Alas, Georgia’s coaching is no longer championship-caliber
It was another hair-raising loss for UGA and Mark Richt. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
On Oct. 27, 2007, Knowshon Moreno scored to give Georgia a 7-0 lead against Florida, prompting the Bulldogs’ semi-planned and twice-penalized on-field celebration. What you knew: Georgia won that day 42-30, marking the only time Mark Richt’s team has beaten Urban Meyer’s.
What you didn’t know: The day of the Gator Stomp marked the first and last time — in six tries, mind you — a Richt team has taken a lead on Meyer’s.
As disheartening as Richt being 1-5 against Meyer is, the repeated failure to nose ahead even 3-0 is more alarming. It’s a direct reflection of coaching, or the lack thereof. Rule 1 in the Coaching Manual: Get your team ready to play. Sad to say, the Bulldogs under Richt are rarely ready.
Say what you will about Meyer, but the man can coach. His work against Ohio State in Glendale, Ariz., in January 2007 was the greatest coaching performance the BCS title game has ever seen, and his work against Georgia on Saturday was no less inspired. In Jacksonville he took the demonstrably lesser team — anybody see an A.J. Green or a Justin Houston or even an Aaron Murray or an Orson Charles among Gators? — and wrung 450 yards and 34 points from it. Meyer tried everything. Richt’s team tried running the ball on second-and-10 in overtime.
The best you can say about Richt’s coaching is that his players didn’t quit when they fell behind. That’s surely because they’ve had so much practice: Georgia hasn’t led in any of its four SEC losses. South Carolina and Arkansas took the ball first and drove to touchdowns. Georgia took the ball against Mississippi State and went three-and0ut; on Saturday Murray threw an interception on the first snap.
We once considered Richt a splendid gameday coach, but that time is gone. Georgia was 52-13 in Richt’s first five season, reaching the SEC title game three times and winning it twice. It’s 42-19 since. Not coincidentally, Richt’s decline dovetails with Meyer’s rise. (Although it must be noted that Richt has a losing record against three Florida coaches: He was 0-1 against Steve Spurrier, 1-2 against Ron Zook.)
There’s still great talent at Georgia — the old Spurrier knock on Ray Goff now attaches itself to this coach: “Georgia gets all these players; I don’t know what happens to them” — but the coaching has fallen below SEC standards. If we’re looking for the sea-change game, we need underscore Sept. 27, 2008, the night Nick Saban and Alabama came to Athens and not only jumped ahead but led by 31 points after 30 minutes.
Back to Saturday: The Bulldogs got the ball to start overtime, which means the worst they should have done was gain no yards and let Blair Walsh try a 42-yard field goal to put them ahead. Instead Murray threw the ball into stacked coverage and saw the Gators nearly end the game without having to play offense. Murray has had a terrific freshman season and had a fabulous second half, but in the season’s biggest moment he made the one play a quarterback cannot make.
That’s what Georgia under Richt has come to do: It makes the one play to lose a game, as opposed to David Greene throwing to Verron Haynes in Knoxville or to Michael Johnson in Auburn. (Or even Matthew Stafford throwing to Mikey Henderson in Tuscaloosa.) Georgia under Richt has become the toothless tiger — the team everyone respects but nobody fears.
Richt’s 10-year body of work stands as a mighty argument for administrative patience. More current events suggest the Richt of 2010 isn’t the Richt of yesteryear. It took four full seasons under this coach and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder for Georgia to lose 10 games. The Bulldogs lost five times last year, changed defensive coordinators and have already lost five times this.
And now Richt’s gifted Bulldogs have fallen to the worst Florida team Meyer has fielded. In a year where the SEC East was ripe for a young team to rise up and march to the Georgia Dome, that team will not be Mark Richt’s. He’s no longer a championship coach. Dating back to Nov. 29, 2008, his Bulldogs are 13-11, which means he’s barely even a winning coach.
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1,352 comments Add your comment
From Where I Sit
October 31st, 2010
6:00 pm
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KICKER TREAT!!!!!
bigcalidawg
October 31st, 2010
6:01 pm
Remember several years ago when CMR began to allow playcalling responsibilities to go to Bobo. He believed that it allowed him to better oversee the “overall operation” and make tweaks that could help the team overall.
