Ending Dogs’ drought against Florida starts between ears
Mark Richt and Dogs celebrated after 2004 win over Florida, but celebrations have been few.
ATHENS – It was the Tuesday of Florida week, and Mark Richt took the expected route for a coach who has been on the losing end of too many of these things. Downplay the history. Downplay the emotions. Downplay any suggestions that the other team is in Georgia’s heads.
Like that first play of the game last year when Aaron Murray threw an interception to Janoris Jenkins? It wasn’t about Murray being overcome by the moment, Richt said. “I think it has a lot more to do with the fact [Florida] just played well. A guy breaks on the ball and he makes a play. I don’t think it had anything to do with emotion. It’s more of an execution issue, really.”
Here’s the problem with execution issues: An athlete’s body parts can do only what the head tells them to, and sometimes there are all of these things that get in the way. Nerves. Atmosphere. Confidence. The general dread of, “We’ve been here before.”
This was Murray’s answer to the same question Richt was asked: “There were definitely a lot of nerves, a lot of jitters, and I definitely didn’t start out the way I wanted to.”
Georgia plays Florida again Saturday. A case could be made that this is the most important game in the series during the Richt era. There are potential ramifications for both this season (SEC East race) and the big picture. Theoretically, the Bulldogs could lose to Florida and still win the East. (Richt: “This wouldn’t bury us, the way things are happening in this league. It wouldn’t count us out, [but winning] it wouldn’t count us in.”)
But a loss would drop Richt to 2-9 against Florida. That would be a difficult thing to sell to the administration after this season, especially since the Gators carry a three-game losing streak into this game for the second consecutive year (and won last season 34-31).
Richt must win this game. The Florida game is simply that important to the season and to the program. Florida matters more. It follows that it has caused the most misery.
The numbers are dizzying: three consecutive losses, 11 of 13, 18 of 21.
Vince Dooley went 17-7-1. His 25-game winning percentage: .700. Since then, Ray Goff (1-6), Donnan (1-4) and Richt (2-8) have gone 4-18. Their 22-game percentage: .182.
How can players and coaches not think of that history, even if they weren’t here for most of it?
Some players weren’t even born yet. Murray? He actually was born Nov. 10, 1990 — the day Steve Spurrier’s Gators tortured Goff’s Dogs, 38-7. That’s when this 21-game stretch started. So it’s all Murray’s fault.
When one signature program loses 18 of 21 games to another, it’s not just about talent. At some point, it’s between the ears.
Georgia’s starting quarterbacks in the past three meetings have thrown nine interceptions. Florida’s, one. The Dogs have committed 12 turnovers. Florida, one.
That not about athleticism. That’s one team being calm and the other having a meltdown.
Richt has tried different ways to prepare his players. Twice, he brought in former players and coaches who had previous success against the Gators to speak to the team during the bye week.
“One year we won, one year we lost,” he said. “I think we might be better off just focusing the things that truly matter: What’s your job? What’s your assignment? What are you going to do if this happens? When we get there, I don’t think we’ll have any problem with emotions.”
Easier said than done. Defensive back Sanders Commings said, “It’s hard not to get caught up” in the hype and surroundings. Early in last year’s game, Florida’s Trey Burton fumbled at Gators’ 14-yard-line. Commings had a chance to fall on the ball. Instead, he tried to pick it up and run for a touchdown. But he failed, and the Gators kept possession, eventually driving 91 yards for their first touchdown.
“It was early, but it could’ve changed the game,” Commings said. “Next time I’ll just fall on the ball.”
That’s the way it has gone for most of the past 21 years. Richt made history in Athens, winning two SEC titles early in his tenure. But this is one part of history he hasn’t been able to change. And as much as he wants to try to play this off as being just another game, it isn’t.
By Jeff Schultz
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347 comments Add your comment
perk
October 25th, 2011
10:17 pm
sold my tickets – the prospect of driving home again on sunday pi$$$$ed off again was too much. simply said ~ CMR HAS to win saturday. HIt the nail on the head on this one Jeff.
