Richt gives no reason to believe he can turn Georgia around
Mark Richt finished with his worst record at Georgia (6-7) and the Dogs had their first losing season since 1996.
MEMPHIS – Mark Richt says he is disappointed. He says he has to make changes. He says the Georgia football program is not where it needs to be, and when a once-respectable SEC program ends its season by failing to score a touchdown against a team from Conference USA, nobody is going to dispute that.
Here’s the only matter up for debate: Does anybody believe Mark Richt can still get it done?
It didn’t look like it this season, when the Bulldogs finished with a losing record (6-7) for the first time in 14 years. It didn’t look like it at Mississippi State or Colorado or in Jacksonville (again).
It didn’t look like it Friday night, because if the average Georgia fan considers it humiliating having to win in the final week of the season just to become bowl eligible — and then get stuck with the Liberty Bowl — what do you call it when the Bulldogs lose to Central Florida, 10-6?
This is what it looks like: Mark Richt has lost control of this program.
At the very least, he has lost the benefit of the doubt. The win totals in the last four seasons: 11, 10, eight, six.
Before Georgia’s game against Tech, I stated that Richt’s early success in Athens (two SEC titles in five seasons) earned him another year and the right to fix the problems. A part of me still believes that. But there’s mounting evidence that’s not going to happen.
The Dogs open next season against Boise State. Is there any part of you right now that says Georgia will win that game?
Ten days before Auburn will play in the BCS championship game, four days before Arkansas is in the Sugar Bowl and on the same afternoon a story broke that new Florida coach Will Muschamp is on the verge of hiring Charlie Weis as the Gators’ offensive coordinator, Georgia lost a bottom-tier bowl game to a team from Conference USA, which is a hiccup ahead of the Sun Belt.
If the damage from this was limited, it’s only because Uga VIII stayed home with a stomach virus.
Hopefully, the dog wasn’t watching on TV when Richt sent the worst possible message to his team on their opening possession. The offense had just driven from their own one-yard line to the UCF three. But on fourth-and-1 — and in the first quarter of the Liberty Bowl — Richt opted for the field goal. He defended the decision afterward.
Is that how Richt now defines finishing the drill?
The Dogs didn’t necessarily look emotionless. They just looked pointless.
Central Florida, coached by the familiar George O’Leary, smacked them in the mouth. Georgia didn’t look equipped to smack back. They couldn’t run the ball. They couldn’t get tough yards. They couldn’t make a big play when they needed one. They were 3 for 14 on third-down conversions.
Aaron Murray completed his first seven passes. Then he went 14 for 31 with two interceptions. A.J. Green had eight catches but they covered only 77 yards (9.6 average, well below his 15.7 season average).
Say goodbye to A.J.: He didn’t make it official afterward that his next catch will be in the NFL but logic says that Liberty Bowl humiliation won’t be enough to keep him in college.
This is worse than Starkville, even worse than Boulder. It came at the end of a season, after a month of preparation, when Georgia should have worked out some of its problems.
Also, Colorado doesn’t play in a conference made by Fisher-Price.
In his typical postgame monotone delivery, Richt said: “We’re all disappointed. We didn’t want to finish with a loss. We didn’t want to finish with a losing record. Nobody would’ve predicted that. But it is what it is. There’s reasons why we ended up the way we did. We have to make changes. We have to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future. We have to change how we go about our business. We’re going to improve. We’re going to get Georgia where it belongs.”
Do you believe him? Because from here, it looks like Georgia just turned into Kentucky – a school looking forward to basketball season.
Georgia loses almost annually to Florida. Now it loses to Central Florida. Get ready for 2012: Florida Atlantic is on the schedule.
Don’t laugh. It’s not that big of a step down. And things are headed in that direction.
– By Jeff Schultz
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend me at Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2,265 comments Add your comment
RT
December 31st, 2010
9:25 pm
When was the last time we beat a ranked team?
USMC dawg
December 31st, 2010
9:26 pm
“Richt = Fullmer”
No way Chad, Fulmer has a National Championship.
