Mark Richt might need 9-1 finish to keep job at Georgia
Georgia coach Mark Richt is 0-2 for the first time in his career. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
ATHENS – Nobody is going to admit now what tight end Orson Charles acknowledged two weeks ago: “Our first two games will make or break our season.”
Because when a team is 0-2 after two perceived make-or-break games, players and coaches must nonetheless publicly cling to a series of improbabilities. Otherwise the rest of the season morphs into a three-month death march.
But reality is that it will take a miraculous finishing kick for the Bulldogs to have a successful season and possibly save coach Mark Richt’s job. What does that amount to? Try 9-1 in the next 10 games.
That may seem extreme. But Richt’s contract situation, the backdrop of the past two-plus seasons, the demands of coaching in the SEC, the divided fan base and a cryptic comment at a recent athletic-board meeting indicates if the Bulldogs do anything less than win the SEC East, which may take a 9-1 finish, Georgia may make a change.
Richt insisted Tuesday, “There’s not a cloud hanging over us” after losses to Boise State and South Carolina. Maybe he just hasn’t gone outside.
He said the attitude has been positive since Saturday’s 45-42 loss to South Carolina, adding, “If the game went the other way, then Georgia’s the front-runner in the East and everybody starts thinking about the positive possibilities.”
The problem being that Georgia didn’t win, and the SEC isn’t about “ifs.” The game actually just reaffirmed what many have suspected. The Dogs have talent. They can compete with most teams when they play hard and, for the most part, smart. But they seem to have forgotten how to win these kinds of games, either because of a turnover, a special-teams breakdown or a penalty.
Richt would prefer that the rest of the season not be about his job status. It’s not exactly a conducive atmosphere for wins and pep rallies. But it’s reality.
Consider:
• The contract: Richt will have two years left on an eight-year deal after this season. That’s basically death in recruiting unless Georgia extends the contract, probably by at least two to three years. To not extend the contract also would set up the extreme rarity, particularly in the SEC, of a coach potentially entering his third straight “hot seat” season and working on a contract that had not been amended since after the 2007 season (when Richt received a raise).
• The schedule: Every remaining game is winnable. To put it another way, there are no “good” losses left. Florida? Maybe. But how would Richt dropping to 2-9 against the Gators go over with athletic director Greg McGarity, school president Michael Adams and the fan base? Losing to Florida means losing tiebreakers to both the Gators and South Carolina in the East. Beating Florida could salvage division hopes, but only with a strong finish.
• The record: McGarity probably doesn’t have a specific number of wins and losses in mind. But let’s look at this logically. Going 9-1 the rest of the way means a 9-3 finish, while 8-2 means finishing 8-4. Two losses mean the Dogs probably will have lost to Florida again. And/or Georgia Tech (making Paul Johnson 2-2 in the series). Or Mississippi State (for the second straight year). Or Tennessee (to Derek Dooley).
• The backdrop: It’s significant that at a recent UGA Athletic Association meeting, board member Tommy Lawhorne stated, “There are many of us who are really concerned about the status of the football program. Yet we have confidence in Greg McGarity to get us where we want to be.” Note that he referred to McGarity and not Richt.
Winning this week over Coastal Carolina, an FCS (formerly Division I-AA) school, won’t change the important numbers. If you take out wins over FCS (Tennessee Tech, Idaho State) and Sun Belt (Louisiana-Lafayette) schools, Richt is 11-14 overall since 2009. He’s 6-10 in the past 16 SEC games and 2-10 against ranked teams. To go 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the SEC the rest of the way is possible. But it would be a stark contrast to what we’ve been witnessing.
Richt said the South Carolina game “could’ve gone either way. Did we improve tremendously? There’s no doubt about that. I left the field sick about losing but encouraged about the team.”
Improvement is good. But winning saves jobs. Richt has left himself no room for error.
By Jeff Schultz
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698 comments Add your comment
UGAKev
September 13th, 2011
11:19 pm
This almost 25 year old fan loves Richt and appreciates everything he has done for this program. But with that said he needs to go 10-0 because I can’t handle another loss to Florida and I assure you that if he goes 9-1 that one loss will likely be to the gators. If he goes 9-3 and somehow makes the SEC Championship with that record then I am sure he will stay. South Carolina is going to lose atleast 2 SEC games because they are not going to beat at Arkansas and they will lose another game like to miss st or Florida and maybe even Auburn. We just need to run the table and everything will fall into place. I am not calling for Richts job today but I sure will call for his job if we lose a game like Ole Miss or Vanderbilt coming up. GO DAWGS! Can’t wait to see IC put up 200 rushing yards this week.