Russ_TTM Fan
October 25th, 2011
10:18 pm
JD,
There is no evidence to support your theory.
JD
October 25th, 2011
10:24 pm
Russ_TTM Fan, I went back and looked FL had 2 weeks off prior to the GA game from 2000 to this year except for 2007, 2008 and 2009 or the last 9 out of 12 years. I did not look back past 2000 but I am positive the pattern holds.
kybodawg
October 25th, 2011
10:26 pm
like keith jackson used to say whoooooa nellie. go dawgs just relax and have some fun.
» Blog Archive » Ending Dogs’ drought against Florida starts between ears – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
October 25th, 2011
10:26 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
benchwarmer
October 25th, 2011
10:50 pm
Richt is well passed deserving to lose thie job. He has not sucessfully coached a team in several years. One more Florida loss will seal his dome.
Red
October 25th, 2011
10:59 pm
STOP PLAYING SCARED!!!
Chuck
October 25th, 2011
11:11 pm
Don’t count on seeing anything like this in November – Schultz pummels UGA all about the head and face with their record against the Gators, but will take a much softer stance WRT the UGA/GT series.
But it stands to reason, he is at heart a Tech fan, and is incapable of putting aside his hatred of all things red and black.
Mountain Dawg
October 25th, 2011
11:11 pm
I sure hope the Dawgs sign a fullback sometime this decade. Has Figgins carried the ball yet? Has he caught a pass? Has a pass been thrown his way? Has he even been in a game?
Troll Power Ratings
October 25th, 2011
11:12 pm
@benchwarmer: Incredibly insightful and well written post. Drink one more beer and try again.
wenchbarmer
October 25th, 2011
11:18 pm
huh?
Chuck
October 25th, 2011
11:21 pm
Ace: “Richt has been a top 5 recruiter at UGA nationally, it’s not talent. And Richt wins most games against other quality coaches/teams, just doesn’t know how to fix the Florida losing thing.”
Actually, Ace, this is not true – Florida has had much more recruiting success than UGA under Richt.
Chuck
October 25th, 2011
11:26 pm
JD – the SEC’s own special Jacksonville Ambush has actually been in place since the Mid 90’s; of course most of those years they had better talent anyway and would have beaten us anyway, but the SEC definitely has done us no favors over the past 20 years in Jacksonville.
Youngsters...
October 26th, 2011
12:04 am
Leonard’s Loser…nice job, and fond memories. We miss Mr Postoastie here in Athens.
The kids in the bunch don’t remember that before Florida won 18 of 21, we won 17 of 24. That’s why it’s called a RIVALRY. Time to turn it in our favor for awhile, though. That we agree on, for sure.
One thing bothers me, and has for several years now…why do we seem to not have much ‘football smarts’? Case in point, the punt we blocked vs Vandy, I think it was, may have been Tenn. The ball is rolling around toward the sideline, and instead of falling on it or trying to pick it up, our player just stood there waiting for it to stop, as if it were not a live ball….against Vandy, we get yet another
illegal substitution penalty, and this one coming out of a time out. How hard is it for the staff to coach these things? I truly cannot remember a Saban, Meyer, or even a Miles coached team having more than one a year. We seem to have them every week. Why?