Now, I’m not saying that the reason we are losing is Bobo, because the defensive changes have helped, but……isn’t it a coincidence that the team began to slip when CMR stopped calling plays? Maybe it kept him locked in.
I do know that CMR is loyal to a fault and will lose games to support a person. (See Joe Cox)
I often wonder what last year could have been had we just gone with Murray, rather than Cox.
Rest of the SEC
October 31st, 2010
6:01 pm
Jayson,
You may need to revise your stats. I think Richt’s winning % has dropped significantly in the last 2 years. Your stats are a wee bit out of date. 8-5 last year and 4-5 this year aint exactly 75% winning %. You need some help with your mathematics son.
trailerdawg18
October 31st, 2010
6:02 pm
Mark Bradley please do what you do best. Oh, that would be nothing. Richt has one bad year and you rip him. You write hundreds of aimless columns that read like a two year olds. Please spend your time writing about something that you know. Oh, again you would be with out a job??
Jayson
October 31st, 2010
6:02 pm
Here’a snother thing that don’t add up bout mr bradley’s arti cal here.
If Georgia is so bad, how come Georgia’s new defensive coach has Georgia #1 in sacks over Saban & Meyer in his 1st year as a coach at Georgia? I can’t figure that one out.
Must not be smart e nuff.
Rest of the SEC
October 31st, 2010
6:04 pm
Jayson,
That’s great on the top 10 finishes. So how many national championships did that translate into? I believe Saban and Meyer each have 2 national titles in less time in the SEC than Richt.
SEC Fact Finder
October 31st, 2010
6:05 pm
One aspect I forgot to mention in Scheduling.
2012 ALL SEC schools will start the new scheduling format for the next 10 years. That will alter many current games as they are place on the calendar. The SEC will announce the new layout sometime this winter. What does that mean? A game like South Carolina could be later in the season and the WEST/EAST Alternating/ Rotation Opponents will likely change to some degree.
GH
October 31st, 2010
6:05 pm
I am a devoted UGA graduate and long-time Richt supporter.
I am not one who frequents these blogs; usually, I have much more important things to do.
But, Mark Bradley, you are spot-on correct in what you wrote.
Head Coach Mark Richt should be fired this (Sunday) afternoon followed by the entire staff being removed and replaced after we likely lose to Georgia Tech.
I am over and done apologizing for and supporting the CMR staff.
If I failed at my job year after year I would be replaced and he should too.
Stuart Townsend
October 31st, 2010
6:05 pm
Enough is Enough!! FIRE CMR NOW! Let’s start over and find a Piss & Vinegar coach that will whip the Dogs in shape!! The Honeymoon for CMR is over. . . HIT THE ROAD RICHT!.
Jayson
October 31st, 2010
6:06 pm
You know something else is botherin me regardin this here arti cal.
How come the fans keep spending their hard earned greenbacks to come to all these games. I mean, 9 years, every home game a sell out.
These 90,000 fans must all be dumber than Mark Bradley too. Don’t they know how bad of a coach Richt is?
Rest of the SEC
October 31st, 2010
6:06 pm
Jayson,
How come Georgia doesn’t lead the nation in interceptions like Alabama’s defense? Or how come Georgia isn’t at least 2nd in the nation in ints like Florida’s defense. Last, where is Georgia in scoring defense compared to Alabama and Florida? Inquiring minds want to know.
JSS
October 31st, 2010
6:06 pm
@ Rest of the SEC…
Saban was 9-2 in his only year with the Rockets.
What brings down percentage is when he is brought in to resurrect once great programs that were in disarray… First three years in Lansing 1995 to 1997, Michigan State finished 6-5-1, 6-6, and 7-5. 1998 was 6-6. First year in Baton Rouge was 8-4. First year in Bama was 7-6.
26.2
October 31st, 2010
6:07 pm
Love Mark Richt – Hate Coach Richt.
Joe McLeod
October 31st, 2010
6:07 pm
I have tremendous respect for Mark Richt and think much of this season has been transition and, frankly, bad luck. But, the most important thing you can say about him is that he hasn’t PO’d Michael Adams. The best coach ever at UGA? Butts? Dooley? Nope. It’s Jim Donnan. Get my point?
