There’s no other way to say it: Mark Richt is in trouble at UGA
This was Mississippi State's first touchdown Saturday. It would add two more. (AP photo)
I wouldn’t have thought such a thing possible a month ago or a week ago or even 24 hours ago, but here it is:
Mark Richt is in trouble.
It was possible to write off Georgia’s first two losses as having come against superior opposition. It is not possible to write off losing in Starkville. It is not possible to square all those ballyhooed recruiting classes with being 0-3 in the conference. It is not possible to look on the Bulldogs as anything more than a middling SEC team.
Five years ago, how many other league schools would have gladly traded their coach for Richt? Nine? Ten? How many would today? Maybe three, and that’s depending on how Ole Miss feels about Houston Nutt this week. Too many SEC programs have caught and passed Georgia, and this has nothing to do with the superpowers in Tuscaloosa and Gainesville. Consider:
Last year Georgia lost to Tennessee in Year 1 of Lane Kiffin. Last week Georgia lost to Arkansas in Sanford Stadium in Year 3 of Bobby Petrino. Last night Georgia lost to Mississippi State in Year 2 under Dan Mullen.
No longer does an opponent tremble at the sight of Georgia approaching. On the contrary, this has become — three weeks running! — the team you want to play if you’re looking to establish your program.
The old Steve Spurrier critique of Ray Goff — “Georgia gets all these players … I don’t know what happens to them” — again applies. Georgia doesn’t lack talent. It simply cannot bring its talent to bear. Its new 3-4 defense mustered one sack against Arkansas and Ryan Mallett. Its touted offensive line was able to carve out 113 yards rushing against Manny Diaz’s Mississippi State defense. Its offense could not score a touchdown against South Carolina and needed 58-plus minutes to manage one in Starkville.
There has been no improvement week over week. There is only a weird stasis. The weeks and the opponents change, but Georgia looks no different. How does that happen?
Loading ...Granted, the season might look different had A.J. Green played these four games. But he didn’t because he broke a rule, and that’s the other reason Richt is in trouble. A coach can get away with having his players mess up off the field if the coach keeps winning big on it. But Richt is 10-9 dating back to Nov. 29, 2008, and guess what cheery news awaited him on his return from Mississippi?
You got it. Another player has been arrested.
When I say, “Richt is in trouble,” I don’t mean I expect him to be fired this week or even after this season. I think Greg McGarity, the new athletic director, will err on the side of patience with a coach of such distinguished pedigree. (And a strong finish to this season — winning the next eight and beating Auburn and Florida en route — would effectively get Richt out of trouble.) But the loss at State seems a tipping point. It seems the game in which the majority of Georgia fans stopped seeing Mark Richt as the answer and came to regard him as the problem.
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1,529 comments Add your comment
Rondo Slade
September 26th, 2010
3:06 pm
I agree that it most likely won’t happen this year, but if there is not significant improvement next year Coach Richt might be in real troubble. in my openion, team discipline has got to be job one. The rules volations ond arrests are inexcusable, and the cause is coaching.
Wheel of Fortune
September 26th, 2010
3:07 pm
Axe me a nutter questions Mr. Alex Trebeks……..
bamaguy
September 26th, 2010
3:08 pm
From an outsider looking in, it all seems to have gone downhill after CMR instructed his team to flagrantly break the rules with that touchdown celebration against UF. How can you tell a team to intentionally break the rules then turn around and tell them to follow them? If it is ok to break the NCAA rules on the field, why not off?
I think the off field problems are going to get him canned a lot faster than the on field. I can’t think of another AD or university president in the country that would put up with it.
JB
September 26th, 2010
3:09 pm
I disagree……we get toasted the rest of way, he’s gone. Mutual ageement of course
VIXZILLA
September 26th, 2010
3:09 pm
I have defended Richt and been patient. I want him to be the guy. This morning however, I have had enough. His change in need of change is as effective as Obama’s. We have lost 3 conference games to inferior opponents. Inferior only in talent. We have been beaten with intellect, discipline, and heart. I can’t stomach that.