Brainiac(Dawg for life)(Richt fan for life)
October 26th, 2011
12:04 am
What part of CMR has a better won-loss record than any active coach in the SEC do you trailer dwellers not understand?(Yes that includes Saban and Miles) Urban Myer was the ONLY SEC coach who had a winning record against CMR. Not only that but CMR is the epitome of being a good person and a class act who will never lead us into the types of infractions such as those at Ohio State, etc
Benchwarmer: Richt will still be coachung at UGA when your grandkids get to UGA if he wants,
Russ TTM Fan: You make a damn poor detective(Florida or Tech fan) I have been a Dawg fan since Wally Butts was a teenager.and my “name” shouldn’t concern you. That name you use is a real winner, Now that Ace has cooled off and backed away I see you appear to be getting you some of that “Schultzie Sugar” Russ TTM fan = Dumba$$ You couldn’t find your a$$ with both hands in your hip pockets.(You started it by criticizing my excellent poetic aspirations and Schultzie said “irritating” folks was the prime purpose of this blog) How am I doing? As soon as I get over the AJC’s crusade to blame the James Franklin fiasco on CTG I will apologize to ALL you wonderful people that I irritated. Go DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jb
October 26th, 2011
12:09 am
It’s mental and Jax has become too much of an ‘away’ mentality. Switch it back to alternating home games until order is restored
James Adams
October 26th, 2011
12:46 am
Penn Wagers or Thomas Ritter. Two complete doofuses as officials. Only rivaled, ne surpassed in their dumba$$ery by Ron Cherry. If you’ve ever gambled on an ACC game, you know who this buffoon is. His and Thomas Ritters’ crews can’t keep their flags in their pockets.
A-Ville Ranger
October 26th, 2011
2:42 am
If only Richt had decided concentrating on FOOTBALL and not trying to find the next motivational ploy was the best approach to this game years ago. This program lost it’s mojo when Meyer said he would make us pay for ”the celebration” then crushed us. There is no way out except to play better football than UF and not panic.
cmdawg99
October 26th, 2011
3:50 am
I hope Verny Lunquist isn’t calling the game. His comments are aweful. It’s Verny’s fault.
Hairy Dawg
October 26th, 2011
4:18 am
I can’t waits for Sat when we unloading the whooping can on the half dead Gaytors. We goning put a beat down on that fatso loud motuh Wies and unloyal Muschumps. Muschumps deserve what he gets as loser lizard for traitoring on Dawgs. Now we shows them how a real team beats pretenders with stinky players, sorry coaches and bad fans. Dawgs will display talent and blows out Gaytors that gone back to Zooking with Muschumps replacing Hot Dog Oscar Myers. Now is our turns to party down and back in Jax from winning game and SEC East.
Go Dawgs!
Columbus
October 26th, 2011
4:24 am
Another negative UGA article from Schultz or Bradley. What a shock! Here something for you Schultz, UGA beats Florida in 2011. Who else has Florida owned in the last 21 years? All SEC teams dont get the pleasure of playing one of the best programs year after year after year, every season. Florida was awesome with Spurrier coaching. Dooley wouldnt have done any better. Florida was NOTHING when Dooley coached cornhole. Then they were down some until Tebow showed up. Now they are good but very beatable with Brantley and without him, they are toast come Saturday. Murray will play the best game of the year. UGA will have no more than one turnover. This is UGA’s year Schultz. I am sure after they beat Florida you will focus on any negative you can dream up. All that matters is the W when you are playing an SEC team. Style points dont matter when you are rebuilding especially. You need to be rebuilding because the only thing you have written that was good lately, is your weekly column with your predictions. Predict this, UGA beats Florida this Saturday. UGA wins the SEC in 2012 and 2013. Schultz gets fired for not knowing what the hell he has been talking about. Missing the forest for the trees and steadily bad-mouthing the most beloved team in the state bar none. I rebuke all your negative comments from over the last 12 months and I speak victory. growth and maturity over the UGA football team and wisdom to all the coaches. It must suck to be a UGA player or coach and read the AJC if Bradley or Schultz are doing the writing. Talk about unbalanced and overly critical and negative. The biggest game of the year and you just do your best to dampen the atmosphere. You better focus your negativity and criticism on Tech, their season is about to crash harder than the Braves and Red Sox! UGA is on the rise!
The Dawg has turned! Lookout Florida, Auburn and Tech!
EVERYBODY LOOKOUT IN 2012 AND 2013 AND BEYOND! IT IS THE DECADE OF THE DAWG BABY! THE UGA DAWGS!
