OK, so what happens with Richt if UGA loses in Starkville?
Quality-of-life-wise, it would behoove this man to win next week. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Not to say I’m smart or anything, but the Georgia season has played out the way I figured: Win, loss, loss. (No, I wasn’t so all-seeing as to know A.J. Green wouldn’t have played a down.) I also had the Bulldogs winning eight of the next nine games and finishing 9-3, which I do believe will occur. That said …
The Mississippi State game has long seemed to me the pivot point of Georgia’s season. It’s a game UGA should win, but it’s on the road in a different time zone, and strange things can happen in the realm of the cowbell. And today I pose the musical question: What happens if Georgia doesn’t win in Starkville?
Nothing much, I submit, but I’m willing to concede I might be in the distinct minority. Opening the SEC season 0-3 hasn’t happened under Mark Richt — to be accurate, the Bulldogs have never before been 0-2 in league play under Richt — and would loose all manner of outcry from the masses. Greg McGarity, the new AD, wouldn’t join the chorus, but even a new AD couldn’t help but note the furor.
I say again: I think Georgia is going to be fine. This is a young team with a new quarterback and a new defense that faced two very difficult early games without its best player. I find no dishonor in either defeat. And I expect these Bulldogs will tame the maroon Bulldogs on Saturday in Starkville. But I’m pragmatist enough to grant that this could get ugly if UGA doesn’t.
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992 comments Add your comment
JMac12003
September 20th, 2010
12:32 pm
I tried to tell you morons that IF the pups finish 8-4 to consider it a great season, and maybe you can see why. I also tried to tell you that just because you might have an excellent O-Line, and really good running backs, that it would not necessarily pay off with alot of wins. I used the ‘08 LSU team as an example – best O-line in the SEC, excellent stable of backs, new DC, and not 1 but 2 inexperienced freshman QB’s, and they finished 7-5 the year after winning the NC.
It appears that the D is no better, and murray, while talented, has alot to learn about playing QB in the SEC. Watch out for Missy St, this weekend. Those cowbells can rattle an experienced QB, so look out for a possible 3d loss. They still have to play an improved Kentucky team that you could not beat last season. Florida does look beatable, but probably not by the pups. Then Auburn and Tech. Yep, 8-4 would be GREAT!
beanuga
September 20th, 2010
12:33 pm
All we can do is support our team. It sucks to see such bad coaching every single game. These players deserve better. The defense is looking promising this year. What is the dawgs gonna do next year? A young OL will be the excuse. People Alabama and Florida are using all of these excuses! Al and Fla are winning with young player. Coaching coaching coaching. MR is not going to stay late to work with the team. MR is going home to his family. Saban and Meyer sleep at the college.
beanuga
September 20th, 2010
12:34 pm
We are being out coached!
beanuga
September 20th, 2010
12:37 pm
I can tell what play ga is running every single down. I am watching on tv. Opposing defenses are licking their chops. hint hint richt and bobobobo
Dawgs Will Win!
September 20th, 2010
12:37 pm
Miss State is not that good. The Dawgs can upset the bulldogs on Saturday—count on it!
Richt Flair ooohh yeeeyahh
September 20th, 2010
12:38 pm
Any body wish we had given the job to ….what was his name…. Dick Bumpass…Ohh Yeeeyaahh
Dawg Trainer
September 20th, 2010
12:40 pm
I see all these Bobo comments…and get deja vu about all the comments when Randy Sanders was the OC for Tennessee. Vol fans were calling for his head for 3 years. Randy took one for Fulmer and resigned. Did well when he went to Kentucky as a position coach. He’ll be a good OC for a non-SEC school in a few years and he might be a head coach as well. I see a lot of Sanders in Bobo…trust me, it’ll get worse before it gets better.
Tom Blodett
September 20th, 2010
12:46 pm
Of interest to UGA fans: we’ve added some amenities to our rooms at the Shreveport “6″. We now offer a super poly/cotton blend in our sheets. Soap is a finely milled version of the old lye soap which offers a good scrub down. Shampoo is a liquid form of the bar soap. And per all the requests from you Dawg fans, we’ve now added XXX pay per view in our premium rooms. Dennys is within walking distance for the “grand slam” breakfast.
As always, we’ll leave the light on for you.
JMac12003
September 20th, 2010
12:49 pm
Hey beanuga, so the D is promising so far?????? What are you smokin? Lattimore gashes the run D for over 150 yards one week and the next, Mallett passes for close to 400 yards to mostly WIDE OPEN receivers, and that is supposed to be promising???? The defensive game plan for Arkansas had to be one of the worst I have ever seen. Why, I think even Willie could have been more creative.