Brad
September 13th, 2011
11:25 pm
Ostrich……..your right before 1968 he only avg 8 wins per season, CMR avg 10 wins per year. But pointing that out about the Bear is that like saying there is no god
?
DamntheButcher
September 13th, 2011
11:31 pm
CMR will be replaced by CUM
Mike
September 13th, 2011
11:41 pm
Hey Schultz,
Too bad you don’t have to write nine out of ten decent articles to keep your job – you’d be gone for sure. Stop trying Mark Richt in the Press. The man has enough on him as it is. We all want Richt to lead us to the Promised Land, but to the Promised Land we must go …
Seriously Folks
September 13th, 2011
11:48 pm
Rich Rod is probably the best coach that Georgia could truly rely on getting. Hiring an NFL coach is just a pipe dream. Coaches who are happy in the NFL generally don’t want to coach college ball. Who knows? Mike Leach might be available? Maybe Chris Petersen really wants to come to Athens? I dunno.
If not, Rodriguez is definitely looking for a job. He’s been a winning Head Coach and he took a job that really didn’t fit him when he went to Michigan. He was never accepted as a “true” Michigan Man there. His little scuffle with the NCAA was only for too many practice hours. He runs as clean a program as anyone else out there.
Rich Rod is a man who would appreciate a chance at redemption and would welcome the challenge of coaching in the SEC. Promoting assistant coaches works sometimes; but more often, it doesn’t. Rich Rod could put together a staff and hit the ground running. He wouldn’t need any OJT.
Georgia would be taking a chance by hiring him, but it would bring a lot of new energy and buzz to the program. On the other hand, if you stick with Richt, you pretty much know what you’ll get next year. There’s some comfort in that… I suppose.
HardTruth Soldier
September 13th, 2011
11:52 pm
How Is Richt so much the topic, and not Aaron Murray this week? Isn’t this the same young man that all the “EXPERTS” said was the best QB IN THE SEC! Why would you even think of trying to throw that ball on the last fumble? Aren’t you suppose to be experienced? This was Murray and not Richt’s fault. Next Year people will see when LeMay is ready, just hope he doesn’t do to him what he did to Shockley. Guaranteed next year Georgia plays for the National title
Ostrich
September 13th, 2011
11:53 pm
Brad
September 13th, 2011
11:25 pm
Ostrich……..your right before 1968 he only avg 8 wins per season, CMR avg 10 wins per year. But pointing that out about the Bear is that like saying there is no god
?
How many National Championships did Bear Bryant play for in the 1960’s? How many did he win?
How many National Championships has Mark Richt played for? How many undefeated seasons has he had? What is his longest win streak?
How much do you know about football? Very little.
Ostrich
September 13th, 2011
11:56 pm
BTW: A .72 win percentage does not equal “10 wins per year”.
You need to get a Nerd to check your math for you.
Fair and Balanced
September 13th, 2011
11:57 pm
Richt is done after this season. McGarity put himself in a win win situ: If Ga wins either of the first 2 games they have a good season. Lose one of them and he knows the season will be difficult. Lose 2 and firing Richt become easy.
Ostrich
September 13th, 2011
11:59 pm
And back when you weren’t even a twinkle in your milkman’s eye, college football seasons weren’t 12 games long.
Then again… that thing about how much you don’t know about football… you know?
Ostrich
September 14th, 2011
12:03 am
@Fair and Balanced
I suspect that the deal is pretty much sealed, but of course that can’t be discussed in public yet.
McGarity had a list last year, I’m sure he’s keeping it up-to-date.
WAR Dawg: CMR & the TEMPLE OF DOOM !!!
September 14th, 2011
12:11 am
POP QUIZ !
What is most related to the demise of Georgia football program ? Please choose one answer only.
(A) Delusional, Dumb Richtfans,
(B) Dawgs consistently losing to Florida.
(C) Searching for & finding moral victories after losses.
(D) All of the above.
(E) Watching Mark Richt as College Gameday sports analyst next football season.
LOL !!!! Go Dawgs !!
Jimmy
September 14th, 2011
12:14 am
I don’t know if 9-1 will do it. It will take 9-1 with solid play. If the team looks clueless…if they squeak by against teams they should blow out…if they look bad in the one loss…Richt is gone. With this schedule and with Florida and Tennessee being down, Georgia needs to look solid.