P.s…..Donnan wasnt good with donors and boosters and crap like that. That was his downfall more than his coaching….He want a bad coach but he wasnt any good at beating Florida either. Richt should be 4-4 against them truthfully. Turnovers killed us in the last 3 or UGA would have won one 2 of the 3…..Donnans and Goffs were mostly blowouts. They sucked when Dooley coached. It was a win every year just about. They were not a top team in the SEC, much less the nation when Dooley coached.
17 of 20
October 26th, 2011
4:58 am
Come Saturday night Murray will be half way there to joining Eric Zeier in the 0 for 4 club against the Gators.
Columbus
October 26th, 2011
5:00 am
To all the ignorant and/or wet-behind-the -ears and/or football stupid UGA fans:
Mark Richt will be coaching at UGA come 2025 if he wants to! This program is on the rise. Look at all the true freshman playing GREAT THIS year? Look how good they will be next year and the next year and the next year?
All you Richt haters are gonna be hatin life when he is still coaching winning SEC championships!
You jokers know absolutely NOTHING about football. Sit back and learn somethign from your elders! Try to get coach fired and you are all clueless! Unless Miles or Saban is coming to UGA, anybody else would be a downgrade! Including Boise St.’s coach. After a year or two, they would just be mediocre in the SEC because they would be figured out. Just like Tech….figured out and when it comes time to play a mediocre team, they will go down…especially on the road…huh Tech?
Morons…..! ! ! Go smoke some more. Go Dawgs! Go Richt! Keep showing these losers for the idiots they are!
Will the Cocks lose this week? We know they will lose next week. If they lost this week, it will make a memorable week for the Dawgs….Beating Florida and taking over the East….!
Columbus
October 26th, 2011
5:00 am
Will the Cocks lose this week? We know they will lose next week. If they lost this week, it will make a memorable week for the Dawgs….Beating Florida and taking over the East….!
TheTruthHurts
October 26th, 2011
5:06 am
You can bet one thing. If Muschamp loses 3 or 4 in a row to Richt, he won’t be hanging around FL long. Just the opposite for Richt. He loses 8 out of 10 to FL and he is still hanging around. What does that tell you about the difference in the programs? FL won’t tolerate a loser but UGA will. Just ask Zook.
Thomas Brown
October 26th, 2011
6:05 am
It’s is certainly Aaron Murray’s fault that we Lost last year. Should have been a 6-Loss Florida team, who featured the # 82 NCAA Total Offense. Florida has not had a worse football team until you go all the way back to 1987. Aaron Murray had 2 fumbles and lost 1 of the 2 fumbles against Florida, threw the football 37 times and ran the ball 8 times for an average of 2 yards a carry including his 3 sacks for minus 21 yards, and Aaron Murray threw 3 interceptions, including the most costly interception – the last 1 to Florida in overtime. It cost us the game against a Florida team you have to go back 23 years to find a worse team for Florida.
Cardinals’ Pujols has power to make in-game calls – Atlanta Journal Constitution
October 26th, 2011
6:23 am
[...] Ending Dogs’ drought against Florida starts between ears [...]
Gatorman
October 26th, 2011
6:33 am
HA,HA HA. GEORGIA IS 4-18 WITH FL. WILL SOON BE 4-19 HA,HA,
Mizzou will be in the West
October 26th, 2011
7:32 am
No way Missouri plays in the East. Auburn will move over and the West will absorb both new SEC members. It makes no sense geographically putting Mizzou in the East, and the SEC has been consistent with their alignment from the start. Two new patsies for the West, and the East will pick up a quality opponent.
Thomas Brown
October 26th, 2011
7:36 am
NCAA federally mandated graduation success rates are out. Georgia tek men’s basketball 27 percent; UGA men’s basketball 43 percent. Georgia tek football 55 percent; UGA football 65 percent. Georgia tek women’s basketball 73 percent; UGA women’s basketball 77 percent. Overall all sports, Georgia tek 77 percent; overall all sports UGA 79 percent.
