Richt: It’s ‘sickening’ how close Dogs were
Coach Mark Richt said today that he discussed last Saturday’s controversial unnecessary roughness call on safety Reshad Jones with SEC head of officials Rogers Reddding, not so much because it was a bad call (which Richt thinks it was) but because he wanted to be able to coach Jones about “what he can do” on such plays in the future.
“I spent a lot of time on that,” Richt told the UGA Alumni Association’s Bulldog Breakfast Club gathering at the Tate Center in Athens. “I can’t tell you how many times I watched the film” on the play.
Richt said Redding explained to him that the new NCAA rule forbids the defender to lead with the helmet, leave his feet to launch himself like a missile or hit above the shoulders.
“Everything Reshad did was within the rule,” Richt said, but unfortunately the Oklahoma State receiver ducked his head down as he was hit in the chest, making the Big 12 officials calling the game believe it was a helmet-to-helmet blow. “It happened so fast,” Richt said. “And it was a devastating hit,” but “I didn’t agree with [the call].”
Richt did note with a laugh that earlier in the game an OSU player led with his helmet in hitting the Dogs’ Shaun Chapas “but for some reason the Big 12 boys waved it off.”
Richt greeted the crowd of a couple of hundred UGA alums and guests by noting ruefully, “Usually when we do this breakfast, we’re undefeated.”
But, he said, “we did play a very good team, a team that’s now ranked No. 5. Of course, they’re ranked No. 5 because they beat us.”
Richt said the loss to the Cowboys is not one the Dogs should be ashamed of because “we were really close to making things 180 degrees different,” citing the block in the back that negated a big punt return, Richard Samuel being tripped up on what looked to be a touchdown run and Darryl Gamble dropping what should have been an interception. “It was kind of sickening how close it was and [yet] we didn’t get it done.”
The lesson for his players? “Little things are so crucial.”
Still, he said, sounding like his mentor Bobby Bowden, “I thought our defense played pretty dadgum good.”
Plus, he said, “at least we have some experience under our belts. If we’d played a team that wasn’t as much of a challenge, we might not have learned some of the things about our team that we learned.”
The coach quickly addressed what he called the “hot rumor” that circulated this week that Logan Gray would start at quarterback in place of Joe Cox against South Carolina, repeating the joke he used in his Thursday media briefing by first saying, “That’s not true. Aaron Murray is gonna start,” then quickly adding, “No, I’m just kidding. … Joe’s gonna start. Joe’s ready to play.”
Richt again said he thought the rumor started because the Georgia coaching staff has started giving Cox a day off from throwing on Wednesdays “to make sure he’s fresh” for Saturday’s game.
Tailback Caleb King, he said, is still struggling to come back from a hamstring injury and was easily fatigued in practices this week. Richt said it is “very doubtful” King will play this week.
Asked about true freshman Washaun Ealey, Richt said that the practice time Ealey missed due to an injured elbow held him back. “He looks good,” the coach said, but “he still doesn’t know what to do like he should. We could just hand him the ball [in a game] and we may do that. But we have to keep giving him reps [in practice] on blitz pickups.”
Assessing upcoming foe South Carolina, Richt said their defense “is very very stout,” but he’s hopeful if Georgia’s offensive line can hold off the rush, Cox can exploit the Gamecocks’ young secondary.
On offense, he said, Carolina is “struggling” like Georgia is.
The kicking game, he said, could be crucial. He singled out Georgia punter Drew Butler out for praise, drawing a laugh for noting, “Some of y’all might have known his daddy.”
Richt said he believes that football should be fun, but “we need a victory. If you’re not winning, you’re not enjoying it like you’d like to enjoy it.”
He urged Georgia fans to turn out at 5 p.m. Saturday for the Dawg Walk “to give us momentum” and said he’s pleased that student seating at Sanford Stadium will be first come, first served this season “so the student section should be full” at the start of the game, which will “add to the electricity.”