The team looked better against SC, but made too many mistakes. The O line is struggling with consistent pass blocking. And the play calling reminds me of some kid playing a video game. I can run up the middle on 3rd and eleven to get a first down. In real life…that is tough to do. If these problems persist, I don’t see how Richt keeps his job. Continued uncertainty about Richt’s future will start to hurt recruiting. This season is the one to deal with this problem.
Ostrich
September 14th, 2011
12:20 am
Perception is reality. Even if every sportswriter swore off of writing anything that could possibly be construed as negative coverage of UGA football, the world outside of DawgLand still sees a losing program when they look at Georgia.
Last season was the one to deal with the problem. Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over by standing still.
really?
September 14th, 2011
12:30 am
Pitbull – you are one of the delusional fans if you REALLY think that the UGA job is much more desirable than the Bama job. Do you really think Saban would have chosen UGA over Bama? NO. Look at the folks who turned down the HC offer before MR took it – who had NO HC experience before and was in BB’s shadow at FSU for many years.
Ostrich
September 14th, 2011
12:33 am
Rich Rod would be a step up.
Stanco
September 14th, 2011
12:37 am
He needs to go 13-0 the rest of the year…….ohhhh wait a minute, that isn’t possible, nor is it possible CMR keeps his job. It all starts at the top, and with the mental mistakes, poor play, unspirited play, losing more in-state top recruits to out of state schools and a 3 year decline in the program……CMR is coaching his last season at UGA. Combine those with his selection of assistant coaches and his reluctancy to make coaching changes when needed, and you have a recipe for the “perfect storm”! I really question if he has the desire and drive he had the first 5 years at UGA.
Do you see well coached teams (AL, AU, SC, Florida State again, Florida under CUM and even Boise State) making the mistakes, mental lapses, penalities, blunders, fumbles, lack of physical conditioning, poor offense play calling (since CMR turned that over to Bobo) that UGA has consistently made the last 3 or 4 years? Another thing working against CMR is that head coach quality in the SEC is much higher than when CMR was hired at UGA. I wish it wasn’t so, but our record is defintely the results of our head coach…….
MAD Dawg: Is UGA taking HC applications already ?
September 14th, 2011
12:41 am
Do we really want RichRod as head coach at UGA ? That’s pressing the panic button. I know we want to run the ball at Georgia, but as I remember RichRod’s spread option offense at Michigan kind of resembled Paul Johnson’s Tech and Navy option offensive attacks. It didn’t work because it was not traditional Wolverine football. We really don’t want a Tech-like offense here at Georgia,because you will have to pass at time in the SEC. As we all know Tech doesn’t really want to pass, because Tech can’t pass and they get away with only running in the ACC. Howevert the option attack has roots in traditional UGA football back in the mid 70s with Ray Goff as the Dawg QB who ran the ball every play, but it was pretty much abandoned for a true power pro style run offense with the emergence of all-time UGA running back, Herschel Walker in the early 80s. Back to RichRod, I think he and his offense would be a better fit in the ACC with Clemson.
mansup
September 14th, 2011
12:48 am
Some of you guys act as if UGA never lost in the past. Typically, they ALWAYS lose some games. And they would lose more if they played AL, LSU, and Arkansas more often….I mean KY and Vandy are good for 2 wins every year, right? And then if TN’s program had not gone in the dumper….. Mark Richt is a good coach, and he represents UGA well. They will have a good season and go to a mid level bowl AS USUAL!
MAD Dawg: Is UGA taking HC applications already ?
September 14th, 2011
12:49 am
Most UGA fans feel the Georgia job is one of the best in the nation. It is highly coveted and it is more desirable than the Bama job because there are no unrealistic expectations or constant Paul “Bear” Bryant comparisions and shadows to dwell in. Believe it the Georgia job is better than the Bama job ! Of course I’m biased, what would you expect a die-hard Dawg to say !!
Red Dog 77
September 14th, 2011
12:50 am
Reading Shultz, and the subsequent posts bothers me alot more than anything Coach Mark Richt has or hasn’t done………….Pathetic!………..Looks like we will be in the same boat as Tenn. after Fulmer…….or the seven years at Alabama before Saban or for crying out loud! heaven forbid! Georgia Tech!!!!…………Yup, that’s where you guys want to take us, looks like you’re the majority, I guess……..so be it……….but it’ll be a looooong, sad time before the DOGS will bite again………..RED
trouble
September 14th, 2011
1:15 am
Got to love how people compare coaches from the 60’s and 70’s to todays coaches. The funniest thing is comparing wins per season. Just in case no one noticed, the number of games played in a season is 2 more now and possibly 3 more if your conference plays a championship game. In the 60’s teams would play a 10 game schedule, sometimes 11 and a bowl game. Now 12 is the rule and 11 was the number for many many years while adding a bowl game.