Rest of the SEC
October 31st, 2010
6:07 pm
Jayson,
I saw empty seats at Sanford starting with the Ark game. And I can personally guarantee there will be plenty of empty seats for mighty Idaho State.
Downhill Dogs
October 31st, 2010
6:07 pm
It is a shame that two bad years of football is what seem to get most Georgia grads ready for a change
——
UGA hasn’t played for the SEC championhsip in 5 years, much less competed for a NC. This isn’t just about the last 2 years.
Jayson
October 31st, 2010
6:08 pm
So, let me get this strate.
Meyer is a better coach than Richt, yet freshman QB Murray has thrown for more touchodwns and yards than John Brantley?
Geez, I must be reel dumb, cause it seems to me, Meyer’s QB would be better if Mr. Bradley’s arti cal was right.
Rest of the SEC
October 31st, 2010
6:09 pm
Jason,
Scoring defense Alabama is 2nd in the nation, Florida is 34th, and Georgia is 39th. Why does this Todd Grantham guy suck so bad???
todd grantham
October 31st, 2010
6:09 pm
yes, alas
Mama is Tricker Treating
October 31st, 2010
6:11 pm
The problem at looking at past records will either do one of two things.
1. Make you believe you are better today than you actually are.
2. Make you believe that just because you are good today or poor today that things will get better or worse based upon players who are no longer in uniform.
Comparing Richt today to Richt 5, 6,7,8,9 years ago is misleading.
Were those players his players or players he inheireted?
Were the coaches under him that good of coaches?
Did he replace his players and coaches with as good or better coaches?
Records are for spinning and spinning and looking back when you retire.
Rest of the SEC
October 31st, 2010
6:11 pm
Jayson,
Let me get this straight. So Murray is a better qb than Brantley? Isn’t Murray the qb who threw 3 ints on Saturday? Why yes. I believe he did! And wasn’t Branley the winning qb head to head? Why yes. I believe he was!
george
October 31st, 2010
6:12 pm
I am disgusted with the current state of Georgia football. Not because of another loss to Florida (we didn’t deserve to win playing like that), but because this is NOT a well coached football team. You have the best wide receiver in the country and you can only manage to get him the ball a very few times…that’s coaching. Players should be taught to “fall on fumbles” not try “to pick it up and run” as we did twice yesterday…that’s coaching. Either one of those fumbles deep in Florida territory could have made the difference in winning or losing. We have the best field goal kicker in the country, and he was a “non factor” in the overtime. Why? Because Bobo, or Richt, decided to go for the bomb twice instead of running the ball (as we did well for most of the day)…that’s coaching. What could have been a decent season after a disastrous start is now wasted. A win over Idaho State should be a given, but I’m not too sure about that with the big let down this team is sure to have after yesterday. A loss to Auburn is almost certain, and Tech win doesn’t look real good either. It’s time for heads to roll in Athens, and I really hope McGarity will do just that…SOON.
Rest of the SEC
October 31st, 2010
6:13 pm
Why is Miss State 13th in scoring Defense and Georgia is only 39th? Doesn’t Richt have better 4 and 5 star talent to work with then the 2 and 3 star talent at Miss State?
RAID
October 31st, 2010
6:13 pm
Somehow I do’nt think Richt has forgotten how to coach……He’s still the same man who has wone a couple SEC championship games and had us on the cusp of a national championship just a short while ago……WHO WILL BE HIRED THAT IS BETTER!…..um, the Boise coach?……Hmmmm…..The last Boise coach to leave is being ran out of town by Colorado!…..Muschamp? who is just another assistant on a failing Texas team……Hmmmm, Maybe Kirby Smart?:……Well he’s an assistant who calls the plays Saban tells him to…….Richt is proven as a head coach!…..no more assistants!….NOW, yes, I think there are a couple coaches under him that should go now……BUT RICHT IS THE SAME COACH WHO EVERYONE ADORED NOT TO LONG AGO!….He cannot recover a fumble, or throw an interception, or catch a would be interception, or kick a 42 yd fg when all he was trying to do was to put us up by 7 instead of 3……there are many things I am not happy about Richt about but its not this particular game……BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR UGA FANS CAUSE THE GRASS ISNT ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE!…….Name one coach who WILL come here and improve the program……DAWGS FANS ARE NOT PATIENT ENOUGH TO GIVE A NEW COACH A CHANCE!…….Jus look at how were treating the most successful coach weve ever had!