The breakfast was a diverse gathering, with a scattering of older alums and quite a large contingent of more recent grads. At my table, there were several graduates from the early to mid-1970’s, a couple from the early 1990s and a couple of recent grads, one from 2008. They’d come from Athens, metro Atlanta, North Carolina and even Chicago.
Asked by one of the alums how Georgia fans differ from what he was used to before coming to Athens, Richt noted that because of all the success Florida State had in his years there, the fans were a bit “spoiled. It was kind of hard to get them excited about more than a couple of games a year” while UGA fans know what a tough league the SEC is and “appreciate a victory.”
While in Florida, he said, there was one Georgia alum at his church who stood out in his enthusiasm for his school. “He was nuts.” But in visiting with Bulldog Clubs around the state, Richt said, he’s discovered that “80 percent of the fan base is just like that guy!”
Other topics Richt touched on included another Blackout (he doesn’t know if fans would support one again this soon but says “there will come a time again” when he rewards a senior class that wants one), Trinton Sturdivant being out for another season (“Technically he could play three more seasons for us, but I doubt he would do that because he’s really on track to graduate. … He might get his Ph.D by then.”) and the BCS (he would favor a playoff with four or eight teams but no more so as not to “devalue the regular season”).
After speaking, Richt promised to “hang around” for a while and when last seen was still patiently posing for pictures and signing autographs, an aspect of his job that he genuinely seems to enjoy (unlike his predecessor).
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197 comments Add your comment
DirtyDawg
September 11th, 2009
11:02 am
And I’d add that the ‘phantom’ block in the back on that punt return was just that. The OKSt guy fell down in front of our man – Prince already having avoided him (the tackler). Yeah, we were close, but then we were close last year too – even in the two ‘blow-outs’ – we’ve just got to start getting those ‘close calls’ and ‘bad calls’ to go in our direction enough so that the other guys are saying – ‘man, those guys were really lucky’.
Mike Bobo 17 INT
September 11th, 2009
11:02 am
Look, the program is in the tank. King and the rest of the Cartel are always looking for some excuse, like a penalty to make excuses.
1. There were no excuses when Alabama beat the hell out of you last year.
2. There were no excuses when Florida beat even bigger hell out of you last year.
3. There were definitely no excuses when you lost to that inferior Nerd program on North Ave.
Bottom line, clean out the coaching staff and back to the drawing board. Athens is in major denial, always has been and always will be.
Athens is all about playing in the SEC and not focusing on teams. The Dogs had not opened on the road outside the South since the OSU game, which is a major reason your program gets no respect from the major sports media outlets.
stoopid
September 11th, 2009
11:03 am
PLLEEEEASSSE NO BLACKOUT!!!!
TommyP
September 11th, 2009
11:04 am
That was your best blog, Bill. Excellent job.
Yeah
September 11th, 2009
11:06 am
What TommyP said.
Saint Simons
September 11th, 2009
11:19 am
24 – 10 !!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Kdawg
September 11th, 2009
11:20 am
Today is September 11th. Let’s remember to be grateful we’re all here and able to watch Georgia Football. Win or lose it’s still just a game played by young men. Life will go on if the Dawgs season is less than expected. Be thankful we are able to enjoy it with family and friends.
ButlerDawg
September 11th, 2009
11:21 am
Only thing “sickening” to me is how poise and toughness left both sides of the ball after Van Gorder exited in 04′.
uuugh...
September 11th, 2009
11:24 am
Daddy always said “Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”
Not sure I care to hear coach qualify such a poor performance by saying we were close. His job is to get them ‘right on the money’…not close.
Hopefully they will be ‘right on the money’ tomorrow night. Go Dawgs!
What's sickening...
September 11th, 2009
11:25 am
…is how poorly coached the UGA team is coached!
ksleezy
September 11th, 2009
11:25 am
Why isn’t Dontavius Jackson getting any carries big Bill? Think you can ask your contacts for us? He’s from around my neck of the woods and ran with a lot of heart in high school. He’s not the quickest, but runs with good power, pretty good speed, and a ton of heart. Think Verron Haynes but with more speed. I thought surely after Thomas fumbled last week, he’d get a shot.