Like the announcer said on the telecast last night. We knew what they were gonna do and we couldn’t stop it. These are dark days and I am heart broken. We have missed our opportunity in the last 4 years, to take this program to the top. Enough talk about what should be, because it ain’t.
MS Bully
September 26th, 2010
3:09 pm
To the dummy who keeps talking trash about State having trouble to score 14 points. Go back and look at State’s history. State has always been a tough nosed defense with not much offense. Last nights game was the typical way State wins ballgames. Go ask your football team who was the most physical and you will get your winner.
JB
September 26th, 2010
3:10 pm
Bamaguy…..who do you think we should hire ?
VIXZILLA
September 26th, 2010
3:12 pm
Tech can certainly keep the yap shut. I witnessed the beat down they got yesterday first hand. Sat with the nicest bunch of humbled Tech fans I ever met. Go cry in your own blog and I’ll stay in mine.
Carolina Gator Lover
September 26th, 2010
3:12 pm
Finally answered the questionn … it will be more arrests than wins. I think the announcers got it right last night when they said Richt needs to get back to Athens and set new goals for the team….how about 1 SEC win and no more than 5 arrests?
FIRE MARK RICHT NOW!
September 26th, 2010
3:13 pm
MARK BRADLEY, YOU ARE ABOUT THREE YEARS TOO LATE. MARK RICHT IS NOT IN TROUBLE AS MUCH AS IS GEORGIA’S FOOTBALL PROGRAM!
LET THE REBUILDING BEGIN!
GTfanfrom1951
September 26th, 2010
3:13 pm
MArk Richt is a good coach and let him would be a big mistake that could come back and as they say bite UGA in the A$$. But being a jacket fan for along time he is still best coach UGA has had since V.D.
Jimmy the Saint
September 26th, 2010
3:13 pm
@Gawdfather: “Richt will never be at the level of Meyer and Saban”
Richt will never be at level of Ron Zook, let alone Meyer and Saban. More like a moderately improved Goff 2.0.
steve brown
September 26th, 2010
3:13 pm
You control out of control by throwing these kids (punks) out of school for DUI, Robbery, attempted rape, etc. If Mark doesn’t want to get tough then he needs to resign and become a man of the cloth instead of a football coach.
Big Dawg
September 26th, 2010
3:13 pm
We’ll see if CMR rides it out and takes the money, or foregoes an $8M contract payout and resigns.
This will tell us a lot about CMR.
Motorcross Junkie
September 26th, 2010
3:15 pm
Any fan that is satisfied with Rict’s results is a stupid fan.
THIS JUST IN
September 26th, 2010
3:15 pm
The great University of Georgia Bulldogs ranked #61 this week in the CBS Sports poll of the top 120 D 1 schools, the DAWGS are ahead BEHIND such powerhouse programs such as LA Tech, So MIss, Marshall and FL Atlantic. Way to go thugs, woof woof. Least UGA is winning on the “arrest scoreboard” LOL
bamaguy
September 26th, 2010
3:16 pm
Who should you hire? How about ‘anybody except Kirby Smart’
Seriously, none of those west coast coaches will come South. Neuheisel turned us down flat and he pretty much said “my wife will not live in the South”. I think most of those west coasters feel that way. So I would go for a proven head coach at a smaller school, not an accomplished assistant.
Big Dawg
September 26th, 2010
3:16 pm
Richt has nothing left for UGA.
GR82BAG8R
September 26th, 2010
3:16 pm
You know if Georgia isn’t going to do anything with all those in-state 5 star recruits, perhaps you should steer them Tech’s way. They could use them, based on the way they got handled yesterday. Tech gets out-talented, and Georgia gets out-played. Of course, allowing Tech to recruit 5-star players may make the series more even, and Georgia won’t have the annual Tech win to help them forget another forgettable season.
JB
September 26th, 2010
3:17 pm
Save some guys, Schultz and Bradley will have two columns each,each day this week….plenty of time to vent.
schebrocked
September 26th, 2010
3:17 pm
I guess yall finally get my drift? Been saying it for 5yrs now
like CMR but it was time for him to step down, we are not good
have not been good or “elite” for some time now, we’ve been
SCHLEBROCKED AGAIN WOWSEY WOWSEY WO WO
FIRE MARK RICHT NOW!