George O''leary
December 31st, 2010
9:26 pm
Did you see me laugh at your so called coach when I shook his hand after the game. I own you people and because I own you I think I will ban the color red at the Butt-smear building just like I have banned the color red at UCF. That includes REDnecks as well. Enjoy your off season. Haha
Sickdawg
December 31st, 2010
9:26 pm
A J needs to get out of this mess None of the others are worth a dam as ball platers
Denver Dog
December 31st, 2010
9:26 pm
Nick Fairley, does that make BYU an elite program, UT, FSU, Miami. Auburn won a NC in 1957 but had to forfeit it due to NCAA violations, which included paying players. HMMMM sounds familiar. I’m with you though, right now UGA is not an elite program. Hey Nick, maybe you should watch Pony Excess. There is a new one coming out called WARTIGEREAGLEPLAINSMEN PAYGO
George O''leary
December 31st, 2010
9:26 pm
You guys better sign the “dream team” before you you play me again. You’re going to need it. I OWN YOU!!!!
Phil
December 31st, 2010
9:27 pm
Charlie Weis to Florida? Muschamp didn’t go after Bobo??
The sign of a good staff is when other schools go after your coaches. Name any coach on the Georgia staff(including Richt) that other schools have tried to hire away. NONE.
The entire staff is a bunch of clowns.
BreakingNews
December 31st, 2010
9:27 pm
What kills me is that Richt always has the same answer after a loss: “We have to make changes”. Exactly what changes is he talking about making? Apparently he hasn’t made any. As a person, I think Richt is a great guy – but it has been a decade, it has run it’s course, it’s time for him to move on. Hopefully he’ll just retire and save the University from having to fire him.
Letterman85
December 31st, 2010
9:27 pm
Enter your comments here
Loyal Dawg Fan Forever
December 31st, 2010
9:28 pm
btw JS use this as your own
“Mark Richt is the Sarah Palin of college football coaches – no brain, no heart, no guts, a quitter and cashing in on celebrity while the constituents want the real deal.”
Its gold – I give my permission.
joseph
December 31st, 2010
9:28 pm
i have said two or three times this year that the dawgs were not as bad as they looked.
BUT THEY ARE, JUST AS BAD AS THEY LOOK:
jod
December 31st, 2010
9:28 pm
LOL… UGA COULDNT EVEN SELL OUT THEIR OWN BOWL… 1/2 EMPTY STADIUM… ISNT THAT A BIG THING WITH UGA?
Danny Forde
December 31st, 2010
9:28 pm
You ateletic supporterses needz to startz paying them yungsters like we did at clempson, and charley down at Fluridah
zorba
December 31st, 2010
9:28 pm
You can’t pray your way to victory. Find an offensive coordinator who can innovate or get out of town. Boring football.
Letterman85
December 31st, 2010
9:28 pm
Stopped enjoying the season 10 games ago. Still love my dawns. We will come back!!!
Ray Goff
December 31st, 2010
9:29 pm
Richt = Goff
Quote – We’re gonna get back to work and get better!
THE TRUTH
December 31st, 2010
9:29 pm
Somehow, Someway, this loss is Nick Fairley’s fault…
Todd
December 31st, 2010
9:29 pm
I invented the term “Disney Dawg” last season when MR elected to start Joe Cox and everyone in the summer was talking about a great Ga yr. Joe Cox this, Joe Cox that.
I ended up being banned by Steve Patterson of UGAsports.com the rival site b.c he didnt like my term Disney Dawg.
Man does it fit now, there are still folks, including Steve Patterson who think Mark Richt and Mike Bobo are up to the task.
Again to all you Disney Dawgs, when you leave the park so to speak, it’s back to reality, the real world. When your inside the park, you think Mark Richt and next yr. just wait will turn it around.
It’s only going to get worse, after Spurrier comes in and beats Ga, we may loose Murray to a transfer out of pure frustration.
wally
December 31st, 2010
9:30 pm
The best place to go to get a bulldog autograph is the Clark county jail. The loss today coannot help recruiting. I definitely ashamed to be a bulldog. There iis no chance that CMR and his coaches can put the football program on top. Coach Richt is not a big time coach, but sadly he has not realized it yet. start off 2011 by making UGA happy. FIRE THE COACH.
USMC dawg
December 31st, 2010
9:30 pm
Actually, George O’Leary, we owe you for exploiting our coach and hopefully speeding up a complete coaching staff OVERHAUL. And thanks for laughing, nice touch. By the way, how’s that RESUME doing?