MiltonDawg
September 11th, 2009
11:28 am
Forget last week’s game- it’s over and done with. Move On, lets take care of business on Saturday. Learn from the mistakes and send the chickens back to Columbia. GO DAWGS!!
MiltonDawg
September 11th, 2009
11:29 am
good point Kdawg @ 11:20
Regarding the Big 12 officials...
September 11th, 2009
11:30 am
…it seems to me that in most other inter-conference games (AL – VT, MD-Cal, etc) the “visiting team” officials called the game. Why did we not have SEC officials call the game?
L-Dawg
September 11th, 2009
11:32 am
GLORY GLORY TO OLE GEORGIA!!!
SO EXCITED TO HAVE A GAME DAY IN ATHENS AS OPPOSED TO BOOING MISERABLY FROM A BAR IN ATLANTA!!!!
GO DAWGS!!!!
1 DAY TIL HOME/SEC OPENER!!!!
Dontavious...
September 11th, 2009
11:34 am
is not playing because he is not good enough to play. You guys need to learn that just because a kid was good in HS does not mean he is good in college – if he were, he would play!
St. Bernard
September 11th, 2009
11:36 am
Bobo, concerning no national attention. I seem to remember alot last year. We’ve also played some small schools like Arizona St., Colorado, and Okl. St. Maybe you should go back to your own team’s blog. Talk about what a powerhouse Clemson is.
1eyedJack
September 11th, 2009
11:39 am
The sky is falling, the sky is falling!
If Chicken fans had any confidence in a victory this Saturday, they would be here in droves talking crap!
Chirp…….chirp…….chirp.
Go DAWGS!!! Woof!
Herschel Talker
September 11th, 2009
11:41 am
Yes, the refs sucked. But that’s part of the game, as much as it sucked. If Richt isn’t disappointed in the way the team played and how flat they were, then either he just isn’t paying attention or he’s talking his book.
Herschel Talker
September 11th, 2009
11:42 am
KDawg – very prescient comment
1eyedJack – you’re a loser. I bet you were fan of the Ray Goof era. You tool.
Saint Butt Cut
September 11th, 2009
11:44 am
It’s too hot to practice today…let’s practice tonight when it’s cooler. Or let’s go swimming!
And you wonder why your players aren’t tough enough…
1eyedJack
September 11th, 2009
11:48 am
Hershel
You are right. I was a fan of the DAWGS in the Ray Goof era, and the Jim Donnan era, and the Vince Dooley era. I pull for my DAWGS in every era good or bad.
Just sad to see so many so called “Dawg fans” try to bring down the program. After 1 game!
Dawg Fud
September 11th, 2009
11:53 am
Amen, Kdawg (11:20). My sentiments exactly.
Rudy
September 11th, 2009
11:54 am
Seems like it takes our running backs years to fully understand our offense. Why does every other highly recruited RB, come in and produce right out of the gate?..Is our system more complex than others?
HeHateMe
September 11th, 2009
11:55 am
Georgia Tech was lucky to win last night, and anybody that watched the game and knows anything about college football knows that.The Tech team has no character and is very one dimensional. They cannot rely on their running game to continue to pull out wins for them.Better teams await them and will shut them down just like LSU did last year.If you are a high school athlete with aspirations to play in the NFL why in the world would you want to go play at Tech in a gimmic offense.By the way…I know who Saint Simons is and have something in store for him that I will reveal to everyone shortly.
