—thanks
Dawg Rule
August 27th, 2010
9:32 am
This dawg team is loaded—it may have more talent than any UGA team in the last 20 years. Look for a huge year with an upset over florida to win the East. Bama-UGA for the SEC title in December–mark it down!
dawgs01
August 27th, 2010
9:32 am
If DaRick Rogers can beat up a cop and flee the scene then get arrested and not have to sit out then I say just make Ealey run until he almost dies or let him sit in jail for a couple of days and let that be it. These kids dont learn anyway i am sick of it just keep all in jail and let them play on Saturdays they dont give a flip anyway about school.
dawgs01
August 27th, 2010
9:34 am
He should not have to sit out. Notre Dame had like 17 kids get arrested for underage drinking none of them are missing a game but when that happens to us they get suspended for like 3 games and everybody says we are thugs.
Russ, the Temporary Mascot
August 27th, 2010
9:39 am
I told you they were rock-dumb.
LHardingDawg
August 27th, 2010
9:54 am
A poor choice by an unbelieveably talented kit. Hopefully it will be the best thing that has ever happened to him and he can get on with being the best running back in the SEC.
LHardingDawg
August 27th, 2010
9:55 am
Kid not kit.
Washaun Ealy
August 27th, 2010
10:31 am
We hit and run this state
BOBO
August 27th, 2010
10:49 am
This is the year Coach Richt is going to leave me alone and let me call the game as I see fit and not his overly conservative RUN, RUN, Screen pass offense. I beat UF and Tech while QB at UGA, I can definetly call the O with Murray, AJ, Charles, Ealey, King, and Durham at my disposal. We will avg. 30+ a game!!!!!! UGA-Bama SEC championship. Winner goes to the Big Dance.
collegeballfan
August 27th, 2010
11:27 am
I agree with the coach re the OL and his FB types.
I would caution him to put a damper on the passing game and just run the football.
Drink up
August 27th, 2010
11:29 am
cut washan some slack. He was probably partying all night, visiting a hot lady friend and had to get home to get some sleep so he could practice later that day. A man gotta party, a man gotta drink!
David Granger
August 27th, 2010
11:35 am
Ealey SHOULD be suspended for at least the first game, and it doesn’t make any damn difference what DaRick Rogers or anybody at Notre Dame might have done. We’re GEORGIA and we should hold ourselves to higher standards than lesser programs. Richt coddling kids is part of the problem we have now, and that lack of discipline manifests itself in games. (Look at how penalized we were last year…and weren’t most of them STUPID penalties, often at the very worst time possible?)
If Richt doesn’t suspend Ealey, then he’s every bit as candy ass as Tom Osborne was with Lawrence Phillips.
Coach Richt needs to act like he’s GOT a pair.
Honky Talkin'
August 27th, 2010
11:44 am
Considering the easy schedule for the Dawgs, I still don’t see CMR and his prayers helping Georgia improve over last seasons’ mediocre results. The Bulldog nation needs to prepare for being a SEC non-story for quite a while. Does UGA have their own wing at the Clarke County jail?
RDR
August 27th, 2010
11:50 am
I think Aaron Murray and the play of the defense in the new 3-4 scheme will be very pleasant surprises from all the accounts I’ve read. If Aaron stays healthy and things break right in Columbia, Dawgs should be undefeated heading into Florida. The games against Auburn and KY, both of which are away, will be difficult, and I would not be surprised to see the dawgs slip up in one especially if they’re coming off a big win against the water lizards. With a schedule that is much more favorable this year than last and a defense that can’t be any worse than it’s been the last two years, the dawgs have a very realistic chance of making it to the SECCG this year. 11- 1 regular season is very realistic!
BG
August 27th, 2010
12:02 pm
8 out of 9!! Mark Richt owns tech!!!!
RedPantDawg
August 27th, 2010
12:08 pm
Not only is Martinez gone but Fabris is gone too. This can only help the defense.
Les W. Moore
August 27th, 2010
12:18 pm
I get it Jeff, “Bounce Back” is sorta like the Vice President’s “Summer of Recovery”. Talk is cheap. Richt still has a problem with holding on to mediocre coaches and old schemes. I fully expect the defense to be the same as recent year’s. It’s NOT the DC… it’s the head man who is running scared of innovation and change.
ONLY
August 27th, 2010
12:21 pm
Does Washaun’s problem involve red panties?
Party On!
August 27th, 2010
12:33 pm
The uga bail money fund is likely running low. Can the new UGA AD get a big booster to pump the fund back up with a $100,000 “donation?” These arrests will be continuing during the season, so a well stocked bail money fund will be comforting to the players.
DAN
August 27th, 2010
1:00 pm
8-4 at best
Love
August 27th, 2010
1:27 pm
See Jeff! See all of the love you got from the same posters that call you an idiot when you don’t talk great things about their beloved mutts.