Rest of the SEC
October 31st, 2010
6:14 pm
Jayson,
I’m out now. Please Please please help Mark Richt keep his job. The rest of the SEC wants him to keep his job. Please spread the word. Keep mark richt!
KEEP MARK RICHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GatorBait
October 31st, 2010
6:15 pm
All you need to see is on the side lines, Meyer is totally incharge, animated and encouraging players
right and left. On the other hand Richt looks like he is about fall asleep———–maybe ya’ll need to send him some no-doze
birddawg92
October 31st, 2010
6:15 pm
Anyone who thinks Mark Richt can get it done at this point is deluded. When he did get it done, it was with Zook at UF, or he backed into it with the stars somehow aligning for UGA to win the East even in a season where we lost two of our biggest rivals, Auburn and UF. McGarrity, I beg you, put this to a merciful end before recruiting goes any further south. The Richt Era should be over this season in Athens.
http://www.saturdayinathens.com
Joe McLeod
October 31st, 2010
6:15 pm
George, you think Greg McGarity is calling the shots? Think again….
DGator
October 31st, 2010
6:16 pm
Please don’t fire Richt.
Fed Up
October 31st, 2010
6:17 pm
Great article!!! Well said! Did anyone but me see all the empty seats. Stay home for homecomming and see what happens.
Jayson
October 31st, 2010
6:17 pm
Hey Mr. Bradley-
I hope you’ll take the time to answer all my dum questions. Because I muss be missin soemthing from reeeding this heer arti cal.
But I am a little slow.
Fed Up
October 31st, 2010
6:18 pm
coming…trying to gril and type
Fire Mark's Rectum
October 31st, 2010
6:19 pm
Five losses and the year is only half over!!!
Downhill Dogs
October 31st, 2010
6:20 pm
Somehow I do’nt think Richt has forgotten how to coach……He’s still the same man who has wone a couple SEC championship games and had us on the cusp of a national championship just a short while ago……WHO WILL BE HIRED THAT IS BETTER!…..um, the Boise coach?……Hmmmm…..The last Boise coach to leave is being ran out of town by Colorado!…..Muschamp? who is just another assistant on a failing Texas team……Hmmmm, Maybe Kirby Smart?:……Well he’s an assistant who calls the plays Saban tells him to…….Richt is proven as a head coach!…..
————–
The only thing Richt has “proven” is that to win the SEC FL, AL and LSU all have to be having down years simultaneously, which will rarely happen.
JSS
October 31st, 2010
6:20 pm
Murray is streaky (in terms of TDs)… His big TD to int. games have been against Lafayette and Colorado. Less than 50% against Florida.
I don’t if the AJC will hold the formatting properly, sorry if garbles up.
DATE OPP RESULT CMP ATT YDS CMP% LNG TD INT RAT ATT YDS AVG LNG TD
9/4 Louisiana-Lafayette W 55-7 17 26 160 65.4 41 3 1 147.46 4 42 10.5 21 1
9/11 @South Carolina L 17-6 14 21 192 66.7 55 0 0 143.47 6 -15 -2.5 6 0
9/18 Arkansas L 31-24 15 27 253 55.6 47 1 1 139.08 14 9 0.6 18 1
9/25 @Mississippi State L 24-12 18 31 274 58.1 40 1 0 142.96 7 32 4.6 11 0
10/2 @Colorado L 29-27 16 27 221 59.3 50 3 1 157.27 7 13 1.9 15 0
10/9 Tennessee W 41-14 17 25 266 68.0 33 2 0 183.78 7 41 5.9 35 2
10/16 Vanderbilt W 43-0 15 24 287 62.5 55 2 0 190.45 6 36 6.0 12 0
10/23 @Kentucky W 44-31 9 12 113 75.0 34 0 0 154.10 3 7 2.3 3 0
10/30 Florida L 34-31 18 37 313 48.6 63 3 3 130.25 8 16 2.0 15 0
Vain Jangling
October 31st, 2010
6:21 pm
688th?
5150 P.O.A.D.
October 31st, 2010
6:21 pm
In Rome they fed the Christians to the Lions. Athens will send the Christian to the Planes to be fed to the Tigers/War Eagles/ Plainsmen.
