UGA, Richt have a lot riding on the South Carolina game
Could Mark Richt's future at UGA come down to one game? (AJC file)
Georgia football’s long, hot but relatively quiet summer unfortunately got a bit more eventful this weekend.
UGA announced that redshirt freshman Brent Benedict, a backup offensive lineman who spent last season rehabbing a serious knee injury, is leaving the program for “personal reasons,” and as you’d expect when a vague official statement leaves people wondering, there’s been a raft of rumors and anonymous-sourced online reports about what really went on there.
But whether it was simply a disagreement about UGA’s conditioning regimen or a case of the young man and his father brazenly looking to buy him another year of rehab by transferring to another SEC school, the fact is that any impact on the Dogs’ program likely won’t be felt this year. As recently as late May Benedict himself was talking about not having any feeling in one foot, and reports are he was unlikely to see much, if any, playing time this season.
So, yes, the Dogs’ offensive line is terribly thin when it comes to depth, but that was going to be the case whether or not Benedict was on the roster.
More troubling is the latest sorry story to bubble up from the cesspit that is AAU basketball, which has the eligibility of two UGA athletes in question over benefits they allegedly received that have absolutely nothing to do with the University of Georgia other than the fact that its programs might suffer the consequences.
It’s difficult to know just what the NCAA will decide, especially in the case of transfer linebacker Jarvis Jones, where an apparent “pre-existing relationship” with one of the parties might be a mitigating factor. But chances are both Jones and much heralded basketball signee Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will end up sitting out some games.
For Mark Richt, the similarity to last year’s A.J. Green debacle must be particularly aggravating, as Georgia might lose its starting outside linebacker for those crucial opening games against Boise State and South Carolina. (And, knowing the NCAA, Georgia probably won’t get word on Jarvis until a couple of days before the season begins.)
Speaking of the Gamecocks, Georgia’s game against Steve Spurrier’s team at Sanford Stadium is looking bigger all the time. CollegeFootball News has picked it as one of the Top 5 SEC Games of the Year.
CFN’s Barrett Sallee sums up the game’s importance to UGA pretty well by noting: “For Georgia, this could be the most important game of the season, and possibly Mark Richt’s career. A win here, and Georgia vaults from SEC East also-ran, to SEC East favorite in a matter of just three or four hours. The Bulldogs miss Arkansas, Alabama and LSU this year; and get Auburn and Mississippi State between the hedges. The toughest road game? At Tennessee. In the past, that’s been a problem, but I don’t see it being one this year. A win over the Gamecocks almost certainly makes it ‘Atlanta or bust’ for the fan base, and for Mark Richt’s job. Prediction: Georgia 20, South Carolina 13.”
What do you think? Is the South Carolina game a make-or-break situation for Richt and UGA?
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544 comments Add your comment
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
June 29th, 2011
12:08 pm
LOL
Yea Im sure all the TROLLS on here will hoop and holla when Richt goes 10-2 this year with one of the easiest UGA schedules in 4 decades.
One of the losses will again be to FL but since we have 10 wins everything will be great again
I on the other hand will be on here until Richt can go two seasons where improvement is shown and part of that improvement is beat FL 2 yrs in a row. Not get blown away by a sorry Tenn team that you should beat. Upset and top 10 team. And not get upset by KY twice and Vanderbilt
Its not hard to ask that from someone who makes $3 million a yr.
Its high time too earn that high pay
dont get it
June 29th, 2011
12:08 pm
Chazzo – Richt would never put those kind of restraints on his players. Saban on the other hand……
Jars
June 29th, 2011
12:11 pm
SC av 32 pts a game, UGA av 18 against winning teams.
I like SC 40, UGA 20.
B-UGA
June 29th, 2011
12:11 pm
“If we score, we may win! If they never score, we’ll never lose!” -Erk Russell
Dawg Nation wants to see the rebirth of “The Junkyard Dawgs”!!!
dont get it
June 29th, 2011
12:12 pm
Flat tire – I can only hope we have more fans like you than SGD. Hey beating UF 2 years in a row! theres an idea. Its sad but that doesnt even seem possible anymore. Thats where Richt has taken us.
dont get it
June 29th, 2011
12:15 pm
Speaking of putting two good seasons together, after putting together what may have been his best recruiting class ever – we are already looking at a bad class this year. nearly every top rated kid in this state doesnt even list UGA. WTH?
