Question: Will it ever get better for Mark Richt at UGA?
Has Mark Richt run out of steam? (AP photo)
AUBURN, Ala. — On the weekend of Cam-demonium, the Georgia Bulldogs were rendered a footnote. But one snippet of semi-news did emerge Saturday morning, courtesy of the Denver Post: Colorado is apparently interested in Mark Richt to fill its coaching vacancy.
And that might be the best for all concerned: Richt to the Rocky Mountains and a new challenge, Georgia spared a decision no program wants to make. Namely, when and how do you say goodbye to a man who lifted your program but seems incapable of further lifting?
In Year 2 under Gene Chizik, the Auburn Tigers clinched the SEC West by winning Saturday. In Year 10 under Richt, the Georgia Bulldogs fell to 5-6.
Said Bacarri Rambo, the safety: “I never thought the University of Georgia could be 5-6.”
Said Akeem Dent, the linebacker: “That would not make sense to anybody.”
It doesn’t make sense, but it’s grim reality. Georgia was 8-5 last season, its worst under Richt, and it will be worse this time — worse with 10 of 11 offensive starters returning plus a hotshot quarterback making his debut, worse with a $750,000 defensive coordinator hired as a presumed upgrade.
Georgia took a 21-7 lead on the nation’s No. 2 team Saturday, whereupon Todd Grantham’s defense yielded touchdowns on six of the next seven possessions. Yes, Auburn has a great offense, and yes, after days of uncertainty the famous Cam Newton not only played but played beautifully. Still: Had the Bulldog defenders even practiced?
Linebacker Justin Houston on Newton: “He didn’t do anything special.”
Then, asked how Auburn could score seven touchdowns and amass 463 yards: “Blown assignments — that’s what has been going on all season.”
How could a defense still be making mistakes in its 11th game? Have players not yet learned the scheme? Houston again: “I guess not. Some guys are not as focused as they need to be.”
That indictment of Grantham is a greater indictment of Richt. The failing of Georgia this season hasn’t been skill or desire but stamina. Players appear to tire, and even the coaching seems to flag.
Georgia had it going Saturday. The Bulldogs were throwing deep off play-action — Auburn doesn’t play much D, either — and running hard, and then coordinator Mike Bobo ordered a direct snap to receiver Branden Smith that gained nothing on second-and-five and blunted a second-quarter drive. Why throw a change-up when they haven’t hit your fastball?
Soon the game was tied, and Richt lost his nerve. Georgia took the ball at its 21 with 51 seconds left in the half and one timeout remaining. It ran a draw to Caleb King and let time expire, content in the belief that it would take possession to begin the second half.
“I guess we didn’t want to make a crazy mistake,” said A.J. Green, who to that point had caught five passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns against Ted Roof’s overmatched secondary. “We took the safe way out.”
Only it wasn’t safe. Chizik called for an onside kick. Auburn retook the lead without Georgia touching the ball. Richt said he told his kickoff-return squad to be wary of such a maneuver. He also said: “I guess you could only tell them so many times.”
Make no mistake: Auburn was the better team. But Georgia had a chance here, and its coaching failed. Same as in Jacksonville. Same as in Starkville. The same thing, again and again.
Richt on this saddening season: “A few key plays, if they went the other way, we win.” Then: “Teams that win championships win close games. We haven’t won a close game yet.”
For the record, Richt spoke in the same room that housed his triumphant press briefing Nov. 16, 2002, the day Georgia beat Auburn in an excruciatingly close game to clinch the SEC East. There was a time when Richt’s teams were the aggressor throughout, when they made the requisite plays at the end. No longer.
Asked about Colorado, Richt smiled and said: “Georgia is my home.”
Asked about Richt, the newly minted Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said: “I’m really looking forward to working with him.”
And yet you wonder if it will ever get better for Mark Richt at Georgia, if we haven’t already seen his best work. His Bulldogs had a chance to grab the nation’s attention Saturday, and they led by 14 points. They lost by 18.
They got weary. Then they got beat. The same thing, again and again.
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1,438 comments Add your comment
Auburn Tractor Mechanic
November 14th, 2010
9:19 am
Bobby
Are you really happy with this staff,
Just look a Auburn they hire someone new and now look, Tressel, Saban, Meyer, etc give me a break man. Im tired of the who are you going to hire crap. How many more years do we have to take this downward spiral
BoWeevil
November 14th, 2010
9:20 am
Huge Difference :
27 losses in 12 years Steve Spurrier at Florida
33 losses in 10 years Coach Richt at Georgia
122-27-1 and 87-14 vs SEC in-conference 12 years Spurrier Florida
95-33 and 55-28 vs SEC in-conference 10 years Coach Richt UGA
» SEC: Auburn-South Carolina to meet in title game John Clay’s Sidelines
November 14th, 2010
9:21 am
[...] Will it ever get better for Mark Richt at Georgia? asks Mark Bradley of the AJC. [...]
