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
well we tried
November 1st, 2010
5:11 am
mmmmmm—got anything good to eat inthere? no running game—no field goal—–what in the world are these nuts thinking about———where to spend their next 100,000?
well we tried
November 1st, 2010
5:15 am
Florida State under BB was a passing team. That was the ACC 10 years ago. Helloooooo. Hellloooooooooo. Rodger—–Wilco. Man is this Georgia staff behind the times. And you can smell it 60 miles from Athens too. Eggs, toast, and some internet fun!!!—-Better that watching Georgia lose I’ll tell ya=====
Jim 007
November 1st, 2010
6:01 am
With a 2-8 record aganist Florida, why the H _ _ _ is Richt still coach ?
Not to mention the THUGA atmosphere he has condoned at Georgia !
BoWeevil
November 1st, 2010
6:06 am
Mark Bradley, you cannot say that he is barely a winning coach.
You have to tell the whole story over the whole 10 year CMR Era.
11 games CMR has played vs Top 10 Final AP Poll teams in 10 years; lost 8
10 games CMR has played vs Florida in 10 years; he has lost 8 of them too
CMR has lost now 10 teams in 10 yrs not ranked in Top 25 Final AP Poll
In 2 months CMR will have fired every coach he hired in a 12-month period
We are to believe that now CMR knows how to hire a coaching staff ?
42-19 CMR record over these last 5 years now this season; he is great ?
In same last 5 years, CMR # 2 nation Fulmer Cup Most Arrested / Suspended
13-12 CMR record vs SEC East these last 5 years now this season; great ?
20 better college programs than our won / lost over these last 5 years
We lose 14 seniors after this 2010 season & 4 juniors; how is 2011 different ?
I am not satisfied with this over these now last 5 years.
We are not bad fans for pointing this out. You are bad fans for trying to make up EXCUSES.
UBG8RB8
November 1st, 2010
6:22 am
All dawgs are ass licking sons of hairy-back bitches!
60 years
November 1st, 2010
6:35 am
Bradley….I could say the same for AJC sportswriters….you are a moron JERK
Sammy
November 1st, 2010
6:36 am
JaxDawg, you hit the nail on the head. tech fans will never understand why their team poops themselves every year against the Dawgs. Count on it, the Dawgs will beat tech for their 6th win which will send us to a bowl (although a crappy bowl) and no bowl will ever take a 6 win tech. tech can just go home and prepare for another loss in basketball.
Buckeye
November 1st, 2010
6:50 am
Hey Bruce,
Make your reservations for Birmingham yet?
dagnabit
November 1st, 2010
6:57 am
I like you Bradley. I don’t think you’re a jerk. Befuddled sometimes perhaps.
Michael
November 1st, 2010
7:21 am
The only rational thing to do is to say GO DUCKS! If you are a front runner you are always satisfied with the results. Go SATISFACTION based on living vicariously through the lives of 19 yr old football players!
waynedawg
November 1st, 2010
7:24 am
i think this article is right on. it is past time to get someone that can get good
quality recruits and i do not mean just able to play football but has some
intelligence and responsibility about them.ie stealing a scooter helmet and
not paying a speeding fine. richt has lost all control of this program and it
is going down the toilet. win loss in last three years is too bad
gator aide
November 1st, 2010
7:24 am
I personally hope you give Mark a lifetime contract. Look at FSU one year removed and look at the difference the same players are playing at. Players have to believe. They have to have dicipline which yours don’t. I do not know how you get the recruits to continue to commit to Ga. What do you tell or show them to think yoiur program is on the rise? You are a good football team that has lost some really close games to some really good teams. But for you to talk about any football team actions on the field or how they represent your school should tell you that you are looking through rose colored glasses.
It is just Football
November 1st, 2010
7:25 am
Keep CMR. He is a great Coach and recruiter. If it was not for turnovers, this blog article would not be up.
Fire CMR and end up like TN…. gotta love that.