FAMILY
December 31st, 2010
9:30 pm
hey ‘true dawg.’ keep reaching for the ‘you’ll have to forfeit your season’ bologna. Aint gonna happen brother. But I undertand, if my team was 6-7 and had just gotten beat by UCF, I’d be grapsing for anything I could too. Biggest bunch of crybaby, whiner fans. Comical.
Lemuel in Ludowici
December 31st, 2010
9:30 pm
Now hold on here fella Beloved Bulldawgs fans!!!! We caint fire are coach Mr Mark Richt!!! I mean who would want to come here after what we been doin for the last couple a years? And we get all them blue star recruited boys who come in here and…. well…. they may not win us a bunch a games but we always win them recruitin’ wars!!!! And look on tha brite side. We went and won us another game aginst them Yeller Jakets. I no they put up alot more yards than we did and didnt have there star quarterback and all but WE WON!!!! And yeah I know we got beat today and put us at 6 and 7 but them Yeller Jakets got beat first so they went 6 and 7 first!!!! Plus, you can’t be mad at Mr Mark Rikt. Heck, our hero Mr Vince Dooley had more mediocre seasons than him and we built him a statue!!! So I say keep are coach Mr Mark Riks, get some more a them blue chippers and we might get a chance to play in the Chik fillet Bowl next year right in downtown HOTLANA!!!! That’d really make them jaket boys mad!!!!
Denver Dog
December 31st, 2010
9:31 pm
Go Dawgs woof woof, EMBARRASING!
sandyspringsjacket
December 31st, 2010
9:31 pm
Don’t panic Dawgtards, you were just 7 losses short of the NCG, wait until next year.
DawgsAwful
December 31st, 2010
9:31 pm
UGA will not get better until they improve with the players they recruit and certainly not until they get better coaching. Team performance is a reflection of Coaching. Now average at best, With recruiting classes slipping,Richt has his work cut out for him! Good luck Coach you’re gonna need it.
Randy
December 31st, 2010
9:31 pm
Put Lemay in and UGA goes 10-3 in 2011. Give Ealey the ball 30x a game, and switch B’s, get a good NT, and UGA goes 10-3.
Denver Dog
December 31st, 2010
9:32 pm
Family Boy, you’ve been there, done that hadn’t you? Now it is our turn in the barrel
Ole Kin'Kade
December 31st, 2010
9:32 pm
How bad do the dawgs suck dayem
Alan
December 31st, 2010
9:32 pm
With a better QB, Georgia will hve an excellent seaosn next year.
sandyspringsjacket
December 31st, 2010
9:32 pm
Mark Rickt = the PUhewitt of college FB
TDone
December 31st, 2010
9:33 pm
Who is worse off? Tech has a 55,000 seat stadium and ends of 6-7? Muttland has a 92,000 seat stadium and finishes 6-7. Face it Muttlanders, the only thing that has kept Richt around is his domination of Tech. But the fact of the mattter in the 10 games Georgia has played against Tech, Tech should have won in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010. In 2007, Richt benefited by three touchbacks that should have gone Tech’s way and in 2008, Tech won.
Randy
December 31st, 2010
9:33 pm
Come on Jeff.
Meyer had a bad year with John Brantley at QB too, should he be fired?
1-1-11
December 31st, 2010
9:33 pm
Dawg fans start getting excited about next season LOL
Go Boise, woof woof
Observer
December 31st, 2010
9:33 pm
Rodney Dangerfield stole my thunder.
OldDawg55
December 31st, 2010
9:33 pm
I hear you, Schultz…I just don’t think your the person to make such a monumentous prediction…you’re not that high in the journalistic chain…and given current conditons in the trade, your job might be in danger (can we afford two of you naysayers on the AJC?) CMR said things will have to change..ok, I give him a chance to do just that..change! If Searles can’t get a line up to speed with the talent we had..let him go! If Bobo should go back to just a position coach, send him there…get a new OC…I think CTG and staff deserve another year but check out your defensive line coach..is recruiting enough?? I for one am willing to give him another chance but he will have to make changes and GATA!!!
Denver Dog
December 31st, 2010
9:33 pm
There is some Tech copy cat on here using Denver Dog. I’ve been using it for 5 years. I guess imitation is the most sincere compliment.