Dawg H8R
September 20th, 2010
12:50 pm
When Miss St beats jawja on saturday, you guys will fire Rodney Garner or the peanut vendor! But
you guys don’t have the balls to scrap the season and start over! You won’t have the balls until SC/GT/FLA/TENN beat you,then you guys will stop the madness. My call is for Garner to bring his
INCREDIBLE RECRUITING ABILITIES to SC. Jawja obviously thinks that their tremendous coaching
was the reason for 10 WINS/season since Jim Donnan, but it has been recruiting/recruiting/recruiting
!!!!!!
trueUGAfan
September 20th, 2010
12:52 pm
this article is a joke and so is everyone on here who fail right into the trap that MB layed out…
trueUGAfan
September 20th, 2010
12:52 pm
CORRECTION “who fell”
UGA PLAYAS GET RICH't
September 20th, 2010
12:54 pm
THuga player’s thank that if they come to the UGA they are gonna get Rich’t…oh wait thats the name of the coach…darn (maybe thats why A.J. had to help him self out financially)
Devil's Advocate
September 20th, 2010
12:58 pm
Mark, here is one for you, what if the Dawgs lose the next 6 games? Do you think THAT would get some folks attention? It is within the realm of possibility.
U. G.et A.rrested
September 20th, 2010
12:59 pm
All I know is next week, some bulldog will win….
Rick
September 20th, 2010
1:00 pm
In the SEC (and every conference for that matter), you can’t spend two or three conference games trying to find your identity. In the SEC in particular where there are BCS implications in just about every game, you cannot afford to lose one or two early games. We have seen these early losses come back to haunt us over and over. We have to be ready to play every game. If we are and still lose, I can accept that. But if anyone can honestly tell me they believe we were ready for either SC or ARK, then they didn’t watch the same games I did.
BTW Mark, this team is not that young overall, and If a program that apsires to be a national contender evary season and has top recruiting classes every year winds up with an inexperienced QB two years in a row, then something is wrong with the blueprint.
Bob
September 20th, 2010
1:03 pm
Better make sure the Suicide Hotlines are well staffed Saturday!!!
nocumentum
September 20th, 2010
1:08 pm
If I can predict every play that Coach Boo Boo calls, you can be sure that every coaching staff in football can do the same. Richt and his staff are getting out-coached in the SEC. The differences in talent are marginal. Experience is important and this team should be very good next year and the year after; nevertheless, if coaching on the offensive side of the ball doesn’t improve, our talented, experienced team will still lose the big games. And, forget about AJ Green – he won’t be here next year. In fact, I would advise AJ to quit right now — the NCAA sucks, his team just isn’t that good, and there is no way he should risk getting hurt. Quit now and get ready for the 2011 NFL draft.
GT Alum's boyfriend
September 20th, 2010
1:12 pm
dawgs, y’all were the ones talkin’ bout this is the BEST OFFENSIVE line in the nation. What ye say now you silly people. FAce it dawgs, you’all’s now at the bottom of the conference along with the Ole Miss’s and the …..well, just y’all and Ole Miss.
woof woof
Mean Machine
September 20th, 2010
1:12 pm
FIRE EVERYBODY! (That goes for you too Russ)
Georgia did what
September 20th, 2010
1:18 pm
So that the problem they Miss A.J. Green Ha ha they still be 1-2 if he played face fact the QB is it plus offense is as tame as the defense its a shame to lose to a coach who skip town from the falcons n like him win is a shame we neat Miss state easy…But we will lose to Vols in athens so bad Richt will drive is Ford truck into stegman arena…causein it to fall in and basketball will have play there home game’s in Gwinnett arena for 2 years!
Georgia did what
September 20th, 2010
1:21 pm
So sorry for the miss typos i did….No matter what Richt will be 7-5 at end of season No SEC title game which he said we be in this year like said last year…Only good thing is we beat GT anyway!
Whatfor
September 20th, 2010
1:24 pm
The Dawgs WILL NOT lose their next game – after all it is Missisloppie State. I mean they got beat by a mediocre Auburn team (who should have gotten beat by Clemson) and a not too good LSU team (UNC almost beat them – with 7 of their (UNC) defensive starters out.
StraightJacket
September 20th, 2010
1:25 pm
To the earlier poster: I believe Washedup Early is better than KnowLess Moron.
To Mark’s Question: Coach Ricked should “Paul Hewitt Rollover” to his contract. That will help ensure the mediocrity is actual results, BUT … it WILL GUARANTEE EXCELLENCE in 3 areas:
(1) TOP RANKED Recruiting Classes – Coach Ricked can FLAT OUT recruit! This is important, as mutt fans LOVE to have top-ranked recruiting classes!
(2) HIGH PRE-SEASON Rankings – Sure, they don’t mean anything to anybody …. EXCEPT mutt fans.
(3) MOST IMPORTANT: Total DOMINANCE as a Perennial Power in the Fulmer Cup rankings! Another “great” publicity “crown” for the mutts’ football program.