Munson's Toupee
November 1st, 2010
7:26 am
What Would Damon Do?
prqagmatic
November 1st, 2010
7:29 am
It was a battle to see which team sucks the most this year and Georgia just wanted it more.
» SEC: At Georgia, the problem is coaching John Clay’s Sidelines
November 1st, 2010
7:30 am
[...] Mark Bradley of the AJC writes that it’s the coaching that is coming up short at Georgia. [...]
Dunwoody DAWG
November 1st, 2010
7:31 am
I almost never agree with Bradley – however, I agree with this article. We have become insignificant in FOOTBALL! WHAT? HELLO? Our only shot this season is to ambush Auburn, which I don’t see happening.
I love coach Richt and wish him the best but he needs to go or we need to lower our expectations to 8-4 being a great year.. I hate losing to the gayturds in Jacksonville but they clearly have the better coach.
Mike
November 1st, 2010
7:37 am
When you have a team like Florida, who has over 20 FUMBLES, they FUMBLE, FUMBLE, FUMBLE, the running backs ALL are HEAVILY PRONE TO FUMBLE, and Trey Butrton FUMBLES, FUMBLES, FUMBLES, you have to GAME PLAN for that, strip and rip, and SMOTHER the ball when it comes loose (none of this scoop and score garbage).
2 fumbles were there for Georgia, and Georgia missed them trying to scoop and score.
You have to defend Florida RUN FIRST, pass second, they HATE to pass the ball, especially with a QB with cracked ribs.
I though Justin Houston should have done a spin move and cut inside whenh Brantley stepped up in the pocket on 3rd and 19. Keep em’ guessing, not like Brantley’s going to run for 19 yards for the 1st down if he breaks outside containment.
Buh Bye Time
November 1st, 2010
7:39 am
It’s buh bye time for Richt. Past time, really.
Credit where credit is due
November 1st, 2010
7:46 am
Give some credit to Mark Richt. His team did win the Fulmer Cup. That’s something.
RussDawg
November 1st, 2010
7:47 am
MB, It all went sideways when UGA lost VanGorder and that debacle in ATL against West Virginia.
I pity these guys that think this team has any shot against Auburn. They will hang 50 on us.
The real sad thing is that unless we lose to an awful Tech and this new AD really feels the heat we will have to endure yet another mediocre season with CMR next year.
CMR has clearly gone soft. It is also clear that VanGorders influence went much further than the D
If Richt’s faith is this strong in his life now he should follow it and step done like that choir boy out at Colorado back in the 90’s. The World needs missionaries. The University of Georgia needs a football Coach.
damngooddawg
November 1st, 2010
7:50 am
Mark Bradley, you are the worst. on the bandwagon, off the bandwagon. make up your ever-loving mind!
fulldawg
November 1st, 2010
7:51 am
Ray got a warning year so Richt most likely will also. We can probably look to the lackadaisical leadership one Damon Evens for allowing this continue since he was obviously preoccupied with other things. Perhaps that will put finally Bobo to job hunting. Might be time to get him away from the Georgia feed trough for a change.
Mike Deffenbaugh
November 1st, 2010
7:52 am
It was Grantham that was sitting on the sidelines giving the “choke” sign to Henry. Don’t worry, copies have been sent to Slive and our AD. We will see what they choose to do with this classless display by a Georgia coach. Finally, you georgia fans will never get it. This is all about payback by what Dooley did to us in 1984. Now we get a chance to kick the crap out of two Dooleys evry year. Charlie Pell is smiling on the Gators from the Heavens Above, and by the way the pictures of Grantham choke gesture will be surely posted on the Gators lockers for next years game. Expect a huge beatdown for that stunt.
Sojourner
November 1st, 2010
7:54 am
I was wondering how long it was going to take for UGA fans to realize that UGA is simply no longer relevant in the SEC? In the national picture, UGA isn’t even a blip on the radar, and hasn’t been since the preseason #1 ranking two years ago.