Cracker Jacket
August 27th, 2010
1:33 pm
Come on dogs! Get it together. Stay out jail! When we roll up in Athens on Nov. 27th, we want your best on the field when we force you to eat the hedges again.
Bailbondsman
August 27th, 2010
1:34 pm
The season depends who is in jail each week.
Quantcast Jeff Schultz Richt believes Georgia is poised for a bounce-back season
August 27th, 2010
2:10 pm
[...] the place looks like. ♦ Follow me onTwitter @JeffSchultzAJCand Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC Richt believes Georgia is poised for a bounce-back season | Jeff Schultz Reply With Quote + Reply to Thread « Season [...]
cantondawg
August 27th, 2010
2:21 pm
Lighten up people. There are always going to be issues and problems with college students not just athletes.
Predicting Georgia Tech's season: Fast start, tough finish | Jeff Schultz
August 27th, 2010
3:03 pm
[...] Here’s another sneak peek at a column that will appear in print in this Sunday’s special AJC College Football Section. The 34-page section will preview Georgia State, Georgia Tech and UGA seasons, the SEC and ACC, top games, Heisman candidates and more. Today, we look at Georgia Tech’s schedule, predicting the Yellow Jackets’ season, game by game. Previously posted: Mark Richt feels Georgia is poised for a bounce-back season. [...]
Lilburn Dawg
August 27th, 2010
4:04 pm
Jeff, are we going to get to see your predictions in the Sunday paper for UGA games like you made for Tech?
Peanuts Schultz
August 27th, 2010
4:32 pm
Well, if that’s not the biggest kiss up I’ve seen in a while…a perfect nickname for you, Jeff, is Brownie! Go wash your nose, face and all the rest of you head this minute! At least it will be clean before you stick it back up your own orafice where it usually resides.
Jeff
August 27th, 2010
5:16 pm
People, everything happens in cycles. There have been times over the last 30 years that Georgia has been the dominant team in the SEC… there have also been times that label has applied to LSU, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, etc. Wouldn’t you rather be in those cycles than be, say, Ole Miss or Arkansas or South Carolina, who are NEVER relevant in the SEC championship picture?
It’s just a fact that the SEC has the best competition in the NCAA, bar none. It’s natural that a team will have ebbs and flows — even the MOST talented teams in the country over the last 10 years (USC, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, etc.) have not gone undefeated in a decade, going 120-0 and winning 10 straight titles. In high-stakes football, even 1 or 2 losses can knock you from the national title picture.
Put it this way: I would MUCH rather Georgia be where it is now, with high expectations, than it was 10-20 years ago. Now, a 10-win season can be a disappointment (see 2008). In the past, a 10-win season was the highlight of the decade (see 1992 or 1997).
One more point to make: don’t you think that almost ANY team in the nation would LOVE to be ranked in the top 20, average 10 wins a season, be one of the top 3 or 4 teams in its league, and be in the national picture EVERY YEAR? I think too many Georgia fans got spoiled on 2002 or 2005 and thought it would be like that every year, but that’s a lot to ask. Remember, even mighty Alabama was very pedestrian in 2008. And Georgia Tech fans would KILL for Georgia’s success under Mark Richt… it wasn’t too long ago that they were actually HAPPY with 7-4 and a trip to the Emerald Bowl or Humanitarian Bowl.
It only takes a year or two to bounce back to power in the SEC. Give the recruiting class of 2010 and 2011 time to take hold, and give Grantham a shot at working with this defense. I think Georgia has a lot of success in its future in the upcoming seasons.
Jeff
August 27th, 2010
5:17 pm
By the way I am NOT the Jeff above… I’m a new Jeff. Just clearing that up….
Jeff
August 27th, 2010
5:18 pm
However, I would gladly take Schultz’s salary if he wants to share it with another Jeff….
Sam
August 27th, 2010
7:29 pm
Every team goes through cyclical periods of winning and losing, its the nature of the game. The Dawgs will ultimately rise to the top of the SEC East again. It may be this year or it may be 5 years from now, but it will happen. With that said, the Dawgs must take pressure off of Murray, limit penalties, turnovers, and quite simply stop people. The DC change and the outstanding O-line could prove critics wrong about a mediocre season being in store for the Dawgs. Perhaps we now have the formula needed to surpass the Gators in the SEC East standings. Only time will tell and I think that the Dawgs are fielding a contending team this year. We just have to hit on all cylinders going into games 2 & 3, and keep up the momentum throughout the rest of the season.
guy
August 28th, 2010
9:07 am
You will see what the UGA coaches and team are made of this year.Cut out the penalties and foolish defensive blunders and it’s off to the races.Hopefully injuries will be at a minimum.Seven more days!
jack e. row
August 28th, 2010
11:04 pm
Who will be the next “GREAT’ UGA quarterback?
() Aaron Murray
() Hutson Mason
() Logan Gray
() Christian Lemay
() VOTE
Elin's next husband
August 29th, 2010
12:10 am
First things first. Forget football. Stop the players from getting arrested. That would be good