B-UGA
June 29th, 2011
12:16 pm
Jars—you must be on crack! Hasn’t been a margin of win like that in the GA/SC game…..well, that I can remember. If so, I’m pretty sure it was GA winning by 20….not SC. Don’t think Garcia is the QB that’ll air it out for 3-4 TD’s & I don’t see Lattimore scoring 5 TD’s against our D! One BIG difference from last year…..There is gonna be a couple 300+ lb DL & some LB/DE’s that can fly off the corner.
chazzo
June 29th, 2011
12:21 pm
@don’t get it – I don’t know why we talk about Meyer like he is a dynasty coach. He coached at UF for five seasons, four with a team built around one of the greatest players in history. If he had stuck around ten plus years, he’d have down seasons. His last year is a testament to that. No teams beat all their rivals every year. Most teams don’t do it often. Besides, UGA has like ten rivals. As much as I would like to see the Dawgs take back Jax, an SEC championship trumps that.
Tanner
June 29th, 2011
12:23 pm
Agree, SC’s offense is loaded, Lattimore will score 3 td’s, Jeffery 2, and Garcia will have a career day like he did against Alabama, unlike Murray, Garcia plays his best in big games.
Carolina 35, Georgia 17.
AceDawg
June 29th, 2011
12:28 pm
Every game is make or break, but South Carolina is only a good team, not some kind of juggernaut. UGA should never accept losing to South Carolina – EVER. EVER. Most UGA losses last year were close games that went to the other team due to sloppiness on UGA’s part. I think Grantham has a chance to lead a defense into a re-awakening this year, but the offense is 100% suspect until I see it score some points. Here’s to hoping Jarvis Jones and the starting OL can make it on the field though. Losing any players there will temper my expectations a bit.
chazzo
June 29th, 2011
12:28 pm
@Tanner – Yeah, apparently, he couldn’t get it up for KY. LOL I hope everyone in Columbia is as confident at you and Jars are.
Tanner
June 29th, 2011
12:29 pm
Richt only gave out 9 scholarships to offensive linemen over last 3 years. Yet gave out too many to QB’s, Special Teams players, and the like.
You should get 6 OL a year on scholarship, not 3.
Down to 8 real OL. Not good.
Especially when some are calling the SC DLine the #1 DLine in the nation.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
June 29th, 2011
12:30 pm
Hey
I’m waiting to see what this DREAM TEAM is going to do the next 4 yrs
Im mean this is the DREAM TEAM
So I expect to be 500 against all our rivals in the SEC EAST since we have the DREAM TEAM
Is that too much to ask or will I have to here once again from the Kool-Aid section; “We just dont have the recruits”
chazzo
June 29th, 2011
12:31 pm
@Tanner – You are absolutely correct about the o-line situation.
chazzo
June 29th, 2011
12:34 pm
I hereby declare the “drinking kool aid” metaphor to be passe, cliche, and completely lacking in any humor. It is dead, deceased, kaput, pining for the fjords. At this point, only a complete nimrod would continue to use such an expression.
AltamahaDawg
June 29th, 2011
12:36 pm
Doesn’t take much of a sharp mind to repeat cliche’s over and over does it.
WonTon
June 29th, 2011
12:42 pm
Boise is 6-1 last 5 years against BCS opponents. This one won’t be easy. Could very easily go down 0-2 to start the season if let down gaurd for a second.
Where’s the urgency? Why doesn’t Richt kick it into overdrive? I thought he would last year, sensing the easy schedule, but he went 6-7.
Mobile Dawg
June 29th, 2011
12:47 pm
Chazzo, when folks actually stop consuming the beverage and display some intuitive knowledge, based on the real world, not opinions and “hope” the cliche may disappear. Until then, there has to be an explanation for irrational thinking. Come up with another explanation and the “kool aid” will dry up.
AltamahaDawg
June 29th, 2011
12:49 pm
9 in three years Tanner? They signed 6 just last year. The real number is 13, which is pretty much in line with anyone else.