So please do not compare a Vince Dooley, Bear Bryant, Shug Jordon, Gen. Neyland with a Mark Richt who lived his first 4 years off of players that Donnan recruited, signed or turned into Bulldawgs before they had even graduated from High School making the process very easy for Mark Richt to bring them aboard to UGA.
trouble
September 14th, 2011
1:24 am
1996
Georgia
5–6 3–5 T–4th (East)
1997
Georgia
10–2 6–2 T–2nd (East) W Outback
10 10
1998
Georgia
9–3 6–2 3rd (East) W Peach
14 14
1999
Georgia
8–4 5–3 3rd (East) W Outback
16 16
2000
Georgia
8–4 5–3 T–2nd (East) W Oahu
17 20
Georgia: 40–19 25–15
2007
Georgia
11–2 6–2 T–1st (East) W Sugar †
2008
Georgia
10–3 6–2 2nd (East) W Capital One
2009
Georgia
8–5 4–4 T–2nd (East) W Independence
2010
Georgia
6–7 3–5 T–3rd (East) L Liberty
2011
Georgia
0–2 0–1 (East)
Georgia: 96–36 53–28
Lets compare the last 5 years of Donnan and the last 5 years of Richt. Anyone notice anything that might even separate these two coaches? Little to nothing with the exception Donnan had his losing season early with another coaches players and Mark was able to capitolize on the cubbard being full when JD was dumped.
The numbers are pretty darn close and we all know what happened to JD.
Aaron Murray
September 14th, 2011
2:42 am
Coach Bozo want let me play my game, that’s why I freeze up every time i’m in the pocket! I’m a gunslinger baby ! And Bozo want let me sling it! Get me out on the edge and I am DANGEROUS!
C Dawg
September 14th, 2011
4:17 am
Stop all of the negative talk already! Every team has down years. All of the negative people have forgot how the dawgs won a lot of games under Richt in the past. All of the negative talk is hurting recruiting. Sure, I would like to have more wins the last couple of years. Watch the rest of the season before hating on our coach.
Notso FAst
September 14th, 2011
4:55 am
It takes a while but when the AJC turns against you they don’t let up. This is a very good article and I think is probably right. What Coach R needs now is to give him the rest of the season to fight for the 9 and 1 without the paper and fans making it harder than it is already. He deserves that.
TV Dog
September 14th, 2011
5:22 am
Richt has 2 SEC titles. If he wins 8 or 9 he should keep his job. The team is young and will be better in 2012.
Just the facts here!
September 14th, 2011
5:53 am
When all of Jim Doanans recruits left Georgia C.M.R. well ….just look at his record.
C.M.R. is a great man . He is geting paid to win football games .
Thomas Brown
September 14th, 2011
5:58 am
I-A Wins 2006-2011 ( 6 Seasons )
1. Boise State 63 wins
2. Florida 58 wins
3. Texas Christian 56 wins
4. Oklahoma 56 wins
5. Virginia Tech 54 wins
6. LSU 53 wins
7. Southern California 53 wins
8. BYU 52 wins
9. Texas 52 wins
10. Utah 52 wins
11. West Virginia 51 wins
12. Wisconsin 51 wins
13. Missouri 50 wins
14. Oregon 49 wins
15. Auburn 49 wins
16. Penn State 48 wins
17. Hawaii 48 wins
18. Boston College 47 wins
19. Cincinnati 47 wins
20. Texas Tech 47 wins
21. Navy 46 wins
22. Ohio State 46 wins I thought they are supposed to be great ?
23. Tulsa 45 wins
24. Oklahoma State 45 wins
25. Nebraska 45 wins
26. South Florida 44 wins
27. Nevada-Reno 44 wins
28. Georgia Tech 44 wins – outside Top 25 over these last 6 seasons now
29. Georgia Bulldogs 44 wins 2006-2011 – six (6) seasons
Paddy
September 14th, 2011
6:12 am
lakeoconeedawg…….you don’t need a daily newspaper to read, you need to read comic books if you only want good news! WOW
comment
September 14th, 2011
6:13 am
Georgia football is so boring. Mistakes, excuses, players always getting hurt====come on man—————————-what, did they have a clause in Richt’s contract stating UGA would become a three ring circus? Winning is the only thing that matters, regardless of what some of these people say=======because when you lose ——————you are done. Dream team? You have got to be kidding.