Sit back and be grateful for the six or seven wins you’ll get every year. Coaching genius Mark Richt may take you to 8-4 or even 9-3 occasionally, but Florida will still win the SEC, meaning no BCS bowls and no top 10 final ranking for UGA. Most years, UGA will be very lucky to finish in the top 25, and only after a big bowl win over a nobody opponent.
It’s a different world now, and Dawg fans need to adjust their expectations downward to reflect reality.
Unfortunately nothing is going to change until UGA changes its mediocre coaching. That’s where the difference is, and that’s why everyone outside Dawg Nation just laughs at Dawg fans getting so excited year after year about what a great recruiting class UGA gets. It doesn’t matter how many blue chip high school players go to UGA, they simply don’t get the coaching they would get at Florida or Alabama, to name two schools whose programs are far ahead of UGA. And that’s not going to change as long as Mark Richt is in Athens.
FIRE RICHT NOW
November 1st, 2010
8:00 am
I think alot of you are about 3 years late on the fire RICHT bandwagon yes he won the Sec a few times but with someone elses recruits he has not done jack with his ooooo im sorry I forgot the sugarbowl blow out vs the power house ex June Jones program hahahahahaha UGA is a JOKE !!!!!! It dont matter who you hire UGA will always follow the Alabama’s Florida’s and Lsu’s of the SEC face it bullpuppys you are not much above the Vandy & Ky level even Miss St is doing better than you guys let him Fire BOBO and when you guys suck again you can find more excuses for your beloved RICHT
Mark and Mark
November 1st, 2010
8:03 am
Mark Bradley is exactly right.
It’s time for Richt to go.
Joe
November 1st, 2010
8:06 am
This is ridiculous. Our Redshirt Freshman QB throws 3 picks and has one fumble, we still almost win the game, and you say it’s coaching? Seriously? I mean seriously?!?!?!?! What a hack. I’m sick of the AJC, a bunch of hack wanna be journalists looking for an attention grabbing headline. Here’s a headline for ya……..”Dawgs almost pull out miracle win, despite 4 Turnovers, due to excellent coaching”. That’s what it should read.
EP
November 1st, 2010
8:08 am
Mark Bradley is a fool…still.
What's the point?
November 1st, 2010
8:09 am
UGA has made the state a laughingstock with its reputation as one big party school with copious job opportunities for bail bondsman, and decent people are fed up with this. Get rid of the illiterate, undisciplined drunks and felons that Mark Richt recruits, and get rid of Richt too. Even with these illiterate jerkoffs, he can’t even win the division, much less the SEC, so what’s the point?
Gator Nation
November 1st, 2010
8:14 am
I love it. Where are all the loud mouth “dawgs” that were poppin off at the mouth in all the Georgia stories before the game? I hope you all cried in miserable pain when that ball went through the goal posts.
Phil
November 1st, 2010
8:17 am
The road to the SEC Championship game goes through Gainesville, that’s just the facts of life. 2-8 against Florida means you’re not going to Atlanta very often.
What do we do now, give Richt another 10 years so he can be 4-16 against Florida??
This is un-acceptable people. For all you that say Richt is a wonderful person and all that, I agree. But he’s not getting the job done on the field. Or off the field either.
So for once Bradley, I agree with you.
Now, back to the OT period. Why are we not playing for the field goal FIRST, and TD second? Florida is using a back up kicker. Can you imagine the pressure he would have been in having to make a kick in OT to tie the game?? And that’s assuming our defense would have held them to a FG try and I believe they would have.
Yes, I know he made the winning kick, but that was NOT a do or die kick, If he had missed, then the game would have continued.
Georgia should have done everything possible to make sure we came away with at LEAST a FG in overtime. Calling a dangerous pass play like that across the middle was insane. If you’re going to throw it, then throw it to AJ in the corner where he usually comes up with it or it falls incomplete 99% of the time.
Idiotic coaching in OT and we come away with nothing.