So, … GIVE Coach Ricked the Rollover Contract! You’ll be glad you did!!!
girldawg
September 20th, 2010
1:26 pm
If I hear if they only had AJ Green one more time!!! There are many others on this team that should be given the opportunity. How often did they use the TE’s White and Charles. King should have touched the ball more. Chris Durham is stepping up but everytime he had a great play he spent the next 2 plays on the sidelines why??? Marlon Brown should be used more. CMR needs to use his whole team… but it looks like he is just waiting for AJ Green to come back. Well he is out one more game so is this one a write off too?
SilatGamecock
September 20th, 2010
1:28 pm
I blame Lattimore for UGA’s recent problems….
and your DC that said “We’re on top of it”
As much as it pains me to say, UGA will right the ship with Richt if you give hime time.
Gary
September 20th, 2010
1:28 pm
Why not wait until Monday and find out.
DAWG FAN
September 20th, 2010
1:37 pm
Sometimes I sit there & sratch my head on how UGA uses their players. THINK ABOUT THIS: We have a guy, Vance Cuff, who was timed @ 4.24 40 yrd dash –the quickest EVER at UGA, and yet they have Logan Gray along with a fullback returning punts/kicks. WHY? I my be crazy, but I haven’t EVER seen a fullback return a punt or kick for a touchdown. If Vandy had ONE player this fast they would use him on offense, defense & special teams, yet we have guys llike this (4.2 & 4.3 guys) lining the sidelines while an ex-QB & fulback are returning punts. I’m sure he can catch the ball –he’s been playing football I’m sure since he was probably 6-8 yrs old. UGA just seems to waist a BUNCH of talent all across the board –this is just ONE example.
DAWG FAN
September 20th, 2010
1:40 pm
girldawg , I agree –and this seems to be the norm over the past 5 yrs.
Whateverfor
September 20th, 2010
1:44 pm
I’ve got a great idea for additional “motivation” for the dawgs. Have a red pantie “red-out” – All the Dawg fans in the stands wear red panties and the UGA players were red panties over their silver britches.
Go, you red pantie wearing Dawgs!!
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
September 20th, 2010
1:50 pm
Nothing is going to happen to Richt this year. However, something is obviously wrong since UGA keeps touting, year after year, about their outstanding recruiting classes. All that hype is not translating to the team’s play on the field on Saturdays. Richt is going to have to do like he did with the former defensive coordinator for the Dawgs…..let him go. Bobo is not the answer nor what the team needs at this point in the development of the young offensive players.
If Bobo stays….the Dawg fans will be saying “wait until next year” again at the end of this season!!!
slobberknocker
September 20th, 2010
1:51 pm
Bobo ( Dodo ) should look in the mirror instead of blaming Murry; and Ealey couldn’t block his way out of a wet paper sack. That being said I have been a Dawg all my life and a Richt supporter but I don’t understand how he can’t see the problems. Axe Bobo, find 11 young men that want to play football regardless of how many stars they had comming out of high school ( obviously the other teams did not get the memo about how great they WERE ), and just maybe one day a week try to practice FORM TACKELING… you know where you hit and WRAP UP… just saying…..
jtmdawg
September 20th, 2010
1:52 pm
When a leader (coach) calls out his followers (players) in public, it is a sign of panic. Bobo’s offense has been vanilla for years. CMR is a great guy, average coach. We sacrificed last year and this year due to CMR’s loyalty to Joe Cox. Should have had the freshman in last year to grow up so this year would not be a waste. With coaching changes we are 3-5 years out from a good program. Without coaching changes, who knows. What troubles me, is the AD is going to make us like FLA. I thought we already were in the arrest category. What is going on in Athens?
FireBobo
September 20th, 2010
1:56 pm
We have so many weapons on offense, a veteran line, and Bobo can’t seem to draw up plays that get the ball into the hands of our playmakers. It will take wins over Tennessee, Florida and Auburn to keep Bobo.
Wreckmaniac
September 20th, 2010
1:57 pm
And so the 5 Stars will continue to trudge on to UGA like sheep because their neighbors want them to.
For what ?
Short List
September 20th, 2010
1:57 pm
Hi, I’m the Short List for candidates to take over as the University of Georgia’s head coach. There’s nobody on me that’s better than Mark Richt. Losing to South Carolina the way Georgia did shouldn’t have happened, but that’s life. Georgia showed a ton of fight on Saturday and they played like they care about their fellow teammates and like they love their coaches. That goes a long way. Go ahead, Dawgs, fire Mark Richt. Unless he wants to go join a mission in Honduras, he won’t spend more than a day in the unemployment line. Mark Richt is the coach for Georgia. If the rest of you idiots are too stupid to see that, then it’s our loss and somebody else’s (huge) gain.