BoWeevil
November 14th, 2010
9:21 am
If you look at just The SEC in the Coach Richt Era to-date :
61-22 Ten years SEC games 2001-2010 Florida
58-24 Ten years SEC games 2001-2010 LSU
54-26 Ten years SEC games 2001-2010 Auburn
55-28 Ten years SEC games 2001-2010 Coach Richt UGA
Motocross Survivor
November 14th, 2010
9:21 am
Never was much of a Dawg fan, but Auburn blows. Alabammy folk worship football, it’s all the poor slob hayseeds have. They talk funny too. Once heard Alabammy woman keep talking about “going to the byink.” I thought what the hell is she talking about? She was planning a trip to her local financial institution.
Hairy Dawg
November 14th, 2010
9:22 am
Auburn just sold souls to Devil and not Christain like Coach Richt. War Tigers is nothing but cheap shots to play unfair. Now we got easy game to mashing bugs for dominants the state. Then we goning to get rid of stinkys players on team to reload talent and payed backs Cheese Dips dirty punching Auburn next years. Dawgs got to man up and run off stinky players that not goning use talents to free schollies for talent that producing. We need make Adams trumps up charging to get rid of stinkys and then recruiting with no restrictions which is Adams faults.
Fan of the Game
November 14th, 2010
9:22 am
Auburn Fan 4 ever- Are you kin to Fairley? You couldn’t throw crap? I saw your skinny butt. Your ass ain’t nothing but skin and bones.
Aubie-won-knobi
November 14th, 2010
9:22 am
Fan, whether he cares or not deep in his heart it’s his JOB to show he does. So YOU keep believing that fairy dust you’ve spun yourself in and stay delusional. BTW, how much is Fox News paying you?
Uncle Tom
November 14th, 2010
9:22 am
Our future under Richt: 7-5, 6-6, 6-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-6, 8-4 (the conference will be “down” this year), 7-5, 7-5, 6-6, 6-6, 7-5, 5-7 (we get “some bad breaks”) 6-6, etc. etc. I can’t wait.
Bama Bill
November 14th, 2010
9:23 am
Nick Fairley should be treated “fairly” by the NCAA and expelled form college football ! Someone needs to put together a tape of all of his cheap, illegal and premeditated to injure late hits. The guy is a a disgrace and Auburn should be ashamed of allowing and fostering such play. Hope Saban has the answer for this thug ?
Cry Me a River
November 14th, 2010
9:23 am
CMR didn’t tell us we weren’t playing two hand tag football. Man, we got our clocks cleaned. We let a team put up 49 points, and all we can do is cry and make excuses…….49 !
Big boy football sure is tough these days. Anybody have a tissue?
Beast from the East
November 14th, 2010
9:24 am
Hairy Dawg,
What does his religious beliefs have to do with his win-loss record? If he was 13-0 every year but was a Muslim would you want him fired? It’s football, not Sunday school.
bigtime
November 14th, 2010
9:24 am
Aubie-won-knobi, we all know that Cam smiles so much because of the checks that he cashes with Pat Dye’s name on them. I’m sure that every qb in college would be as happy as he is if they were paid to play. Auburn is the Barry Bonds of college football.*
OldSkoolDawg
November 14th, 2010
9:24 am
No matter how much is made in the public eye (and in the media) about skill-position players, football games are still won and lost on the line of scrimmage, where it’s man on man.
Our D line continues to get beat play after play after play. We can’t make any penetration. We can’t get off blocks. I’m not sure how much of this is caused by scheme and preparedness and how much is simple ‘ability’
Aubie-won-knobi
November 14th, 2010
9:25 am
Motocross, should we describe how people in Athens and Tuscaloosa talk?
Fan of the Game
November 14th, 2010
9:25 am
Bama Bill – you are so right! All these Auburn fans better get their heads out their butt and see what is going on. Chizik is a win at all cost coach and it shows.
Aubie-won-knobi
November 14th, 2010
9:25 am
yeah bigtime. You must be on the Fox News payroll as well. Spin it baby, spin it.
Travis McGee
November 14th, 2010
9:27 am
One of th by products of allowing Richt to continue this downward spiral is that the recruiting of quality defensive player will be more difficult.
Must say, however, this kid Murray is going to be a quality QB if he’s not mishandled.
Clemson Mike
November 14th, 2010
9:28 am
Fan 4 Ever: Sorry about the confrontation that was my brother Delmar Fudd. For some reason he does not like fat guys. He still has your hat and Tiger tail and will return it next season when you folks come to Clemson.