NOTE TO RICHT: If you come away with nothing in OT, the game is over MORON!
inthecellar
November 1st, 2010
8:20 am
So how did florida score so many points? Why did the dawgs look like crap in the first half? In the cellar is where the dawgs will stay for a long time.
TimDawg
November 1st, 2010
8:20 am
I am very diappointed that the dawgs lost but your not gonna beat Fl with 4 turnovers. It was very obvious early on that Murray was very nervous and made some rookie mistakes so how can some call for Richts head now ? Bradley who do you suggest to replace him that may be available and any better?
Atticus
November 1st, 2010
8:20 am
I agree, I think the team’s prepartion is an issue. The defense is understandable, it is going to take some time. Turnovers kill you…but when we came back and STILL had a chance to win, Bobo and/or Richt call 3 terrible plays in OT and not ONE to the NFL receiver. Pathetic. We don’t have elite coaches and we don’t have an elite program. Florida had both their coaches hired as HCs at other schools. One of ours was fired along with his assistants and the other one consistently comes up short in key times and has NEVER had another school look at him for their coach. Sorry, it’s the truth. Georgia is not committed to excellence but instead to mediocrity.
John
November 1st, 2010
8:21 am
“Whereas I too get frustrated with the Georgia’s overally system. However, Coach Richt is still a great leader and thus a great Coach.”
Loyalty is an admirable trait. Blind loyalty is delusional – and if we were talking about something really important, it can be dangerous. Fortunately we’re just talking football.
The UGA mover and shakers will decide CMR’s fate. The goodwill Richt accumulated during the successful period of his tenure seems inexhaustible and the patience it’s engendered to date is killing the football program.
I ask you, where is there recent evidence of good coaching or inspirational leadership on CMR’s part?
If SEC football the last three years is a horse race, Richt has been riding a thoroughbred to an out-of-the-money finish. Is UGA the best horse in the field? No. But they should be a helluva lot better than sixth out of eight horses.
And speaking of horses, the longer Georgia dawdles before taking the inevitable action, the longer we’ll have to suffer horses’ asses like Tampa Gator.
Tampa Gator, I’m gonna assume your mailing address is Ace Hardware, because you’re such a tool. This blog alone is littered with fifteen or twenty of your pompous, condescending posts on every subject from your beloved Gators, to what the top football coaches in the country WILL do in the near future, to offhand comments on how great your personal life is.
Dude, I’m happy you’re happy and I’m in awe of your self-proclaimed prescience.
In a perfect world, changes will be made in Athens. My twenty-one year era of unpleasantness will end. The trend of UGA losses to Florida will be reversed in an equal-and-opposite manner.
That’s my perfect world. Right now I’ll just settle for you shutting the hell up for a few days.
Nothing personal TG. Surely you expect this as much as you run your mouth.
Blackberry Cobbler
November 1st, 2010
8:22 am
The better team lost.
I actually thought UGA played a pretty good game and outplayed Florida. The difference was the turnovers.
The UGA defensive secondary is still horrible and couldn’t cover my grandmother. That and turnovers cost us the game.
Can’t blame this one on coaching. Sorry.
Dumd ass UGA fans
November 1st, 2010
8:25 am
It will be fun when GT kicks UGA’s butts in November.
virginia dog
November 1st, 2010
8:26 am
i disagree CMR game time decisions have always been suspect… does anyone remember the music city bowl?
South ga Dawg
November 1st, 2010
8:35 am
I dont think you can blame 4 turnovers on coaching.
Hal
November 1st, 2010
8:35 am
I always felt that when Richt was at FSU With CBB that FSU had a similar situation. Although they won many ACC titles and always had great players they underachived for the talent they had and should have won at least two more National Championships. Richt is in a tougher confrence but similar situation because the team is underachieving for the talent they have.