Dawg Fan 4 Life
September 11th, 2009
11:55 am
KDawg, you are right on the money. Life is bigger than college football. Go Dawgs!
realist
September 11th, 2009
11:56 am
the blaackout games are great!!!! Stop hating because we lost one freakin game!!!!! As an opposing player looking into a mob of fans like that is a little intimidating. Quit hating. It was one of the few times I have actually seen our fans get freaking excited and try to give us a homefield advantage!!!!! There is a reason that we are not mentioned as a tough place to play…its not the size of the stadium its the fans that are in it. We allot more tickets than most teams do for our alumni and most of them are not spring chickens which translated means they do not get that loud and do a lot of sitting. UF and LSU allow more for the students which really helps for crowd noise and home field advantage. we have lost a lot more wearing red than we have wearing black
Herschel Talker
September 11th, 2009
11:59 am
1eyedJack:
1. It’s Herschel, not Hershel.
2. We were all fans of the Dawgs during that era. But we were not fans of that era. I said the latter. Not a difficult distinction to understand. Based on your comments, I bet you were.
Dawg Fan 4 Life
September 11th, 2009
12:00 pm
Hey Saint Loser, was that Reggie Ball playing QB for Tech last night? LOL!
Cuz
September 11th, 2009
12:05 pm
I don’t see why we can’t have another blackout. It fires up the fan base more than the team anyway. I was watching the Tech game last night and believe it or don’t, I was pulling for the other instate team. Georgia not South Carolina. I noticed that they had for all intents and purposes a whiteout. They came close to losing but pulled it together in the last of the fourth quarter. Because they came close to losing should they retire the white jerseys and the fans wearing white to the game? Will they have another whiteout? My guess is yes. It seems that we are the only team that if we lose in a specific color scheme we want to throw that idea away. Cue up Stevie Wonder or Ray Vaughn, “Superstition”.
When you believe in things that you don’t understand then you suffer.
Superstition aint the way.
1eyedJack
September 11th, 2009
12:05 pm
Hershel
There is only one Herschel, and you sir are no Herschel
Mike Bobo 17 INT
September 11th, 2009
12:05 pm
Amen Kdawg.
St. Bernard
You are missing the point, your program is poorly coached and until you come to the realization that is time for a house cleaning, you will continue to struggle.
Maybe Clemson is not a powerhouse, but I doubt your defense could stop Spiller or Ford. You better focus on programs and not conferences, otherwise you will continue your downward spiral.
Look, I am only here to help. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.
Herschel Talker
September 11th, 2009
12:06 pm
1eyedJack:
Yes, you’re right. There are no other Herschels in the world. Very prescient. You’re a genius. And you like men.
TenSpeed
September 11th, 2009
12:07 pm
Go DAWGS!!
college official
September 11th, 2009
12:08 pm
It seems that officiating (all conferences) has had more of an impact on game outcomes over the last couple of years vs prior years. Not sure why it seems this way?
Perhaps because the games are shorter, there are less total possessions and plays by an offense.
Last night’s examples: Clemson’s 4th quarter effort was cut short by a poor call on an interior lineman, a block in the back on the punt return (for a touchdown) was missed and leg whip in front of the official was ignored on a Clemson K-off return.
other notable ex: Boise state-oregon game was full of missed and blown calls, UGA-OkST game had several calls that directly impacted scoring opportunities on both sides of the ball. ALA-VT game had several calls that were examples of poor officiating.
My guess is there will be calls in the Athens tomorrow night that will creat a 14+ point swing for one of the teams.
NC Dawg
September 11th, 2009
12:11 pm
I am curious how much T. Bone paid the refs in that game.
1eyedJack
September 11th, 2009
12:12 pm
It’s a sad state of affairs when fans of the same team cannot be civil towards each other. I could expect name calling from the nerds or even SC fans.
If you don’t agree with someones opinion, just shout over them or call them names.
Right out of the ACORN/OBAMA playbook.
Brogen's Hero
September 11th, 2009
12:12 pm
St Simons go play on your on board. Tech to win the ACC, what a joke couldn’t even cover the spread against Clemson. You’re team is like you a loser.
Kevin
September 11th, 2009
12:15 pm
Instead of coaching the SEC officials on calling penalties, coach up this team to do something. That call did not cost us the game….dropped passes, poor play calling, and turnovers did. WHEN ARE WE GOING TO START ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR BAD PLAY INSTEAD OF LOOKING WHO WE CAN BLAME. THE PLAYERS SEE THIS AND IT GIVES THEM THE FEELING OF HAVING TO ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING.