Aubie-won-knobi
November 14th, 2010
9:28 am
Oh come on Fan. Every coach is win at all costs. It’s only because OUR coach has more cahunas to get the job done that you are frustrated. If the shoe were on the other foot you’d be calling us crybabies and to get off the field since we play like boys and cry and whine when we get hit.
Koz
November 14th, 2010
9:28 am
This is so ridiculous. I’m not even a UGA fan but all of this fire Mark Richt talk is premature. One bad season does not a bad coach make.
I’m a Duke fan and there was a lot of negative talk about Coach K having already peaked in 2001 because all of the early exits from the tournament. Then he whips out a Championship, last year, and all is forgiven.
The same is true with Richt, he can’t win every year, there will be a comeback, give the man a chance!!!
Fan of the Game
November 14th, 2010
9:28 am
Hey Aubie-won-knobi What are you trying to when you say Fox News?
Ga Fans Don't Get
November 14th, 2010
9:29 am
Sad when GA chopped blocked Farley. After a GA player blocked Farley into the GA QB the next play the GA bullies (3or 4) tried to end his career. Bad sportsmanship.
Aubie-won-knobi
November 14th, 2010
9:30 am
For years you all hated the Ol’ Ball Coach. Then recently you’ve hated on Urban Meyer. Now you’re hating on Chizik. Seems you have some insecurity issues that it’s ALWAYS someone else’s fault.
Fan of the Game
November 14th, 2010
9:31 am
Ga Fans Don’t Get – Isn’t it Fairley? You don’t even know what you are talking about.
Bulldog Born
November 14th, 2010
9:31 am
You idiots! I would rather be 5-6 right with Mark Richt right now than 11-0 with Auburn…those people have NO CLASS! Sure, we lost the game but remember, it’s just a game! UGA will be back, you can count on it. Fairley should have been thrown out of the game in the 2nd quarter…if playing dirty with a devil may care coach is what you want, quit downing UGA and become an Auburn fan! Even Saban or Miles has more class than Auburn’s head man and that’s saying a lot. I hope UGA has the sense to keep Mark Richt…I would rather have my son playing for a man that values human beings over winning.
Nan
November 14th, 2010
9:31 am
Come on now…. this was a 5-5 team against the #2 team in the country. Did you really expect UGA to win? Lay off Coach Richt. The Dawgs fought hard and didn’t give up…..and Fairley doesn’t play fairly…he should have been flagged any number of times for flagrant fouls against Murray.
Hairy Dawg
November 14th, 2010
9:32 am
Religious beliefs make one team more Christain and getting help from God to call right play and have balls bounce right. Also good talent players want play for Christain coach to help winning.
AHHH
November 14th, 2010
9:32 am
mark bradley, frankly sir you can go to hell. your negativity all season has been disgusting. mark richt is a fine coach and i hope he will continue to be OUR fine coach.
Coach Grantham...the CHOKER
November 14th, 2010
9:32 am
Seems this “choke sign” controversy has back fired on me. My defense roll over vs Auburn. My D gave up a 21-7 lead. I was the one that CHOKED…..
….and please keep talking about Nick Fairly, It diverts the attention away from my horrible defense
Aubie-won-knobi
November 14th, 2010
9:33 am
Yep Ga Fans. Those Dawgs forget that when they point a finger, there’s three more pointing right back at themselves. We all saw the illegal hits taken to Fairley. Let’s just put it this way. He gave as good as he got.
Flatsdawg1
November 14th, 2010
9:33 am
The SEC has become a progressive, aggressive coaches haven. Parity has made it this way, and as a coach you have to adjust to coaching trends. He let Bobo go for it on fourth down and it worked, result was we were still in the game. Then he went for three instead of seven when Auburn was answering with touchdowns. Aggressive coaching wins games in the SEC NOW. Give your team a chance to win, that’s how your team grows and gets better.
Clemson Mike
November 14th, 2010
9:34 am
Question to Coach Chizik ” What is your favorite drink?” Coach Chizik: “Kool Aid” I am just saying.
Beast from the East
November 14th, 2010
9:34 am
Hairy Dawg,
Sorry, but I cannot believe that God gets involved in the outcomes of football games. If you’re waiting on divine intervention, then you’ll be waiting for a long time.
Fan of the Game
November 14th, 2010
9:35 am
Aubie-won-knobi – Yea three of a kind. Spurrier throws his kid under the bus when they lose , Meyer allows a kid to claw another players eye out and well you know about Chizik. I don’t hate them. They are good coaches, I just don’t like the way they get results. Just an opinion!