September 26th, 2010
3:17 pm
Ted Striker
you strike…me as being of the garden variety idiots. You blamed it on martinez, bobo, the AD, UGA IV and now its the Fans Fault that Mark Richt is a bird Brain!
get fccking real!
Gordon
September 26th, 2010
3:18 pm
At least you aren’t stuck with a rollover contract like Tech is with Hewitt. Imagine having several bad seasons in a row AND being no closer to the end of the contract. Of course, UGA can afford the buyout and Tech can’t.
thUGA
September 26th, 2010
3:18 pm
Lifetime contract for Helen Hunt/Mark Richt!!
Big Dawg
September 26th, 2010
3:18 pm
Boise State’s coach would come here. I can’t imagine Idaho is much different from the South.
Laughing all the way to the bank
September 26th, 2010
3:18 pm
Nice salary for mediocre team.
Paul
September 26th, 2010
3:18 pm
Well, I would come to UGA for the right price….say $2.5M I’ll bring Groh with me and we’ll make a real team out of those lawless thugs. Besides, I need some new bras for my sagging man boobs and a neck lift to get rid of this turkey neck syndrome. What do you say, Adams? Deal?
Paddy
September 26th, 2010
3:19 pm
You just CAN’T lose a game to MSU. But to me the arrest of another player the next day is more disturbing. CMR has lost control of the team and now leadership is in question. I believe he has 1 more year to turn it around and then he goes off to Texas-El Paso or Washington State! Thats seems to be the best place for old coaches go to collect a check.
Alabama Communist
September 26th, 2010
3:19 pm
No doubt coach Richt is changing UGA football team into a criminal operation with 10 players being arrested this year……..He has got to stop recuirting at the local prisons !
jtmdawg
September 26th, 2010
3:19 pm
I love you Coach, but it is time. Admit that your heart is not in it any longer and step down with dignity before you are fired. Many SEC teams have now upgraded their coaching to alevel that exceeds UGA. Need to make a change and bring in someone with a fire in their belly. Mark, I am afraid that your fire has been put out. We are now at the bottom of the SEC. WOW.
Double Jeopardy
September 26th, 2010
3:19 pm
Who is Chuck Dowdle for 30 please…………
Jacket
September 26th, 2010
3:20 pm
The difference I see between Richt and Johnson is that Johnson demands discipline and hardwork from his players period at every place he has been. He does not put with the off field garbage like Richt does. Thus Johnson’s teams play hard win or lose, whether they are out manned or not, do not quit. What kind of year Tech will have is up in the air, probably a mediocre one, but Tech will play hard, disciplined football. UGA seems to be out of control, poorly disciplined both one and off the field, they feed on each other. Richt does not appear to have the respect or fear of the players. And this has been going for several years now.
Most championship caliber teams are highly disciplined both on and off the field since the same behavior reinforces itself. The successful coaches demand discipline on and off the field – period. It is non negiotiable item with them. I suspect the new AD at UGA sees this and will do something about it, what I do not know. If UGA is going something other than a cellar dweller is tne SEC, the football better get real discipline on and off the field now.
Mean Machine
September 26th, 2010
3:21 pm
Lack of intensity. Lack of discipline. Lack of physicality. Lack of and identity. Lack of focus. Lack of execution. These problems have been apparent since 2008. This is a football program that has lost its soul. The leadership is not there. This is not about the talent on the field. Richt has lost his “mojo”, and once it’s gone with a coach, it doesn’t come back. Unfortunately, I think we’re stuck watching this train wreck at least through next year. I don’t think that those who make the decisions at UGA demand excellence, like many fans wish that they would. And there are those out there who think mediocrity is acceptable at UGA, because for the most part, it is all they know. It really hurts to watch this team play. I know the players are trying as hard as they can, but they are not capable of competing in the SEC as long as the current coaching staff is leading them.
JB
September 26th, 2010
3:21 pm
I agree Bama guy. I’m not sold on Kirby as head coach. Doing a good job for ya’ll. I’m not sold on ‘muschamp either, but that’s who it will be IMO.