Vain Jangling
October 31st, 2010
6:21 pm
Yes!
joe
October 31st, 2010
6:22 pm
Hello Shreveport!
TM
October 31st, 2010
6:23 pm
The coach that waits until the program has lost a few games to change the practice ways… is a coach who has lost his touch.
I have heard CMR say on two different occasions this season that he has “stepped up” the intensity in defense in practice.
HOW ABOUT STEPPING UP THE DEFENSIVE INTENSITY FROM DAY 1?
HOW ABOUT STEPPING UP THE FUNDAMENTALS FROM DAY 1?
HOW ABOUT STEPPING UP THE DISCIPLINE ON AND OFF THE FIELD FROM DAY 1?
For those who say CMR hasn’t lost the ability to coach… based on what i have heard directly from CMR’s mouth, i beg to differ.
todd grantham
October 31st, 2010
6:26 pm
the program hasnt just lost a few games. its lost all direction.
RAID
October 31st, 2010
6:26 pm
Yes downhill….but the same could be said that the only time the others have won is when we are in a down cycle
Scooter
October 31st, 2010
6:28 pm
Not wasting my time on Jayson anymore…but I would like to reply to one comment by someone else. We seem to hear the “MR hasn’t forgotten how to coach” comment a good bit…I doubt he has forgotten how to coach…but he may have lost his edge, will, or determination. I don’t know…all we have to go on is results and trends…and they are at best concerning…
Mike
October 31st, 2010
6:29 pm
There is a reason you’re not a coach, Bradley – you just wrote why. There is a reason you write for the AJC … that’s the best you can do. No one hurts more than the Bulldog Nation and the last thing we need is a pompous, self-righteous, arrogant “pundit” like you to rub it in. Thanks for a lousy article.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!!!
October 31st, 2010
6:30 pm
THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THIS MESS IS TO DO WHAT “ALLBARN” HAS DONE!!! BUY YOU A FEW QUAILTY PLAYER’S (INSERT CAMBO HERE) AND JUMP START YOUR PROGRAM!!! P.S. YOU MIGHT CONSIDER A NEW OC WHILE YOU’RE AT IT!!!
Scooter
October 31st, 2010
6:32 pm
That’s the problem TM, when Urban Meyer loses a few games…he makes changes…when MR loses a few games he lets his players grow beards or wear different uniforms but above all…”stays the course”…as if doing the same things that have been costing you games are going to all of a sudden help you start winning them…
Dawg The Mediocrity Settler
October 31st, 2010
6:32 pm
Let’s see here. I got Coach Richt at a 76% winning %, and that Championship Calibre coach Saban at 70%.
Um, let’s see here. Saban took over 4 programs he had to rebuild. Richt took over a program that had been winning 8 games a year with Donnan.
Downhill Dogs
October 31st, 2010
6:34 pm
Yes downhill….but the same could be said that the only time the others have won is when we are in a down cycle
——-
True, but LSU and FL both managed to win SEC and National Championships while UGA had arguably the best QB and RB in the nation.
filtar21
October 31st, 2010
6:37 pm
I honestly feel had georgia won yesterday everybody would be dancing in the streets. We were in a close game which unfortunately we lost in the end. I thought bobo called a great game every o.c. has a few bad plays and i can say we only had a few bad playcalls. this team i still feel has a better chance against auburn. i say richt gets one more year he deserves one more year. If we dont reach the ten win mark by teh time we beat tech next year then maybe its time to talk get rid of him but not until then.
Mama is Tricker Treating
October 31st, 2010
6:38 pm
To be a GREAT Coach in the SEC you have to do many many things very well.
Salesman- sell your programs to Recruits, Moms, Dads, Grandparents, High School Coaches…
Technician- understand the players who have an how to utilize them properly
Manager- know how to tweak your team, make adjustments on the fly
Media Expert- know who you are talking to and when to keep your mouth shut.
Developer- take a kid who needs to grow, improve his stock and get him ready to contribute
Politician- know when to kiss a$$ and know when to kick it.
Counselor- knowing that you have individuals with their own problems that effect a group
Conductor- know when to bring in certain aspects of the ensemble.
Does Mark Richt have all of these components, we all have them, it is just how we apply them in our lives. Sometimes we lose the grip of that “hunger and drive” that got us to be so successful.