Vince Dooley
September 20th, 2010
1:58 pm
All that talent wasted. How do you have top 10 recruiting classes for the last 5 years and come out and play like this? CMR might be a nice guy, but he has lost control of this team. I just hope we can go 6-6. It’s going to be a long season in Athens.
Honky Talkin'
September 20th, 2010
2:00 pm
CMR can not get his team to “Finish the Play”. How many half-arse tackles did we see on Saturday? The prayers and the swimming don’t work.
CountryDawg
September 20th, 2010
2:01 pm
hey i am with you jtm—–what IS going on in Athens?—Next game should be the final story for this year. Its all good. I still feel ok about it all—–the sun is going to shine tommorrow.
01HAWK
September 20th, 2010
2:07 pm
ACC……………………Go take a back seat on the National Title. Duke players looked like high schoolers against BAMA. The cornerbacks were really small. Well, pretty much the entire team looked really small.That is what happens when you have 3-5 stars against 1-2 stars. DUKE and what about Wake Forest getting there tails whipped badly by Stanford.
SEC RULES !!!!!!!!!!!!
Tucker
September 20th, 2010
2:16 pm
Since Nick Saban already has a house in Clayton, why not approach him with the chance to win three BCS championships at three different SEC schools and finish out his career in his chosen state for retirement? Bet he would get the job done in three years, too.
sorry
September 20th, 2010
2:27 pm
Sorry Tucker…but Schultzie already had an article over the summer about how it was better to have a fine Christian man (whatever that means) at the helm and lose a few then the evil (whatever that means) Saban running the program and winning titles. All the UGA lemmings on these AJC blogs gave those comments a rousing “here, here!”
JasperJacket
September 20th, 2010
2:29 pm
The quality of athelete in Athens is not the issue for UGA…Just ask the recruiting experts for the last 5 years on how well UGA has recruited. The lack of focus and determination to be a winning football team is the issue. The lack of good old fashioned toughness on this team is surprising. This bunch right now (evidence their off-season exploits) have no real focus and seemingly no real understanding of just what they are up against if the go 0-3 in the first 3 conference games this season. They have no sense of urgency. Saturday is a watershed point for this team. Dog fans we GT fans feel your pain on the focus part believe me… KU was real evidence of that for us. We’ll see if they take this Arkansas loss to heart and come out and play like a UGA football team traditionally does come Saturday in Starkville.
Dawgie Bowser
September 20th, 2010
2:34 pm
Markie,if the scenario you mention were to play out, I’d say our new A.D. is going to start earning his salary fast.
ARdawg
September 20th, 2010
2:56 pm
Jasper
That’s quite classy of you. Something we seldom see here from the majority of Tech fans
Dawg Fan
September 20th, 2010
3:01 pm
I think Richt is a nice guy and a good coach but will never get UGA into a national championship game. I believe he will continue to have respectable seasons and may even bring the dogs to another SEC championship game. Unfortunately Richt has proven after 10 years that he does not seem to have whatever it takes that Sabin and Meyer have to put GA in the very top tier of college football. Richt will probably win enough games each year to last at least another 10 years at UGA while AL and FL and others continue to compete for #1. It’s a shame that GA fans have such low expectations as compared to FL and AL.
Phil
September 20th, 2010
3:04 pm
When was the last time we were 2 point underdogs to Miss State? That shows you the state of our football program Richt has taken us to. Instead of taking us to the “Next” level, he has taken us “Down” a level.
Well, I am just bout done anyway
September 20th, 2010
3:06 pm
At 62, I have followed UGA ball starting with my grandfather in 1959. I graduated from UGA in 71 & 73. So did my wife and about 80% of my family, with a few GT’s in there and a Gator or two. Dad was a Gator. Sad. He knew that we owned them and still do since it began. Entire record speaks for itself. Same with GT. We are close ( 50/50) with Auburn and that is about all that I care about.
As for UGA going forward, I am done. I have other things to do that do not create negative stress and frustration. If they win great but if they lose, I will not be emotionally invested. I will be hitting golf balls.
Time will tell with Richt. I just wonder is his heart in it still. Some men do not come to grips with such things in life ………..until it is too late. He might re-think his priorites. They do not appear to be in coaching up a top flight team anymore. Oh well …………I’m done and will read about it.
Go Dogs.
Phil
September 20th, 2010
3:08 pm
Dawg Fan,
You are 100% right. Richt will never get us to the National Championship game. 10 years of Richt wouldn’t cut it at Alabama or Florida. We have already gone as far as we are going under Richt. Up that is, he may take us down even further to the Vanderbilt level before it’s over with.
downsouth dawg
September 20th, 2010
3:11 pm
Richt should stay as head coach. do you really have any better options out there!!! lets be real people… I don’t want a Saban or a Meyer.