LHarding Dawg
June 29th, 2011
12:54 pm
I’m not sure why everyone is so high on the SC offense. They did nothing in the SEC Championship game against a weak Auburn defense. Georgia always plays them tough, and this will be our first game in Athens for the year. Georgia and Coach Richt will be fine.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
June 29th, 2011
12:54 pm
chazzo
AltamahaDawg
Whats the matter dont like being called out on your stupidity
Ok lets use another metaphor then how about
Brainwashed trolls
Gullible
Mental midget
Oh well sorry but you two whine boxes can deal with it I dont take orders from you two
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
June 29th, 2011
12:59 pm
AltamahaDope
Here we are again like last time.
you throw the first insult. This time dont run to mommy the AJC editor and try to throw me off
How’s the Arm fishing going this year on the Altamaha river. aka (Noodling)
Caught enough Catfish to buy your gas so you can make it to the games this year
chazzo
June 29th, 2011
1:05 pm
Flat tire: You are actually the troll here. So “brainwashed trolls” won’t work for you. “Mental midget” is hardly a fresh or provocative turn of phrase. Stopped using that in the eighth grade (and I’m old). Gullible is a good strong descriptive word. Go with that. It doesn’t quite have the provocation value that a troll like you would look for. “Drinking the Kool Aid” was good for a while because it had this fervent religious connotation. It’s just that even the whitebreadest politicians are using it now. It’s over and out. If you are going to be an effective troll you have to be fresh. You have to deliver the pith. You’re falling down on the job, man.
AltamahaDawg
June 29th, 2011
1:06 pm
You called me out on stupidity? When was that?
James
June 29th, 2011
1:07 pm
Ilike SC 35, UGA 14.
WDE
June 29th, 2011
1:08 pm
@LHarding Dawg but you seen USCe won that game and they can’t remember that we had a freshman QB in his first SEC game…and new D scheme and coordinator and we were missing our best offensive weapon..so in their chicken brains they are assured of a victory.Oh yeah and it was Lattimore’s coming out party UGA nor the rest of the SEC had a clue he would be that good…I was at the first game and he looked OK at best…not at all like the back he was the next week and the rest of the season. He won’t surprise anyone this year..he will still be a force just not an unknown one.
James
June 29th, 2011
1:09 pm
UGA played 4 top 25 ranked teams last year, UCF, SC, MSU, and Auburn.
Didn’t score a td against SC or UCF, 1 against MSU, and had a good 1st quarter against Auburn.
75% of the time, against ranked teams, 1 td or less.
SC in a rout.
AltamahaDawg
June 29th, 2011
1:11 pm
sport, the LAST thing I would do (wouldn’t even know how to is to try to get your words taken down on the blog. I’m more than willing to let your constant copying of the same ol worn out stuff, interupted by your occasional use of childish insults, speak for itself.
Georgia
June 29th, 2011
1:14 pm
The airplane tickets purchased for Jones happened almost two years ago…. why now is this coming up… where did it come from?
chazzo
June 29th, 2011
1:15 pm
Wonton: You are right about Boise. They are a top ten team. I remember too well how Auburn was going to show that easy conference Southern Cal team what SEC football was all about only to get their arses handed to them. UGA does not have an easy schedule contrary to popular belief. SC, Auburn, UT, and UF are all ranked low with a lot to prove. There are going to be a lot of chips on a lot of shoulders. MSU and GT are going to have solid teams. Ole Miss and KY can sneak up on you. Just look at South Carolina last year.
Granted it aint UF: Bama, LSU, and Auburn back to back. I am just saying that it is not easy.
From what I hear, though, there is a sense of urgency and commitment in Athens S and C program. No arrests so far, either. We’ll see.
AltamahaDawg
June 29th, 2011
1:15 pm
And I will try to make about 2 games, maybe 3, in Athens. And Of course, J-ville. I don’t think cat-fishing will pay that bill, although that would be pretty cool, as I typically spend quite a few hundred each trip.
dont get it
June 29th, 2011
1:16 pm
@chazzo – go back and check the scores Meyer put up against us. Also wining 2 NC in 5 years is pretty darn good if you ask me. we are still waiting one Richts first one….which will never come as long as UF is on the schedule.
AltamahaDawg
June 29th, 2011
1:23 pm
I don’t think he was questioning Meyer’s accomplishment, just the idea that he was going to stay at UF for 10-15 and not have some down years as well. He already had 2 (in 5 yrs) that a lot of Georgia fans have equated to having a “unacceptable” season.