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/newmedia/public/rates/index.html
Georgia tek, currently on PROBATION back-to-back repeat offenders, also loses in all these sports to UGA. And, Georgia tek posters run in here in the sports blogs to brag about being # 37 national university. We’re # 37 We’re # 37
chazzo
October 26th, 2011
7:40 am
If Georgia goes out and plays like they can without the personal fouls, late hits, and smack talking, if Georgia can simply execute and play solid football, they should win this game. That is all there is to say.
All this talk about stats and how important the game is and bringing players in and uniforms and celebrations…. It’s all a lot of hooey. The Dawgs just need to play their best from start to finish and execute, and this game is in the bag.
Ron Zook
October 26th, 2011
7:41 am
Run me down all you want but Urban won with my recruits and QUIT when it was clear he couldn’t recruit the South. And I beat UGA , too. I just couldn’t beat anyone else.
Fair and Balanced
October 26th, 2011
7:44 am
If we lose to FL we will lose at least 1 more game and go 8-4 at best. If that other loss is to Tech, CMR is done n dusted. Improvement to 8-4 is not enough….especially with this schedule.
dcb
October 26th, 2011
7:46 am
Love Schultz’s op-ed piece here ….. not intended to put pressure on Richt at all, right Jeff? What a crock. Give the guy a break.
Russ_TTM Fan
October 26th, 2011
7:55 am
JD
October 25th, 2011
10:24 pm
“Russ_TTM Fan, I went back and looked FL had 2 weeks off prior to the GA game from 2000 to this year except for 2007, 2008 and 2009 or the last 9 out of 12 years. I did not look back past 2000 but I am positive the pattern holds.”
I don’t doubt that you are selectively finding a “pattern”. Forget Florida and look at how Georgia has historically performed after a bye week. It doesn’t always help them. Why would the bye week selectively favor only Florida?
Selective sampling of historical data only adds to the Athens Delusion Syndrome. After your near loss to Vandy, many Georgia fans were quick to point out that Georgia finished well the last time they lost to Vandy. That’s called “grasping at straws”.
Brainiac, you’re a doofus. Unless your intention is to embarrass the Bulldog Nation, then you are a massive fail.
Nativebird
October 26th, 2011
8:05 am
Mabye CMR should again openly and admittedly order his players to violate game rules by leaving the bench and dancing on the field? or said another way…endorse cheating.
It’s not the players, nor their heads. Florida has had better leadership….period. and still does.
Football Fan
October 26th, 2011
8:10 am
Good article Jeff. The stat’s tell the story. You’re right. Florida has had our number. We were the better team on the field last year and we still lost. (actually I give a lot of credit to the game day coaching by Urban Meyer for last years win. Their offense was not very good, but he tinkered with it enough to engineer a win.) And I’m not blaming CMR. UGA can win this game. Stay the course and stick to the things that have been progressively getting better each week on both sides of the ball.
Joey
October 26th, 2011
8:11 am
“When one signature program loses 18 of 21 games to another, it’s not just about talent. At some point, it’s between the ears.”
*************************************
Or maybe the caliber of the coaching staffs involved?
Russ_TTM Fan
October 26th, 2011
8:19 am
What is the definition of a “signature program”? Hell, even Ole Miss can sign their names.
mcdaviddawg
October 26th, 2011
8:27 am
If the admin is interested in a successful football program with mucho fans and mucho $, than the decision to rid us of Richt should have been already made with out without a Florida victory. Richt is like desease, this constant he’s such a good person. For the millions we pay him the defense should be he’s a good coach, but apparantly he doesn’t want to dirty his hands actually coachin. Fire Richt, save the program.