Tweets that mention There's no other way to say it: Mark Richt is in trouble at UGA | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
September 26th, 2010
3:21 pm
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Breaking News
September 26th, 2010
3:22 pm
CMR just got burned in a tanning salon in Buckhead
Paul
September 26th, 2010
3:22 pm
Mr. Adams, my cell number is 770-283-6449 and will anxiously await your call.
CMR Sux
September 26th, 2010
3:24 pm
Why don’t hire another thug-loving former Miami of FSU assistant. We need somebody new to waste our talent!!
pope
September 26th, 2010
3:24 pm
Wow did not know this state was full of out of work college football coaches.
Maybe we should remember that these are kids playing a game and
We have to remember that. Many of them come from split families or single family
Homes, take a kid and introduce him to the glamorous college
Football life and things are going to happen. The worse thing that
Could have happened did by coach Richt winning so early.
Spoiled fans are all you see now, we have to win every game and
We can’t rebuild , there has been major changes go on in athens
And change is a good thing only with time. Get off the let’s fire somebody
Bandwagon and show some support to a great program that
Is struggling. I don’t know the answer to fix the problem but
Firing somebody just brings more changes and another year
Of learning something new and another losing season.
Let’s propose to be fans and support the dawgs and coaches during this growing time
Not go on a headhunt because we are so bent out of shape in a
Win now society. Just saying, take it for what you want!
UGALEE
September 26th, 2010
3:24 pm
Everyone who played for Coach Bryant referred to him as Coach Bryant. Why does everyone refer to Coach Richt as Mark Richt?
Proud dawg fan
September 26th, 2010
3:25 pm
I am tired of the so called fans making bad remarks about our football program. So what!!!11
We are great in gymnastics, soccer and women;s basketball. We need to back our winning programs. Keep CMR. He is a good Christian man
Jasper Sanks
September 26th, 2010
3:25 pm
I’m looking better all the time, aren’t I?
Atl Resident
September 26th, 2010
3:25 pm
Wait a minute…..does anyone think Richt really care about what happens this season? Why would I when I have had so many winning seasons, national rankings, and bowl appearances with this school over the years. So the alumni is pissed off and bitching, so damn what, if Richt was winning everyone would shut up, so that’s just what everyone still need too do.
bamaguy
September 26th, 2010
3:26 pm
and ONLY his players UGALEE. If you called him “Coach Bryant” and you had never played for him, he would call you on it.
Randy
September 26th, 2010
3:26 pm
Saban went 7-6 at Bama in 07′, lost 4 or 5 games in a row, went 6-9 the year before.
JB
September 26th, 2010
3:26 pm
mean machine………………….best comment all day……………..B een 30 years since a NC……..no sense of urgency in Athens.
No expectations…………………….9-3 OK with the powers………………………I see nothing changing.
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
September 26th, 2010
3:26 pm
Bradley, I’m not gonna fall into your trap of voting on whether or not UGA needs a new coach because I think it’s too early to know; Come back with that question in another 2.5 months. I will say that things are going array quickly in Athens. One thing that makes a team good is when a team ‘buys into’ a coach & the coaches’ system (provided it’s a good system & the players are decent). Richt has lost the confidence of this team, and that is devastating. If he can’t gain control of these guys VERY SOON, this snowball is gonna get really big, really fast.
Coach Helen Hunt
September 26th, 2010
3:27 pm
Good Christian man? Talk about an oxymoron!
Terry Bowden
September 26th, 2010
3:28 pm
Hey guys! I’m not doing anything next week if you need anything!
Fake Urban Meyer
September 26th, 2010
3:28 pm
I don’t see any problems with the way Georgia is playing. Nobody in Gainsville is complaining here. I don’t see why people in Athens are complaining. It not like Georgia is an elite college program. I mean come on people, what has Georgia done? In the past 20 yearsm , we have beaten them 17 out of 20 times and they still refer to Georgia as a rival. Every year ya’ll are overrated; like this year some magazine had ya’ll going to a BCS game and going 11-1. Also this is te SEC and not the penal league. What is up with the arrests? 10 arrests this year, ya’ll are keeping the lawyers busy.