His best years is an different argument, and (as I read it) that wasn’t his point.
chazzo
June 29th, 2011
1:33 pm
@don’t get it – I get it. I am just asking, why do we consider Meyer a dynasty coach? He only coached 5 seasons. Yes, his success was phenomenal, and he is a great coach. However, four of those years were with Tebow, and one of those years his team fell apart. It would be like if Dooley only coached for four years, and had Herschell for three of them. Or if Pat Dye were only there during the Bo Jackson years. Is Chizick the greatest coach in history because he won an NC? Hardly, he just happened to have the horse last year.
I don’t disagree with you. It sucks losing to UF, and I think Richt has an allergy to the game comparable to Dan Reeves’ Super Bowl allergy. A lot of the losses to UF during the past eleven seasons have been one possession games.
What if we beat every rival and lose the SEC championship in ATL? What if we go undefeated and lose the NC game? Will that be enough? You suggested affixing a number of UF losses to quantify Richt’s firing. I don’t think stats or rivals enter into it. Is he doing the job with the team he has? Is he making the necessary changes? These questions will be answered this season. The Dawgs are really young, but should win nine. Will that be enough to get another season? I don’t know. It depends on the nine and how well we played in the losses. I am not going to wast time defending Richt or calling for his firing. I don’t have any power over any of that. I am just going to pull for my team to win in every game they play.
Gamec@cks Rule
June 29th, 2011
1:38 pm
Two in a row baby and two in a row against the mutt puppies in football too. While the C@cks are are at it they’ll make it three in a row over UGA’s sister in Klimpson Tiggers! Yeah Baby!
let the young men play
June 29th, 2011
1:48 pm
??????? offensive line
let the young men play
June 29th, 2011
1:49 pm
the running backs are going to get punished and then blamed for not carrying the team
chazzo
June 29th, 2011
2:03 pm
Here Flat tire: This will get you going.
Voodoo: Take the dead cat off your door. Pull the pins out of your stuffed Gator. You’re dancing with chickens. (Baptist derivative: dancing with snakes.)
Blue collar: You’ve been staring at your torch for too long.
Hip: Those brownies were laced. You obviously licked the toad on this one.
Red Neck: Stop huffing gas. Get the exhaust on your truck fixed. Take the hose out of the tail pipe.
Old south: Your like Scarlett O’Hara pining for Tara. You’ve had one too many mint julips.
World Lit: Stop fighting windmills.
Modern Lit: Your big fish is in the rubbish pile.
Classical: That’s antithesis.
Surreal: Your talking into the lobster.
Jack: You can’t handle the truth! You should be out bird dogging chicks. Here’s to the first of the day, to old DH Lawrence. (For this season, for us, “HERE”S JOHNNY!)
Big Dawg
June 29th, 2011
2:03 pm
IMHO– The biggest games for the Dawgs this year will be Mississippi State, Tennessee, Florida, Auburn and Georgia Tech if we manage to win 4 of the 5 then Coach Richt will get another year. Anything less then he may be replaced.
We will beat South Carolina this year, how many of you even watched how out of place our defense was on most plays last year and they still barely beat us in their home stadium. Plus it has been well chronicled about our o-line problems of playing finese football instead of just lining up and hitting people in the mouth. I personally believe we will see a much improved team this year- conditioning and attitude much better which will translate into a few more wins than the last two years. But it is still early and we will know pretty quickly whether this team has turned the corner or not. I happen to believe they will as the Coaches could not make excuses for what has happened the last two years and will come out fired up which will have the Dawgs fired up and ready to play each week.
Go Dawgs
Atlanta87
June 29th, 2011
2:13 pm
JUST DON’T EMBARRASS THE SEC AGAINST BOISE STATE!!
Atlanta87
June 29th, 2011
2:15 pm
Hey Gamecacks,
How did it feel to lose against Auburn twice and in the Dome twice. Are you sure you want to come to another game in the state of GA again. It’s a long drive back to Columbia after a loss isn’t it?!