Little Man
November 14th, 2010
9:35 am
Let us see…. Okay new quarterback. Not to mention Richt is not calling the shots. They required him to get rid of his defensive coordinator this year, lost the AD due who was more interested in panties, than football. And now the defensive has let them down in the close games lately…. Not quite sure Richt is to be let go. He is a good quarterback coach and the quarterback is much improved. Georgia has a bunch of cry babies they were calling him kissing his AAA when there was the bowl games. Look how long Spurrier was at SC before he finally has a winning season worth mentioning. Georgia fans should pull for NC State this year and stop crying. That coach was Matt Ryan’s Coach….LOL
Hairy Dawg
November 14th, 2010
9:35 am
Dawgs got Christian and that why we better than@other teams over long run. We just got to caste out chaffe right now for being stinky an not using talents like wicked servant in parables. Then ww reload schollies with good players to make evil teams pay for this.
Hike!!!
November 14th, 2010
9:36 am
I still think Richt won with Donnan’s players his 5 years. He has steadily gone down the last 5. Do the math.
BTW, why haven’t we joined the 21st century and started running the “spread” offense like Fla-2 NC, App State- 3 NC and now Auburn and Oregon, nos 1 and 2 in the BCS.
Flatsdawg1
November 14th, 2010
9:37 am
With Auburn, however. I’d hate to know i was looking at my third undefeated season without a chance to play for all the marbles.
Aubie-won-knobi
November 14th, 2010
9:37 am
Flatsdawg, you hit it right on the head. In the SEC it’s ALL or NOTHING for certain teams. If Bama has another season like they did this year, those fans will be screaming for Saban’s head on the block! Especially after Auburn beats them on 11/26.
Beast from the East
November 14th, 2010
9:38 am
Hairy Dawg,
Why aren’t you in church right now praying for a miracle for your football team? You seem to think that’s what is going to salvage your program. Get real. It’s football!
Rob
November 14th, 2010
9:39 am
Bradely, You are clueless
Fan of the Game
November 14th, 2010
9:39 am
Well I have to go. I don’t want to be late for Rev. Newton’s sermon on How to Use Your Family to the Best of Their Ability. Also we have new hymn books and choir robes thanks to Cam’s athletic ability.
Jake
November 14th, 2010
9:39 am
Well done, Mark, and you might also argue that UGA isn’ recruiting the right players. Not just the arrests, but there is no speed in the backfield, defensive players like Cuff and Rambo can’t play defense AND the UGA coaches were recruiting Cam Newton as a tight end. All in all, quite an indictment. I can’t imagine that Colorado would be dumb enough to take Richt, but if they’re willing let him go.
Delusions of Grandeur
November 14th, 2010
9:40 am
The play was dirty, the officiating was terrible, if this, this, this, this, this, this, and this had happened differently, we would have won. Our academic standards are higher than the rest of the league, etc.
UGA has the worst fan base of any school in the nation, if for no other reason than they are out of touch with reality. They never truly lose, and they have an excuse for every d-mn thing under the sun.
Your school is not the ‘Princeton of the South’. In fact, UF is continuously ranked as a higher academic institution on every US News & World Report list annually.
You all just suck. Accept it and move on.
Beast from the East
November 14th, 2010
9:40 am
Hike!!,
It’s not your offense that’s the problem. The defense has been the achilles heal in all of your losses this year. The offense is the problem for us in Gainesville.
TampaGator
November 14th, 2010
9:40 am
It has been the year of the “blind refs.” Did anyone see the play last night during the Florida game. Lattimore “caught” a pass, fell down, put the ball on the ground, got up and went for 5 more yards….and the refs gave him the five yards.” Every fan in the Swamp saw the play…knew he was down….but the refs standing on the field…has no idea. Amazing how bad some of these refs are. Like yesterday with Farley at Auburn…the ref was standing right next to RAMBO when his elbow turn Moody’s helment off with an upper cut to the chin…NO CALL then either.
auburn fan
November 14th, 2010
9:40 am
I hate to say it but UGA could have won the game, but you are not going to by giving Auburn the ball. You have to have ball control running game and UGA did not even try it.
Bow Hunter
November 14th, 2010
9:41 am
Look. I’m the bigest Dawg fan there is. I mite not have finished Valdosta State. But, I know a soft team when I see one. My Dawgs are soft, and my fellow fans are a bunch of bed wetting, criers.
I promise next year is our year. We finally beat Flordia and Coach Richt wins a champeonship. Sick Em!
ugaalumn81
November 14th, 2010
9:41 am
YES, Cam Newton is a THUG, and Auburn may have to vacate all of this when it’s complete. That said, Richt and some members of his staff must go!