Cuz
September 11th, 2009
12:18 pm
There was a Herschel who cut my hair at Five Points baber shop in the seventies and eighties when I still had hair.
Cuz
September 11th, 2009
12:19 pm
barber. must proofread.
TBOMACHINE
September 11th, 2009
12:19 pm
TECH fans are always painted white.
Coach Mark Richt
September 11th, 2009
12:20 pm
To help build team spirit, instead of practicing today I am taking the team swimming and horseback riding after that. For lunch we are going to Chucky Cheese and will have a sleep over at my house tonight. Before the game tomorrow, I will do the “Soul-ja Boy” dance on the 50 yard line wearing a red & black thong. It this does not motivate the team to win then I don’t know what will! Woof Woof
TBOMACHINE
September 11th, 2009
12:20 pm
go dawgs
joey
September 11th, 2009
12:27 pm
nc dawg….I said the same dadgum thing!
Jeff
September 11th, 2009
12:35 pm
That’s always been our problem…..we’re always “just that close to breaking thru”. in 10 years, we will be saying the same thing…..what makes me mad is it’s always the same crap….penalties, turnovers, playcalling…what if …what if…..what if…..at some point it has to stop and our guys need to perform.
Dawg Lover
September 11th, 2009
12:37 pm
Hey “Coach Mark Richt”, I’m LMAO right now! This is one of the funnier posts that I’ve seen in a loooooooong time. I’m a huge Dawg fan and big a fan of Richt, but I know great humor when I see it. Very funny stuff and thanks for the laugh!
senoiadawgs
September 11th, 2009
12:37 pm
Question, why do I always see posts saying no more blackouts? What do you all have against the blackout? Personally I love it. It’s pretty darn cool to me and the energy with the fans surrounding Auburn and Alabama was just awesome.
Jeff
September 11th, 2009
12:38 pm
At UGA, we always seem to have a problem with officials and game calling. Funny….you never hear that from a UF, UA, TX, USC.
Harry Dawg 73
September 11th, 2009
12:40 pm
To make negative comments about UGA is only part of the game. Graduate or not. We are all experts. Heck I played in the 7th grade and was all YMCA league. 52″ tall and 68 pounds of bucked teeth and pimples, so i know.
UGA fans want to win the NC badly. UT,LSU and Florida and others near by like FSU, Miami and even the year tech tied Colorago and Miami and maybe one more ( depending on what part of the nation you lived in and what newspaer that you read ) all won the NC. Yes, tech tied with Colorado and Miami. South of Vasldosta, the NC was Miami and I skiied in those days and out in Denver and west of the Chattahoochee? Colorado was NC is it how it went. Sad but true teches.
UGA fans are also very correct in their desires for a NC. If the current coaching regime cannot get it done, then maybe we can move on with a new one. If they do make a change, the school must hire a proven man or a guy that has a program like Utah or Boise State ( like where the Urban Disturber came from ) or even a Jimmy Johnson with an agenda to win big in two or thee years. If he leaves, then fine, we go out and get another. NCs are nice and I for one, want one more.
Geeeeez, I am in my 60s. We do not need a coach that speaks well and preaches well and wins the East every 6th or 7th year. Come on fans. We can do better IF we desire a NC. SEC East? Then, we can rock along and be really good every 5th or 8th year and we just rock on. Fine. Citrus Bowl and Chic Fil A Bowl will be glad to have us.
Let us watch the DAWGS vs SC, if they play badly, we all know that there are insurmountable issues that only change with new regime. We supposedly have the 4star and 5 star talent and the speed. Let us see if the regime can recover and win 7, 8 or 9 out of 12. 9 wins would show solid coaching with some upsets over some key schools like LSU or maybe a U of T. Right now? Don’t count on this. Even the tech game will be a toss up.
Gooooooooooooooooooo Dogs!!! Woof, woof, woof!!!
Harry Dawg 73