SOUTHGADAWG88
June 29th, 2011
2:19 pm
Fake Dawg fans everywhere.Fact… Zook had a winning record against UGA,LSU and Aub.He also beat FSU on the road…something Spurrier couldn’t do.One year has nothing to do with the next…all the chatter about SC-UGA last year is irrelevant.The game in 09 was completely different than 10.The personnel is not the same this year so why waste time talking about last year.Where is the football discussion?The match ups,strength and weaknesses of the two teams on the field?All this other crap is just noise.2011 will be a season that stands on it’s own merits…it has nothing to do with 09 or 12.
AltamahaDawg
June 29th, 2011
2:19 pm
So let me get this right:
You don’t have any control over firing the coach, so you aren’t wasting your time with that?
You are going to pull for them to win, with no regard or fear of how it might make you personally look if they lose?
I don’t get it. How do you prove to everyone what an awesome take no prisoner stud you are?
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
June 29th, 2011
2:26 pm
chazzo
I pull for UGA obviously harder than you
Sometimes its better to hope your team does bad enough to clean house because the status quo is still being played out on the field with no changes. Thats a true fan
Now if we go and get beat by Boise and SC well its time to clean the house because Richt is going on season 11, Boise and SC cannot does not get the caliber of players UGA gets so theres no excuse
The true fan who wants his team to succeed has to do the hard thing sometimes to get better
But just saying Im pulling for my team no matter what with no goals of making certain changes keeps you stuck in the mud going nowhere
No goal changes like turning around the FL game which should be the most important win for UGA because who is it that wins the east almost all the time. Its not Tenn, not KY, VANDY, SC its FLORIDA
Take a page from Mack Brown he kept getting beat by his main rival Oklahoma. Oklahoma like FL kept him from winning the Big12 so what did he do. He made quick coaching changes and turned it around.
Richt was forced to fire Willie and Fabris; he still hasnt tweeked his OC position when he should have made Bobo step down to QB coach, we have a DB coaching the running backs which is absolutly laughable and who got a raise mind you with our running game almost dead last in the conference
Kirby Smart refused to come because Richt wouldnt fire Van Halinger but what finally had to happen, he fired him
Its funny how someone paid $3million a year cannot see it but fans with a brain do
I wont be surprised if we go 11-1, do to the easiest schedule we ever had, but I definetly wont be surprised if its an 7-5 or 8-4 yr
Keep drinking the Kool-aid
Muschump
June 29th, 2011
2:35 pm
SOUTHGADAWG88
You are right about not comparing years but one tell tale sign from last year was Richt not having the nads to go for it on 4th and inches inside the UCF 5 in the Freaking Liberty Bowl.. His team quit on him after that. Not sure he can fix his weakness flaw.
chazzo
June 29th, 2011
2:37 pm
Flat tire: Oh, he who pulls harder for his team because he wants them lose so everyone will get fired. You are truly a zen master. How is it that you know so much about how behind the scenes administrative decisions were made, what Richt was forced to do and what personal choices he makes?
Sorry, I am not pulling against the team that I’ve been pulling for since childhood. I never stopped pulling for Goff’s Dawgs. I’ll never stop pulling for Richt’s Dawgs. I’ll pull for whoever comes next.
There is too much positive to talk about. So put down that crushed up Pabst can that you use for smoking your rocks, and pull for your team to win.
WDE
June 29th, 2011
2:39 pm
@Muschump that’s right all anyone needs to do is look at your extensive record to know exactly how to handle 4th and inches…OH wait that’s right you don’t have any actual record do you?
Muschump
June 29th, 2011
2:41 pm
WDE,, Don’t need one to go for it, But hey you coolaid drinking Richt lovers keep it up. The rest of the SEC hopes he stays forever Humpmeister.
ga gator
June 29th, 2011
2:42 pm
He could conceivably lose to both SC and UF and still win the East. The key game will be Missy St.
SOUTHGADAWG88
June 29th, 2011
2:52 pm
Then I keep seeing this crap about “this is the easiest schedule we’ve had in blah,blah,blah.The 2011 schedule has 8 bowl teams on it.The rhetoric get’s thick when it comes to how UGA is going to lose to so and so but in the same breath you talk about the easiest schedule in forever? So we have a schedule full of cupcakes but we will lose to most of them?Based on what?UGA didn’t perform well last year so they will lose this year.That’s some utter nonsense.