Thomas Brown
September 14th, 2011
6:32 am
There is good news, here somewhere, Paddy ?
Buckeye
September 14th, 2011
6:47 am
One more loss will keep you dogs in the
Other Receving Votes category in the poll
However, as you only received TWO votes in the latest USA Coaches, you may fall out of that category as well.
You will fall into the abyss.
TIME OUT!
TIME OUT!
TIME OUT!
Buckeye
September 14th, 2011
6:49 am
dogs,
Be happy going 9-3, 8-4, 7-5, 6-6 or even
6-7!
It’s what you are, it’s what you do.
Buckeye
September 14th, 2011
6:50 am
dogs,
Be happy going the Liberty Bowl. Just get the damn plaques right this time.
» Blog Archive » UGA football notes: Dogs upbeat despite their 0-2 start – Online Athens
September 14th, 2011
6:59 am
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Buckeye
September 14th, 2011
7:05 am
Boise busted? I though it was just us and Miami?
Maybe they will vacate the win over you dogs!
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The NCAA placed Boise State on probation for three years and imposed other sanctions Tuesday for major violations by the football program and other sports.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/ncaa/09/13/boise-state-sanctions.ap/index.html#ixzz1XvKblCPW
dawgs smell
September 14th, 2011
7:18 am
meh – Keep dreaming.
George P
September 14th, 2011
7:19 am
As a Tech fan, I would love to see Richt fired.
After watching the game against South Carolina, though, I think Georgia will do fine. The team is good and the coaching is good.
If Murray hadn’t tried to get rid of the ball on that last fumble Georgia would have won, It was a bad decision, but he was trying to help the team. We all make mistakes, and I don’t think Murray will be making that one again.
As much as I would like to see Georgia crash and burn this year, I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Give me a break
September 14th, 2011
7:20 am
Leave the man alone. Is a long season. At least wait after the season is over before throwing him into the lions. Schultz you need to write a better column by Oct. or you will have to go to the unemployment office.
Dogs Young
September 14th, 2011
7:20 am
this is a young team. In 2012, with the dream team recruits having more experience, the Dogs can win the SEC east–book it!
Ostrich
September 14th, 2011
7:22 am
@George P
As much as I would like to believe that you really are a Tech fan and not another CMR apologist, I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Ostrich
September 14th, 2011
7:26 am
@Dogs Young
Too bad you don’t have an established coaching staff in place. If you did, then they would have recruited adequate new players prior to 2010 so you wouldn’t be stuck playing inexperienced Freshmen this year.
Oh, wait… Never mind.
dawgs smell
September 14th, 2011
7:27 am
MAD Dawg: Is UGA taking HC applications already ? Unrealistic expectations? really ? Every year your expectations are a pipe dream. Bama has real tradition, Georgia has 1980 and speaking of gift wrapping as many of you claim you did for SC that 1980 NC was gift wrapped for you when a DB fell down and Buck “Homer” Blew completed that last minute TD. Typical “Homer”
KELLEN MOORE
September 14th, 2011
7:28 am
glad i could help
Buzz Lightyear
September 14th, 2011
7:29 am
Yeah, I got polled regarding my support for CMR. I told them I was behind him 100%.
Of course, I didn’t bother to tell them I was a Tech fan!
Jaydawg
September 14th, 2011
7:32 am
The only productive beating the team could currently administer would jeopardize any pro dreams by causing blindness!At least thats what granny always told us.By the way, do the referees from last years LSU game still have jobs?
JB
September 14th, 2011
7:33 am
If needed, coach’s NOT coming or asked to come
1. Meyer. Fla. loyalist, hated Gerogia, doesn’t need the money, look for him at Ohio St.
2. Gruden…pipe dream. a gamble besides. looks like he would bored real quick
3. Leach…Never. Not Georgia’s kind of man.
4. Peterson. might get a call….but then again. he hears from everybody. If he wants an upgrade, it’ll be a PAC school.
5.Patterson at TCU. Probably high on the list. solid, respectable, wins a lot with less.
6. Kirby at Bama and a Georgia boy. Ace in the hole hire if top of list guys turn McGarity down.
7. Wildcard:___________________ who knows??????
GR82BAG8R
September 14th, 2011
7:35 am
Rest of SEC to Steve Spurrier, discussing status of UGA football:
“I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve…”
It would not surprise me to see UGA win out…they have the talent.
JB
September 14th, 2011
7:37 am
dawgs smell…unrealistic?….. No bricks thrown in Richt’s window and we haven’t killed any trees.and go read some old Tech post of Gaily’s last year.