J.R.B.Bulldog
November 1st, 2010
8:37 am
All you jacket losers…Our season may stink but I promise you we’ll get it together long enough to smoke you and your mouthy coach’s behind. Too bad he can’t back up his flapping lips
Icenupe
November 1st, 2010
8:37 am
Here’s a question for all you “Fire Mark Richt” ROACHES who were quiet for 3 weeks. What if your next coach goes 3-1 versus Florida but 0-4 to Tech and Auburn? Then what did you accomplish? Pure buffonery and overreaction to another tough loss to Florida. I HATE LOSING TO FLORIDA! The game was lost Saturday on TURNOVERS!! SAME STORY! Fumble recoveries right in our hands and we lose the ball. Fumble on a sack. 3 interceptions. Not to mention 2 OTHER FUMBLES from Boykin and Branden Smith that we were LUCKY to recover. What did that have to do with Coach Richt?!!
Phil
November 1st, 2010
8:40 am
South ga Dawg,
I can blame 1 of those turnovers on coaching, and that was the one that killed us in OT. You don’t call a pass play like that. Throw it to AJ in the corner and if he doesn’t come up with it, then it falls incomplete out of bounds. Hell, I might would have called 3 straight QB sneaks and kicked the field goal! I think that’s all we needed to win that game considering they were using a back up kicker. Yet we didn’t even play the game to use that as an advantage.
on the fence
November 1st, 2010
8:40 am
HATE TO SAY IT , BUT ITS TIME FOR A COACHING CHANGE
dawgster
November 1st, 2010
8:42 am
John…thank you …yhour comments are great…especially the ones for TampaGator…i hope everyone lets him have a dose of his own medicine…what gets me about him is that your are right he’s very condescending with his posts…they always are about how great all the gator players are and that Coach Meyer is the only coach in america that can coach…he has all summer bashed the dawg fans for being excited about our chances, yes we know some were very unrealistic, but all he could do was put our program and expecially our players and fans down with his classless comments…that should tell you the kind of person he his…i kind of feel sorry for him..he must live in such pain, to be so stressed over comments that dawg fans have about their team…i have called him out several times to stand up and be a man..your team won, you beatdown the dawgs again, enjoy it and move on to bashing someone else…the true dawg fans still love the dawgs and we will support them, in spite of classless comments made by you…anyway John…good post…and thanks for saying some things that needed to be said…I will say that when this thing turns around, and it will, i will act like a man and not throw out classless comments toward others that may have believed in their team…go dawgs…
Joe Schuster
November 1st, 2010
8:42 am
Definitely not on the Shultz/Bradley bandwagon of reporting on the Dawgs. Thoroughly enjoyed the game-despite the score. Murray has progressed nicely–anxious to watch his next 3 yrs. Who said this team was championship caliber? All losses are bad, specially to Colorado, but SC, Ark, FL, are tough. Hey, let’s go to the Blue Turf and show em what SEC football is all about!
We need a football coach
November 1st, 2010
8:43 am
Fire CMR and end up like TN…. gotta love that.
We could fire Richt and end up like Auburn, (Tuberville-Chizek) or Alabama (Shula-Saban)Florida(Zook- Meyer).
Dawg Gonnit
November 1st, 2010
8:44 am
We lost the game because we have a 19 year old RFreshman QB who got the yips early. We had 3 turnovers in the first half alone. Were those Richt’s fault? Murray tried to do too much and fumbled (he’s young, he’ll learn). The very first play was on Murray also(late throw). The third TO was a throw that went right through Aaron White’s hands. Was that Richt’s fault too. Things happen in football and this game was full of ups and downs like all games are, and UGa came out on the losing end. Fun game too watch. I wish UGA won. I do agree that the play-calling in OT was terrible. We HAVE to get at least 3 points in that situation. Richt will be around next year, but if this continues like it is, he won’t be the coach in 2012.
Icenupe
November 1st, 2010
8:45 am
Here’s another question for the “Fire Mark Richt” idiots. If Florida turned the ball over 4 times to our 1 with an interception on the first possession in overtime, who do you think wins the friggin game? Are we having this ridiculous discussion then? 4 straight losses for Florida and then what, fire Urban Meyer?