Skitty Fritty
December 31st, 2010
9:33 pm
How embarassing this must be for Tech who couldn’t even but UGA this year.
prosteak
December 31st, 2010
9:34 pm
No matter what UGA has done in the way of SEC championships or consecutive winning seasons, the fact remains that your division rivals have winning records against you. Worst of all, Florida not only beats you, they crush you. period. If you were a team in a state that had to share its top talent with an instate rival, it might even be reasonable to consider why TN and FL consistently have your number, but that is not the case. As the saying goes, CMR can put the fence around the state and even recruits nationwide. The state of Georgia alone has enough talent to rule the world, but what happens? There really is no reason that it cannot field a team that can challenge for the NC with regularity. The neighboring state of Alabama does not have the population center of Atlanta and they have a second team playing in the championship this year. Additionally, if you are going to play the character card, then ought not your team personality reflect that? You know what? I am not a dawg fan anyway, so what am I saying? Give him another year!!!
Randy
December 31st, 2010
9:34 pm
Never felt better about the next season than 2011 with Christian Lemay.
Gonna light it up.
USMC dawg
December 31st, 2010
9:34 pm
“Don’t panic Dawgtards, you were just 7 losses short of the NCG, wait until next year”
SandySpringsJacket, we beat you in Football and basketball THIS year and LAST year.
I am not a Tech hater, but really?
Snake Doc
December 31st, 2010
9:34 pm
Heck NO! I don’t beleive in MR or UGA any longer! Until UA goes out and hires any coach that can instill emotion and pride back in this program and as long as MR is still coach, I’m done with it!
And for all you panty waists that tell me good riddance. Most of you weren’t born when I was watching UGA. Heck, I’d bet 95% of you boneheads weren’t born until 1980 or later!
And don’t give me your excuses. All you losers have is excuses. Excuses mark a loser!
jod
December 31st, 2010
9:34 pm
RANDY, YOU SIR ARE THE DELUSIONAL DOG FANS I SPEAK SO HIGHLY OF. YOU ARE IN LALA LAND TO THINK YOU CAN PUT IN A FRESHMAN THAT HASNT EVEN PLAYED HIS SENIOR YEAR… LAY DOWN THE SHROOMS AND GET BACK TO REALITY.
Roark
December 31st, 2010
9:35 pm
I stopped reading your column months ago after you became a conservative bashing political blog. I am only here tonight because you are back to sports.
CMR has to go. He is no longer capable of leading an SEC team into battle. He sealed his fate with the 1st quarter FG. Perhaps he can land a job in 1-AA.
Scott
December 31st, 2010
9:35 pm
Without Aaron Murray’s 2 interceptions, Georgia scores a td and wins the game.
Not far off from the victory.
Denver Dawg
December 31st, 2010
9:35 pm
6 and 7 laughable, but fear not puppy fans, CMR will turn it around
Phil
December 31st, 2010
9:35 pm
Does anybody truly believe that next year will be any better WITHOUT AJ Green? Boise State will run us off the field to open the season. 7 losses this year may turn into 9 next year. Time to stop the bleeding NOW!!
Sundiata Gaines
December 31st, 2010
9:35 pm
Bane and Schultz are idiots….fire Rodney Garner and recruit better….Richt has not “lost control” of anything…..he is a good man and we can do A LOT worse….give him two more seasons.
Denver Dog
December 31st, 2010
9:36 pm
Now Tech guys, with the world famous high school offense and the Coach Nabob J Manboobs, have no logical reason at all to give UGA or anyone else any grief. CPJ=Rosanne Barr
Coffee Bluff DAWG
December 31st, 2010
9:36 pm
Jeff,
You didn’t mention anything about the falloff in recruiting at UGA. It’s been getting worse over the last few years and I don’t see it getting better for next year.
I want to be optimistic but don’t see a silver lining in the clouds over this program.
FAMILY
December 31st, 2010
9:36 pm
Denver D, Absolutely. Auburn has been down before. Never claimed otherwise. As with most SEC fans, there is a sense of entitlement and grandeur. However, the reaction of uga this year has been over the top I grew up with Larry Munson’s son, sat in the booth with Larry, so I have the utmost respect for uga, however if and when anyone bashes and falsely attacks my family, I will not stand for it. Much like I assume you wouldnt either.