Mike
October 26th, 2011
8:28 am
It’s a little bit of all the above when it comes down to FL. Dawgs just have trouble getting over the hump. Between the ears??? maybe. Here’s hoping that this is the start of a new era for the beloved dawgs! Leonard’s Losers was great! Hope he prediction comes very true!! Go Dawgs!
papadawg
October 26th, 2011
8:34 am
Donnan was fired because he stepped on the wrong Alumnis toes not just a football record
Joey
October 26th, 2011
8:38 am
I think I liked the UGA-topic blogs a couple weeks back when Tech was winning.
The Techies were all in good moods, contemplating 14-0, and almost nice in their putdowns of us.
Now, they are downright NASTY again.
DePort
October 26th, 2011
8:38 am
So UGA should not win the East and should not go play LSU or Alabama because we are scared?… Come on now … Hell lets just not play the rest of the year… since we all know how this season is going to turn out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
papadawg
October 26th, 2011
8:38 am
I played all knids of sports on good and really good teams and there was ALWAYS one team who gave us fits no matter how much better we were. It happens in all sports to all teams. Whats the old saying about the game being 90% mental and 50% talent. Numbers don’t add up but they kinda do.
Joey
October 26th, 2011
8:40 am
“And Richt wins most games against other quality coaches/teams,”
********************************
Chuck, you been in a 36-month coma?
Gatormeat
October 26th, 2011
8:42 am
I applaud the AJC writers for not being homers and telling the truth about georgias sorry football program. There is no dount Florida wins Saturday, easily, and it will be so long richt. It does not matter who your coach is, this series belongs to us
CRO-MAGNON MAN
October 26th, 2011
8:42 am
WE HAVE THE BEST TALENT IN THE HISTORY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL….SCULTZIE IS A GURU ON THESE MATTERS, SO TRUST HIM…ALL OF OUR GUYS ARE NFL BOUND HALL OF FAMERS….HE WRITES ONE OF THESE EVERY TIME HE GETS A CHANCE TO PUT THE ONUS ON THE COACHES…TALENT AT UGA IS MEDIOCRE AT BEST…WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND THE LEAGUE, RANK UGA’S TALENT….HE WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE THAT ITS ONLY COACHING….PAUL AT TECH IS A FINE COACH, BUT TALENT LEVEL HAS SORT OF GOTTEN HIM LATELY ALSO….NO FULLBACK GAME THIS YEAR…..
CRO-MAGNON MAN
October 26th, 2011
8:49 am
WHAT COACH IN HIS RIGHT MIND WHO WOULD READ ONE OF THESE BLOGS WOULD WANT TO COME COACH THE DOGS?? WITHOUT AN INDOOR PRACTICE FACILITY AND A PRESIDENT WITH A BIG EGO CALLING THE SHOTS, IT IS NOT NEARLY AS DESIRABLE A JOB AS THEY WOULD HAVE YOU THINK…IF WE PUT AN INDOOR FACILITY IN, IT MIGHT HURT THE AESTHETICS OF THE BUTTS MEHRE BUILDING….IMAGINE THAT….DO YOU THINK AT ALABAMA THEY WOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT AESTHETICS OR GETTING THE COACH WHAT HE NEEDED TO RECRUIT AND WIN…..ANYONE WHO KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT FOOTBALL WILL TELL YOU THAT THE OFFENSIVE LINE RECRUITING AND TAILBACKS GOING OVER THE WALL HAS HAMSTRUNG THE OFFENSE…..DEFENSIVELY, IT SEEMS TO BE COMING TOGETHER IF WE CAN GET OVER ALL THESE INJURIES AND GET SOME PEOPLE BACK…I WILL BE BACKING THE DOGS SATURDAY, AND HOPE THEY PLAY WELL….TALENT STANDS OUT, LIKE THE RECEIVER AT CLEMSON…DON’T REMEMBER SEEING ANY OF THOSE KIND OF WOW PLAYS AT UGA LATELY….
Mike
October 26th, 2011
8:51 am
Jeff, you’re an idiot and always down on our local teams. Why don’t you go away and leave us aqlone?